Whatever happened to Claude Joachim and his Clervaux diorama? Did he finally finish it? Haven't seen any updates for months (or years!).

Hmmm...to answer my own question: I guess he did! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5yFOBL7zE

I'm visiting Belgium this week and contacted Claude if it was possible to see his completed diorama after reading his blog in which he announced that it will be part of the exhibition in the Clerveaux Castle. it will open in May. That's too late for me so Claude made it possible for me to visit it this week and he will accompany me.
How great is that. So, in ther words, the dio is completed.

Hi Guys, Hi Biggles

Thank you for your interest! I am really falttered.

Time is passing fast and you need to go way back to 2014 in the forum to find the last posts about it,
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/228407#1924498

As Hans wrote already, yes, after nearly 2 years staying in the same room as it was during the expo mentionned in the post above, it got finally moved into a nice room inside the castle. While moving the dio suffered some damage, these idiots moved the dio without my presence and didn't care. Also left it open for public for some weeks without any protection.
After numerous hours of repair job I also managed to get the room closed until proper protection was organized. I had to fight to get at least a glas wall around it, a complete case is out of question. The glas wall is probably ordered already and will hopefully be delivered soon.
We will open the location for visit after that.

In the end, I am happy to get a great place to show my dio. It 's in fact in the same tower room I depicted the young boy observing the sharp shooter.

I intended to make this post once all is in place, so you precipitated it a bit with this post.

More prove and nice pictures about the finished dio on my website Dio Clervaux
Pictures about the museum setup in my Blog
Dio Blog

Hopefully you get a chance to see during a trip in the region, Luxembourg is a great destination anyway, and more so now that it features another attraction !


Greets to you all,

Claude

Words fail to describe it - it's too fantastic!

That is very sad news about the damage being done to this superb work. I hope it is all as good as new and will end up being protected way better in its' new home ?
People that don't participate in model building have no idea how much work and skill and patience goes into it or how fragile it is once completed.
I have a few buildings I made of out town from the founding fathers era and they were both damaged in the museum.
I feel your pain buddy.
J

Kudos to you Claude for an incredible job, and getting it posted in the actual building. Now that is part of history!

Bravo Amigo!

Went to Clerveaux last saturday to meet up with Claude. Got the "private-tour" for more than one hour!! It was great for me to see the dio and I was honored that he took the time to tell me all about it. The detailwork is really amazing. 1/35 photo-edged fences with the proper monogram on it ! A photo-edged shopsign that is 100% like the one that used to hang there. The little boy in the castle tower that has a name, lived and sat there watching a US sniper.
The craftmanship is amazing and the courage to open it for the public is heroic, knowing it will be damaged, even with the glass walls that will protect it. Thanks Claude, for sharing this with me and for all of you, if you're ever near Clerveaux be sure to visit this masterpiece !!

Thanks for posting this Hans ! It is really impressive and I never get tired of looking at this. Check out the thickness of the walls behind you ! Those are some impressive window sills.
J

Hans, Congratulations for this wonderful work and its most appropriate resting place!🍺
Wish I could be one of the visitors who will see it in real life.

—mike

Mike,
Hans didn't build this one man. Claude built it a while ago and there was a lengthy build log here. You will have to go back a ways in the forum but it is still there as well as a feature in that forum as well.
He donated it to the museum and it was damaged by viewers and also from the move. Hopefully that will be solved !
J

Oops! ... Yes Jerry, I remember following the blog. My apologies to Claude for my error. Sometimes when typing on my phone my fat fingers outrun my lack of brain!

Let's try this again. ... Wonderful work, Claude!🍺

—mike

Yep, the part that Claude built it and not me is, of course, 1000% right. I only had the honour to get the private tour. The part that he donated it to the castle is, as far as I know, incorrect. It's just there on (a long) exhibit but not "given away".
Btw, the guy in the picture is Claude, not me 😀

Hi Claude

I'm planning a trip to the region in May. Do you think it will be open to the public by 19 May? I was really hoping to have a peek...

Cheers!
Stefan

Hi guys

Thanks a lot for your enthusiasm, I am really flattered.

To be clear, I made a permanent loan to the museum. This is only to prevent that in the event of a closing of the museum, you never know, the dio does not disappear in a dark cellar and is lost. With a loan at least I am getting it back. A contract will also regulate some other issues, like copyright and the obligation to sell my books in a museum shop.

@Jerry, thanks for your concern. The damage period was very frustrating for me indeed. After some 15 hours spend repairing it, it is again in a suitable shape for exposition. Of course, some items I had to repair are not as good any more as before but only trained modeler's eyes would notice that. Later, behind glass, the distance is anyway to big to notice the fine details of the work.

@Stefan
A glass protection for the dio is now ordered, but I highly doubt that it will be delivered and mounted in the next month, and without it the room stays closed but.......
as a long time follower of the dio I am certainly willing and it will be an honour to give you a tour also. Clervaux is an hour drive from my home, for us Luxembourgers that's far already, but we will arrange something. As I have no holiday at that period, we can only do that on a weekend. The museum is open from 10-18.
If you have details about your trip, just drop me a mail to my info@.... address (check my website) and we will arrange it. You know that I am more comfortable with French and German, so you may use one of these languages.

After the visit I send Hans to the National Military museum in Diekirch to get more informations about the Battle of the Bulge. Perhaps he can comment on that and you can plan on following is steps.

Just a word about the walls Jerry mentioned. Because of those walls, the shelling of the German artillery did not make any heavy damage to the castle and spared not only the American soldiers from more casualties (only two slightly injured) but also the German prisoners down in the dungeon. Because of that protection, the German prisoners intervened later on to spare the lives of the GI's. They would have been shot otherwise.

The room the dio is in is the exact room the young boy watched the American sniper shoot at targets at the other side of the town.

I will give you a final update when the display is open for public and I want a report about every visit from anybody of this forum

Best greets
Claude

And there it is,from the horses mouth !
Comte Claude is back !
J

Wow, Claude, that is a very generous offer! Mail is on the way.

Thanks!
Stefan

Got back last week from a little road trip to the Ardennes and had the pleasure of seeing Claude's masterpiece firsthand (and having a beer with him afterwards). It is even more impressive if you see it in person and I recommend going to see it to anyone. While we were there, several people entered the room and they were very impressed by it. By now it should be properly protected by a glass wall and publicly accessible for all entering the castle museum. Here are some impressions:

Tank outside the museum:


More info on that particular tank on Claude's website: http://diorama-clervaux.com/indexsherman.html





Thanks again Claude! I hope you were able to fix all (most) of the damage caused by non-modellers and I'm glad it is now properly protected and displayed.

Cheers!
Stefan

Hi Stefan

I completely missed your update.
It was great meeting you and putting a face to a long-time follower of the dio. I am glad you liked it.
Your friend did some great photos, nice light on the two running soldiers.
Indeed, two days after your visit the glass was set.



As far as I know it really opened for public like today or so, after cleaning the room and connecting the electricity and perhaps other things I do not know. (Information material is still missing)

An official opening will be celebrated in a few weeks.

In case I get an interesting picture of that ceremony I will post it, otherwise this may be definitely,really this time, the last picture of this 12 year old story.

Thanks a gain to you all for your support and I count on you to get me some feedback in case you visit Luxembourg and eventually the diorama in Clervaux.

Claude

Nice ending to a great story !
J