Well it took me it took about 6 months but I finally finished my first early Spring diorama. It's comprised of an M4A3 Sherman from the 3rd Armored Division and troops from the 80th Infantry Division, who have just brought in a prisoner. We're around the Rhine river in March of 1945.

Dragon M-4A3(76) modified with sandbag armour and lots of on-board stowage. Base coat is three shades of Life Colour Olive Drab. Winter camo done with the hairspray method. Weathering done with MIG washes, artists oils, Reality in Scale "Mud in a Pot" and Future. Sherman crew are from Alpine and Royal Model.

Tamiya Willys Jeep modified with lots of onboard stowage and resin wheels with snow chains. Base coat Life Colour Olive Drab with lighter shades of Tamiya NATO Green and Buff. Weathering done with MIG washes, artists oils, Reality in Scale "Mud in a Pot" and Future. Driver and Officer on the radio are from Alpine.

Infantry figures are a mix of Mantis as well as S&T Products. All figures are painted with Vallejo acrylics and artists oils for the flesh. Weathering done with MIG washes artists oils, Reality in Scale "Mud in a Pot" and Future.

Resin base is from Tiger Productions. Painted with various shades of Tamiya brown. Snow is made from Micro Ballons and white glue. Stream water is acrylic resin. Ice is made from wax. Road water is Future.

After looking at the pics there are some changes I should make. The exhaust and muffler on the jeep is too clean and the German needs some more shading on his camo sleeves.

Hope you enjoy the pics

That is amazing. Love it. Great work. Tank looks good, figures look good.

Nice work.

Man it looks miserable there! Not the work, its magnificent! I can almost see Willie and Joe.

Very nice Ty!

Happy Modelling, -zon

Nicely done, pal, nicely done. Great detail, the figures are splendidly done and the weathering is top notch. I loved the teddy bear near the TC's hatch, nice touch.
I would muddy up the tracks a bit as the vehicle must have driven through some slop somewhere along the line to get to the cobblestone road. Still, very nice work.

Very nice. I really like the figures and the way you have them interacting too.

Amazing! Freakin Amazing!

Hi Tyrel,

what a very splendid work ! Congrats!

The pics with the sky in background look even more realistics.

nico

Brilliant!

A real powerhouse of a diorama here Tyrel. There is so much going on in it and so many small details to see. My favourite is the brilliantly convincing mud and slush you have on the roadway and on the wheels of the Jeep (and the track showing where it went up off the road). I also like the way the figures are all interacting, particularly the soldiers gathered around the captured German, who looks particularly haggard. The stowage in the Jeep is a nice touch aswell. As for the Sherman I think you've developed the idea of it having survived a cold winter very nicely- it looks suitably weathered and dirty- the way you have finished the sandbags is quite something. Fantastic work, congrats!

Hi Tyrel. Excellent diorama. Great use of figures as well .. they really aid the story. One thing that stands out to me is the reddish dirt .... the red-brown gives a warm feel, and as you want it really to look cold, I would add some black and blue washes to this to remove the warm hue. The dusty windowscreen on the jeep is another "warm" looking effect .... maybe more rain streaks here instead? Just some personal opinions regarding this ... still a great scene though!!

Very nice Tyrel!

I particularly like the details on the base and terrain (although I think the models and figures are great too!). The crown on the road way along with the ditches and drainage all going in one direction (down hill!) are details that are often missed. The spattered mud in the snow along the edges of the road way is another detail that adds to the convincing look. (You must really pay attention to the snow up there in Maple Leaf land!)

Would you mind sharing some information on how you made the base? I'd like to know what product(s) you used for the snow and how you applied it. What sort of glue did you use; did you brush or spray it on; did you layer the snow or put it all down at once? I also like the broken ice in the stream and would like to know how you did that too.

Thanks for taking the time to post the photos! I really enjoyed looking at it.

Hey Ty, I'd say 6 months well spent! This is quite awesome! I love the painted figures, they are really, really well done. Nice job on this! Thanks for posting the photos.

Excellent diorama, the figures are lifelike and look as though they are all interacting in the setting....

I wish I could paint figures half as good as these....

Thanks for the kind words. It was a fun build.

Mike McQuade - Even though my mind set was the Sherman on a lengthy cobblestone trek before heading back into the mud, I did put a fair bit of mud on the running gear and tracks but if it's not showing up I'll try a bit more drybrushing and see it it will bring it out.

Frank Glackin - Thanks for the input and I know where you're coming from with the warm tones of the mud but I was going for a dual look of the cold winter snow and warm promise of spring with the melting ice and mud but I'll see what a light wash of Paynes Grey might produce. The windshield on the jeep was my bad for not capturing the look right. It's not dust that I was trying to portray, It's the browny water spray that is produced when following a vehicle that's throwing it up as it travels down the road. Maybe a some streak and runs will show it better.

Mike Roof - The resin base is from Tiger Production. I added a layer of air-dry clay to the hill area and used the jeep wheels on a spare axle to make the impressions in the clay. The base layer of snow is micro-balloons mixed with white glue and spread on with a stir stick. I then highlighted certain areas with Tamiya Snow effects. I have a set caliber 35 boots that are made for making footprints. I put a thin layer of Snow Effects down and used the boots to make prints. I then used a thin wash in the bottom of the boot prints to show weight and mud coming up through the snow. I used Reality in Scale "Mud in a Pot" on the road edges to show transition between the snow and mud. Then brushing on Future Polish gave everything that nice wet look. For the water I first pit in a couple of small rocks from my back yard and some kitty litter for the stream bed. For the water I used Woodland Scenics "Realistic Water" for the ice I found a candle that had a bluish tinge to it and melted a bit of it in the bottom of an aluminum pan. When it cooled I just broke it up and when I poured the water I carefully placed the shards and let it dry.

Cheers

Clean and cool !!!

Just fantastic work!

Yes! Fantastic work but General Patton would have had a coronary had he seen this over-loaded Sherman.


~ Jeff

Hello
Great job. I like winter camouflage.

@Tyrel:

Thanks for the detailed explanation of the base construction. It all came together very effectively and convincingly! I appreciate you sharing your techniques.