Hi All,

Second post here, the first is washed away, forgot to put it in the right group.
Anyway, I'm working on Hobby Bosses Tunaboat and it's really a kit and a half.
As the interior is coming to a end I was wondering how to place it, I decided to put it on a bridge crossing one of many Saddam's canals.
So how to build a section of a bridge, on internet I found a round up of damaged bridges in Iraq, mine is not an exact copy but most bridges are concrete straight ones without any thrills, for nicer things you have to look at bridges in or near the major cities.
Under the bridge I will place a BDRM, driven into the water with the engine on fire.
So here's the start, just a few snapshots made on the table to give you guys an idea, some creative thinking is needed to understand were it al will end.
As I am new here I'm not familair with the vices here, so if I mess up just say so, enough with the words, here's were I'm at:

For a bridge section I use some railwaysections from Trumpeter, they are the good size and shape, just turn them over and close them with Evergreen.



Then I used Styrofoam for the rough shape, damaged the surface with stain remover, the earthmix which will follow will stick better and already looks a bit 'sandy'


The bridgesupport, stippled with deluted putty for a concrete effect, it will show after paint.


The bridgesection, one side of the rail will be damaged, I'll be using the HS method.



An idea and a dryfit off the whole thing:



My biggest problem, I couldn't paint figs if my life depended on it, but I'll keep trying, these are coming out off the Amtrac, there are some resin figs underway to put in front off the Amtrac.


So I hope it's not to confusing, looking forward at your comments, and Frenchy, those glasses will be redone

Thanks for looking! Rick

Looking good. The bridge, its support, and the bank came out nice. I think your figs look good too. The BRDM looks too tight and uniform under the bridge to me though. It may look better without it.

Hi Rick

Maybe it's just me, but this diorama appear to be a bit "cramped" Maybe you could use a larger base, or maybe you could remove the "bank"on the right, or make it more vertical...Maybe too much "maybe" in my comment ?

Frenchy

I think a lot had to do with poor quality of the pics, I had to cramp it all up to get in in one pic, on the other hand, I was not to sure of the BDRM, a bit far fetched also.
I'll decide when I pour the resin, I think it goes, replace with some war 'rubble', I'd like to keep the bank, I like some odd shapes on a angle in a dio.
A small dio is typical Dutch I think, whe allways start with the smallest amount of underground, afraid of empty spaces.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Rick

Aaaah another fellow country member

Ola Rick

Modern is not really my cup of tea but I really love your interior painting. All very well pinwashed.. brings out the detail a treat.

The dio is also a really nice start. Nice work with the levels. Love the elevation and the bridge protruding from it. Only thing I am not a too big fan off is the vehicle under the bridge. And I think that is because it has virtually no space around it so it looks a bit odd and makes me question a bit how it came there.
If the base was just a tad bigger around the BRDM and have it a bit more at an angle with the nose more towards the front of the dio.

Or don't add it and throw in some wartime garbage... That stuff always brings a lot of life in that kind of areas. Some bright colored oil drums and other debris.

Then again... My hat is off to you... You are actually making some progress with a dio... I work with the speed of continental drift.

I actually like your quote about the small dimensions of a diorama being a typical Dutch thing. Don't know if it is a Dutch thing perse but I know that if there would be one rule I follow with pretty much every dio I make it is... never use more space then neccesary to tell your story. Too much clutter distracts from what you want to portray.

Ik hoop dat mijn verhaal een beetje hout snijdt.

Met een vriendelijke groet

Robert Blokker

Hi Robert, Twennoter ook toch?
En ik snap het helemaal.

Ok, get it what you all talking about, I really value your opinion, so just a bit of explaining to do, I used to build WW2 stuff, but for one way or the other I could not get motivated anymore, building Stugs and Panthers is nice but after a few you get bored, atleast I was.
Earlier this year I got banged up really good and had to spend some time indoors and I started building again, being a former Dutch Marine I looked at USMC in the OIF, it really got my juices flowing, so I bought a lot of researchbooks, kits and so on.
Being able to talk to people who really where there is very motivating, the more technical models are also, to learn all the abbreviations in USMC/Army lingo is almost a job on it's own, but once again, very motivating.
So it's like starting over again, and a try to better my modelling skills.
That's why feedback is important, you can't discuss personal taste but for the rest I'm all ears, and not to afraid to look at my work with different eyes.
Once again a long story, but I think I made clear why I'm here, so I looked to some earlier work, small undergrounds keep coming back, so instead of starting over I let the BDRM out, it takes away also from the Amtrac, which is a really nice model by Hobby Boss.

Here's some of my earlier stuff, it's not about the models, just about the size of the underground, it's smaller then normal, I think it's a bit of a Dutch hypething:









So a bit bigger would be nicer?

Thanks again Rick

Ola Rick

Ik sta alleen ingeschreven bij het Twenot forum en ik post er eigenlijk weinig. Ik koop wel regelmatig dingen via het vraag en aanbod forum.

I think you did right by choosing to let the BRDM out. It doesn't add too much to the stuff on the bridge. I'm sure you will find a way to make that river bed look interesting with other stuff. And the wonderfully painted BRDM can be used as an interesting centrepiece in another diorama.

Your earlier work looks very good. I think I have seen some of them at Twenot events. That walker... is it scratchbuilt or is it a commercial kit?

Hi Robert,

Ik knew I've seen your name before.
In the south whe have our own thing, Scale Model Factory, and our ever growing yearly meet Scale Model Challenge, so I don't post on Twenot much anymore.

The dio looks less cramped without the BDRM, and your suggestion, a floating oildrum and other stuff could be just what it needs.
The walker was a trial and error kind of thing, it's mostly scratch, the turret is a Sherman with a upsidedown Hellcat underneath, the barrel is from a JSU152, the legs are scratch, accept the joints, these are from Lego



Cheers Rick

Well it can very well be that I have seen it at the Scale Model World meet I have visited two... Couldn't go the last two years because of lack of money or time. But I have visited the last D-Day. I usually shuffle around anonymously... the people who know me usually manage to find me anyway.

That is some inventive thinking on that walker. Great scratching and inventive solutions... I still have to try my hand at scratching one of these things. Got enough spares to do it... now for the design. I have to think.

@Robert, just start and make up and adept as you go, I did and it's liberating if your not bound by a manual or historical correctness.

Update of the underground, the Amtrac is there for size, it just came out of the paintboot.
Still a lot to do, but I think I have the color of Iraqi sand correct, thanks to the artshop where my wife gets her stuff (she paints for a living) they made a 2 part pigmentmix which comes very close, so I'm happy.
I mix it up with a acrylic binder (Gesso) and very fine sand, (grinded shells) after drying I can add pigment by mixing it up with Iso-propyl alcohol, (basic Tamiya thinner) and put it on with a brush.
I use this method making sure the styrofoam is covered up this way because the 2K resin which I use for water will eat away on the foam otherwise.

Enough talk, here are the pics:













Thanks for watching! Cheers Rick

Very nice. The area under the bridge looks much better.

looks really cool, the base is very good!

I, would have made it a two lane bridge, but I have to say that this one and the other dios that you did are realy great. I enjoyed the post and thanks for sharing.

Thanks guys, and Gino you were right about leaving out the BDRM, it's better this way, not to crowded.
I thought about making it 2 lane, the idea itself comes from a pic form M1 'lost souls' on a Bagdad bridge but it would have left a lot of room to fill, for which the only solution is more figures, which is a bit of a problem for me.


Thanks for the comments! Rick

Nice looking dio Rick. I was wondering what those rail beds would be good for, I never throw out any model stuff. Bridge bed, what a great idea you came up with! Now all I have to do is but some modern vehicals to go with it.