My first attempt at a diorama. Trying to use the KISS principle so we will see what happens. This Dragon Pak 40 and its crew are half of a projected anti-tank battery of 2 that will be stationed on the edge of a field in a sunken road anticipating tanks coming across the field. The grass on the front of the gun looks bit high but I plan to hold off trimming the 'eyebrows' until I see how it fits on the base. Figures are the first I have touched since I was a teen and I never was very good with them. Any suggestions are welcome.

hi vic,good going so far,keep in mind that you dont block the visionport in the gunshield with the grass.and can you show something from the base your making.i am building the same kit at this moment.

Vic, to start I would love to welcome you to Armorama It's always good to see a fellow Nebraskan in the ranks. What part of the state do you hail from? As for your PAK, it looks good so far. I am looking forward to seeing how your dio takes shape. Cheers Kevin

Thanks. I was looking at the gunsight myself and will factor that in when I trim the grass. I don't have the base started yet. I intend to finish the other Pak 40 (the Tamiya Pak40/L46 version: want to see if difference is all that obvious) then I will start on the base. That way I know the true size of the base and won't guess small. Will try to post updates to the build.

With just two guns, and a few figures, your base shouldn't be too big.
That's a good looking pak-40. I just built the same kit not too long ago. I have been waiting several months for some Hobby Fan figures so I can finish the damm thing!!

Hoping it won't be.. not a lot of space to display here. Good luck on yours also... post some pics of your progress.

Ciao Seanuke,
Hey, it looks really great so far. I have to agree with Diablo about the vision port. They wouldn't be able to aim it other than looking down the tube (which has been done before.) Keep us posted. Sure is a great job for a first try. Congrats.
Ciao for now
Rob

Coming along nicely there mate.
I agree with grass comments and the vision port.
Are those shells brass or did you paint them they look very good. Did they come with the kit?
Cheers Robbo

Good Solid start so far. One suggestion would be to soak a piece of medical gause in Taimya Dark Yellow. Stretch it out a bit and wrap it around the barrel.

The figures look good. I would try and experiment with a wash. And accentuate the folds a bit more. A wash is basically very thinned down paint that is not very opaque. You add it in very thin layers to get the desired shading. Do a search for washes and you'll get a lot of information. Ask questions as you go.

A very simple effective and moral boosting thing to do is to add rilfe straps. The most basic type is masking tape, cut thin, fold 1mm at each end to form an end paint it then glue it on. You can use yogurt lids, coffee lids, wine bottle foil etc as alternate materials. You can also use bits of bent wire for buckles too.