Ok, I forgot to do any build pictures, as this is my first time on a forum! I have now started taking pics during the painitng stage, so forgive me. I admit at this stage it looks very clean!

I am also going to do a small dio to show this tank hopefully it will all work out nicely

https://gallery.kitmaker.net/showphoto.php/photo/462838

https://gallery.kitmaker.net/showphoto.php/photo/462837/ppuser/75092

https://gallery.kitmaker.net/showphoto.php/photo/462143/ppuser/75092

https://gallery.kitmaker.net/showphoto.php/photo/462844/ppuser/75092

https://gallery.kitmaker.net/showphoto.php/photo/462844/ppuser/75092

https://gallery.kitmaker.net/showphoto.php?photo=462846&cat=500

Welcome to the site. That is a nice Cromwell.

Thank you! Hopefully the weathering and the dio will do it more justice

really nice piece of work looking forward to the diorama. You have a really good touch with your painting

Thank you very much for sorting my pics out, I’m very new and have no idea how to sort them other than the link. Much appreciated

Thank you for the kind words. Once I get used to posting and forums I’ll certainly post better pics and throughout the entire process.

The dio is actually almost complete it’s more of a tank vignette really, but as it’s my first ever dio I’m pretty pleased with it so far.

I shall post some pics shortly

I prefer Imgur.com . It is very simple and free.

Thanks for the tip I shall give that a look

well the dio is almost finished so I will post some pics today

Here are some pics of the dio, which is not finished yet there are a few bits i need to do

excuse the cats hairs that seem to appear - the liitle blighters are molting and they get everywhere!!!

Just to be complete, the kit itself is basically the old Tamiya Cromwell kit. I had an Eduard photo etch set that was used on parts. The biggest downside of the kit is that there is no interior at all, which is common with tamiya. As i decided to have hatches open, except the drives side, I scratch built a basic interior, not that it can be seen. I couldve searched for a resin set, but in fairness I couldnt be bothered and always wanted to scratch build something and always knew hardly anything would be seen in any event.

The figures, which i admit arent great, are a scrap box german half track driver slightly modified to look british, not that you can see much, with a putty beret. Again it cant really be seen. The commander is the kit figure with no modification whatsoever, aside from the wires for the headset etc.

Painting wise, the tank was kind of colour modulated in vallejo acrylics then suitably weathered with various washes (oil and off the self washes from vallejo). The mud/dirt are a mix of Mig pigments and vallejo diorama effects.

The commander was painted in various mediums. The face, which isnt great, is just vallejo acrylics. The uniform was airbrushed with vallejo black primer then undercoated with vallejo english uniform and then kind of colour modulated for fun. I then switched to oils to see how that turned out. It came out ok, but as i am not the worlds best figure painter no doubt many will see this as the downside.

The dio was basically built with whatever i could lay my hands on out here in Dubai, which isnt much to be honest. The trees are basically real twigs from some bush in my garden with parcel twine and small bits of foam for the leaves. The ground work is vallejo dio effects russian mud and euro mud. The grassy bits are an old cheap paint brush. Not turned out like i wanted but it will do. The other bushes are a mix of foam bits and parcel twine. The remainder was made up of scatter that architects use. The base itself is a piece of MDF, cork boards and filler. Again, I have to use what i can lay my hands on.

This really is my first ever dio, and whilst its not the best, i am happy with it...although it could be musch better.

That vignette is fine. Turned out very well for a first attempt. The greenery on the trees looks non-european though

It's a pity the Cromwell didn't see service in North Africa, you would have had access to plenty of building material for your vignette in that case ....

There is this image though, it is from IMCDB so it comes from some movie ...

A vignette of a movie being made, The Black Tent from 1956 in this case, is also a representation of something that actually did occur
https://www.imcdb.org/movie_49014-The-Black-Tent.html

/ Robin

i know what you mean about the trees...alas scrub bushes and date palms from the desert dont really look like a muddy road near Caen!

It wouldve been much easier if North Africa did have Cromwells, then I would have all the materials I need! Maybe my next project should be Africa Corps! I have some old stuff lying around somewhere - shame I dont have a Panzer III that would be perfect!

I ma in the process of finishing my 2nd vignette, based on Kampfgruppe Peiper (not orginal idea I know - been done thousands of times)...thankfully no trees were used