Well, I've started my king tiger in 72, and after a lot of research I found that I can do it in an ardennes scenery and without zimmerit. This all began with my need to build my first tank and to display it in a dio with some baking-soda snow the problem is that I'm facing a modellers block when it comes to acuracy/criativity...I can do the tiger in a winter scenery but I wanted it crossing a big stone brigde, like that one in a 72nd dio I found in a big feature article a couple of pages behind, covered with some snow and a dry muddy river-canal...Should I research some more and try to find some bridge pics from the towns were the battle took place, and try to start a dio from a pic, or should I get some creative license and just make a cool lookin scenario? I guess it would be up to me but I need some incoragment This as been starting to be a problem, this block thing...I see some great works in the gallerys and I wich that some day I can get some dios displayed over my house, but I dont know if you really pay attention to stuff like this...After all, my tiger will have a "correct" camo and I'll do my best on weathering it but it'll be worthless if I put it in an "impossible scenario"

counting on some hints

you have to try to balance that out. first, I doubt you will find the picture of a bridge that you are looking for, but give it a try.

second, you can make that diorame with out the need of a picture, just look for information on where the battle was, and then go to map quest and look at a map of the area, you should be able to see the rivers and the roads and find the name of the towns(bastong,i.e.)

and then you can research on how the bridges are in that area and make one. simple, no, but you will be accurate

Hey there,
I have an opinion that modeling is a hobby, and therefore here for our pleasure. If I build a model and place it in a diorama, then the first thing I want is that it is pleasing to the eye and that I like it. If you have no photos of what you are looking for then take a little artistic license and improvise, who can say you are wrong??
Enjoy our hobby, don't let it feel like a chore!

Sam

Ciao Francisco,
While I do agree with Wilson on this being a hobby, I have to admit that DRAGONSLAIN makes a good argument for research. Try looking the stuff up first (hey, knowledge is good - besides you might get inspiration in your research) and if that doesn't work out, go with Wilson's approach of "trying" to make it accurate. Hey, the chances of a stone bridge existing in Belgium is pretty high, isn't it?
Ciao for now
Rob

Francisco, making a dio from a picture can get pretty nerve racking. I have started on one such project and find myself using a lot of "artistic license" to fit the scene to the base size. I have a some pics of stone bridges and would be happy to email them to you, if you PM me your address I will get them right off to you. Cheers Kevin

Hi, I would base it on a photo or specific event, but also throw in your own creativity,
The only thing I would say about your dio idea is in the winter there would be water in the river, not dry and it probobly would be running pretty heavy in the winter with snow

For what its worth, I think a combination of research and creative licence is called for. Replicating a photograph, at least to me, is missing something about modelling - you're trying to a tell a story in your diorama, whereas a photograph is often (sadly) nothing more than a captured memory. These don't always go hand in hand.

I would suggest to research the general areas, see what you can find out, and then use what you have learned to build your diorama as you see fit. Remember that so much of what happened in those places at those times is pretty much unreported - how can anyone say you're wrong, and do you really care if they do ?

Cheers!

I go with the creativity guys. A pic is O.K. for inspiration, etc., but unless you're trying to document a rare or unusual vehicle/scene, it's not really necessary to exactly re-create a pic. Get some stones, twigs, Spackle, etc. and make your own stone bridge. After all, imagination and the desire to create something unique are what keeps us doing this.

Art

The first models I use to work on when I was a kid, was railroad stuff. I use to love looking at all the photos of people's layouts, and noticed how serious they were when it came to duplicating exact scenes and such. I drove myself crazy with that for years, and one day it occurred to me... No matter what I did, it was never going to be exactly like the real thing. Once I gave up on the idea of creating perfection in 100% realism, I had a lot more fun. I personally try to be as realistic as possible, but not to the point where I worry about it. And if some smart guy says it's not prototypical... So what. The nice thing about a subject being hard to research, is that nobody else will be able to prove you wrong. :-)

Dave
Los Angeles, CA

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