here is the startings of a dio i am putting together with a reformed tree, looking better thanks to you guys, and the figures i finished and posted in the forums over there. i am trying to capture the unspoiled prairie of time past and the first europeans to see it. i guess in a nutshll, this is my tribute to illinois.the figs are 54mm from nemrod. the water is the realistic water from woodland scenics that is not dry yet so it still has that blue gluey look to it.(for my last dio it took weeks to dry fully) and i do wait 24 hrs between thin layers. as far as i have seen, in various pairies around here, the soil is fine and not rocky, but i have read about something called gravel prairie. either way, the way these figs are sculpted, i had no other option than to put them on rocks. at this stage, i need to tone down the tall grass, and clean up the messy grass around it. i still need to figure something out with a static grass to lay for the un grassed areas. the area beneath the tree will be covered with leaf litter. i apologize for the horrid lighting, i promise much better pics when i finish.

comments are always appreciated!

I think it looks good! :-)

nice unique theme, like the way the mtn men are done

Your tree looks better with the thicker trunk, nice work. If you put a dead animal carcus near the water it'd tell a story of two dudes that finally find water and can't drink it.

Nicely done all around.
However, Nemrod's sculpting looks lilke an old married couple where "she" (on the right) is saying something like, "I told you to look at the map back at the last pass. But, no, you're all, 'Real mountain men don't need maps!'"

Hi Justin!

It looks great and very peacefull - the moment of contemplation!
I like the terrain variation, the tree and vegetation. Perhaps a little more flowers (small ones away from the area of the tree shadow influence). But if you'll keep the level of flowers as is, it's ok - few, but with that color effect

My only "complaint" is about the rocks. For an area like that, unspoiled by man, they should be a little more into the ground... even if they are gravel prairie

Skipper

Meissen,

a great diorama you are doing.... peaceful and a great scene. I miss only one thing.... I'll try to explain :

There are two people looking like something really bad happened or like they don't have a clue on how to solve a specific riddle.... but... there's nothing that points the viewer to the reason why they are sitting there and looking the way thay do... On one side this is strong.... it provides the viewer to be creative in his thoughts, but on the other hand, the diorama could be misinterpreted.

I would provide a small clue that leads the viewer in a specific direction....

It's difficult to explain this in a foreign language, but I hope I was able to make my point...

I think this is a great diorama !

This was the first thing I thought about as well. The rocks definately dont look natural.
For a simple "object" that the guys are looking at could be a small camp-fire with pan boiling/fish roasting, or fishing rods in the water,or both.
Figures, tree and ground work look excellent though!

thanks for the comments.

rui, i do plan on making a lot more wildflowers, and the ones i already have made i am improving by adding mint flakes for leaves. i think this looks great personally. ill have to post some pics. i also agree with the rock level, but i forgot to add them when the groundwork was wet, but hopefully the leaf litter will blend them in better later on.

danny, i know exactly what you mean. i was toying around with the fact of adding a heron in the water hunting, but that would be one heck of a sculpting challenge. either way, ill add something to create some more purpose to the scene.

Ola Justin

The Scene looks quite good. Dito on the rocks They should be sunken more into the ground. Also some more personal stuff could be added. I like the suggestion of Frank by having them look at such a contraption on which you can roast fish or something. Maybe have some more personal gear like another backpack and fishing gear around in the scene.
Further I really like the idea and the execution so far is great.

On a serious note, following up on Faust's thought, you might want to pick up the Tamiya farm animal set, There's a mule/donkey in there onto which you could load a bunch of stuff.

Looks great, but they need weapons. No frontiersman would ever be without his long rifle at hand along with knives and, most likely, a tomahawk or two.

Only Seinfeld could pull off a story about nothing! :-)

Michael Roberts has a set of 5 Brown Bess rifles for about $12 available at Military Miniatures Warehouse if you need period muskets. These are well package and a very nice casting.

they do have muskets, but i just didnt put them in yet. they also have knives molded on, but the pics dont show it. thanks for the suggestion al, i might pick that up. a mule would add a nice touch.