a good idea when you do trees is to use the roots of any shrub and using fiber like oldmans beard (grows on trees) as the fine branches. if you are going to make the tree yourself you can use the copper wires from un electric cable and twist them and split them into branches.then cover with a thick layer of paint. and easy on the leves if it's suposed to be winter. this is a tree i made using that technique,
http://postimage.org/image/nlj137sbn/

Hi all!
Thank you for the help.
My tree is of copper wire, but still very far away from the one made by Daniel...
I cleaned it from some leves and it looks indeed better... Still have to wok on it tough...
I'll post some pictures soon!
All the best!
Ciao
Edo

Hi guys!
it has been a wile since my last post, but I have been buisy in the meantime, and now I'm back wth a new update!!

Much work has been done, so I fear that it will be too late to include many suggestion, so be clement!

First I want to show you the general settings as it is today:




As you can see amost 3/4 of the dio are in an advenced phase but much more work is needed...
in the meanwhile here are some details:























ok
that's all for now.
stay tuned for a closer look at the house and the limmering wheels...
ciao
edo

Great Dio

commin' together well I see

Thank you for the kind comments, guys!!
Here is another update: let's have a closer look at the house...














while this is a close up of the limmering (?) wheels...











This is all for now... hope you'll enjoy!!
ciao
edo

Hi there!
It has been a while since my last upload and it is high time for an update.
To tell the truth I got stuck and I can't resolve on how to finish my diorama. But, we'll get to that later on. For the time being let me first present you some update.

Here is a general view of the diorama.








and here is some detail:
THE RESTING TEAM




And here is the question: what do you think of the barrel with the kattle on it? do you think it will add to the story or it hides the figures?





THE COMMAND TEAM (with or without observer?)




and here is another dilemma: the smoking guys? where to pace them? where they are, or nearer to the resting team? and if so, do I have to remake the slope?





by the way, do you like the smoke itself?



THE RELOADING TEAM


and a detail of the MG


Lastly, the gun itself and the barrels.





That is all for now!
I hope you'll enjoy.

ciao
Edo

Lots of very fine work in all of the aspects of dio building. Groundwork and ruined building look very nice. The figures are chosen carefully and do the job nicely. The 88 is looking very cool. I would move the smoking dudes closer to the fire(I like the barrel with the tea pot).
The macine gun is well made and painted but I am not sure about the logic of it's placement?
The 88 and crew are posed so that it gives the impression that they are firing at a distant target,so why is the MG looking like they are ready for close combat? There is also the crew that is sitting down and taking a break which further supports the idea that ground contact is not eminent. See my point?
Small issue but it sticks out to this old soldier.
J

Ciao Edoardo,

Jerry is right with his praise...and with his request that elements should support "logically" the depicted situation.

In this respect I would also question the presence of the MG, especially so as the 88 is apparently not involved in an AT-rôle.

What struck me also is the ammo case sited on he right side of the MG, while it is fed from the left (just like US MGs).

Also the hands on some of the figures are not too well rendered and not highly detailed (by the manufacturer)....why not give the guys gloves then?? After all it's the cold season.

Also the guy sitting near the barrel holds his "cold" MP, a thing he would rather avoid, given the temperatures and the lack of imminent threat.

I assume the reddish residue on the gun's trail should be rust!??? If so I would think it to be grossly exaggerated.
I know that the overall tendency is to depict lots of damage/rust/grime/dirt in order to increase the athmospheric elements, but troops do not allow their equipment to deteriorate that much that easily.

Believe me, I'm not trying to be picky, just wanting to help adding even more quality to your already high level!

Keep up the good work!

Cheers

Romain

Dear Edoardo,
Thanks for your informative add to this site.
Though we are in the middle of a few very hot days, you showed us a dio, made with a lot of suffering, wet and cold artillery chaps.

Since an ATgun, due to its purpose, will be found in the front lines, so called close combat security pre cautions will be made. Even to field guns, now-a-days, this is done. In my field gun battery we had .50heavy mg's on a pedestal, next to the M109's own .50's. So, seeing an mg is correct.
But......
A large fire in an old drum.................
Every battery commander with kick a.. seeing this! Too close to the gun and its ammo. Remember, if a gun gets into action, quite some guys do move around.Hasted, but controlled. If than a burning drum is in the way of ammo suuply, in the path of the recoiling gun or hampering the use of the cleaning rod, some NGo's might show their ranks on a very unsympathetic way.
A gun can only respond properly and swift to its demands if its direct surrounding is well organized according to a well thought over and repeaditly trained plan.
One thing could be added: a telephone line to the fire control team.

But, I do tell this for help. Certainly not to critizise, since the correct way building a gun dio, including a rest area, would require quite some space.

I enjoyed your build. Thanks for showing it.

Hallo guys!
Indeed you all gave me quite a lot of useful information, so thank you very much!
My initial idea was that an infantry team with the back up of a gun was planning an action, and while the bosses planned their move some of the guys were preparing while other took the opportunity to take a break. Nevertheless, I can see the point of both Romain and Paul, you are completely right, my friend!
Fortunately both the smoking guys and the drum are not glued so I'll take the latter out and move the guys nearer to the other.
Also in respect of the MG you are right, Jerry... No logic at all! I liked it but I didn't find a better place to place it.... But moving the MG is a bit trickier as I fear it is glued

It was my first gun build and I find it enjoyable, but the surfaces are quite smaller than that of a tank, so my attempts of weathering are not as accurate as I wanted and this is more ture of the rust spots. I used the hairspry technique to hold real rust on the model but even if I applied the hairspry with a fine brush the capillary action sucked it around and the rust I sprinkled over covered a much wider area than previously thougt. I'll try to fix that.

Thank you again for the nice comments!
Ciao
Edo