here i am again .

I'm stuck so need some hint and tips...

please adivse






























til next time
Eric

Holy-Moly----
That is outstanding!
Can't wait to see it finished.
What vehicles are you going to use?

Eric My friend, I don't now what kind of tips you need because it looks great.

The only thing that I can say is that the amount of rubble is not in comparison to the damage and there is still a lot of "dusting" to do, but I know that that will come.

Tell us a bit of the "story" and in what context are you "stuck"?

BTW I love your three, what method did you use to build it?

LOL I just remembered from a previous post, this was only a test piece?? I looks out of control then

Eric,

I've got to be honest with you.... this is an awesome project !

The major part of the scene (buildings and street) can be seen in many dioramas, but the tree and the statue add something very special to the overall atmosphere, that many dioramas lack. The color of the tree, with the shape of the statue beneath it.... just awesome.

Like I said, I've got nothing to add to this....this is an example of high quality diorama building !

the vehicles will stay a secret till the last moment.......
I won't reveal to much at once.............


Eric

your right ............... #:-) #:-) #:-)

Eric

Bob ,

I've added a special chain around the statue...it is a flat one ( can't see that very clear on these pics')
And for what the rubble concerns i shall fix that also i will do something abot that lantern so that it looks damaged by the shelling . The dusting job i will do that in a final stage just before i add the vehicles.........

Thanks

Eric

I can´t see the pic's and I really really MUST see the pic's after what I´ve read!!

I cant see the pics either, just the red X.. Can you post a couple in your gallery?
Thanks

Yup, something is up with the images. I tried to paste the URL for each of the images but got some sort of an error. I can't read Dutch so I can't tell you what it said.

This is the error:

I must say this is an overall fantastic piece of work! It just looks great as it is. However, I can suggest a couple things to push it even farther.

1. I suggest the addition of more rubble. It must be decided how long this city has been in this state. One of the things noted by GI's is the Germans were the quickest to begin clearing their streets and repairing their buildings after a battle. So, if it's fresh mayhem, spread debris all over. If it's been a while, I'd add more rubble, but move it closer to the buildings in larger heaps.

2.Interior damage. Add more rubble to the interiors of the buildings. see notes above.

3. Damaged/ discarded possessions. Along with building materials, it'd be nice to see damaged and discarded furniture, a cart or some other indication of a disrupted civilian population.

4. Street wear. Who's been using the streets? Horse drawn carts? Automobiles? it'd be good to see some wear on the streets like a darker area in the middle and lighter colors where the tires/ wheels would ride. If auto's have been using the streets put some oil drops and spills in the middle of the street.

5. Vegetation. Dropped leaves and such in the gutters and on the grass will help provide a bit more realism and give a more alive look. shelling tends to knock stuff loose. Also, if the shelling has been more recent, there should be more scattered and fallen leaves. If the area has been abandoned for some time, add some weeds growing up in the lawn near the statue. Maybe some longer grasses.

6. The statue. Nice work with the bird droppings on the statue base. Don't forget about the areas where birds sitting in the trees might drop on the statue as well.

Anyway, these are just my humble suggestions. I'm a long way from producing anything like what you've got here. I'm very impressed!

eric

fantastic diorama, love to see the finished article - great atmosphere with it too. I dont have any suggestions apart from noting whether the area is a heavy combat zone or not - and adjusting the damage accordingly. great stuff though. i hope i can do something that good sometime.

kitbasher

Hell's Bells Eric,what are you stuck on,it looks great to me,mind i am only a figure painter,so what do i know!
Arthur

Wonderful... as a fellow lover of the "big and grand diorama", I think this is great! Lots of interesting "angles and view", meaning people could look at this for a long time to see everything you offer.

I don't know what your story is geared towards, but from a purely "architectural" standpoint, here are POSSIBLE (not necessarily expected) suggestions:

TREE & FOLLIAGE: - since you are looking at a FALL color, might I suggest you add some yellows and oranges to some of the tree's leaves? There is a nice assortment of colored leaves around the tree on the ground, yet the tree is just red.... A small brush with some good flat acryllic should do the trick. Same thing for the tree bark - perhaps some overbrushing with ight greys to show age and bring out the texture.

Also, what about some flowers (colored lichen) around the base of the warhorse statue? Using stained bristles from an old brush could also provide you with some weeds in the park near the statue.

STREET -This is one that is a little more obvious, but a common mistake.... this town hsa obviously had some major shelling from artillary, tanks, or howitzers..... so all the artillary shells hit buildings only? Perhaps a few mortar shells might have fallen short and landed in the street. A few loose cobblestones might be appropriate, and quite easy to do. Same could go for the sidewalk or the park area? Look at the road in the end battle scene of the movie "Saving Private Ryan" ... similar building damage, but the roadway shows quite a bit of damage as well.

GENERAL - I do think you have to make a timeline decision on the "state of battle"...is the battle taking place NOW (Present ) or is this the afterman of action from earlier in the week?(Past). Is this a story about a city that is experiencing house-to-house fighting in the present, or was the battle weeks ago, and now patrols are moving out? If it is the former, then I would expect to see a LOT more debris in the streets and in the park. Right now it looks like a bulldozer has come through and pushed the rubble to the edge of the road... which means you should probably also have some accumulation heaps of rubble on the sidewalk or the park area. Either way, I would expect to see a LOT more debris, especially some large sized chunks.

I would also suggest some hanging and dangling power lines and telephone cables... these were often in heavy concentrations near street intersections in the towns and villages. Of course, this would also entail some power line insulators on the buildings, and perhaps a street light or telephone poles.

None of these are criticisms... I take it that you are in the concept stage at this point, and are just looking for some ideas, right?

Hello All ,

I fixed the error bug about the red X's it seems that my home space was full .

For what the tips concerns i read them with pleasure and will sure add some of them into the diorama .
Such as the debris point . As it stand now it was the first debris layer i put up on the dio and i don't want to over do it . But as i read your comment it sure will bring it more to life when i add some more ( Big chunks....... )
About the tree all i can say that it is a as we call them here a " beuk " . It is a tree with natural red dark brown leaves . The scene is in the end of the summer , after market Garden in west of Germany near Aken. I know i have to add some more leaves on the ground due to the shelling . And i shall work on that . Also i shall try to add some more leaves to the tree aswell as some broken branches on the pavement and the smal park .
It is not visible on the pics but i added some power lines but perhaps i shall add some more .
Also the comment on the furniture that is aready solved . I have scrached some seats and a table and a closet . I'm working on two barrels and some crates for the wine house aswell as some wine bottles .
For what the pavement ( street section ) concerns i will leave that alone and intact because im not fonded to tear that up . When i shall do that i probaly will ruin the dio and have to do it all over again .
So i will add no shelling holes in the street section .

But as i said thanks for all your tips and advise i sure helps to go on .

grtz

Eric

You don't need suggestions as much as you need a patent, for such fantastic work. I'll still hoping to see your srticle about the tools you used and how you used them. Just, plain outstanding!

Sealhead

Here's some ideas for what they're worth:

1. Refugees passing through the destruction. The people side of war.
2. One military side or the other passing triumphantly through the town.
3. A dead horse, some skinny dogs and a few rats. The new :residents".
4. Recon group checking it out.
5. A convoy passing through without paying any attention to the destruction.
6. One former resident trying to salvage anything from the ruins of their life.
7. A "white flag" meeting between the two sides.
8. Nothing but what you already have, maybe months after the destruction when the vines creep back, and dries leaves collect and a few things were looted by soldiers or civilians trying to survive.
9. Retreating soldiers from one side or the other as the contested village changes hands.
10. Captured soldiers being trucked or walked to a staging post.

This is easy for me to say. I've been struggling with one dio for over 10 years, that's still not done and nowhere as good as what yo have already.

Sealhead

Here's some ideas for what they're worth:

1. Refugees passing through the destruction. The people side of war.
2. One military side or the other passing triumphantly through the town.
3. A dead horse, some skinny dogs and a few rats. The new :residents".
4. Recon group checking it out.
5. A convoy passing through without paying any attention to the destruction.
6. One former resident trying to salvage anything from the ruins of their life.
7. A "white flag" meeting between the two sides.
8. Nothing but what you already have, maybe months after the destruction when the vines creep back, and dries leaves collect and a few things were looted by soldiers or civilians trying to survive.
9. Retreating soldiers from one side or the other as the contested village changes hands.
10. Captured soldiers being trucked or walked to a staging post.

This is easy for me to say. I've been struggling with one dio for over 10 years, that's still not done and nowhere as good as what you have already.

Sealhead

There are only afew things that I saw

1) Rubble. I think that has been sufficiently discussed
2) The carpet on the second floor. I don't know why but it bugs me. I think because it is the exact size as the remaining floor area.
3) The tree. While is it a beautiful tree, just like the streets, with all the damage on the buildings there is bound to be some damage to the streets and the tree. It seems odd to me the everything around it has been totally destroyed yet the very large tree has no damage.
4) Lack of personal items. Furniture, plates, cups, buckets clothes and other things that were inside that would be blown out or abandoned.

Wohoo, finally saw the pic's. They look awesome. Will look even better with figures and vehicles in it