After finishing my last project,BoB-diorama it's time for a new plan.
On the internet I came across this picture that shows all the horror of the first worldwar. A great subject for a small diorama.
.
I've been searching for a figure that would come close to the original and, though it needs some alteration I found it yesterday


It's made by Jon Smith Modelbau in 1/16 scale. I made his "Trench" a few years ago and I can only recommend Jon highly. Not only his sculpting is great but his service is even better. I didn't need the complete figure ( don't need the base and the rifle). No problem at all. He helps you to get all the (seperate) parts for your diorama at a very (very) fair price. So, if you ever need great WW1 stuff, pay him a visit.

I will keep you posted on the progress of this project !!

Today all the JSM-items has arrived so the build can start.

Now I can make an estimation of the size of the dio.
Will be 25x22 cm.
First of all the figure has to be altered. Tricky business since the complete blanket rol must be removed. I use the Dremel to remove most of it. The risk of messing the whole thing up is big but I'm willing to take it.

Update. Blanketroll is off so now the repairwork can start.
Also making a start with the right position of the figure in the trench.

i love your scene! Great!

Next step. Making the base. This time not a nice oak base but a simple slice of a tree. I thought a rough base would be more appropriate to this seen. Making the trench is done with a foam base and clay. Then I will apply a layer of Vallejo Dark Earth paste (never worked with this before) finising it with
[urlhttps://shop.strato.com/epages/61537336.sf/nl_NL/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61537336/Products/BAS03]dark ground base material[/url]. First the base must be completed and dry out.
Keep you posted !

Slowly but shurly it's getting where I want it to be. Making the trenchpart and getting the figure into the (almost) right shape is quit a job but a good hearblower does wonders to bend arms and legs.
The Vallejo mudpast is great stuff though it works best in a thin layer so using foam and clay for the right shape works best (and it's a lot cheaper ). As for now I'm waiting for some "groundwork" stuff to arrive so I can finish the base. Painting the figure will has to wait untill all the groundwork is done.
Just curious but how do you like the progress guys ?

Looking good. Horrific and yet very realistic subject.

Looking forward to see more!

Very dramatic scene!! Very nice work on the figures and terrain also.

Moving on with the groundwork and adding some items. The Vallejo mud is really great and I'm allways surprised how items come to live up when you highlight it with a light drybrush. I used some glossy acryl varnsh to make some areas look a bit wet.
Now waiting for the AK WW1 Uniform Paintset and some dark ground material.

Groundwork has started. I'm using thinned woodglue to glue the soil to the base and then I use very thinned woodglue in an an old handsprayer ( the one glasscleaningstuff is sold in) to spray over the soil making sure it won't move later.
I started the helmet over again for four or five time till I figured out what the best result was. First paint with rust/burned amber mix. Then drybrush with German Olive Green/Dark Green. Finaly some drybrush metalcolor. Some light green with pastels (chalk). The face isn't 100% yet but I use pastelscrape there too (for red, brown) etc. You simply scrape some of a pastelchalk stick and put some on a brush. Then wipe lightly over the wanted area and he's starting to blush !
Now the uniform is a different story (and a frustrating one). I've been trying for weeks now to get the AK-set but :
- one shop charges idiotic postal rates
- one shop mailed me, after I payed the order, that it wasn't in stock. Had to wait 4 weeks. Cancelled the order
- 2nd shop did the exact same thing !
Cancelled thatone too
I guess mixing the colors myself will be the less frustrating solution but man, these webshops are sure making a mess of things. Till now I can only recommend Soga en DIODUMP. Won't mention the names of the shops that flunked the buyerstest.....





ps, (my) painted faces never do well in close-ups.
Come to think of it, my own face doesn't either...

Hi Hans,

Interesting looking dio.
Thanks for sharing.
Have you tried the AK website? They charge €5,50 for an European shipment. And if you order more they ship for free.
http://ak-interactive.com/v2/product-category/ak-products/ak-air-series/air-paint-sets/

Hope you're served with this.

Have a nice Christmas time,

P.

Hi Hans ,

i like the scene and the way you've started to paint the figures especially the French helmet is nicely done. It also occurs to me that you are so much better in a larger scale and (forgive me )depicting a combat scene.

Keep up this kind of work and you'll have more people that will like your projects.

Cheers ,

Kurt

Hi Kurt, you can't blame me for taking a peek on your projects only to conclude there's a lot to learn for both of us...
That's why I never comment on the skills of other builders.
We (surely I) have this hobby because we love to spend some quality time (on our own) changing history into 3D.
Some are real pro's, some are not, some will never be but that doesn't make it less fun.
One thing, though, is the most important as I hope this counts for 99% of the modelbuilders : We (I) build what wé (I) like, not what others might like. So on the "Keep up this kind of work and you'll have more people that will like your projects" advice I've got bad news. I will not keep up "this kind of work" hoping etc.
If I want "likes" I'll open a facebook account.
Cheers
Hans

Of course i don't blame you for checking out my work, Hans, let's call it ''fairplay'' . And if you look well i'm Always saying that i'm not a Master . I have still a lot to learn too.

But you have to make a difference between bad comments and good comments just like i do , everyone has an opinion or thoughts..and this site is made to post comments and if you like a thread you are able to bookmark it (thought about that ???). No need to make an account on Facebook.

The advice that i gave was simply to tell you that you don't have to create controversial dioramas to show your talent.But you're also wright about your one thoughts and likes without looking what others might like or not. I'm sorry for the misperception.

Kurt

Kurt , I hate to say this but you're talking in the ancient language of Bollox. Firstly I fail to see what is controversial about Hans' dio. It portrays a half buried dead Poilu exactly as in the photograph. I don't know if you realised this but the general idea of warfare is to kill the opposition. Just thought I'd point that out in case you hadn't realised. The dio partially depicts that unfortunate side of things. I have no idea whether you have any military experience but if you had served you wouldn't be so queezy about seeing a half buried dead soldier and call it controversial. Lord knows how you'd cope with a real dead body. For those of us who have served (British infantry NCO in my case) it portrays very well the indifference of the German soldier to his close proximity to the corpse as most squaddies become desensitised over time. His mission takes priority. While I don't know if that was Hans' intention it is however a striking point of the dio for me that I can relate to. An effective diorama makes you think as well as look. Secondly your comments towards Hans are quite condescending. His work is of an excellent quality and his explanations of how he achieves said results are both informative and very interesting. I wish more modellers of his calibre would give explanations as to how they do/finish stuff. I look at his work because not only do I find the techniques useful but he is an extremely skilled modeller, far better than I could hope to be and I freely admit that. To say that he could learn from you is not only an extremely arrogant comment but misguided. There is no comparison workwise, lets just say it's like comparing your Sopwith with a Eurofighter Typhoon. People look at threads on here because they pique their interest. I rarely look at modern threads as my primary interest is WW2 NW Europe although I do find the First World war interesting. I follow a build based on how interesting I find it or if the work is good, in this case both. I'm pretty sure that Hans, like most modellers, builds to satisy himself not others (I know that I do) and that's exactly how it should be and long shall it stay that way.

Thank you mr.Flavell. I think that "Kurt" is referring to the "Nurnberg Parade" diorama.
I think it's good to finally reveal how this topic made it to Armorama. In 2015 I posted some pictures of the unfinished dio.In Februari 2016 one of the moderators sended me a PM telling me they liked the dio very much and asked me if I would be interested in writing down the story of how I made it and send them pictures.
Since I'm not much of a forum-guy (members like Kurt made me remember why) I noticed the PM in DECEMBER 2016
I asked them if the still would do the topic, wrote the story and mailed the pictures. That's how it made Armorama which is quite different then me posting it to attract attention with a "controversial" dio like Kurt is suggesting.
If that was what I was aiming I'd better start 1350 topics and post 26 photo galleries.....that is, if this forum was ever intended for showing off and, as Kurt states it, posting "comments". For me, a forum is a way of sharing knowledge, inspiration and learning from others.
Comments are best made when asked for and not when one has an unstoppable urge of sharing his "personel opinion"
That seldom turnes out in the right way and wasn't that why God created PM's......
Now, let's get back to the Trench dio and forget this ever happened.

Now, back to the subject.
I've started on the uniform without the AK-set. Just mixing paint and once again Jon (Jon Smith Modelbau ) prooved to be a great help sending me some pictures of an original uniform. The right color is hard to find ( grey/green with a touch of brown ) but I'm working on it. In the meantime I finished the Mauser and the holster.
For wood and leatherwork I always use oilpaints-out-of-the tube.
The process is easy. Cover the item with paint and then start brushing it off. This way you can decide what the best shade is and it keeps it's grainy and a bit shiny look. This also works great on leather Panzer jackets etc. Just try it ! Only disadvantage is that it takes several days to dry well.

Dear Hans,
Don't bother too much about the uniform colours!
Coming from various suppliers, handled by various cleaning processes, worn under all sorts of circumstances they showed, after some time, great variety. Next to the fact that this guy may have crept through brush and mud to find his ideal position to ambush, which certainly has added colours which made him 'disappear into the environment' as well.
Looking at my own uniforms they show great differences between the ones just handed over as a replacement compared to those which were worn over several months in the baracks and in the field.
So, Fritz' gear may be way of as it was intended by the Königlicherund Kaiserlicher Stab in Berlin!
Wishing you a prosperous 2017!

Thanks Paul (my fellow Dutchman).
Seems you can compare it with the 'real stuff' which is always the best. Well, in a few days I'll be able to post the completed figure and I'm really curious if it comes anywhere near the real thing.
And, as we all no, "if we don't succeed at once, try again,try again"
Have a great 2017

Done. Good pictures are always quite tricky but it turned out not too bad. On some the tunic looks a bit blue but believe me, it's field grey. Perhaps a fun tip. Removing the background can be done with Paintnet. You can download it for free. Want tips on how to use it just PM.
Well, back to 1/35 scale thus regarding the advice I was given in this topic
Enjoy and have fun in 2017.

Hi Hans,

Well than, that turned out very beautiful!
To be proud of, for sure.
Looking forward to see your next one.

A joyfull 2017,

P.

That did turn out very well. It really captures the horror of that war.
J

On the gallerysite of the manufacturer.
Not bad
Jon Smith Modellbau