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Dioramas: Beginners
A good place to look if you are just starting out.
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French Village battle
6stringer
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England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: October 02, 2011
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 12 posts
Posted: Sunday, October 02, 2011 - 05:48 AM UTC
Hi ,
I'm not quite sure yet how to attach images to the actual message but I have loaded some pics on my gallery section.....Its my first offering to the site so feel free to rip it up and tell me how it is or how it should be..I'd appreciate the feedback.
I'm not totally convinced its finished but i need one of you guys to tell me to put it to bed and move on..
Tamiya model and figures as are the paints..and the roof tiles , Cafe & House ruin from FOG..
many thanks
M4A3E8Easy8
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Washington, United States
Joined: February 04, 2006
KitMaker: 302 posts
Armorama: 300 posts
Posted: Sunday, October 02, 2011 - 05:58 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi ,
I'm not quite sure yet how to attach images to the actual message but I have loaded some pics on my gallery section.....Its my first offering to the site so feel free to rip it up and tell me how it is or how it should be..I'd appreciate the feedback.
I'm not totally convinced its finished but i need one of you guys to tell me to put it to bed and move on..
Tamiya model and figures as are the paints..and the roof tiles , Cafe & House ruin from FOG..
many thanks


Here ya go















dioman13
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Indiana, United States
Joined: August 19, 2007
KitMaker: 2,184 posts
Armorama: 1,468 posts
Posted: Sunday, October 02, 2011 - 06:36 AM UTC
The only suggestion that really pops up is for you to get a pair of flush cutters from the local dollar store or what ever you have locally. On the back of one of your German figures (the helmet) is a V notch, should be a even contour around the back. Looks like you twisted it of the sprue, basic no no as you see the result. Your story is clear and precise and fits pretty well on the space you have.Your streets are narrow which fits many European towns but I would add some type of cobble stone section showing through them, but leave enough debris for the damaged buildings.The one thing that really stands out to me is the tile roofing. They should mostly be single pieces as they are held on by either cement or 2 nails in the edges. Having all of them in cluster chunks doesn't look right though some would be o.k. as roof beams come down with them. All things considered, It is a pretty nice dio and tells the story in a convincing manner. So my suggestion is this, keep having fun with your next and thanks for sharing with us.
6stringer
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England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: October 02, 2011
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 12 posts
Posted: Monday, October 03, 2011 - 08:00 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The only suggestion that really pops up is for you to get a pair of flush cutters from the local dollar store or what ever you have locally. On the back of one of your German figures (the helmet) is a V notch, should be a even contour around the back. Looks like you twisted it of the sprue, basic no no as you see the result. Your story is clear and precise and fits pretty well on the space you have.Your streets are narrow which fits many European towns but I would add some type of cobble stone section showing through them, but leave enough debris for the damaged buildings.The one thing that really stands out to me is the tile roofing. They should mostly be single pieces as they are held on by either cement or 2 nails in the edges. Having all of them in cluster chunks doesn't look right though some would be o.k. as roof beams come down with them. All things considered, It is a pretty nice dio and tells the story in a convincing manner. So my suggestion is this, keep having fun with your next and thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks for the grilling dioman13 and thanks for sorting the images out for me Easy8..I have overlooked many things and its crazy how the simple errors get lost in the mist of concentration during the build...yet stare you in the face when someone mentions it afterwards....you will never see v's cut out of anymore helmets..ha!..Your right about the overkill on the roof tiles too..and I knew towards the end of the build that I should've put some sort of cobblestone street floor inbetween the house and cafe....instead i went for the mud drenched ground...
once again thank you for your comments..

kiweed420
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Hamilton, New Zealand
Joined: October 18, 2011
KitMaker: 21 posts
Armorama: 19 posts
Posted: Sunday, October 23, 2011 - 02:16 AM UTC
steve that wasnt a drilling bro that was sound basic advise with a deserved compliment to boot =)
keep going mate.


az
roudeleiw
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Luxembourg
Joined: January 19, 2004
KitMaker: 2,406 posts
Armorama: 2,224 posts
Posted: Sunday, October 23, 2011 - 11:24 PM UTC
You must absolutely do something with your roof debris.

Are this kit parts provided as such ? Hopefully not.

Do you really imagine a roof falling apart like that? In complete pieces, tiles neatly attached one to another and to a big chunk of whatever this is meant to simulate.

My advice is to dispose of all the roof debris, no exception. Replace it by wood debris, try to make some roof tiles yourself, no need to make a terra cotta roof, slate is easy to simulate.
Try to get rid of the shining , on the uniform and the rubble.

Where are the white stones (in front of the Café) coming from. I don't see any wall with a whitish break area.
The joints on the green Café wall need to be simulated. Either paint them or try to get some pigments in there.

The houses do not show broken walls on the sides . Either you need to do that yourself or really place the limits of the houses on the border of the dio.
The floors inside the houses have the same muddy look as outside! You must model a surface here.

The tree needs more branches and twigs.

That's it for a start! :-)

I would advice to start a new dio and consider this one as part of the learning process. Hope i was not to harsh

Claude


Edit:

I just saw that Bob covered already some of my critics in the post before, so i apologize for repeating it.
6stringer
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England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: October 02, 2011
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 12 posts
Posted: Monday, October 24, 2011 - 07:26 AM UTC
Many thanks for all your constructive comments...I have a lot to learn...
Just a thought but would any of you suggest I dismantle the dio and put good the buildings then re-apply them to a new scene?...as with the figures too?
In hindsight I should've took more time to research and develop/build the base...I now realise how crucial that is..
The broken roof tiles came in kit form , i'm not experienced enough to build these yet from scratch ...
OR
should I just put it on the shelf to gather dust...
Frenchy
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Rhone, France
Joined: December 02, 2002
KitMaker: 12,719 posts
Armorama: 12,507 posts
Posted: Monday, October 24, 2011 - 07:55 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The broken roof tiles came in kit form , i'm not experienced enough to build these yet from scratch ...


Royal Models makes some roof tiles (RM 296) :



They also make some slates as well...

HTH

Frenchy
bison126
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Correze, France
Joined: June 10, 2004
KitMaker: 5,329 posts
Armorama: 5,204 posts
Posted: Monday, October 24, 2011 - 07:57 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The broken roof tiles came in kit form , i'm not experienced enough to build these yet from scratch ...


Yes you are but you are not aware of I'm sure you have some thick cardboard box at hand. Peel off the outer sheets and you will have lengths of basic but cheap roof tiles. With your modeling knife, you just have to cut individual tiles and you can replace them in your dio.

Here is a picture of what you can get with this technique. (small dio made years ago so I hope the dio gurus will be merciful ;-) )



Keep on improving your dio.

Olivier
roudeleiw
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Luxembourg
Joined: January 19, 2004
KitMaker: 2,406 posts
Armorama: 2,224 posts
Posted: Monday, October 24, 2011 - 06:38 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Just a thought but would any of you suggest I dismantle the dio and put good the buildings then re-apply them to a new sceneOR
should I just put it on the shelf to gather dust...


You can try to dismantle them and get the paint of and start enew.
Better to use this houses for more practice then another potentially expensive kit house.
You must think also about interiors. Ther should be visible leftovers from furniture, the doors and windows.
Leave the figures and buy some Dragon or Masterbox plastics figures. It will easier to practice figure painting with those.

Search this site and others for tips about scratchbuilding houses.

Claude

Babcat
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Michigan, United States
Joined: March 21, 2006
KitMaker: 269 posts
Armorama: 259 posts
Posted: Monday, October 24, 2011 - 08:30 PM UTC
I don't think taking it apart would be the way to go. You build you learn you improve. One of the hardest things (for me anyway) is knowing when to stop! I still have my first diorama, and it's by no means perfect, but I do like seeing how my skills have progressed, and yes when I look at it I remember not to do some things again! Keep building, that's the real key!
6stringer
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England - North West, United Kingdom
Joined: October 02, 2011
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 12 posts
Posted: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - 08:56 AM UTC
Many thanks for all your comments...i'm gonna leave it as a reminder of my progress and crack on with another build...what that will be for sure i'm still undecided...
Great Idea for the roof tiles Olivier cheers...
I'll continue to learn and watch the masters at work on this incredible website and hopefully gather more tips and tricks for my future builds..
best
Steve
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