Time for another update. I've made good progress and have plenty of pics to show for it. First of all, I've put the panther in place in the diorama.
This pic shows the overall scene.

These next five show the panther from different angles.





I still need to add a broken antenna, a water can, lots of wood and other debris, rubble dust, a broken section of track on the road, and two crew members climbing out of the tank. Even with all that to add, it still feels like quite a milestone to finally have the panther in place.
As far as the figure front is concerned, I've finished most of the Germans.
First are two group shots.


Next are two shots of two escaping panzer crewmen.


These two are going to be over by building C, wondering what they should do next.


For the final group of three, the war is over.


I still need to convert/build two more panzer crewmen. I'm making good progress with the American figures as well and hope to have pics ready shortly. It's taken a while to reach this point, but the finish line is finally in sight. I hope to have another update soon.

I am impressed by the "drape" of the Panthers' tracks. Very well done and convincing. Lots of drama going on.
J

Never looked at your panther too much yet, but I did just now and its great! it really does have that great late war feel. and finally! the figures i've been waiting to see those, they're awesome

-Conor

Oh, and how do you do your splinter camo? I failed at mine, epically.

Thanks for the comments Jerry and Connor. As far as your question is concerned Connor, the key to painting splinter camo is practice. I've lost count of how many times I've tried it, and am only now getting relatively competent at it.
I use Vallejo paints, and tend to keep them fairly thick so that they're easier to control and don't run too much. I mix the camo colors with the base and paint this around the edges of the camo areas for a shoft edge effect when the pattern calls for it.
For the rain marks, the key is to use as little paint and as soft a touch as possible to keep the marks as narrow as possible. It's very tedious, but necessary for that effect. I've seen a technique using a fine tipped paint pen, but haven't tried that myself.
Feel free to ask any more questions or for more clarifications. I hope to have another update in the next day or two.

As promised, the next update has arrived. I've finished painting all of the American figures.
First up is a pic showing all of the figures.

The next four pics show different angles of what I refer to as the background figures. These are the guys who will be around the two houses at the back of the scene.




The next picture shows the vehicle figures. These will be on or around the sherman and the halftrack.

The last picture is another view of the non-pinned figures that I didn't want to mess around with trying to stand up.

All that's left for these figures is a little weathering around the boots and pants legs and to place them on the base. Next up is to add some dust effects to the base, begin placing figures, and finish up converting the figures of the two Germans escaping from the panther. Things are winding down pretty quickly now, and I should have another update pretty soon.

Back with another update as the pace of the build really starts to pick up. I've placed most of the figures in their final positions.
First up is an overall pic of the houses and figures in the background.

Next are two guys trying to enter house A.

The next two pics are different views of the armored infantrymen taking custody of two fallschirmjager prisoners.


This next one shows the action in front of house B.

Here is a view of the two fallschirmjager positioned among the ruins of house C.

The next two pictures show the M4A3 with both figures in place.


Last up are three pics of the M3A1 with the necessary figures aboard.



Next up on the agenda is to get the last two panzer crewmen converted and painted, add more debris around houses C and D, and get the American vehicles in place. It won't be long before this project is complete. I hope to have more updates coming soon.

THIS, this is a big diorama

Looks amazing as always

-Conor

Time for another update. I've finished the last two panzer crew figures.
First up are three pics of the unpainted figures.



Next are three pictures of the figures painted.



Finally, here are three pics of the figures in place on the panther.



The white lines on the arms of the lifting figure are cracks that formed when I put the figures in place. Fortunately they weren't difficult to repair and repaint.
Next up is putting the vehicles in place as well as a few finishing touches before calling this one complete. I'll have another update as soon as that's all done.

Back with one more update. After months of construction, I'm ready to call this diorama finished.
First up are three overall pics.



Next are three views of the M4A3.



Here are three views of the M3A1.



Finally, here are three pics focused on the panther and its fleeing crew.



So there you have it. The diorama took an awful lot of bench time to get here, but things paid off in the end. I hope all of you good viewers who dropped by enjoyed seeing this come to fruition, and maybe even picked up a trick or two. I plan on taking on a couple of small projects before tackling another large diorama like this one. When I do get around to tackling the next large project, which I've tentatively entitled "Tough Old Gut," I'll cover its construction with another one of these blogs.
Thanks again for giving this a look. Happy modelling.

Congratulations on the big finish, sir. Looks great & clearly it was worth all the bench work

Can't wait for the next one

-Conor