Thanks for the update Jerry!

That discarded equipment looks great, even if the photo is a bit blurred!
We both are evidently modellers, not photographers!

What sets your work apart is that it always tells a realistic (and interesting) story, like the wire business. That's something real special!!

That last photo showing the Hanomag from a low angle is stunning!!

But the one showing the bigger part of the front makes me wonder if the camoed surface is not too clean, too uniform, too "out of the factory".

Maybe some outlines around the panels and a couple of stains could help. Don't get me wrong...I'm not into those over-weathered vehicles that look like they were abandoned in the Pampas ages ago, but just a little bit!?!

What do you think?? ...or should I just go and take me coat??

Cheers m8!

Romain

I really like the set up of the 251, I don't think I've ever seen a diorama displaying this job. The trees and groundwork make a great backdrop for the scene as well, especially the abandoned GI gear & the nest in the tree. I've got a Masterbox kit of a few Germans running signal wire. It's about time I took a shot at that one...

Loving how this is all coming together!

-Conor

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Thanks for the update Jerry!

That discarded equipment looks great, even if the photo is a bit blurred!
We both are evidently modellers, not photographers!

What sets your work apart is that it always tells a realistic (and interesting) story, like the wire business. That's something real special!!

That last photo showing the Hanomag from a low angle is stunning!!

But the one showing the bigger part of the front makes me wonder if the camoed surface is not too clean, too uniform, too "out of the factory".

Maybe some outlines around the panels and a couple of stains could help. Don't get me wrong...I'm not into those over-weathered vehicles that look like they were abandoned in the Pampas ages ago, but just a little bit!?!

What do you think?? ...or should I just go and take me coat??

Cheers m8!

Romain

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Thanks for the kind remarks buddy. Yep,I suck at photography,that's for sure.
I deliberately made the vehicle look pretty new. I did add damage to the front fender as the drivers did not have a lot of time to practice with no training fuel available.
Almost every vehicle in the LSSAH was delivered in Oct and Nov,just prior to the offensive and added to that,the fact there was little fuel available to actually drive them,the vehicles would still look fairly new. Hence the clean look. As far as the pre-shading around the panels,I was never a fan of that as being in the mech inf before I was a para I saw a lot of armored vehicles and NONE had the shading around the panels,EVER!!! That is all an affectation of model builders.
So,yes,I did not weather this very much,sorry.
J

I think the whole thing is awesome (still really like what you did with the fern camo)
Keep it going - John

Dear Jerry,

Very well designed and build dio.
Sometimes, I wonder if people do take their hobby so serious that they are unable to "just" build a model, but go for an absurd form of correctness.
Your dio shows a moment in military life somewhere in Western France in the Summer of `944. And it shows it very well! And you did your utmost to do it in a way, paople can recognize it.
Thanks for that, it is, to my opinion, very well executed.
And when it comes to the state of weathering, I can add as a military guy:
A vehicle is one of the most essential parts of a military organization. If it does not roll, tasks can not be executed and, thus, battles or wars may be lost! As simple as that.
Therefore, each vehicle commander will do his utmost to keep it in shape and rolling. Every spare moment of free time ( which are many, even in a fighting unit) equipment is treated, maintained, cleaned. And, you are very right, much of the equipment in France was relativelly new. So, big spots of rust, wear and tear and alike are very unlikely. Battle damage and torn off parts are less likely for 2 stage units like communication units, who worked under (relatively) controlled circumsatnces ( Yes! Yes! I did not say that there were/are no casualties in their rows! ).
Thus, dear Jerry, keep on doing as you did! It becomes a very beautiful and well designed dio.
Please, do show us more soon.

P

Dear Jerry,
My fault to mention Summer.
But I got a bit pi... after reading comments about the state of your vehicle. For some reason, many modelers got away from reality by showing excesive wear and tear and extreme spots of rust. As you very well mentioned, vehicles are a way of surviving. And they need all attention from the whole crew day in, day out.
Furthermore, in some model cases, the rust shown only builds up after 3 years without maintenance! A life time, no average vehicle will stay in a combat zone............
Maybe, we should shout out that a soldiers life in a combat zone is days of preparing and maintenance against hours of actual fighting. Too much Holywood, too little reality in many models.
But: it is a hobby. If one likes his odel, who am I to discuss it???