Gi guys,
im still doing my simple diosrama for my King Tiger, as you can see from the pics here, i need ur comments bout the groundwork i made so far, does it look good for you ? do i need put the tall grass above the wildgrass ?? or any comments?
and about the wildgrass, i use HEKI wildgrass, is that suppose to be flat like this?
thks for ur comments

Hi Ricky,
I think your ground work looks great. Just a little pointer though maybe you could give the grass a light dusting of buff or something similar just to take a bit of the green off. But its up to you.

Hmm...although your photos are clear, I can't clearly see the groundwork. Perhaps a few clear close-ups of the groundwork?

Secondly, I'm not sure what type of groundwork are you working on. Muddy? Rocky? Just plain "natural?" It looks good, though.

Angela

Hi
I would make two points :
1. you should get the grass dirty even muddy when seeing the ground around ;
2. I personally would not have the tank hull jutting out the diorama base to keep a good balance.

olivier

thanks for the comments guys

Andy
give a buff on my grass i think its a good idea, i will try it

Angela
im thingking to make natural scenery this time

G'day bro.
what i would do is spread it out and make it a bit random and thinned out, maybe clumps of static here and there, or just leave gaps in between where ya put it, some bare spots, ya know?
I'd cover it all as well, just not where the tracks have been
Cheers

Hey Rickey.

First: the dio is looking great already and I repeat about dusting the gras. Perhaps adding some dead wood in the grass or at the bushes.




The Heki wildgrass is supposed to be standing up, but the method to do that isn't simple.
Heki delivers an electric device (looks like a hair dryer) that 'sprays' the grass on the surface which just before is glued in with f.i. whiteglue. The device is made in a way it gives the 'sprayed' gras a static electrical charge. (Like rubbing a plastic thing over cats fur)
Due to this static-electrical charge the grass land on the glued in surface and stands up.
(This is also why it's called 'static grass')

It's not a cheap device but when you are using the Heki (or other brands) static grass much it's advisable. The effect is just great!
But sometimes a good LHS has this device for rent (specially when it's a modelrailroading specialist).
Some clubs have it also for members to use.

A simpler solution is a plastic bottle where you can put the gras in and than squeeze it throug little holes in the top. The plastic would charge the gras when 'puffing' out the gras on the surface.
I do not have great results with this last technique.
Noch supplies these bottles.

Hello Corporal:

I like what you've done so far. I read all the comments. The members have made some excellent suggestions. Knocking down the brightness of the green and putting spaces of earth here and there thru the Heki grass area is a good idea; thinning out the grass, etc. I also suggest you go walk around outside for a while and look closely at places where the lawns are not so well manicured, etc. Maybe there is a weeded area you could study for a while.

Personally, what really excites me so much about your project is the composition! I realize my view is different to one of the gentlemen who mentioned the tank sticking off the base — that it hurt the balance of the setting. I understand his point but disagree. I think the angle that you have set the tank and the direction of the gun barrel is very clever and will be an eyecatching aspect of the composition. So to me you are off to a great start. Just take your time and try different things re the ground cover before you tack anything down. It's going to be fine. Hope to see more "during construction" pix soon.

The ground work looks good mate.
Maybe you could just try and get the grass to stand up here and there to break it up. Or perhaps if the grass is stuck fast maybe try to show as being wind swept.
You will need to show the wond somehow to pull this off. Not sure how I would suggest a flag or something but not sure how you'll work it in.
The tank looks good but you seem to be missing the towing cable of the side this needs to be replace or the marks blended in.
I look forward to seeing it finished
good luck
Robbo

I like it so far. But I have to ask you this: what have you used for groundwork? Why did you put the tall grass so far from the Heki grass? Thanks in advance for answering!
Cheers and happy modeling!
Prato

When you said "natural" I was thinking of dry ground.

If that's the groundwork you are trying to depict, then I think it's better to cover the entire base (excluding the grassy area, of course) with finely sifted soil. Check out my feature here and go to page 3 and look for "Groundwork"

Here's the link:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/629

Since this is not a winter dio, just skip the "white oil" part.

Hope this helps.

Angela

Hi Ricky, Is this Heki wild grass I see? Was this the grass that comes in sheets or in mats? If it was from the mats it should be standing up by itself. Ricky go ahead and email me the part number to the grass you used and I will come up with some answers for you. Also look for the grass reviews coming to an Armorama near you :-) Cheers Kevin

The static grass is too flatt indeed.

I always "launch" the static grass into the glue....

I have a shampoo bottle with a tiny hole in it. The bottle, that was totally dry when I filled it with static grass, is used to "rocket" the grass into the PVA (white)glue.

I mix PVA glue with water (75% PVA and 25% water) and I add a thin layer to my base. Then I turn the shampoo bottle upside down and gently squeeze it, "rocketing" the grass into the glue. When I'm done, I wait for about 15 minutes to allow the glue to cure a bit.

Then I use an old, but soft, brush to brush the grass in an upward position, and when the glue is too thin I also blow a bit to help the grass to move.

After that, I turn the base upside down and firmly tap on the back of the base, giving gravity the oportunity to work on the grass. Let it hang upside down for another 15 minutes and the grass stands in a nice upward position. Now let the PVA glue cure completely and it can be brush or airbrush painted.

Good Luck.

Eagle, that's a handy tip indeed. Why did I never come up with that idea
At least I'm giving that a try also, so I don't have to rent the Heki 'hairdryer' anymore...

Paul