Here is the base for my first ever dio

its d-day and the dio will cover from the tops of the cliffs to a point i have not yet decided, probably 20 scaled feet past the seawall

30 inches wide, and an unknown length

note the 1/35th scale german on there to give you an idea of the size






up next is the challenge of adding texture and the ground cover

im in way over my head, and im loving it!!!

Looks cool. I would get some trenches and sandbagged positins at the top of the cliff next to bunker

That looks Wonderful!
I really like the small bunker on the bottom!
Keep us Posted

Man.. that's one huge 1st dio you have. All the best and do keep us posted. It's looking impressive already.

Sweet bunkers...did you scratch them?

Good luck on the rest...

Eddie

good start on a big work. keep up posted on progress and dont forget barbed wire details

Looks great so far. May I please add some comments on your work. Your bunkers could use some weather, drybrush them. Put small arms, big arms fire the bunkers. BTW, to texturize your groundwork, get some Woodland Scenics "Fine Ballast" and mix it with plaster of paris. Put that where you want your sand. Then after that paint the sand with "Raw Umber" acrylics(just the cheap big bottles). Then drybrush with a Acrylic sand color. I think this is turning out great, keep us posted.

BIG BIG BIG. Very interesting.

Hey

Looks like a BIG project

Don't forget to add lot's and lot's and lot's of beach obstacles....

Is this gonna be a landing scene?

Martin

Looks impressive. I can almost picture the end result. Josh, ever played "Medal of Honour - Allied Assault"? If you have or can get the game, the Normandy landing level gives you a great perspective on the German fortifications as you fight your way in. Check it out. It might help you with the trenches and MG posts.

Fortress Europe at its best! I wish all the luck in the world to finish your project! It's a mighty idea! If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask!
Cheers and happy modelling!
Prato

This is a very nice start of a very big work Josh.
Keep us posted.

Wow, Stoner...Nothing like jumping feet first in the deep end!! As soon as the first pic showed, I went "Whoa!..." That is some grand scale!
Think the pressure is on here for you, as all are eager to measure your results... Don't sweat it though, and don't think you have to be influenced to make a grand jampacked whizbang corker full Allied assault scene (unless of course, that's what you had in mind;)
I reckon you could make it D-Day plus whatever and in full Allied control for instance... Hell them bunkers on them thar hills can be shown peppered by naval guns etc. Best of luck mate

Hey Josh,
It looks like your off to a great start. I remember a couple of weeks ago when you first pitched this idea. Since you said that was going to be your first attempt at a dio, I along with many others suggested you might be in a little over your head. Well it looks like your out to prove us wrong!! Good luck, and keep us posted.

hey, thanks for the support so far


as of now i am churning out anti landing obstacles (metal X, antitank right now) in a factory line style, and as of now i have one mg-42 in the large cliff bunker, an mg-34 which will go on the top of the cliff behind some bags, maybe entrenched? That and there will be a german machine gunner busy fixing a jam in an mg-34 with his top popping out of the ground bunker there

will be sure to get some more pics as progress is made


btw, does anyone know what would go inside of a pillbox? Right now i am making a shelf with some gear and a radio along with a crate with more gear and mg rounds,

any thoughts or ideas be sure to let me know

Holy crap, Josh, goin big right off the bat! Gotta love it...well, so far so great, you're doing a excellent job. This is going to look sweet when it's done. As far as the interio for the pilbox, you're on the right track. maybe add a few chairs and a table, some rifles leaning up agianst the wall, some crates/boxes, webbing (water bottles, backpacks, etc) and I've even seen some propoganda posters on the walls as well. Use your imagination, the sky's the limit...cannot wait to see this once it's done!

It looks interesting. I really appreciate big dios, always worth looking at, and building as well.

Good luck with it

Simon

A great and challenging first attempt. Keep us posted on the progress. I admire your gutts to start such a big project.

can't wait to see more progress
very good so far!!
Ron

That''ll be a lot of figs you need there to fill that dio :-D
Do you add some landingvehicles??

Keep us posted.

Greetz Hilbert

my plan is to just do the cliff and shelf to seawall now, but i will leave it open ended in case i feel like coming back and adding 2 landing craft (one unloading, and possibliby the one that dropped off the troops on the beach is now sinking?

not sure if i will get all the way down, but it is definitley a possibility

The above is pretty ok, Josh. I've seen several bunker pix which had a sort of open-sided rack. Like a bookcase but without sides. Four vertical posts and about 4 or 5 rectangular shelves. You could have ammo and grenade crates, gas masks, ration cases, spare boots... whatever you'd see in a modern bunker. Plus there'd be more ammo cases on the floor, belted ammo for the MGs. Personal kit like bedrolls, spare clothes. If it's a long-stay bunker there might even be pictures and posters on the walls.

Wow - and I thought *I* was the grandfather of huge dios! i suppose the first time you went fishing, you caught a whale!

As for the interior of the bunker, there is not pat answer here. Larger bunkers like the one on the top of the hill would probably have a range finder, desks and table, and perhaps a few charts and maps nearby on the walls. There would also likely be stairs going down to living quarters and a munitions storage area.

One word of caution - while I think this will be a really GREAT diorama, it looks like your base at present is made of white poster board. Be sure to seal it (both sides and edges) with some form of shellack or other coating. i work a LOT with white poster board, and if left unsealed, it has a tendency over time to warp and bow out. (see my article in the Hall of Fame "Building a Diorama from Scratch"... I show a simple "white glue" method to seal poster board that may work for you as well.

I read somewhere that bunkers were often painted inside with pictures of what you would see if the walls weren't there, all the scenery and stuff.

Ciao Josh,
Man, you are very ambitious! Especially for a first dio. I give you credit for that! It is really looking great so far. Look forward to seeing more.
Ciao for now
Rob