Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 05:17 AM UTC
[EDIT] Title should read 'Russian Street' Thought I'd share my diorama. Note: Photos are terrible — only progress shots and image upload tests. I hope to do better in the future.
Kits:
MiniArt Russian Street
MiniArt Steel Fence
Zvezda BA-10 Armored Car
MasterBox "Who's that?" figures
Cheers!
—mike
England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: March 04, 2007
KitMaker: 1,330 posts
Armorama: 1,017 posts
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 05:45 AM UTC
Michael,
Looks great, I'd add a bunch of whole and half bricks though.
Paul
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 06:08 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Michael,
Looks great, I'd add a bunch of whole and half bricks though.
Paul
Thanks, Paul,
I agree. I actually ordered bricks from Pegasus but their smallest ones looked too big for this scale. They worked well for cobblestone additions on the street cut-outs though. Product research and acquisition was taking me forever on this project — had to move on to other projects in the fire.
Now that I've accumulated some Styrene stock, I'll most likely scratch-up some bricks in the future. I also need to improve on my figure painting skill. ... small steps.
—mike
North Carolina, United States
Joined: June 26, 2007
KitMaker: 2,116 posts
Armorama: 1,080 posts
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 06:08 AM UTC
Hi,
I Like the Dio. VERY COOL.
mil
Wien, Austria
Joined: May 20, 2011
KitMaker: 1,744 posts
Armorama: 1,727 posts
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 07:28 AM UTC
Cool indeed! Composition, story, weathering..all fine! Well done!!
Agree with the others regarding rubble!! Too little and not bricks!
Figures are not shaded/highlighted from the little I can see!?!? There is room for improvement then!
The only thing that bothers me a tad is the fact that all the bricks are exactly the same colour!! I would insert a fair number of slightly different colours!
Just a suggestion!!
Cheers
Romain
un pour tous et tous pour un!
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 09:38 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Cool indeed! Composition, story, weathering..all fine! Well done!!
Agree with the others regarding rubble!! Too little and not bricks!
Figures are not shaded/highlighted from the little I can see!?!? There is room for improvement then!
The only thing that bothers me a tad is the fact that all the bricks are exactly the same colour!! I would insert a fair number of slightly different colours!
Just a suggestion!!
Cheers
Romain
Romain,
Ha, ha!
Did I just read a comment about the need for random brick coloration in someone else's post .. was that you? After I read it, I realized that I suffer from the very same issue!
As far as the figures go: Very minimal shading thus far. These are a major challenge due to my extremely poor eyesight. Sucks! — excuses!
I know what you guys are gonna' say: Magnifiers, books and tutorials, oh my! — being there, doing that. I look like 'Eyewear King' once my figures get to paint stage!
On all counts: I'm never really finished with these things. I've got a lot of Styrene to cut up and the figures are only pinned to the base. Cover me! ... I'm going back in!!!
Thank you all, for your comments. This is how I learn.
—mike
Wien, Austria
Joined: May 20, 2011
KitMaker: 1,744 posts
Armorama: 1,727 posts
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 10:39 AM UTC
Hi Mike,
eyesight has the unfortunate tendency to grow weaker with age!! I know, I used to see everything all the time, now I see some things sometimes
(if I'm lucky).
There are of course negative consequences for my painting! Magnifiers can be helpful...I have one on my lamp....but I don't like them!! The brush is enlarged as well....and the advantage is lost!
Fortunately, figures can do with a little less shading/highlighting when part of a dio! It is single figures I dread....and through advanced age, they tend to grow all the time!!!
In the 70s I painted moustaches on 6mm wargame army figures....nowadays I can hardly see the figs.
Now I paint 90mm, 120mm and 200mm figures!
Oh well, I'm glad I can still paint!!
Cheers
Romain
un pour tous et tous pour un!
Arizona, United States
Joined: February 25, 2007
KitMaker: 1,066 posts
Armorama: 789 posts
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 11:15 AM UTC
This is a great diorama. Nice scene, with the two sides ready to meet.
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 12:05 PM UTC
Quoted Text
This is a great diorama. Nice scene, with the two sides ready to meet.
Thank you, JP.
Glad you picked up on the tension around the corner. One thing you really can't see in the photos: German No. 3 (left) is stepping on broken glass -- the reason he's being shushed by the Comander!. Just a personal touch.
—mike
Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Monday, May 12, 2014 - 02:12 AM UTC
Nice beginnings here for sure. I like the building and rubble but have to agree there isn't enough of it. But then you already noted you were working on that.
On a historical not,the Germans never actually got into Leningrad. They just besieged it.
J
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Monday, May 12, 2014 - 04:31 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Nice beginnings here for sure. I like the building and rubble but have to agree there isn't enough of it. But then you already noted you were working on that.
On a historical not,the Germans never actually got into Leningrad. They just besieged it.
J
Thanks.
Yes, an amazing piece of history and I had a feeling the facts would come up to bite me. When I began, I hastily named the street 'Leningrad' (not the city) in order to give the dio a title. I should probably get the town locals to put up a street sign so nobody gets lost!
—mike
West-Vlaaderen, Belgium
Joined: August 22, 2009
KitMaker: 1,491 posts
Armorama: 997 posts
Posted: Monday, May 12, 2014 - 08:06 AM UTC
Hello Mike ,
i like the scene in your diorama , the way you creates tension is very cool. So you tell a story and that's essential for a diorama , great !
Generally the diorama is nicely build and the figures are well painted . I'm not a good figure painter myself but Romain has a point about using painting methods on figures like highlights and shades ,it gives the figures a real 3D effect.
Cheers ,
Kurt
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Monday, May 12, 2014 - 08:46 AM UTC
Kurt,
Thank you for your comments.
One thing I might mention: The figures mounted on the white foam stand are not the most recent versions -- too shiny for me. That photo was taken at the initial paint stage and I've since gone back and added some minimal shading to them. More detail is needed for sure but I do have my limitations. I don't consider this dio complete yet and thanks to all of the comments, there is more rubble and painting coming to a Russian neighborhood near you. Stay tuned.
—mike
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Monday, May 12, 2014 - 08:55 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted Text
Nice beginnings here for sure. I like the building and rubble but have to agree there isn't enough of it. But then you already noted you were working on that.
On a historical not,the Germans never actually got into Leningrad. They just besieged it.
J
Thanks.
Yes, an amazing piece of history and I had a feeling the facts would come up to bite me. When I began, I hastily named the street 'Leningrad' (not the city) in order to give the dio a title. I should probably get the town locals put up a street sign so nobody gets lost!
—mike
Jerry,
I really did botch the dio title. If anything, it should read Lenin Street, not Leningrad Street. Unfortunately, I can't go back and change it in my post.
Thanks again,
—mike
Texas, United States
Joined: April 07, 2009
KitMaker: 1,063 posts
Armorama: 1,049 posts
Posted: Monday, May 12, 2014 - 09:07 AM UTC
Very nice dio!! The scene is an interesting concept and I really like the knocked-out armored car. However, that workbench is entirely too clean and well organized!
Even my pick-up is panzer grey.
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Monday, May 12, 2014 - 09:13 AM UTC
Hilarious!!!
You should see the 'Panzerwerks' when its in full production!
—mike
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Monday, May 19, 2014 - 09:42 AM UTC
I've been toiling away at chopping bricks for additional rubble. As a diversion from the tedium, I created some 'death blocks' and added some 'cling-ons' to the structure's edges.
I'll be adding on brick rubble to the the base shortly.
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 - 03:41 PM UTC
Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 01:56 AM UTC
Extremely convincing job on the rubble. Personally I would like to see more of it. As a rule of thumb,everything that used to be in the missing section of your buildings' corner should now be on the ground?
It is possible to create an illusion maybe with less rubble but the laws of physics remain.
A cheap way to add bulk is to make a "pile" of rubble out of carved styrofoam,seal that with white glue or house paint and then put the expensive aftermarket bricks,etc on top.
Don't get me wrong,what you did looks great,just not enough of it?
J
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 03:32 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Extremely convincing job on the rubble. Personally I would like to see more of it. As a rule of thumb,everything that used to be in the missing section of your buildings' corner should now be on the ground?
It is possible to create an illusion maybe with less rubble but the laws of physics remain.
A cheap way to add bulk is to make a "pile" of rubble out of carved styrofoam,seal that with white glue or house paint and then put the expensive aftermarket bricks,etc on top.
Don't get me wrong,what you did looks great,just not enough of it?
J
I knew physics would come to haunt me!!!
However, my theory (or excuse) is: Though most of the debris fell to the street some did actually fall to the inside and I'm attempting to balance that volume between the two realistically.
Then, I have the soldiers to deal with. I'm being careful not to obscure their line-of-sight as they round the corner. In addition, I want to avoid having them wade too knee-deep in rubble. So at this stage, I'm layering until I achieve the desired effect.
As for "expensive aftermarket bricks?" — Can't seem to find them. I ordered Pegasus bricks but they were too big. I logged onto the Juweela site but my German is too rusty for me to ???verstehen???
. I scratched what you see out of good ol' Styrene. I agree, more are needed -- back to the brick factory!
—mike
England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Joined: October 15, 2012
KitMaker: 568 posts
Armorama: 561 posts
Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 04:15 AM UTC
Nice buddy
In your first photos there looks to be a huge Pz III H moving into position at the end of the street. I'm no expert but that thing doesn't look in scale to me
(Very nice);)
On the bench: Dragon flakvierling with armoured cab + AM Works PE
In the stash: Dragon Jagdpanther + AM Works PE
Dragon Panzer IV Ausf J + voyager jumbo PE
Tamiya B2 Bis - Flammenwerfer mod
ICM Henschel 33D1 + Dragon sFH18
Tamiya Tiger 1
Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
Armorama: 2,492 posts
Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 04:25 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Nice buddy
In your first photos there looks to be a huge Pz III H moving into position at the end of the street. I'm no expert but that thing doesn't look in scale to me
(Very nice);)
When dioramas collide!!! It's okay, he's just passing through on his way to North Africa!!!
Thanks!
—mike
Wien, Austria
Joined: May 20, 2011
KitMaker: 1,744 posts
Armorama: 1,727 posts
Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 04:36 AM UTC
Hi Mike,
huge improvement on the ruin+rubble front!
Nevertheless...I'm afraid Jerry is right!! And when you say that the wall crumbled in 2 directions (inward and outward), I can only agrre with you.....but the amount of rubble inside the ruin is not nearly where it should be either!
I used to take a piece of paper and draw the "hole" on it. You then know (taking the thickness of the walls into account of course) how much rubble must be found where gravity pulled it!
Good luck with the brick manufacturing!!
Cheers
Romain
un pour tous et tous pour un!
Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 06:02 AM UTC
Don't worry about placing your figs. In real life they would be standing on top of the rubble and not sinking into it.
Your LOS will be fine!
I have a few packs of bricks from a company called Pegasus. They are also a bit large for 1/35 but you can cut them into smaller bits. Some bricks will break during the fall,etc.
Much easier.
J
Wien, Austria
Joined: May 20, 2011
KitMaker: 1,744 posts
Armorama: 1,727 posts
Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 06:10 AM UTC
Mike, check your inbox. Just sent you a PM!
Cheers
Romain
un pour tous et tous pour un!
