Well i think she is done i hope you all like it.
This scene depicts the first gun of the 4th Artillery Regiment
292nd infantry divisions support of the attack on Ponyri Station.
The crew of this Grille Ausf H are pounding the russian positions
for the eventual capture of the train station by the 184th Grenadier Regiment
on July 5th 1943.
Army GroupCenter, XLI Panzer Korps. 9th Army Kursk Salient


















Anyway i hope you all like it comments and advise are always welcome!!!!!
Horst is out

Hey Horst

Something that catches my eye that maybe I am missing, but are the rail tracks up side down in there holding down brackets?

It is just that the top flange of the rails look much wider than the bottom flange and to my mind would not be held correctly.

Otherwise I think the dio is cracking and maybe only needs a good amount of dirt, mud, trapped vegitation and dust on the tracks, wheels and surfaces of the tank with similar dust added to the ground work and rail track to keep the continuity of the whole thing.

Nige

I agree, the rails are upside down. Shouldn't be hard to fix

Don
Model Railroader for 60 years.

I like your diorama Horst. What figures did you use?
Andy

Thanks everybody for your responce.
Boy you guys are good!!!! the guys in my club
also noticed my fupa right away well what can i say
i am pretty new to the hobby and in my defence
i got the trumpeter tracks second hand without the instructions
and well i claim ignorence when it comes to trains
I will not attempt to fix it only because i know as sure as tomorrow is friday that if i touch it
it will all come apart right in my hands
Hi Andrew thankyou for your comments the artillery crew is also from Trumpeter. it is a great set nice detail.
Thanks again everybody for your responce and time
Regards
Horst

Hey Horst, Looks pretty good to me. The only thing I would change would be the chains. What you have is the type of neckless that is of twisted links for keeping it basically straight while wearing it. Try to find a straight link, check out any piece of heavy equipment around you for a chain and you'll see the difference. You can find costume jewelry at any 2nd hand store or church sale for next to nothing. One piece will last you for a long time. A bit more on the vegetation will go along way too, maybe a bit of trash like a few rusted tins or broken bottles. Mankind always leaves trash where ever he goes and would add a touch of being close to the station/town.

Hey Bob thanks for your advice on the chains i did not realize the differance.
Boy i got a long way to go on this dio thing. I was at the ampseast show
two weeks ago and there was a guy selling aftermarket tow chains with hooks
but i didn't buy them, (I should have) I just think i can walk into a A,C, MOORE and get what i need to scratch build but it doesnt always pan out. as for the litter same goes i need to collect all this stuff and it does take time/money but little by little my stash is growing. thanks again

Regards
Horst

Hi Horst

A simple way to add ground texture is to gather up road dirt or light dusty earth of a colour that catches your eye.

Will help break up the brown earth colour a little. Also have a look in your garden for small leafed plants that you can add here and there to break up the vegetation type a little. The guys that use real plants dip them in glycerine to preserve them.

You don't have to buy loads of aftermarket plants and the like.

Good luck

Nige

Hey Horst, an easy fix and cheap for cans or buckets. Get a piece of styrene tube and cut to size. Thin inside by scraping with a knife and add a cover with rough edges to simulate a old type can opener. Paint silver with a dry brush of rust, add some small leftover decals for labels, ( doesn't have to be able to read or make sence as they are too small) and just glue some here and there. Much of what we use is scratch built like this and no need to buy expensive a.m. stuff. For bottles, just heat and stretch some clear sprue to the shape of a bottle and the same decals as the can. A few pieces of left over plastruct or left over structual shaped stuff, bent up and givin the rust treatment and you have a scrap pile too. I'd be more broke than I am if I bought everything I needed instead of a bit of scratch building and the good feeling you get from building something out of nothing is priceless. There are many natural plants you can adapt for dio's without buying expensive a.m. stuff too. For some flower clumps, pick some Queens Ann lace and cut the small petals apart, soak in glycerin to keep pliable. Glue in place and paint. Just keep you eyes open in the dry flower department or as you walk around your area.

Thanks Nige and Bob for your support and information.
I will try adding the dust to the base to dull it down a bit
i think that would look pretty good.
As for the scratch building it is hard to not want to add this aftermarket stuff to your collection. it really is amazing as to what is available to us but i do like
trying to make alot of this stuff myself. My only diffaculty is working with such
small/delicate parts.
anyway thanks again for your thoughts and advice.

Respectfully

Horst

P.S.
Oh yeah does anybody know how to make a sludge mix using mig powders?
I dont know if i am saying this right!