Greetings all.

About to dip my toe in the diorama world again, thanks to the recently released Crows RWS by blast for the Bushmaster, was one of 3 elements I was waiting for and I guess I can scratch the others..

This diorama will represent a PMV (bushmaster) somewhere in Afghanistan, probably in the AO of the Australians, Tarin Kowt for example.

I am at the early planning stages of layout, none of the models to be used in the diorama has been built, these are just dummy kits lying around that I will get mileage out of for layout designs. So to be clear these are NOT the models that will be in the diorama.

The storyline.
I want to stay pretty far away from a story - so much so that this could be considered a vignette (a storyless diorama) but with a couple of vehicles and figures, it has to have some narrative I guess, so maybe its a cross between the two ( a diorette maybe? or even a vigorama?) The reason I am limited in story is the very apparent lack of modern Australian dismounted figures. I have hopes some infantry will possibly be due before I complete this dio, but in the meantime I will use the very nice Black Dog Australian set (with sublte corrections as required).

The vehicles

The hero vehicle will be the PMV. I will do a bit of work on it to get it to diorama standard, which means, lots of backpacks, in field mods such as tow chains, counter IED kit, Radio setup, Blast models Crows RWS, and a scratchbuilt winch. I did see DEF models has some resin tyres so might have a look at them if I can see the inside hub first as from memory it was a complicated part of the kit to assemble. this vehicle will be in patrol config I guess, I will let the story find its own meaning as the scene develops.

The discovery vehicle will be a russian T55 with the turret blown off. LOTS of reference of this in Afghan. I will strip out the tamiya kit, install an engine (exposed and pillaged), install an interior ( I think verlinden and cmk do one), remove the fenders and replace road wheels with burnt out ones or something, and the obligatory white metal tracks (done with restraint as most wrecks seem to be missing their tracks??) the turret will be removed and inverted so we can see inside it. In the layout pics my turret is right side up but the final priduct would be inverted, and the barrel dipping into the reeds.

the topography (TSMEAC anyone?!)

I plan on having the T55 in a riverbed but the back quarter half buried into the wall of the riverbed, like the tank was at one time completely buried but the river when it flowed has eroded the mud and dirt from around its front to reveal itself. Obviously there has to be ALOT of bullrushes or reeds whatever the reference tells me is suitable. the turret likewise will be buried in the marsh, lots of reed stc growing through it, I would like the turret to be not immediately visible but to slowly be exposed the longer you look at the diorama. the riverbank will be a rock/ mud design of a natural formation. The PMV will sit on a ground level that is slightly higher than the T55's highest part. Mostly dry gravel, limited plants mabe some strewn rocks and stumps.
Flowing around the reeds will be water, if I can get my technique right I will try water to be flowing and pooling around the vehicles, little eddies etc and waves showing movement.

Layout.

Im sticking with a circular design, so the eyes move from left to right starting with t55 then PMV, the figures and back to the t55, on second view I will try and have the turret reveal to the audience. but also remembering Shep Paines rules of layout - the western eye moves along straight lines and will follow off the edge of the dio (which we want to avoid). so trying to keep the eye moveing around in a natural clockwise fashion. I guess most of you who build dioramas would appreciate how important to get this balance right at the start is or the finished look will always be "queer" or unbalanced. Also I have decided to borrow from Verlindens foray into irregular bases and will try a kidney shaped design (shown roughly in the pictures) instead of the usual box. I would like this diorama to have more than one front and back and sides etc.

Lastly, the figures.

Figures tie the story together, so using what is available, I will have the driver and commander dismounted looking at both the ruined tank and a map at the same time. Perhaps they are marking the newly eroded vehicle on the map, or taking an opportunity to get a closer look or who knows what of a thousand excuses soldiers need to check out stuff like that. ( I know some will say they would not expose themselves in such a way for such a purpose, but the purpose may also develope along the way aswell). I would love to have the dismounts interacting with someone else - a goat herder maybe ? or another nationality such as Dutch, or British - especially if they had a minesweeper or dog handler ... the story grows.. lol

The thing is I beleive that for it to be a good dio, the landscape must be convincing - sans vehicles. this will be my challenge - water , reeds, rock dirt etc. The vehicle shouldnt be too much of a problem ( I have learned from my mistakes there I hope). The PMV could easily be replaced by any allied vehicle such as a wolf, Humvee or some spec ops guys in hilux's ? doesnt matter.

So here is a layout plan. Please - pick it to pieces! Call me a glutton for punishment but I'd rather you pick faults now with layout and design than after I order all the parts.

I have some great reference pics of T55's in abandoned turretless state, not in riverbeds, but theres plenty examples of soviet kit stuck in them (Brdms, Btr70's etc). I might need a good winch shot of the PMV but I know that wont be difficult to find.

Anyways if you read this much thanks! I look forward to any comments.

Adamski (letting it all hang out!)

PS if you havent read "Uncommon Soldier by Chris Masters, and your an Australian, I thoroughly reccomend it.

Looking forward to another epic Adam. I'm sure you'll have this ready for the Melbourne Expo this year

Nice story Adam.
This will be an interesting project to follow. Please start it ASAP

Olivier

Cheers mate. I don't think I'll even have the parts ordered delivered by June ! Maybe for sapma comp in October - I have nothing else ready.

Adz

Sounds like a bery cool idea for the layout and story. I am buckled in,M16 pointed to the floor and ready for the ride.
J

Adam,
Sounds like another stunning masterpiece is on the way!!
We have an expo committee meeting tonight so if you made like the Nike ad & just did it I could arrange a table for you!!
Ohh well if we have to wait another year to see it in the flesh at expo then I know it will be well worth the wait!! Will follow your build for sure!
Mike

the pressure the pressure! cheers. I promise I will be back for another national comp, but only with something that can have a crack at a major title. This little diorama, (along with two others yet to grace the tables in Melbourne) will travel with me of course. HAve lots of ideas running around but it's 100 years to WW1 soon and I am predicting Tamiya will bring out a mkIV very soon so Cambrai and other battles will need a look in to exploit what I hope will be an explosion of kits and stuff.. just need to be more original design than the usual dioramas of trench crossings etc. Of course as soon as more Australian figures become available and detail sets for our vehicles, Opens a world of dioramas to be explored and Iraq might be over for our troops but diorama possibilities are endless ( I Have a picture of an ASLAV winching a US Bradley out of a roadside ditch - what an opportunity diorama! ) but every story is told by the figures.. and that is the my govenor at this stage.

I have ordered a t55 drop in engine today, and am deciding which wheels to go with- migs burnt outs or the damaged rubber offering, maybe both and do a combination? Also this weekend will do a test build of riverbed and reeds, and try out my secret water weapon. Crows has been ordered for the PMV.

Adam

Adam. Interesting project. There is a T55 in a riverbed in a well known crossing we used to drive past whilst on patrol in AFG. It was partially buried also and completely stripped. Literally, just the hull and turret. Even the support arms were gone. It was completely rusted. We used to see kids playing near it. It was a sobering reminder of the Russians involvement even in TK. Are you basing it off this?

I'm going to build an AFG dio soon depicting one of my AS/US (OGA) PRT joint patrols we often headed out on. Will be a combo of ASLAV TYPE 1 and 2, PMV and MATV/ MRAP ( subject to budget availability from the minister for finance).

Are you fitting a PWS or RWS? Two very different bits of kit.

Kind regards,

Tony.

hello Tony, been a while!

your timing on this subject is eerily uncanny. Last night I began construction. I would ofposted a pic and started the blog late but i was tired.

the inspiration is not from that known tank, Although would love pics of it as it sounds exactly like what i want to do. I have 2 pics of something similar but not sure if its the same thing.

Quite some time ago I posted a pic about possible ideas and this diorama is evolved from that.

the PMV will have the crows kit, I received mine finally the other day. looks great especially the console for the dash and flex for ammo belt.

here is pic of t55 mods so far.



engine deck stripped, cmk interior started, verlinden engine started.

cheers adam

EDIT

Just found the pic in the darke corners of the net of the original design pics. inspired by a Australian New Zealand Defender Mag photo of river crossing on makeshift bridge.

Hi Adam I went past a particular spot just outside TK where there were two T 55s that had been destroyed trying to cross the Rudd both had there turrets blown off and the river had claimed both vehicles down to the very top of their hulls there were no bridges in this loc just a river crossing on a relatively straight stretch of road I realy like your idea as it is a very real scenario being a crew commander of a PMV over there I am a little over Building my own but look forward to your work I didn't get photos in this very spot lets just say the locals were not very warm the scene from Spartacus where the arrows make the sky go dark I can relate too in the form of a rock shower good times I guess Cheers Ben.

Greetings Ben thanks for your comments.

I think I now have a mission to find these mysterious tanks you speak of...

I should not of posted that original plan, looking at it now I get all sorts of ideas again,.. taking me off my intended course!

WIll start a build log some time tonight.

Adam

Hey mate, we at fold it hobbies have an australian infantryman with a minimi in Afghanistan on patrol for $25-
If interested contact us on [email protected]
Also coming is an Aussie dog handler in Afghanistan with the dog included. Hope this is of help. Cheers

Brilliant! I have spoken to others of my wish for both figures! especially the dog handler - the PMV's hardly go anywhere I am told without some kind of EOD tech or combat engineer on hand and it would add so much to my diorama to have that (the alternative is a sapper with minesweeper in hand and believe me I been looking very close at how I could mod the british fella from black dog)! and the other "soft" element of story I had was always the dismounted crew needed protection or someone with a BFG standing too.. the story develops more and more now... nicely done fellas will be in contact very shortly! Hope the dio can do the figures justice.

Adamskii

thinking about tearing up the plan and starting again. There is a glaring problem that is bothering me - the two dismounted troopers.. wouldnt or shouldnt dismount in a patrol point, unless there is a bloody good reason. This plan does not satisfy that reason. So changes need to include

- figure manning the Crows or at least on the minimi mounted at rear.. dismounts need cover

- seated figure within the vehicle - possibly mannning a laptop station or something needs a reason to do so..

- the PMV needs to have a reason to stop greater than the T55, the T55 is not the story, it is scenery that offers a clue that it is Afghanistan.

- possible reasons a vehicle stops and troops dismount are
to fight, to talk with someone (shepherd, local, coalition forces, a dismounted patrol), collect or pick up intel, recover equipment, act of stupidity.

lastly, maybe the vehicle doesnt need to be stopped? it could be in motion driving past the t55 over some interesting terrain features (gully, defilade, creek,etc) The orifginal plan had a shepher and goats in the way..I did like that idea and perhaps with luck that could be progressed.

I have been working on the T55 and will start the blog soon, but need to consolidate the layout first. I do agonise over these things too much sometimes.

Adamskii


_

Adam your plan is quite sound being a crossing point or a vulnerable point where the vehicles are being channeled is enough to warrant a dismount search of an area your idea is fine the dog handler is a great idea as well as an engineer type figure I am very enthused by your plan as its a daily occurance on a patrol cheers Ben

Thanks Ben, Valuable input there., very valuable indeed. I have just done some sketches and something that might make a reason for stopping is if the track the vehcile was on above the embankment actually dropped down into the creek with a steep entry point (think good old 4 x 4 training playground stuff), the dismounts looking at the entry point.. (have areason toget out and have a look) or If I borrow/ develop your idea, vehicle security foot patrol (anti IED inspection) I would need a dog handler or sapper with minesweeper.. but neither are out of the question..

So I think a terrain modification is required to include either a track crossing the embankment, or bridge. The story mod needs tweeking to make it clear the dismounts have a reaon - being some kind of visual security. Makes me think how dangerous it is over there oif everytime you have to negotiate an obstacle you have to stick your butt out and walk outside the armoured vehicle in a warzone.. respect!

Adamskii

EDIT - these pictures intrigue me - I wont repost , but follow the link, Half way down the page is what looks like a bunch of SOTG Australian guys doing some serious posing around a PMV. (the sleeping pic is extraordinary) but also a great set of pics of mine sweepers and dog handlers.. but the guys barely recognisable as Australian other than the Flag on their shoulders and the odd bit of Auscam..

http://www.whq-forum.de/invisionboard/lofiversion/index.php?t28977-2000.html

My second attempt - spend an hour composing a message last night and before posting it I did something stupid and lost the lot...

SO here goes an abridged version.

The story has a problem that is bugging me, in a potential threat zone which required armoured vehicles, the crew would not dismount without a damm good reason. the story above does not offer a reason good enough.

So some alternatives. I have spend a few days doodling alternative arrangements and stories. At the moment the diorama is mediocre at best, probably forgetable after a while. It needs some wow factor. The terrain is the basis, build up from there so that needs to be more exciting. Making more levels and increasing the terrain variations to include gravel tracks, rocky outcrops, rocky riverbead, embankments, wet track, grassland , shrubbery, reeds, inlet feeder creek or drain from farming.

I would like to rearrange the layout too, here us a pic of my doodlings (one of many)



so heres where I am headed. hopefully the improvements are obvious are universally agreeable. the Bushmaster has stopped, rear door open, inside is the 2 x crew (driver, RWS operator, plus gunner in hatch) also a laptop operator (legends figure modified). outside the vehicle we have a trooper collecting a downed MUAV, (Australians use the Skylark that is not available in kit form), perhaps with a broken wing from landing, perhaps a bullet hole(s) in wing from the lower grassy riverbed area. He is being covered by another dismounted soldier with a personal weapon. this is happening at the rear of the vehicle.

To the front of the vehicle is something I find very extraordinary and therefore a great subject to include in this dio, The PMV is often preceeded by sappers with dogs or minesweepers. both available from legend or black dog, some modification would be needed but nothing debilitating.

the landscape would include some kind of landmark (which teh MUAV may of been scouting for IED's apparently dead animal carcasses are utilized by the insurgents to plant IEDs inside, for example), that being the destroyed T55 from the afghan russian war of the 80's. the vehicle would be "bogged" in the embankment, but having been there for almost 30 years is very very rusted and worn, stripped out of virtually everything useable, and covered in dirt and rubble that has over time tried to reclaim the vehicle to the earthen bank in which it is embedded.

the turret is at this stage optional - I want to have it blown off and inverted, but it is not necessary to be on this scene. It would be a shame to not use i t but I am certain it would be a welcom addition to any of the many other afghan dios I have in mind for later on. If I feel it is not adding anything to this layout, I will remove it.

I am going to post this now, will write a part two immeadiately, but do not want to lose it again. seriously annoyed at myself...

part 2.

Heres a few pics of the T55 I been slowly working on.. It is much harder than I thought because need to consider damage from the violent explosion that would of removed the turret at the very early stages of construction/ destruction. Also I dont want to waste time on work that will not beseen - remember it will have much dirt, rubble and grasses in and around it.





In support of some of the ideas above, I thought i would post a couple of pictures taht I find inspiring or relevant to this dio...








The engine has the heads removed and can see the cylinders - I am going to do that on one of the cylinder heads..








This dark brown is the level of weathering I want to achieve, but with a chalky wash/ dust accumulated over the top.




Look how stripped this one is..


not a t55 but definitely stripped and rusted for a very long time!

the other thing I wanted to impress upon you was the cost. Its a weird subject but seriously every diorama I exhibit one of the most frequent questions after how long it took to build is either how much is it worth or how much did it cost. Its only worth what someone is prepared to pay, like everything. but how much does it cost to build...

so heres a list of items I have bought so far and how much it cost including postage for each item.

tamiya t55 - 60
Bushmaster - 60
blast crows pmv - 30
blackdog bushmaster accesories - 45
blackdog australian pmv crew - 40
DEF model PMV resin wheels - 30
cmk T55 interior - 70
verlinden t55 engine - 50
dioart afghan maps - 12
grass tufts self adhesive - 30
MIG burnt out t55 wheels - 25
ABER t55 PE fenders - 15

Sub total = $467 Australian dollars so far..



Then theres the shopping list for whats needed... (the point of this is to demonstrate how important it is to get the plan right!)

pro art sincars
pro art modern comms set
Legend figures - driver, RWS operator, Laptop guy, dog handler
Black dog - minesweeper trooper
Foldit models - Minimi trooper
Arms Corps Models - Duke antenna set
Arms corps models - MEAO vehicle signs
Arms Corps models - Antenna bases (TBA)
Mouse house - auscam paint set
Mouse house - plastic australian pattern jerry cans
Mouse house - plastic containers
Mouse house or whoever does it - Modern Australian ration boxes
small shrubs
4 x eduard bulrushes
medium grass self adhesive tufts

Plus all the incidentals/ consumables.

I would envisage after all that and the massive postage bill cost will be around $1000.

If I may make the comment that nearly all it is sourced from overseas, and absolutely none of it is sourced from my home state - the local hobby stores dont have me go in there for anything other than paint and glue... pity they cannot stock the items I need.

So there you have 3 updates. I hope this gives some idea to the direction this diorama is taking.

Adam

Impressive work so far on the destroyed tank. I can easily see why you are inspired to make this dio because those are awesome piccies from the Afgan.
J

How goes it Adam?

Hello Didge, it goes ok.

This diorama is on hold. It has not been set aside while I do other models, it is on long pause and will remain my current project diorama.

However. Parenthood rather agrees with me and I am reluctant to spend any time on my own building models that could be spent with my now 3.5 year old son. Our time is precious and of high priority. That does not leave much time in the day for building dioramas! And I am very dedicated once I start building and tend to speed build.

I have also ceased playing COD or any X box games too for about a year!

Another reason that I guess is more a convenient excuse for slowing to a mere crawl on this project is how much future releases that would be of great use to this dio has been promised. It is taking a very long time, years in fact and still waiting for lots of things. I did'nt intend to get bogged down in whats not available but the story, that annoying part of the diorama, is really difficult to be convincing.

I think some people forget that a diorama to me is about a story and its not a documentary. Its about drama or action or tension or comedy or whatever, and the audience does'nt really care if a helmet is the right shape or the rivets have been accounted for. And I get sucked in real easy to counting rivetts and other accuracy things that in some instances DETRACT from the story! So I am my own worst enemy.

Its all a bit too hard at the moment . Need to see some easy answers for a change, rather than a series of time and money consuming challenges...

Adam

Parenthood is a great thing and soon enough he'll be able to sit up at the desk with you and build his own. Kudos to you for making priorities. Keep us all posted when you can and best of luck with it all. Cheers.

You are right Adam! A diorama can wait, your children have this particular age only once, so don't miss any of it!
Our kids are nearing their 40ies, so I can look back and confirm the importance of parental activities.

Apart from that, I trust you will pursue this project and create yet another masterpiece!!

Good luck!

Cheers

Romain

Watching this one closely mate