Hi all,
This is an on and off build now for about a year.Started with the scratch built building and the apartment from Dioramas Plus.Humvees's are Bronco and Academy.Figures are a mix as the carpets,pots,etc.Questions and feedback welcome.
Tom

Tom

That is a good looking diorama, and big. Great concept.

Kevin

I like it a lot. It's busy but not too busy and has the feel I can remember from Iraq. However, I see a few things that aren't quite right -- the biggest being the doors and rear hatch open. I know closing the vehicle up makes it hard to see all the work you put into the interior. We always closed the doors and rear hatch because it was way too easy for somebody to walk by and lob a grenade inside. The dismount checking out the building should have someone backing him up, we always worked in groups to watch each other's back. Just minor stuff really

I like the way this is lit for the photos, the shadows play a big part.

It's a very detailed, nicely done dio. Well of course I like it - a lot of those signs are from my "iraqi Signs" file from photos I took in 2007-2008. That said, the streets in the town they were taken, as with every town I was in northern Iraq, were filthy. A small critique is to blend the building next to the rubble into the ground. You could hide that seam easily with a little more rubble or even trash, rather than trying to add plaster and repainting it.
My bigger critique is the position of the figures. The gunner in the left hand gun truck should have his gun pointed 180 degrees out. He doesn't need to see what the soldiers in front of him are doing, he should have rear security. Similarly, you have a soldier checking out a window (doorway) to the front of the other gun truck, so it looks as if there is a half hearted attempt at 360 degree security, and yet a young Iraqi is just walking up behind the two in front of the first gun truck.
If they're trying to set up some sort of blocking position, the cones (if used at all, would be much further out. By the time vehicles get up on the cones, they're danger close to the dismounted troops and the gun trucks. I personally didn't allow that in most cases.
I'm not trying to beat you up here - I wrote and executed 147 CONOPS during my time in northern Iraq, so I'm just trying to be helpful.

You can make the whole seen a lot more realistic by possibly turning it into an HA mission, especially since you've got the rear hatch of the gun truck open.
Fill it with sand bags painted off white. These could be beans or rice. Have someone on the rear bumper handing off a bag to say, the legend figure of the troop carrying a load in his arms. Now you have a reason to concentrate all of the civilians near the gun truck, but not too close. You could then also tone down the posture of the team buy using more relaxed figures in the outer perimeter. Any of the recent Legend standing figures are for this (especially mine!) and they could be engaging other Iraqis - giving out candy to kids, talking to shopkeepers, etc...
If you're interested, PM me and I'll send you any number of photos of just those sorts of things.
Oh, you could add older Tamiya figures (they're generally very thin, hence appropriate) with the older Kevlar and M16s, as IA soldiers. You could also use a similar figure or two, armed or not, depending upon how good they were, as interpreters. Maybe one near where supplies are being handed out, and one on the outer perimeter helping on of the soldiers engage an Iraqi.


Ah, after all that typing, I just noticed the Talon and the EOD tech. There definitely needs to be some shifting now. There should be no civilians between him and the other troops, or anywhere in the immediate area. And while I'm famous for wearing baseball caps on dismounted patrol, I always put on a helmet if I thought I might get my head blown off. The gunner in the turret needs his helmet.
Yes, it IS a cool concept, but will require a bit of shifting.

Thanks to all you guys for the feedback.
The Meng figures I can change easily,just pinned in place.Adding the backup troop,not a problem.John,totally understand what you say and your right.My pics don't really show,but I wanted to be able to see the figures inside.I always find it a shame to all the work people do the interior just to have it covered up.Robert,I did'nt like the apartment building quite that way either,I think I'll add girders to both sides of the seams and maybe some broken floors.
Again thanks to all and it's great to here from you guys that have been there and done that.

Tom

Just wow speechless. That is something I was thinking about doing that must have been a long an fun build. Its inspiring for future builds I was going to do just nice layout where did you get the building's I can't find any did you make them yourself.

Happy modeling
Bill

It looks like he used at least a couple of our kits + did some scratch building. See our line at www.dioramasplus.com

Randy Pepprock
Dioramas Plus

Actually just the apartment building.The others are foamcore with balsa window and door frames,some decorative framing are plastic stir sticks.I add polyfilla from the tube spread with a wet finger for some stucco effect.The windows and shattered ones I use clear plastic from packaging mainly toys.For shattered glass I just cut irregular edges and scratch a pin into the plastic to make cracks.Curtains,awnings etc are all facial tissue and diluted white glue.

Tom

Looks great. Try this, take it outside again & shoot it in the bright natural sunlight but make sure you have some natural sky in the background. If you had some real sky & clouds in the background rather than a building it would really look great IMO.

Randy
DP

Absolutely right Randy.The background ruins it.I'll do a few touchups from suggestions and shoot it again.

Tom