hey


im about to start a snow diorama its gna have a 4 20mm anti aircraft and a tiger 1 and mayb some front line infartry but for some reason im confused in wot else to do or add to it for it. any help would be great.

Hey Matt,

From what i have observed from some of the talented dio makers around here, it does help to make up a sketch of how the dio would look like. It would also give us an idea what you are thinking of and then perhaps get some critique or accuracy. Just a thought.

Hey Matt think that a sketched plan is the way to go
This gives you an idea of a layout such as track/road for the tank access, an emplacement for the ack ack etc maybe some tree cover or camo nets, sandbags, storage area etc etc etc Hope this helps some
Bradley

you need to do a lot of research before you begin. I find that during this time, the diorama changes in your mind as you read things.

You may research the anti aircraft guns and then find personal experiences in memoirs etc that change the way you imagine your scene.

I read an amazing memoirs on a guy who went through bocage country in normandy with the 28th infantry, it changed the way I thought about the fighting in that region....just the way it might change yours if you read something about the anti aircraft batteries the wermacht had.

once you've got a specific unit in a specific place that you know you can model, you can really go to town.

Maybe your tiger and your infantry are members of the panzer-lehr division, on the way to refit after heavy combat (the Ardenne for your snow setting), stopped off for fuel and rations amongst a group of AA guns ?

Just by looking here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzer_Lehr

I found a unit for your tiger and troops, and where they fought. Plus some background and tons of other useful snippets that can lead to other things.

Also, ask people to help. After I posted some sketches of what I planned to do I got a PM and straight away had access to another Armorama member's knowledge which truly shaped my diorama and also gave me tons of encouragement to carry on and not shelf the project.

Most important of all - have a whole load of fun researching and building, it's part of the hobby and personally I enjoy research the most I think. You find amazing pictures and gain an incredible amount of respect for the people you're telling stories about.

Hi Matt,

The guys have pretty much covered it. Another way to start off even before sketching is to think of a story line. It might be a tank stopping by for a break near an AA site for example. A story or a theme is what will tie your models together. After all almost all dios tell a story.

If you can't think of a story a bit of research especially on WW II photos is a great place to start.