I started the gun around Christmas time, and have been building it among other projects for a while, so it's difficult to say how long it's taken. Anyway, I think it's finally ready for public display.

Hope you all enjoy it!

















There are more pics in an album in my gallery

the figures and gun are nicely made, especialy with tamiya's old quality taken into consideration. the base you made for it makes it come alive. nice details on the dio.

well done
Frank

I agree with the cooker being a nice touch, I bet the crew is well p@@@ off that the inconsiderate enemy has decided to launch a counter attack just as dinner is almost ready.. :-) . Those drums look very good, how did you do the rust? I alo like the spend cartridges by the Bren, another nice touch. You did a fine job with the old Italeri Farm house ruin, but to finish that off I think it could use a wash to dirty it up a bit, or maybe some black smoke and schorch marks around the window and wall edges...

Very good, and definitly ready for display.

Cheers
Henk

knowing the Brits, it was probably tea time :-) :-) :-) :-)

Anyway: nice work

It looks great. Thanks for sharing it with us Pilgrim...

Nice little scene overall. The stove is a great touch, and the attention to detail is exceptional. So many small details. The painting is quite good and I have to admire the attempt at insignia on the soldiers.
Some washes on rubble and a little pastels would make it look more natural. Scorch marks as previously recommended would also add to the existing damage.
Some pin washes to define the strapping on the soldiers would tidy up the seams.
In fact the weakest point of the whole is scene is the poor quality of the figures and gun. Nice one.

Looks great!

I love the whole "cooking up a brew" theme...

Other than what has already been said... I just have a few nit-picks... and feel free to tell me to take a hike... :-)

The live shells propped up against the leg of the AT gun... bad idea... that gun jumps back when it's fired...

The other is the gasoline can right next to the cooker...

Rudi

Yup, that's the idea :-) I got the idea from Richard Windrow's Terrain modelling Masterclass: it's called a "Benghazi Burner" - an old fueld can filled with petrol soaked earth and set alight - the second can goes on top filled with water, tea, sugar and tinned milk. Sounds lovely

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't put scorch marks on the wall because I wanted to add some broken glass to the window and I figured if the building had burnt all the glas and most of the frame would have gone - probably along with most of the surrounding vegetation. Just assume a tank drove through the corner I did use a pastel and a wash - things might look a bit bleached out by the flash of the camera... I tried putting a wash on the figs, but the sculpting was too soft for this to work (or for me to make it work, shall we say? )

I thought the live ammo would be OK leant against the gun: the whole gun can't move backwards or else where would the crew sit? The ends of the legs are designed to dig in the ground and hold the chassis still while the gun recoils.
something like this

The oil drums were painted as dark green metal and washed with a dark mixture of black and burnt umber oils. Then I dry brushed with burnt sienna oil paint, just enough to catch the raised rims. Then I dry brushed a paste of burnt sienna with mig standard rust pigment, followed by a similar paste with mig light rust pigment. To finish I blended all that with a very broad, very soft brush. then a pin wash of the original dark wash for the fuel stains.

There are a couple of bits that I know could have done better - but I ain't letting on

I like the sandbags and the camo netting.

i'd move the guy holding the next shell a little bit to the right. if you look at where he's holding the shell, it's right in the recoil path of the gun. Other than that awesome!

Well Pilgrim (how many times has that been said) you've done a great job on your dio. Your buildings and ground work really bring this old 6 pdr to life. Its a well balanced and a very believable setting. Alot has already been said and not to be negative but I think a touch of "dust" (specially around the rubble pile) here and there would add one more fell of realism..
This will look great sitting on your "Brag Shelve"

Bruce

I built the Tammy 6 pounder Kit back in the 70's, to let you know how old the kit is. I was in high school then, and needless to say it was a poor build. You have taken a mediocre kit and managed to make an excellent diorama out of it. Congrads!

Very nice job, especially the ivy. That kit and figures does have to be the worst Tamiya ever did, but you've done well with them. One small change if I may-If you can find a fist to replace the number 1 man's hand with, it would make him more authentic. The almost universally preferred method for loading a shell is to use a fist in the back of it, and push it in. That way you don't lose fingers when the breech closes.

[quoteI thought the live ammo would be OK leant against the gun: the whole gun can't move backwards or else where would the crew sit? The ends of the legs are designed to dig in the ground and hold the chassis still while the gun recoils.[/quote]

WARNING

Enigneering explanation commencing

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You have been warned!

There is a difference between restraining the legs horizontally so that the barrel can return to the battery position and fire at the same target again and holding the trail legs absolutely motionless. The chassis certainly does jump somewhat.

While the trail legs are still restained from moving aft by the spades, there is nothing preventing the chassis pivoting about the point where the spades are embedded, thus causing the wheels to jump a little. The effect is exacerbated when the gun is firing direct (i.e.almost level, like the 6 pdr) as the force of the recoil is above the level of the spades, causing a significant force moment which will make the front of the chassis want to move upwards. On a field gun shooting indirectly, the line of recoil intersects the earth somewhere between the wheels and the spade, thus tending to drive the chassis into the ground. In these cases, the chassis doesn't jump so much as the recoil compresses the tires and then the tire bounce causes some movement of the trails, but not as much.

Putting anything on the trails of a firing AT gun is liable to cause those items to move off in unintended directions. This effect it magnified the further you are away from the spades as the rotation occurs arond the spades. If you want to see trail jump, find a photo of a 17 pdr firing. Those babies really hopped. You could easily break a limb if you were leaning on a trail near the wheels when it fired.

HTH

Paul

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:-)

>>WARNING>Engineering explanation ceased[/quote]

OK, you clearly have more idea what you're talking about than I do

So, now I need to reposition the live rounds... Where would the crew keep them so that they a easily to hand and the maximum rate of fire can be attained without them bouncing arouns when the gun fires?

Sean,
Ready rounds are normally handed forward by other crew members. Of course in combat, or with fewer personnel available, having them right behind the loader will work, but they won't be stored with the primers on the ground-it's bad ju-ju. I sorta missed that last time.
Other ready rounds stored farther back should normally be placed on at least six inches of dunnage, usually in their wooden shipping boxes. If you ever build a dio of a larger gun, WP shells must absolutely be stored in the upright position, on wood or other soft material.

Sean,

Check out these pics I had squirreled away for reference material my own Tamiya 6pdr AT gun...





Hope they help answer your question...

Thanks for the feedback guys - that's useful & interesting info. I put the live rounds where I did after seeing something similar on a Verlinden dio. Now I see I have paid the price for secondary referencing! :-)

The first pic of Tarok's is interesting - it looks like a couple of rounds are secured to the inside of the gun's shield on the right. Does it look like that to anyone else? I'm surprised by that, I would have thought that they would be difficult to get to there.

Basically, it seems Tamiya's kit is short of a crew member... maybe him and the Bren gunner have crept off for a crafty fag :-)

Now the celluclay is set it would be difficult to reposition the ammo boxes so that they sit properly in the ground, soI think I'll leave the rounds where they are - an inaccuarcy for those in the know, but they do help the composition and to help tell the story of the dio, I think.

Actually the Tamiya kit is short 2 crew members... the LMG man, and the commander's second...

Rudi