After almost 5 months of thinking about doing it , i have actually started my first dio
i have cut the base into a basic shape and will be shaping it further and painting it in due time

I will upload pictures on here to allow you to see how it goes.
and if it looks pants its my first try XD

Initial progress






These pictures show what i have done so far. The yellow squares show where i will place spider holes with jap soldiers hiding in them. On top of the ridge will be a trench housing further soldiers and the Type 92 MG. I may also dig a slight trench for the chi ha and surround it with sandbags.

I will buy 1:35 barrels and boxes for further detail to the trench and hopefully make better palm trees

The diorama will be beige/sand on the american side below the ridge and will change to dirt and grass patches by the japanese ridge. Also if i have space i will make a japanese pillbox from stryofoam and try to place it on the ridge.

Busy times ahead

A rather large and ambitious layout for your first diorama. I'm not really sure what the "storyline" is, or where the focal point is. Has the Japanese (not "jap") force surprised an American column? Or have the US forces just landed and are advancing up the shore?

I think if you could verbalise what you're intending to depict it would be useful for future critique.

Hey Jack, glad to see you back with some new work. Its an ambitious one this- big and with plenty of stuff going on. I think what Rudi said is important though- i.e. what is the story in the dio? Who's attacking where and why, that sort of thing. I would maybe suggest considering some tank traps and perhaps a Japanese gun trench/pit and maybe some barbed wire fencing. Depends on what you are planning for the scene. Let us know!! Good luck mate.

The US marines are pushing up the ridge where they will be met by a japanese trench and tank pit ( i am going to carve a small pit for the chi ha and surround it with sandbags)


And yes i didn't realise the size of this dio until the base arrived in the post.
I may have set my sights a bit high for my first attempt but either way its a good learning experience

Exactly, the first diorama I ever attempted was on a big Verlinden base with loads of figures, a steep learning curve but enjoyable and it taught me a whole lot.

I like the plan about the Chi-Ha being dug-in, that will look good lurking over the top of the ridge! Keep putting up pics as you progress!

Looking forward to this! You don't see a lot of PTO.

Looks interesting, if for nothing else than the sheer scale of it. I'm subscribed. "Japs" is a dated term, but both of my grandfathers served in the PTO during WWII and that is the common name they associate with the indigenous Japanese defenders. It isn't a racial slur; it describes the Japanese soldiers during WWII.

trenches are dug, as are the spider holes. i have also dug a road near the bottom of the dio where the shermans will be. The edges have been roughed out and Now i have to suss out the best way to paint the damn thing!

I will be using enamel paint and a brush so lots of beige/brown paint will be needed, I will see about getting pictures up tommorow.

Pictures!




Here is a picture of the diorama from above, The colour i intend to use for the majority of the base can be seen just under the shermans, the yellowy colour was a test that provided a negative result.



Here is a better view of the japanese trench system, the soldiers are not in their permanent places, they are strewn around to give a sense of scale.



A view from the US Marine Corps perspective.
i will make better trees in the future and include more trees in the advance to the trench.



Two japanese soldiers emerging from their spider holes.



I intend to line the Japanese trench with twigs taken from the woods nearby , i will then add barrels and flags to decorate the trench more.



And here is a picture of what my rather crouded shelf looks like at the moment, i have had a Panzer IV , a Tiger , a D3a1 Val Dive bomber and lots of 1:72 Infantry to prevent me from working on the Dio





Personnally I dont think the British Medieval Knights will succeed against the First World War Germans.



Thank you all for following my progress

Hey Jack, good to see some progress on this elaborate piece. You've certainly got a lot of action packed into it! Are you just painting the polystyrene as it is? Have you heard of Tamiya Texture Paint? Its basically paint mixed with grit and/or grass. The grass paint basically lets you paint on static grass very quickly and pretty effectively. The best stuff is the 'Soil' texture paint though- it gives a nice tough, earthy colored finish (you can get a few colors of it) that you can then paint over if you wish to achieve different colors etc. Alternatively if you have some household filler (like Polyfilla) you can mix this with water (or buy a ready mixed tub) and smooth this on over the polystyrene- it would also give a nicer texture to paint on.

In any case I'm looking forward to seeing the base all painted up and brought together. Good luck with it !

at present i am just painting the base over with enamel as it is , once i have a thorough base coat over the entire dio i will see what i can do in regards to making it look more realistic

one thing to make a better base is to mix plaster with brown paint and water for earth. and cover the base with it . you can then texture it with brushes, grit, e.t.c

will be much more realistic than paint over the foam.

Hi there guys!


I am actually still working on this!

My progress however is painstakingly slow as i have a new job!
And a car now
My Shifts are rather awkward sometimes so when i do get home i "can't be bothered for building" etc

However i have made a little progress!!!



The whole trench will be lined like this , along with some little japanese flags i will make and then soke in tea for the "used effect"



I have some Gunmetal paint that i may apply to the type 92 at a later time!



The Chi Ha's Weathering has been Improved
Looks extremely Well used now!





I will give the Polyfiller and water and paint trick a shot when i have some free time!

This Dio is not Dead!!!!!
Its just taking a year longer than i had planned!

Thanks for the input guys!

Good to see you are still working at it Jack, looks like it is coming on nicely.