My first venture into modeling armor, Airfix's 1:76 Matilda II Drake on a readymade landscaping sheet that looks a lot like North Africa's desert. The Drake text was apparently white instead of yellow and unit markings on the turret need a blank background instead of yellow, still need to find a solution for that.

Exhaust was first painted the right color and then treated to a rusty colored pigment to make it look well worn.

Nice start to the world of dioramas!!
J

Nice paint work on such a small subject! Keep 'em coming.

Thanks guys. Am contemplating a follow-up diorama in the same scale where I will do the base myself as well in addition to building the model. Would like the track ruts/imprints to be visible but have NO idea how to go about doing those.

Make a good plan before you commit to making the tracks in the soil. Get your vehicle built and then when the groundwork is still moist gently press the vehicle in to give it a more weighty feel. For shallow track marks I use an old part of tread to press into the "soil". For deeper tracks I use the edge of a board or the like to make the ruts and then press the spare tread piece into the bottom of the ruts.
Hope this makes sense,
J

Sounds good Jerry. Planning to use a fine quarz sand to make a Normandy beach setting, what kind of adhesive will show the track impressions to good effect once the vehicle is pressed into it?

For the Matilda diorama I'd like to add a reconnaisence vehicle or maybe a knocked out German tank. Had a readymade Dingo scout car on there for the idea but the markings of that are probably incorrect for when Drake was still in action so I am looking for suggestions.

For your Normandy sand, you might try misting it with white glue & water, then pressing your spare tracks into it. I always use spare tracks that are close to the size of the ones on the subject vehicle.