Another recent project completed... this features a Verlinden "German HQ Building" and a slew of soldiers making a desperate break for cover when the building comes under heavy fire. Basically "not a good day at the office".... The link is below, and the album may also be found in the GALLERY--DIORAMAS--WWII AXIS folder. Comments welcome! This piece has not been built for a customer, and is for sale.

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?set_albumName=Breakout-in-Berlin&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

Awesome man.Keep up the good work!

nice work

Clearly not a good day at the office !!
Great job.

Keith

That`s a very very good job you did there
The filecabinet that lays inside of the building is it scratchbuilt??
Like the soldiers that are hit they look very naturally
Go on with this kind of work

Awsome Action!! Keep up the good work.

One question to all - I have been considering an action dio with someone getting hit. What do you guys/girls think about tearing the cloths where the entry point is. I don't want to get bloody and gory just a hole when they first get hit.

What can I say that hasn't been said, outstanding work
Slodder about the entry wound of a gun shot, the wound is usually very small (obviously in proportion to the weapons calibre) probaly just big enough to get a finger in. It is usually the exit wound where the round has tumbled and gone broadside on and usually takes a big chunk when leaving the body (again proportionate to the calibre).
Robbo :-)

Awesome work!!! I've never tried to do an action diorama but have always admired those who do.
Is it just my eyes or is the guy firing the MP40 on the right of the diorama missing the barrel of his gun?

Keith,

I must say another outstanding project, but may I say 2 things??

It also looks to me that the barrel of thet MP40 is missing in action?
On picture 8 there is a rifleman, but is seems in this picture that he has 2 righthands or is that also a photoresult?

In picture 6 you can see a painting of Hitler with a very nice frame, how did you make this frame, I like it very much.

WOW! :-) :-) :-) VEry nice!...Ill be looking to see what you have done in this dio for my next one...( )Keep it up KF!

Keith,
Sorry, but I overlooked the link to the other pics in the gallery the first time, and only saw the visual pic here above. Superb job. Action looks very real.
The colour of the red bricks on the ground doesn't look really natural to me. Broken bricks always have cement stuck on them, so I'd throw in some more grey/tan in the mix.
But that doesn't mean I'm even half as good a modeler as you are !

Appreciate the comments fellas... especially noticing the MP40 barrel has broken off... didn't even notice that (easy to fix with some CA and thin brass rod). I also couldn't quite put my finger on the bricks... and I think GenFail is right... I need to tone down the red with some light grey to show the mortar. Overall, a fun project.

I'm not too in favor of adding much additional gore to soldiers that have been hit.... perhaps in 120mm scale that would need to be handled, but in a small scale like 1:35 it may be "overkill" (no pun intended!)

As for the file cabinet, that is one of my own castings... I do them in Resin ($6) and in plaster ($3.00). I have a nice selection of "general office equipment" that you will see in a lot of my dioramas - desk chairs, file cabinets, typewriters, etc. Just seems pretty natural to have that sorta junk around, dontcha think?

Finally, the picture frame (as well as the flag arm outside the building) is a white metal piece that I found at my local dollhouse shop. They have TONS of stuff you can scavange for 1:35 scale.

Shout out to Keith

what figures did you use?...were they scratchbuilt?...They look really good!...I would like to build them for a dio as well!...

Cris

Really cool idea Keith. You've also managed to execute it nicely. Keep up the good work brother.

Chris - the three "shooting" fellas are from Gunze Sangyo - about $24 retail, and some of the nicest I've built. The hands are molded to the weapons, making for a great and realistic fit. The "hit" fellas are a combination of warriors, jaguar, airfix multipose (guy in the street face down) and one Verlinden. 7 figures total.

I didn't say anything about the brick but now that GeneralFailure mentioned it....yes it is too bright plus....where did it come from?......This isn't a brick building is the scene.
Sorry...i notice details....and thanks for saying the barrel was broken off of the MP40....i thought either my sight was going or there was a modification done to MP40's I didn't know about!!!!

Got a private message, and thought I would share:

"So one question.... how did you position the helmet on the shot guy in the door to make it fly off his head? Is it hanging from something? And where did you get the iron railings for the stairs? "

Answer: Easy trick... I glued a chin strap inside the helment made of plastruct strip, then I used CA glue to touch just the tip of the bottom of the strap to his head... looks like the helment if suspended in the air, when in reality it is supported by a fine strip of plastic glued to the figure. I did the same thing in the dio "Captain Winter".

Answer #2: I used Grandt Line "ship railing" for the metal stair railing. I just heated it and clipped it to the desired shape.

-Keith

Grant... the brick comes from the building.. while you can't see it in this single photo above, if you go to the gallery link, you can see several shots of the building... look closely at the edges, and you will see that there is red brick underneath the stone veneer. This was a common building practice... rather than using solid slabs of granite, marble, or crete, the buidling was most often faced out in a thin veneer... this architecutral technique goes all the way back to the pyramids which were covered in a limestone and alabaster sheeting before pillaging and weather got most of it. Some is still visible near the bases. Go take a look at the gallery for more detail... - Keith
----------------------------------------
I didn't say anything about the brick but now that GeneralFailure mentioned it....yes it is too bright plus....where did it come from?......This isn't a brick building is the scene.
Sorry...i notice details....
GRANT

Sorry....I still don't see it......I have looked at all the pics....but if you say it's there....I'll believe you before I believe seeing pics over this crappy monitor I have.
BTW....as I said in my 1st post.....I love the diorama and admire your work very much.

Grant - point well taken... I went back and looked, and the only photo that shows the brick is #5 (look towards the top near the flag, the inside wall). Actually, it is a very tall plaster kit, and while I though I posted a photo that showed the full view, I see that is not one that I uploaded... so now I'm determined to find one that shows the ample brickwork....! I'm a compulsive for details too... now I HAVE to find one and upload it!

Hi KFMagee,
You are quite a talented modeler !!!! I really liked how you have the picture hanging on the wall on one hook. Keep up the great work !!!!!!

Good work again Keith. One thing in particular that I like a lot, is the colour of the concrete walls. Very real looking. Any tips on you achieve this. Pourous plaster cant be the only reason?
I have never built a figure only dio, and with this and some of Envars work it is something I feel that I should attempt. Hopefully the dio contest will push me in this direction.
Good luck.

Penny, the overly large pictures like this (in scale about 8 feet tall!) were usually bolted to the wall through the frame... the bolts would then be covered with a matching wood plug, or with some decorative woodwork to hide the pin. In a large explosion, it is not unforseeable that some/all bolts may pop loose. Was this your question, or were you asking literally, how I hung the picture (with Fabritac Clear Glue... wonderful stuff!).

Battle... i actually did do the outer shell with first a very light grey coat, and then came back and did the charcoal wash and wiped off the excess with a wadded rag to produce the irregular effect of concrete plaster. It was not difficult... it I found too much darkness I just quickly re-wetted the wash, and blotted up the excess and tried again.