Well, I am glad to say that this dio is FINALLY FINISHED.

I took it to its second show two weeks ago: Scale Model World in Telford (for those not from these shores, Thomas Telford was a contemporary of Brunel and a very important part of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, although this is a 'new town' in the North established close to Ironbridge, where the famous bridge was built and still stands).

This was a very nostalgic trip for me because I have been taking my two sons to this show for the last 7 years and they have both won several Golds and Silver medals in the Junior competition... but this time it was my turn!

So I was very happy to win a Silver medal in the Diorama (Vehicles) category.

Here are a few shots of the dio in its finished state:






Thanks for all your support!

Congratulations on your great showing. Very nice composition and very well executed. The elements you have included all contribute to the telling of the story.

Congrats Tim on a job well done , just for your information you got a gold over here at my house !!
Soooooo , what's next for your building pleasure ?

Hats off. A Silver Medal at Telford is simply outstanding performance.

Cheers,

Robert Jan

NICE ! Yes,I have been to Telford several times and the bar is set very high there so a big congrats is in order.
The finished version is superb! It checks all the boxes for an exceptional dio. Very very nice. One of the hallmarks of good work is one being able to peruse it for a long time and continually find new details.
Very impressive given that you just got back into the swing of things. Nice subject as well!
Nice to see more Commonwealth topics be given attention.
J

Congratz from me too! Well deserved!!

Been watching since you started. Just have to say this is one of the most impressive dioramas I've seen in quite some time! Your award at Telford is very well deserved. For me, a dio can be like using a photo to recreate a moment in time in miniature, even if that photo only exists in your mind. Your imagination, creativity and execution in this scene are impressive. Beautifully done!!

Brilliant dio. There are so many little features and details that just bring it to life.

Dear all,

Sorry it has taken me almost 2 months to get around to another post.

Many thanks for all of your kind words. It has been a pleasure to have you all along for the journey and your support (whether it be praise or constructive criticism) has been a great help.

Obviously this one is done and dusted. I will be taking it around more shows here in the UK (in fact, since my last post I managed to sneak another Gold at the London Plastic Model Show).

I also hope to get a friend - who is a professional photographer - to take some decent pics at some point and when I do I will be sure to post them. I also plan to submit an article to a magazine or two - any suggestions?

Now Cheyenne asked "Soooooo, what's next for your building pleasure?"

Well... first off, I don't plan to take THREE YEARS to build the next one! So something a little less ambitious methinks.

I have two firm ideas.

The first is set in the Ardennes. Without giving too much away, it has something to do with Advancing German forces and escaping Americans. However, it has a building at its heart and, although nothing like as big as the Italian dio, I suspect it is going to take quite a lot of work.

On the other hand, over the Summer I visited Japan with my family and made a few purchases from one of the fine Tokyo model shops. Although I have never modelled anything from the Pacific Theatre before (OK, that's a very slight lie), the Japanese 'blitzkrieg' down the Malayan peninsular towards Singapore has caught my interest. That way I get to combine Japanese and Commonwealth troops and equipment with some local interest.

So this is what I am going to go with..!

Oh, I almost forgot... In the end I DID add some water to the ditch!



Because it wasn't in any depth I went for Woodland Scenics Realistic Water - which you simply use straight from the bottle - rather than a two-part epoxy. It was added using a syringe, taking care not to drip any where it wasn't wanted.

As I final touch (to riff on the many sides to 'Liberation') I also placed this totally dejected German beneath the bridge - a beautiful, sad figure from Tank (I think). I gave him Luftwaffe piping to suggest that he had escaped from the car...

Great additions! Again, gratulations are in place...
Already looking out for your next project!

Hi Tim,
Interesting ideas for your next project)s).Both sound good but the second I like more as it is both rather unusual and challenging.
In any case, I look forward to your first progress reports here and/or elsewhere