Hello everyone,

It has been some time since I have posted but I have never been let down by gathering for information or opinions and feedback... so for that, I thank you all.

As I am planning some new projects, a though scurried past me about doing a moving, yet controversial piece. I know that the Holocaust and Nazi death camps is a touchy subject, for everyone. Has anyone seen a diorama depicting something that is not in bad taste? I have a thought, A THOUGHT THAT IS IT SO FAR, of portraying a scene out of Band of Brothers (when they discover the death camp in Germany, 1945). Anyway, I'd give it my own spin and there would be no actual death depicted in the scene (no bodies or anything too graphic). However, I did want to have a group of US vehicles and personnel outside of the gates with a massing of prisoners inside the barbed-wire fences. Anyway, I guess my need for you all is if you have seen anything like this done and have a picture or can describe in detail what you saw, that would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Hey Mike,
Me personally never saw much reason to be offended by dioramas depicting death, but that is just me. I care more about the overall quality of the work in terms of composition, build and painting quality.

If you would like to portray that scene, than do it. If you are looking for other works Rick Lawler's Burden of Sorrow is among the best I have seen. You can find pics here http://ricklawler-propaganda.com/propaganda/modeling-projects/burden-of-sorrow/
If you would like a veteran's account of the camps, Rocky Blunt's account chronicles stumbling into the camps as an American infantryman. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/foot-soldier-roscoe-c-blunt-jr/1111766509?ean=9780306810909

I too am not personally affected by any scene I have ever seen portrayed. We model (mostly) important events throughout history. I primarily work with WWII and have done such scenes like the Malmedy crossroads and prisoner executions... all meant to depict what actually happened throughout wartime history.

Back to this build though, thanks for the links!!

There are so many images on the web today, and I don't see them as offensive. They just represent a passage of history and were recorded with a photograph. We modelers do another form of representing those passages of history. That is it. Our work is not meant as a political statement or anything like that. If you do a diorama where there is a German soldier killed in action, The last thing in your mind is to offend our German friends. It is just a simple and artistic representation of history.

I would say that all's fair in love, war and modelling but I'm not sure that that statement is a morally correct stand to take.

However, subject matter is by definition subjective, and as such is going to illicit reactions based upon a viewers perception of the subject matter shown. And their personal experiences with similar subject matter.

I think that unless someone states upfront that their goal is to offend someone's sensibilities, that I would look at the overall presentation and weigh it on the merits of its composition, and the skill with which it was built, not so much for whether it's subject could be viewed as " offensive ".

Just my toonies worth...

There was a magazine article some years back, featuring an Italeri M24 Chaffee that had just broken down the gates of a concentration camp, and several inmates rushing forward to greet it. It wasn't offensive, but not all that effective artistically, either. The stories I've read of those first moments when the camps were liberated didn't report mobs of joyous inmates rushing to the Americans; rather the inmates were stunned, scarcely believing the Americans were real, that their nightmare was actually over, and the Americans dumbstruck at the sight of these poor emaciated people. The portrayal in "Band of Brothers" closely matches these descriptions.
If you can find (or sculpt) figures with that degree of emotion, and your painting skills are up to it, it could be a very moving piece.

P.S. I'm not usually "moved" by dioramas, either--they're usually just "here's a Sturmgeschutz on such and such a date, isn't the winter whitewash in a sorry condition, etc." But I took a look at "Burden of Sorrow," linked above, and it is one of the finest dioramas I have ever seen. The simplicity of it is powerful. The tiny treasures of people's lives, being carted away like trash, tells the story very effectively, leaving the viewer to imagine what isn't seen.

I've had a similar idea based off the small patrol from Band of Brothers standing in front of the fence with one of the prisoners standing on the other side looking at them.

I think with the exception of depicting the mass graves or piles of bodies that we see in most relevant photos, most people wouldn't have any objections.

I think I've seen tbe diorama Gerald mentioned, it wasn't bad but the Chaffee crashing through the gates was a bit to comical and really didn't do anything for the scene. And as he also mentioned few if any prisoners could have rushed out the gates, walking was a big enough issue for them.

Build what you want though; looking forward to seeing it built.

There are products available to depict Nazi concentration camps. While it may be a touchy subject, I believe it is a good concept. I can't remember where, but I have seen a dio of this, before. We can try to learn from history, but it should not be repressed. It was a real event and, despite the moral implications one that should not be forgot.

Man, Don't sweat the small stuff, Mike. Let your creativity flag fly. You can't let political correctiveness stop you from fulfilling your passion to make what YOU like. Go for it!

Frankly, and personally, I would not give something such as this a second thought. It's not meant to cause harm, evoke arguments, or the like. Sure, it can be used to evoke thought, feelings, and memories but can also be used to teach many lessons. I don't see how that can be done without showing some form of harm. I feel that it becomes offensive when something is done that depicts a scene such as one inside the Reichstag with the high ranking Nazi leaders standing and saluting Hitler. I'd find that mildly offensive. A scene that is made specifically to cause harm or make a negative political statement is something to avoided in this hobby.

Here are a couple build threads of the same project by Rodrigo:

Auschwitz Gate - Doubt?
http://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/182354&page=1

Auschwitz liberation
http://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/190367&page=1

Controversial subjects or dioramas with high drama can certainly be done well and provoke thought and reflection in the viewer.

Scroll down on this page to the diorama entitled "Strange Fruit" and take a few minutes to consider the subject and your own reaction to it.

Planet Figure::Brave Little Belgium

In fact, all of the dioramas on this page are some of the best work in the genera ever done.

Your idea can certainly be done without gratuitous offense and still evoke all of the emotion and drama that you want to convey.

FWIW, I think you're starting in the right way by considering the story and composition first and then building the models needed to tell that story. All too often, guys build a bunch of models and then try to put them together on a base and hope some story appears.

This may be a tad complex, but why not have several American soldiers guarding 1 or 2 or more SS camp guards while around them are emaciated prisoners? You could point up the dichotomy of the relatively healthy soldiers compared to the sick and dying prisoners. The key is to have the prisoners look truly starved, I've seen a couple dioramas where the prisoners were just as bulky as the soldiers, only because they were converted figures.

Depending on your skill, perhaps the prisoners could be depicted casting aspersions and condemning the SS guards. May even be able to show a scene shortly before the guards are executed, as this did happen probably more often than is thought.

Just my idea of what you could do. I'm certainly not talented enough!

Ok so I took what you all have said and put any doubt behind me. Construction of the base has begun and I will be getting into this build shortly. I have never had the best of luck with posting photos on this site but I will try my damnedest so those who want to follow the build, can.

Thanks for all your input! Cheers