Hi all!

The last dioramas I made were those included in the 1/76 Armor series of Matchbox... 25 years ago! So I will have a lot to learn for sure...

I decided to make a small dio for the Amphibs Campaign to learn some techniques I never used before. I hope to receive some help from the specialists in case I'm running into trouble. I will also need some historical advices because Armor is not my usual business.

Below is a picture of the Schwimmwagen (Tamiya 1/48) I will use for my project. I won't bother you with comments about the build of the kit as it was a simple two days affair.



The little diorama (more a vignette in fact) will show the Schwimmwagen on a riverside. Two (or three) germans will look at the other side trying to figure out with binoculars if it is safe to cross the river. I first made the basic frame out of polystyrene that I "sculpted".





Then I added resin on the polystyrene bloc to have a more solid base. I used resin rather than plaster because it will be less fragile once finished. The only problem is that you have to work fast!





As I was not happy with the first coat, I added a second one to have a more realistic rendering. I added the model for a first evaluation...



Next step will be adding a mix of sand and white glue to achieve a real ground feeling. I'm also already thinking about the water that I will probably make with clear resin.
Comments are welcome because I'm a real rookie and I have a lot to learn! Thanks for reading...

Jean-Luc

Looks pretty good so far Jean-Luc. 'I'm curently working on a Schwimmwagen, so I will definitely follow your progress with great interest.

Hi Jean-Luc... your vignette is looking good! Keep the updates coming... heh

Btw, you used resin over the foam... where can I get them (the resin) and is there a specific brand you would recommend?

Cheers,

Hi all!

Here are some more pictures of my small dio.





I first added a coat (in fact two) of white glue mixed with fine railroad gravels and then put some small stones I picked up in my garden. I placed more in the area of the river with maybe a few showing through the water...

Thanks for your comments Jesper. Did you post pictures of your Schwimmwagen? I couldn't find them... anyway, I hope my dio will somewhat reach the quality of yours.

Umustb, finding resin (and RTV silicone) is a big problem. In hobby shops you can find some but in small quantities and at high prices! If you want good prices you must search for specialized retailers. I found one near Paris wich has all related products for resin and silicone. I don't have one special brand of resin and each retailer has his own range. I'm sure the resin I use can be found somewhere in your area but under an other name.

Jean-Luc

Hey

Your schwimmwagen looks awesome and the dio is coming along very well, can't wait to see the end product!

Martin

Hi Jean-Luc... great progress pictures. Thanks for sharing.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for resin at my local hardware shop.

Hi all!

Here are the latest pics from my dio. The first one shows the base with an additional layer of sand (the previous little stones I used where to big). The sand was then painted over with a brown color and drybrushed.



The second pictures shows the grass I glued on the base using PVA glue. I used railroad products for this and choosed two colors of grass (green and brown) not to look too much artificial.



I have a question about the grass. I fear it can go away when handling the diorama... is it a way to fix definitely the grass? With Hairspray?
Next step will be the water! I bought a product called "Nimix artificial water". It looks like transparent gum and becomes liquid when heated... did someone already used that stuff? I fear it will not resist the test of time like transparent resin... Diorama specialists, I need your help on that!

Jean-Luc

Your Schwimmwagen looks very nice as does the base so far. How deep is that river going to be? Just a little running between the rocks or covering them all the way?

Your Scwimmwagen looks great - I have the Tamiya 1/35 version that I plan to buld for this campaign, hope it comes out looking anywhere near as good as yours!

As for fixing the grass - I haven't tried this but perhaps you could use diluted white glue mist-sprayed over the surface? (Using something like a plant sprayer). Perhaps someone else here has tried that...

There's scenic cement available that's been designed for this. I think at least woodland scenics makes it. It's already diluted and can be applied with a plant sprayer-looking applicator and dries matt unlike PVA.

Hi all!

Here is my dio with water... I finally used clear resin tinted with enamel paints. I first made a "dam" using plexiglass and BluTac and then poured the resin...



I was surprised by the heat produced by the resin while it cured... it even produced fumes! I suppose next time I will pour the resin in two or three layers rather than only one!
The final result is acceptable for a first try I think and this little dio is a great learning exercice. I put a wooden wheel in the water and plan to add a russian roadsign somewhere on the ground (Tamiya).





Next time I'll work on the figures and the weathering of the vehicle...

Jean-Luc

Hey Jean-Luc!!

I think it looks awesome. The water effect is lovely!

Did the color of the water change from clear to brownish? Or did you add some brown to the resin?

Hi umustb!

I added very little yellow and brown paint in the resin. I used Humbrol Enamel and it worked fine. After the resin cured, I sprayed brownish color to blend the plexiglass "dam" with the rough side surface and also to hide the bubbles in the "water". That's why, when looking from the side, the water doesn't appears to be completely transparent...

Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc,
You have a very interesting and well presented step by step article. It is very nice to see the details and your skills on this little diorama. It becomes more interesting when we are approaching the final.
Keep us posted please, the diorama will look great.

Hi all!

Thanks Alguhan! Here are some more pictures. I've added three figures from the Tamiya 1/48 German Infantry set. They are not painted yet. Two are OOB while the third (on the right) is slightly modified. This Tank Commander was supposed to stand in his Panzer but I changed the position of his left arm so he seems to point at the opposite riverside. The hand was cut from a british pilot (poor guy). He will have a binocular in his right hand.





Now I need your help Armor guys! I plan to add a Russian sign with a patriotic message (Tamiya road sign set) wich the Germans just put on the ground. So the scene happens between 1942 and 1944 on the Soviet front. Would it be ok to paint the left soldier in XF65 Feldgrau, the central Tank Commander in Feldgrau also and the last one in Black? Or should both Tank Commanders wear black? Any help would be welcome!

Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc..very nice diorama. I really like everything about it..and for a first go...the water looks great. You did a good job on the Schwimm..i am doing that same kit for this campaign..i hope it comes out as nice as yours has..

Mary (++)

Hey there, Jean-Luc,

Not only do you build beautiful aircraft. You make one heck of a diorama also... Get a life! :-)

Cheers

Ps. Do you have problems with shrinkage? (Not the George Costanza sort!) - When I used Woodland Scenics' Realistic Water for a diorama, the "water" kept shrinking all the time. Does resin have the same caracteristics?

Hi Mary and Björn!

Thanks for your kind words! Here are two pictures of the finished diorama. I applied a decal from the Tamiya Road Set on the sign and painted the figures according to a book about german WW2 uniforms... I hope I didn't made too much mistakes! I used Tamiya acrylics as base for the figures (airbrushed) then I dry brushed with humbrol enamels, applied a wash of dark brownish future and painted the details with acrylics again. For the flesh tones I used Prince August paints for the first time and I must say they are excellent for figure painting...





I didn't had shrinkage issues with the resin I used. I wanted to use "Nimix Artificial Water" first but its' a gum like product and I feared it would shrink sooner or later. Resin gets hard and you can clean it or put a layer of varnish to make it look glossy like water.

Thanks to all who showed interest in my project...

Jean-Luc