Thanks Robert. Yes, the wine is definitely OK!

The Partisan now has his tricolour armband, Sten and spare magazine painted. As with all my figures (and pretty much anything else apart from vehicles) I finished him off with a wash of Citadel Agrax Earthshade.

Cool work Tim , nice paint up !!

Thanks Cheyenne,

More progress over the weekend...

The street is looking a little less 'touristy' now that some rubble is in place.

And I am starting to experiment with placement of some of the figures.

Nice progress as always!
J

Yes the street looks more lived-in now & that façade’s right up there with the best. Maybe a liberated crate of chianti somewhere? Great work

Thanks Jerry, Tim.

Tim, rest assured - there's more booze coming!

Like I said , very cool , so much to look at !!
Famous last words at a mediocre back yard bar-b-q , ....... rest assured , there's more booze coming ......

AWESOME, awesome, awesome diorama !!! Everything works in harmony to my eye ! Great work !
You said that you're still in progress placing people. On the Partisan dude his shoes/boots look like they are freshly polished. A drybrushing of an orangy brown color to tone it down could work.
On some dioramas I've seen boots look like they've come off the parade ground and not been in the field for weeks or months if the guy was lucky.
A busty Signora leaning over the balcony watching the going ons would be a fun element too.
I liken my suggestions to the guy standing next to daVinci telling him that the Mona Lisa's smile isn't broad enough!
Thanks for sharing and all your efforts on this awesome diorama !

Hi Tim , almost forgot to ask , have you decided to add any water to your stream bed , just curious ?

Thanks gentlemen.

Ivan, rest assured that I will be dirtying my boots!

And Cheyenne, yes, I do plan to add just a little water to my stream bed - but it's going to have to wait until I have finished with the pigments.

Anyway, more figures taking shape.


The priest (not quite finished - certainly needs a coat of matt varnish) is looking suitably heavenward. Is he giving thanks for his liberation - or asking some tough questions? You decide. He's my favourite Mark35 figure.



And adding to the graver side of the diorama, I have this unlucky German. From Stalingrad Miniatures, he's actually supposed to be a sleeping infantryman. I altered the pose of the right arm a little and cut away some of his marching gear, but otherwise he is as he was.

Some may question whether you should show the dead on a diorama. I believe that, so long as it is relatively 'tasteful' (i.e. no, or minimal, gore), it is appropriate.

Interestingly, I had to change the word 'dead' to 'fallen' in the file name before the site would allow me to post it!

The Lady and the Priest...

we are motoring on now.

Over the weekend I worked on the pigments for the groundwork to try and achieve a better balance of colours and an appropriately dusty look.

None of the figures are permanently in place, but I am pleased with the arrangement so far. As I suspected, the rather sombre infantryman in the foreground helps to lead the eye into the scene...

Looks like you're rounding the bend into finishing up territory now. All the main components look spot on.
J

Yes I believe I am!

I've had a busy weekend...

The overview really lets the colors stand out IMHO,
J

It's been trial and error with the colours to be honest Jerry.

I had my real Tuscany soil which I ground up in a coffee grinder to remind me what it actually looks like - but we all know colours change in scale and there's also the question of how one colour looks when set next to another.

Another issue I have struggled with is the light and shade. Until I had painted the groundwork, by base was far too light (insulation board or Das clay) and so everything else looked too dark. Then I painted everything a deep brown and it all looked too light!

Anyway, there's still a few bits and pieces to finish here - although it's definitely going into the MAFVA competition this weekend!

Well then,Bouno fortuna to you this weekend.
J

Can't recall which war movie, but a British character seemed fond of saying "Splendid!" whenever something worked in favor of the good guys. Outstanding detail throughout and each element compliments the overall scene. So again, Splendid!! And best of luck at the competition.

A really nice piece of work Tim.

Tom

Very nicely done, Tim! There's much to take in with this beautiful piece of artwork.🍺🍺🍺
Good luck at MAFVA!🍀

—mike

Good Job Tim.
The details are making the differences.
Congratulations!!!
Omar

I love what you've done here Tim, very clear story and you're sharp skills on full display.

Regards
Dave

Beautiful finish Tim , everything looks great , good luck at the show !!!

Thanks guys,

I am very pleased to report that I met with some success. For my first diorama project since I was 16 I managed to win Best of Show at the MAFVA Nationals!

https://www.mafva.org/tim-forster-takes-best-of-show-at-mafva-nationals/

It's not a huge competition and, for the most part, consists of individual vehicles. So it's a bit like winning with the biggest marrow at the village fete! But I'm proud nevertheless.

Both my sons have previously won Junior Best of Show at the same event, so I guess I'm following in their footsteps!

I will post more images, but for now I have run out of space on this site. I still can't get my head around this image hosting thing...