Hi Kurt,

Thanks for the thoughts. I had thought about a planked structure over the forward trench - I'll see if I have anything that might work. I also though camo netting over the Mortar pit might be appropriate or some form of hessian wall. I was waiting for the AFV nets to come out as they look like they might be good. I also want to make a couple of abandoned rifles for the top and in the wire.


Paul,

Thanks for looking in and the comments.

Cheers

Al

Hi Kurt,

I could d something along the lines of a wooden or corrugated structure, without loosing too much detail?


Cheers

Al

Opps forgot the pics.

[/URL]

[/URL]

Al

Hi Alan ,

i see , it's a little bit primitive for that time of war but it is not impossible. That kind of shelter was jused at the beginning of the trench war far. You can also cover the structure with soil and grass , with barbed wire on top for example ?

Now these soldiers have a small shelter against sudden incoming artillery fire.

Keep up the good work !

Kurt

Hi Kurt,

Thanks for the thoughts. I'll think on it as many of the pictures show the trenches exposed and to have any real value it would need to be wider. I might get some corrugated sheets in 1/35 scale to see the actual width and then decide.

Edit

On further thought it's probably not appropriate in this setting as it would form a bridge for any attacking infantry.

Cheers

Al

Correct Alan, that's in the case , there is no barbed wire installed on top of the strucure. But , it's your diorama and i'm just a spectator.

Cheers

Hi Kurt,

Protection over the Sap/Op wouldn't be out of place in this setting but there was such a variety of structures you could build forever lol.

Roofing over the Sap wouldn't be to much of a problem and would still leave visibility to the interior. Food for thought. With the exception of the signage and candles for the tunnel it's about done. Time to set it aside and think on it.

Cheers

Al

Remember, Alan, less is more. Know when to stop.

Hi Paul,

Words of wisdom. The pics I posted on page 17 are pretty much the done deal. I need a couple of trench signs and a small amount of work in the tunnel but my plan hadn't been to do any more than that. There is plenty of activity in the trenches with what I hope is a fair representation of Trench life activity. If I achieved that then it's job done.

I might build a cover for the sap, but I could do that off the dio as a lift on/off item so I'm not stuck with an element that doesn't work.

Thanks for the thoughts and Merry Christmas.

Cheers

Al

It's been a pleasure watching this come together Al.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2014.

Hi Darren,

Glad you enjoyed the build. Many thanks for the input and a Very Merry Christmas to you too.

Cheers

Al

Awesome finish and great show!
J

Thanks Jerry.

Cheers

Al

Hi folks,

A quick thank you to all those who contributed to the build either in though or deed. This has been one of the most heavily visited threads I've run, which leads me to think that there is a lot more interest in WW1 than one might think.

Bob I'll await the weeds for the final touch and I look forward to next year when with luck more WW1 items will become available in 1/35 scale.

I see Fruil have tracks for the F17, Mk II, IV, V and the Whippet/Little Willie so that's promising.

Cheers and happy modelling.

Al

With pleasure Alan . Thanks .
Greets Kurt

You are correct in that conclusion. WWI is finally coming into its' own. Tanks ,vehicles,figures,aircraft are all beginning to show up in scale and quality.
Great thread Alan and a lot of"hits" numbering in the tens of thousands. Pity there are not more folks commenting though,specially at the end here.
J

Hi Jerry,

It's not unusual these days to have limited comments. The internet has always been that way with a few who follow a build and comment and many who just watch developments. There are a wide variety of reasons for that. You see the same in news items, apparent lack of interest for something that's been asked for for a long time.

On the WW1 front I'm please to say I have at least 3 new projects to work on which will span across most of next year I think. It's hard to keep up these days with so many excellent Allied WW2 releases becoming available, the build list just keep getting longer.

If someone like Meng or Bronco bring out some detailed British WW1 Tanks, than that would be a very positive step. The Meng F17 seems to have been very well received although my kit seems lost in transit at the moment. I see AM kits starting to appear for it already.

Resicast have opened up some nice possibilities with a range of WW1 artillery, both the 18pdr and 6 inch howitzer are excellent kits and as I posted a few days ago they appear to have an 8 inch howitzer and 60pdr gun under development, to go with the Holt Tractor. Graham's GBS dio bases and accessories are also great items for WW1 builders so overall the future looks bright.

Apart from ICM only MB seem to have ventured into the 1/35 plastic figure range with their yet to be released kit of WW1 Tommies and German Prisoners although they have offer up some new tanks for 1/72 scale.

Next year should be an exciting year all around but I hope for more WW1 items to make an appearance.

Cheers

Al

I have a view on releasing some horse teams for artillery in the future. I know they didn't chnge much in the way of tackle between the wars so they should work for the first war. Do you think there will be much interest?
J

Hi Alan, Congratulations in finishing this diorama!

It's difficult to comment on one specific item or scene as there are so many in there. This dio will probably serve as model for a lot of people wanting to commemorate WW1 this year. I hope that yourself are satisfied with your achievement as you put a lot of sweat and heart in this project.

Well done Alan!

Greets
Claude

Hi Al,

Congratulations on the finished product. Outstanding work and a great way to end the year.

Cheers

Dick

Alan- many congratulations on finishing this masterwork. This thread, I think, deserves some of the credit for getting people interested in WW1 modelling. It has shown that with hard work and dedication a brilliant rendition of something as complicated as a trench-work can be done, and done well! From the mud to the ration tins to the tunnel and the men standing to, through the busy trenches with men working and shaving and right down to the rats and the mud- it is like several vignettes and scenes all rolled seamlessly into one. Its a real achievement Alan- you should be very proud of it.

Hi Jerry,

Horses and or Mules carrying shells were common and horses in general would be very useable.

Horse and mules were used in both World Wars and of course any time frame but especially WW1 and the WW2 Jungle campaign (mules).

Pack carrying animals would be particularly useful.

Hi Claude,

Not a pinch on your epic but I'm happy with the result. A better source of barbed wire would be good. The AA stuff is very fine but the lengths are far to short to be of any real use and the other version probably too think but at least the rolls were of decent length. I have made my own in the past but it tended to be on the thick side too.

Thanks for looking in and the thoughts.

Hi Dick,

Many thanks and glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the input during the build.

Hi Karl,

Appreciated, you've summed it up well; a series of small scenes all interlinked to create an overview of life in the trenches.

I was a bit concerned it would be too static but there is a nice flow of movement/activity across and within the scenes, at least I think so, and there is a good range of interesting items to catch you eye and add life and variety.

Having to convert all but 2 of the figures was a challenge in itself. Thanks for the thoughts and kind comments, seamless was exactly what I was trying to achieve as it is really 10 separate activities interconnected to make the overall picture.

If it helps motivate others to have a go at some WW1 stuff then that would be good.

Bob is sending me some weeds and a flare pistol to add, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Thanks all for taking the time to comment.

Al

Well done, Alan!

It's quite the epic build. Hard to count, but you must have about 25 figures in the dio interacting or portraying life in 6 or 7 different vignettes. Very ambitious and quite well done.

It's been enjoyable to watch this coming together and to follow you descriptions and blow-by-blows.

Thanks for taking the time to document and share it with us.

Have a Happy Modeling New Year!

Hi Mike,

Thanks for looking in and the comments. 22 in all not counting the rats. The additional figs shown in the build I'll use in other projects.

Cheers

Al

Hi Al,

this must be in the Top of the Olymp of all Dioramas I have seen so far. Your level of detail, the depicted atmosphere are jsut incredible.
Your details with the rats, the trench life of the "trapped" soldiers in their trenches, the dead bodies on the rims of the trenches... All present. This truly represents an amazing depiction.

One add on:
As trenches have been won over x-times, you might want to place some 'lost German or even French equipment' on the sides of or even inside the trenches? Considering the swingway of conquest, and counter offensive, the trenches were full of gear from all sides...
This is however just a minor side idea.

Your model as it is, is already simply fantastic!

Cheerio,
I'll be following your next project for sure.