Somehow managed to miss this thread..




Impressive dio to say the least!!

Well done indeed Sir!!

Please do keep posting!!!

Cheers

Romain

This just gets better and better! You sir are a genius! It's the attention to detail and improvisation that I love. I think once I've finished my current project I'm going to have to have a bash at an urban scene!

Hey everyone..... , time for another quick update...

Firstly, thank you Romain & Karl for your kind comments, nice to know how much someone appreciates what you're trying to achieve....

Had some deliveries in the post the past few weeks, so have continued with the buildings internally. Firsly got 'Royal Models' bathroom furniture, which for the price is excellent, easy to put together & looks the part!! I used 'Reality in Scale's' mats & rugs on real cloth in the Hotel rooms, & on the stairs, & 'Hornet Heads' civillians set to put on my Volkssturm from 'Zveda'. Finally 'MiniArt's' furniture set which again is excellent, makes the place look more 'homely' (along with the bricks, the dust, the wreckage & the debris)
Started the rubble & ruin in the street outside, using polystyrene as a bulk when necessary, plaster & then all the bricks, dust, wood etc...., all held down with diluted white glue.





The white tissue in the hole in front of the pharmacy is just keeping any bits from filling up the hole whilst drying. I also added to the barricade at the end using strips of plastic to simulate metal stakes, adding to the defences.





I've got 7-8 figures to add to the inside of the buildings. Most are Volkssturm, awaiting some 'Archers' transfers for the armbands for them. I've added the first 3, I'd be the first to admit my figure painting is nowhere near the high quality of some guys on here, but it 'slowly' seems to improve, & the Hornet heads really help to tell the story. The guy on the left is more than happy to lob a grenade down to the advancing Russians on the street below (once they arrive....), but the soldier is telling him to wait for the right moment.







I've still got some detail to add to the rooms:- weapons, equipment, provisions etc.... Really pleased with how the bathroom furniture turned out, and the overall look of the damage to the buildings. Problem now is the "brick supply" has as good as run out, so production with the moulds will have to go into overdrive over the weekend.....

Thanks for reading, look forward as always to any feedback, cheers for now,

SIMON.

Still following along and enjoying this huge work immensly!! Lookin good brother,
J

Simon, Simon, Thanks for doing this outstanding project and the way you have periodically progressed towards the completion. I love the medium to large Dios with a lot going on and so expertly done. You have a real beauty here!

And thanks for the links. I just ordered some moulds from DioramaDebris that will be very useful for the Dios I have going on.

Cheers
Dave

Hey guys,
Thanks Jerry & Dave, despite the 'to do list' remaining never ending on this one, with the interior's are almost complete, the civilian figures on the way, and now working back on the street again, things are moving on. However, with the 2 vehicles to build and paint, the MG nest to make & the German & Soviet figures to put together, can't see this one finishing anytime too soon, especially within the 12 month time frame I'd imagined.

On the point of the brick moulds Dave, from 'Diorama Debris', they're invaluable to something like this...... Something I've found that makes life easier is to keep any of the excess plaster left over from each mould. Allow to dry, and once you've enough, crush to make the brick powder, all the various colour tones look good, and it saves breaking up all those little bricks that took so long to make in the first place.....

Thanks again,
SIMON

Oh boy , this is excellent work no doubt !

congratulations Simon .

Kurt

this is really a very nice piece of construction here! How could I miss this diorama and see it for the first time now?

Some day I would like to make such "big size" diorama, but I'm scared it will never see the finish line

I'll keep it short: really awesome!

See ya!

Man that's a lot of work, incredible detail all over the place. Love it!!!

Cheers, Ski.

I have happily enjoyed the dioramas of this forum for 2 years without registering. However I have been compelled to do so that I may offer my profound thanks for sharing a fantastic creation!

I do have one very small observation/addition to offer. The people on the upper floor, how did they get up there? From the dereliction of the property there is no staircase, no obvious way of getting up there. What about a stepladder propped against the damaged upper floor?

Thanks Kurt, Peter & Steven for the feedback, very much appreciated, I do try to add as much detail as I can think of Steven, every little thing helps, despite how small...., it all adds to the complete model. Just try to imagine if put in that time & place what you might see....., with the help of books, films, even other dioramas.




Wow Brian, that's real praise for sure, astonished that you thought so much of it......, thank you very much!! I actually had the idea for a ladder going from the 1st to 2nd floor of the Hotel, but because of height restrictions (the cabinet), I can't put any figures on the top floor, so no need! However, I never thought of the ones there now, you're quite right ......, so need to add a plank going from the top of the staircase to the floor where they are, thanks for pointing that out

Cheers again guys!!

really taken by the amount of work on this project, very inspiring. thanks for sharing the progress. cheers

Yes Simon you are correct, anything that makes life easier is a very good thing indeed!

And your suggestion is great, I have at least 2 urban Dios started (Stalingrad, Berlin 1945)and have actually been collecting and hoarding anything that could bring rubble: a cracked coffe cup here, a ceramic garden pot there etc. etc.

I could just never bring myself to grabbing lil-o'-sacks of rubble ($12 or more give or take!) w/ 200 pcs or whatever. The moulds will be easy to use and maintain, and besides, German bricks in 1/25 scale are not too common!:D

Your project really got my attention and, I think it was Jerry who rightly stated it, these mega-dios can lose steam. But you keep plugging away at it and showing us that it can be done...nice Dude.

Besides the cool idea (Berlin '45 is a such great subject!) and Master techniques w/ a simple yet effective approach, and not to mention your consistent review and all the sharing of info, I tell you Thanks for the inspiration to keep it going!

Cheers
Dave

Wow, really Dave......, just need to get a pack of plastic bags then & I'm off to E-Bay!!!, should help with the finances!!

Thanks Bruce & Dave for the feedback...., cheers guys! Just afew update pics right now, the buildings have got all their occupants now, & thanks to Brian's suggestion, I've added a ladder & access between the buildings. This then gave me an idea, as I needed a focal point for the guys in the Hotel, so used the soldier passing between buildings to fall from a weak floorboard.







The Volkssturm as mentioned before are from 'Zveda', with Hornet heads. I used the original head from the civilian figure (Miniart) with the grenade on a soldier figure to make him look like an old soldier forced into action again. The armabnds are from 'Archers dry transfers'.





Worked abit more on the rubble heap out in the street, with the hole to do next, along with the MG post. Have also managed to paint all the Soviet troops that I got from Tamiya(9), plus the 2 from Stalingrad. Suprised by how much smaller the Stalingrad figures were compared to Tamiya's, never thought I'd be buying Tamiya figures again since 'them early days', but now they're all painted together think they've turned out ok. Considering the Stalingrad figures were around £9 each, & that was almost the cost of ALL Tamiya's ones, once the Hornet heads are on they'll fit the scene very well with the poses.





A couple of negatives for me on Tamiya's figures (although I'm sure there's plenty more.. ) is that they all have boots, none have shoes & they all carry automatic weapons, so I've had to give a couple of them requisitioned German ones to add some variety. On the plus side, there's a good mixture of uniforms, all suitable for the time & place.

Many thanks as always for reading & any feedback always appreciated,
Cheers for now,
SIMON.

Very nice work...You've got a great eye for the details.. I'll pop in and see your progress from time to time..It's hard to keep focused on such a large project and not cut corners ..You are doing great so far..keep up the good work!!

Rick

Hi Simon,

good to see that you are persevering !!

You are right, the furniture and the whole inside of the hotel are just superb! Thank God for all the clever companies that produce such things!!

The outside looks good too!
If you allow me, I would just suggest a few tips from an old dio warrior:

make sure the heaps of rubble are not (nearly) identical in height! Different structures and different dammage produce different rubble.
Second...the colour. Even if the house was built from bricks, they would hardly be that (rather) bright red. A crumbling house would also generate a huge cloud of dust that covers everything.

As far as figures are concerned, and if you are not an expert as you stated, try to watch (and photograph as many people as possible (for your non-military figs). Construction workers f.ex. are perfect. They move, they carry things, they climb scaffolds, etc. All ideal for great info!

..oh yes, and be careful with Hornet's long necks. Watch yourself in the mirror...nobody has a neck that long!

Do us a favour m8 and keep posting!! It's always a great pleasure to follow your efforts.

Cheers

Romain

P.S.: capital choice for the russian uniform colours!! Well done that!!!

Excellent work.

Amazing work in all areas, I look forward to more. Thank you for taking the time to share.

Hello again.....
Can't beleive it's been 6 weeks since I posted last, considering it seems like almost every weekend since, I've been busy on this...??? Anyway, work on the final German defences is almost complete......., just aswell since the Russians have been here since the beginning of January!!!

A belated thank you to the guys that commented since the last update;
Romain - you're right about the colour of the rubble, I was actually thinking about that already, perhaps looks alittle 'too red', dispite all the bricks. Thinking of either sprinkling it with more grey plaster dust and/or airbrushing it with afew lighter shades, then applying more oil washes..... About the Hornet heads & their necks, bought myself a mini drill to do the bullet holes in the Mercedes car, & have learnt to use it to drill into the necks of the figures (2.5mm) to create a hole in which to 'sit' the heads into, looks alot more realistic now. Thanks for the thumbs up on the Soviet uniforms, I referenced loads of pics & other dios to try & get it near to the mark. I was actually watching the movie 'Downfall' that day for some inspiration, & they had their Russians in brown coats, whilst I had just painted mine a grey/green.....

Ok, here's some pics from the beginning of the defences..... the car from Miniart was good to build, but pleased it wasn't to be a stand alone piece...., the fact it was going to be covered in dust, debris, wood etc... meant it didn't have to be the best kit I'd ever made, bits falling off etc... Drilled some holes into it for bullet holes, airbushed it glossy black. Had an old German sign from the back of a Tamiya box in the spares, so glued that to a piece of card to form part of the barricade, supported by more rubble. Added wood, chairs & corrugated sheets made from card. Lined the MG post with plaster & sand & airbrushed it to start things off.





The hole in front of the Pharmacy was airbushed light brown, before being painted with diluted glue & sprinkled with brown soil from a model railway supplier. Muddied resin was poured into the hole , alittle rubble sprinkled around & everything sprayed with hairspray to keep it all in place. The luggage was simply the small cart that came with Miniart civilian set, with scratch made suitcases & other bits & pieces.






The barricade moves up a notch, the sandbags are made from airdrying clay, the cardboard was painted with acrylics & oils, the 2 Volkssturm figures, 1 is from the Zveda set, the other standing is from Miniart civilians, with a Hornet head & a borrowed Panzerfaust... The MG pit will be filled in a little more when the figures are ready be placed inside, with the ground built up around the sides & the sandbags. It's still abit too deep. There will be a total of 9 figures in & around that area, still composing the best way to have them. There will also be 'Reality in Scales' Advertising Kiosk to go on the end to provide some extra cover.







To add to the overall 'finish' of the model, thought of using some wooden coffee stirers to 'frame' the 2 cut throughs of the U-bahn & the cellar on the right. Once it's all painted black again it should help I think.



Well that's it again for now, am planning on getting all the figures in place with weapons & new Hornet heads by the end of the year, & completing the model with Miniarts German Cargo truck in the space infront of the Hotel door in the New Year.....well that's the plan. Thanks as always for reading, comments more than appreciated, & hope to have more of an update alittle sooner than this ones taken...
Cheers for now,

SIMON.

I am still in awe of the amount of work that you have invested in this wonderful work.
The details you've added are cool,love the spilled refugee cart!
This whole work reminds me of how much of a cluster-f..k the battle for Berlin was and how much the civilians had to suffer and for what??
Just a thought,but something usually overlooked in city/ruins/rubble dios is paper and trash and cloth items laying about as well as broken glass. Maybe a bit of this would put some icing on this wonderful cake at the end? Or more than likely,you already have this planned as you are obviously extremely compitent?
J

Hi Jerry,
Thanks for the comments....., had planned for abit of trash & glass to add to the street, had something like some leaflets in mind to scatter around, and maybe some of the newspapers from the kiosk on the left. Have already put afew bits of cloth around, find abit of the colour helps break up the monotony.
Needed to get some nice thin glass to be able to smash up abit & try and keep it to scale, magnifine slide glass for example... Just another job on the 'to do' list...
Thanks again
SIMON.

Hi Simon,

you are a brave man indeed! What a huge and daunting project!!
And you are thinking all the time...that's good and necessary for the quality!

Don't forget: it's 1/35....so every bit on the dio is 35 times bigger in real life. Glass must be very thin and I have settled for thin acetate, but you might actually find suitable magnifier slide sheets. Great idea, I'll give it a try!

Have you ever thought of showing older peoples' troubles and pain in any physical movement, especially in cold and humid weather. (the man holding the Panzerfaust near the car f.ex. looks too much like a youngster IMHO)

I don't know your age, but I am feeling these effects daily.

Add to this the stress of a fighting situation, and most of the Volkssturm guys must have been in a very bad condition.

Make us happy ...and post more pics as you go along and keep us up to date!

Cheers

Romain

found this thread,whilst, waiting for the end of the world,(storm heading our way in the uk)i have to say,its an amazingly complex dio,to pull off,so many sub builds have to be right for it all to blend together, but you my friend,are doing a great job, an absolute master class in 1-35,well done'
best regards allan

Hi guys, thanks for the feedback........

Romain - Thanks for giving me even more to think about!!!!!! Good thinking on the posture of the older men, was pretty happy with the old man in the Hotel and the way he is, but the guy you mentioned behind the car 'is' an old head on young shoulders, & would look better abit stooped over for his age.....maybe he lead a good life
I do have some thin acetate which I may have to use for the glass in the street.....I thought of breaking up some real glass to save on cutting the acetate & getting some effective smashed glass, but acetate should still look ok.

Allan - Hope you survived our storm last night.....thanks for the comments, have to admit looking forward to finishing this one off in the next few months, as enjoyable as it's been, it's felt like hard work at times......, but at least it'll all be worth it....hopefully!!

Thanks again
Simon.

Hey everyone......., well it's already been '8' weeks since the last update, which seems to be no time at all in the modelling world....
Have done afew bits since then, although maybe not as much as I'd hoped for by the end of the year. All the German defenders are in place now, with the MG post almost complete, the trees planted, the advertising kiosk done, the U-Bahn sign added & the debris on the station steps completed. The small barricade on the road made & the red brick colour in the rubble 'diluted' alittle.







I filled in the MG post with enough filler to rest the soldiers into the wet plaster, before sprinkling & dusting with various materials. I've still to add some personnal weapons & equipment. Afew of the defenders got new Hornet heads - Last Ditch Volkksturm - although that left me with a small boys head free due to the body size of the other guys. So rummaged through the spares, taking a scalpel to various body parts, & creating the smaller boy peaking out from behind the advertising kiosk. I'd be the first to admit my figures still need alot of work, but am happy enough with the overall look of the position & composition.











I took the advice given & added alot of rubbish, debris glass & mess to the street, as well as toning down some of the brick dust with more general 'rubble grey'. The trees were roots from a fallen tree, covered thinly with steel wool, airbrushed brown, before sprinkling with chopped dried herbs. Would've liked to have had the 3 trees standing, although obviously by then at least 1 or more would've been knocked/blown down a long time before. The fallen one though I think needs more foilage, the main bulk looks abit thin dispite being bent over.....??





The last pic above is the view from the Russain end of the street. Just a couple of faces to finish painting, the helmets to do, & they'll be 'moving in' over Christmas... I've got the cargo truck now to start working on in the New Year & things will almost be pretty much complete..

As always, thanks for reading, any comments more than appreciated, time to get the Russians in!!

Cheers for now,
SIMON.