I aim to build a diorama a year, so this will be my fifth. My skills are average and my health plays a part in that so my aim for my next Diorama will be to try to avoid getting myself into the rut of "rivet counting" or anything too challenging while creating something that looks fairly acceptable. The concept is based around Barbarossa, with Soviet troops "Pushing Up", through a damaged factory yard/warehouse area. There's going to be a T26 in it and a T20 Komsomolets. I base all my dioramas on 200mm x 200mm cake bases and work from there. So here is the roll call for the kits I intend to use.

First on the bench is the rather basic Parc models Komsomolets. I made one of these years ago and got so frustrated it ended in the trash. A little more focus and planning should hopefully produce something passable.

I wanted it to have open hatches so had to scratch build.


With some patience it's coming together.

Scratch built hatches from brass sheet.


The idlers were two close to the top so I drilled out new locating holes and filled in the kit one's.

Looking good. Hope your health is better!

Nice work. Also nice to see some early war topics for a change.
J

Trial fit for one of the mini-art 'Soviet Riders'. There is no way these will naturally fit onto the Komsomolets so off with their legs it will be, some wire knee joints and filler.The figures look ok but not sure about the heads and the helmets are a different shape to those in the 'Soviet Infantry Summer' kit which look pretty good at first glance. I'll make the rifle straps from lead sheet and/or paper.
Also brass sheet stowage bin cover added to the rear of the Komsomolets.

Good start Harry...., will keep an eye on this one!
As you mentioned the heads, with all my builds nowadays I incorporate Hornet Heads from Historex Agents (UK) unless the 'models own' are suitable for purpose. These heads can help portray the story you're trying to tell (worried, happy, shouting, drinking etc etc...), and the detail in them I find make them easier to paint? And the fact the helmets in your kits don't seem to match up, you can use bald/helmet-less guys, or the Soviet ones?
Good luck....,

Simon.

Thanks Simon, I frequently use Hornet heads in preference to the kit ones. Already got some on the way for the 'Riders' figures. The inconsistency between the quality of the two boxes of figures is frustrating. Figure painting and particularly faces are the stuff of nightmares for me so not really looking forward to it.

T26 on the table. I have built a lot of of these but this is my first Hobbyboss T26 and I nearly made a complete hash of it! So confident was I from building a range eastern European kits that I can do them with my eyes shut......of course I fell right into the trap. Construction of the Hobbyboss T26 running gear is completely different. Anyway managed to salvage my error.


I love the individual track links (I know a lot of people complain about them but with a little planning they are easy and look so much better). The beauty of these is once glued you can leave them for two or three hours and still have enough flexibility to fit them to the tank.


Not quite as much slack on this as I intended, but as this will be the offside on my diorama I'm not too worried.

Coming together nicely.

Also made a start on the diorama.
Made from Blue Styrofoam and cork sheet from Diodump.com.All you need is PVA glue.

Whatever mistakes you think you may have made,I don't see them! Looks good to me!
J

Thanks Jerry, it's a bit like decorating your house. You live the rest of the days seeing all your errors - but visitors can't see it even when you point it out to them.Or maybe that's just me!

Quite pleased with how this is going. I have decided I want some sort of industrial chimney in the diorama.....thinking cap on.

Yep, that's gonna be a chimney.




Part toilet roll tube, part kitchen towel tube.

I like where this is going. Keep up the good work!

—mike

See! Told you it was a chimney....

And here's the base. The right hand side is supposed to be slabs rather than bricks, but I may have placed them too close together.

Primer coat on the Komsomolets


and the T26

Work started on the cast....


Not sure if the officer type will make the final cut and those "Riders" have gone together well with re-positioned legs,feet and arms to fit them to the Komsomolets. They don't look too bad until you put on the helmets. Hornet heads have arrived but we'll see how they look first.
Also decided to try a Loader figure in the turret of the T26 next to the commander with the binoculars.

Nice! Very impressive work on the base, building and chimney.

Enjoying this journey very much. Especially like all the cork work and your chimney.

You have done a great job so far! I especially admire your work on the building, may I ask which tool to you use to carve the blue styrofoam? How did you achieve such a neat look? Thank you!

Nice work on the vehicles ... and of course, that chimney! 👍

—mike