BERLIN ‘45
As some of you noticed I’ve started a campaign on the battle of Berlin.
The aim of this campaign is to provide a fitting memorial to all involved in the Battle of Berlin, 1945. Achieving a high as possible level of historical corectness is encouraged.

This is the official campaign thread! Please discuss everything about this campaign here, post pics, ask questions and most important of all, have fun with the campaign!

Post your pictures in the http://photos.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/cat/15719" TARGET="_blank">Berlin '45 Campaign Gallery

BACKGROUND: Der Fall Clausewitz ist ausgegeben worden…

The final chapter in the destruction of Hitler's Third Reich began on April 16, 1945 when Stalin unleashed a brutal atack with the objective of crushing German resistance and capturing Berlin. By prior agreement, the Allied armies (positioned approximately 60 miles to the west) halted their advance on the city in order to give the Soviets a free hand.
The depleted German forces put up a stiff defense, initially repelling the attacking Russians, but ultimately succumbing to overwhelming force. By April 24 the Soviet army surrounded the city slowly tightening its stranglehold on the remaining Nazi defenders. Fighting street-to-street and house-to-house, Russian troops blasted their way towards Hitler's chancellery in the city's center.
On the 2nd of May general Weidling, commander of Berlin, officially surrender the city to marschalk Zjoekov. Some fanatic Nazi’s however choose to fight to the last man. By May 8 the last fights ended in Berlin.


CAMPAIGN

The scope of the campaign is:
a. study the history of this specific battle
b. study city / urban diorama's

The Rules and Regs are very specific, so please take notice of them:

1) All entries must be of a Russian or German (or Russian vs. German) scene during the Battle of Berlin 1945 and be located in (or underneath) Berlin. A description of the (historical) background of the entry is encouraged.

1-A) Miliatry figures MUST and civilians figures MAY be included in the scene.

1-B) AFV or civilian vehicles may be included in the scene and are encouraged.

1-C) Aircraft may be included in the scene.

2) Only one (1) entry per participant. Entry may only consist a diorama or vignette!

3) Completed entries should be made by the submission of 3 photographs of the completed diormama. Post the pictures in the http://photos.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/cat/15719" TARGET="_blank">Berlin '45 Campaign Gallery


SCALE
Initially the campaign was only for 1:35 scale but also 1:72 scale is allowed.

If there are any remaining questions feel free to post them in this thread or to contact me!

thanks 007! i hope this will be my first campaign to complete! ran in some model problems at the last campaigns! I am still a newbie to this great hobby. I am planing to make an urban diorama with these things included!

Miniart. Polish city building ( i know its a polish house but i think the style also is in berlin) and maybe miniart's park gate and fence!
Dragon. M4a2 red army. but im not sure about it, but i do remember i have seen, some pics of the m4a2 in berlin!
Dragon's volksturm with hornet heads!
Dragon's 251 aus d
Italeri! JSU 152, a okay model, but will need some work., and with my first friumodel tracks.

I've got my Ruskies started already.

Woohoo! Thanks Paul for your PM, you can count me in!!

WC

That's the spirit guys!!!!

Just to warm you up even more, give this great dio a visit:
http://www.missing-lynx.com/gallery/dio/1945berlindio_smizuno.html

Ready to roll! I've bought:

- IS2 (PST, looks good)
- ISU152 (PST, looks real nice)
- Panther ausf G (dragon, just awesome, really really good)
- FW-190 (italeri, looks good)
- Russian infantry (preiser and italeri, both very good)
- German infantry (revell, pretty nice figures)

All 1/72....(first time in this scale)

Martin

Sounds like a huge dio Martin!

hmm i have started building my ISU 152 and the dio is on the move! I am still waiting to get my hands on miniarts building. Have anyone of you triede on of their buildings? I have some quiestions about modeling a urban diorama! here it goes.

i have finaly found a way to make the sidewalks, but how in earth can i make the road? how do you normaly do?

How can i make it look realistic i have found some very nice reference photos of berlin in 1945! but how do you make the ruble and the groundwork for a urban diorama?

Hey Daniel!




Yep, see picture below:
It was the Beerhouse, but I changed it a bit. It's a vacuform kit, and that is something different to build than a normal kit. You have to cut out the parts and putty was very usefull!!!!
There are some good articles on this site about building vacuform kits. I shall look them up this day for you.





Normally, for bigger asphalt roads I use a mix of whitheglue and fine sand. For stones there are different ways. One of them was discussed lately on the site and the results are good: take a look her on Tutorial: How to make cobblestone street




The rubble in this little vignette is made the way described in this article Scratch Building Cobbles and Rubble




If you have any questions, feel free to ask!!!

A little more about roads and ruins here: https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/56731&page=1

Hi Paul,

Why the omission of 48th scale, with late Panthers, Tigers already out by Tamiya, and Trumpeter releasing the T34-85 and plenty of AM resin figures as well as Tamiyas Russian and Germas Inf sets available, this would make for a lot more manageable diorama/vignette......

Frank

@Frank!

Mmmm. Yes I see your point.
The reason why I did want to do it 1:35 in the first place was the level of detail that can be achieved.
However, I have allready said to Martin his 1:72 dio idea is OK, so if you have a nice idea for 1:48, it's OK.
(yee, I'm a real Dutch! Always compromise). :-) :-)

@Jan,

Yes, you are right; that's a great looking dio with a lot of good looking techniques for a very nice price :-)

Paul

thank you so much guys that helped a lot and gave me some good ideas. Thanks again from the newbie.

My vacation got an unplaned extenstion, but when I get home, I plan to start on my entry. I have three or four ideas, all single figures, I just have to get a straight answer on my first choice.

Hi Matthew!

A single figure is fine, but remember: it has to be a vignette or diorama (see first post: Entry may only consist a diorama or vignette).
The purpose of this campaign is building a urban diorama, so only a sole figure is not enough.

Paul

Sorry, I just saw this post, I have been designing a dio/vignette for my entry over the last couple of days. It center around Dragon's German Command Staff (6213).

Matthew, that sounds good! Looking forward to it.

How are all the others doing? Feel free to post designs also!

I've just enlisted, for two reasons. One it will give me a reason to get on with some of the buildings I have stashed away, and it is a good excuse to build my first Russian subject ( not counting the T-26 I did last year for the miniature magic campaign). As always ideas abound, lets see if I can actualy get a diorama finished this time.
Is it o.k. to use a building that is largely finished, but not yet part of a base? If yes it will only be part of the diorama, not the main feature... if not no problem.

This is the building, it's the Plus Model "Hotel".




I'll definitely be using the Church ruin, also from Plus Model, and the "German Townhouse" by MiniArt..
Now to go and find some cobbelstones...

Cheers
Henk

No problem at all Henk!
Looks good by the way! Nice wallpaper!
As far as for the cobblestones, check out the links mentioned earlier in this thread on how to make cobblestones from lentils

I'm thinking I'll go with a Nordland sdkfz 250, and maybe some Swedish SS troops. What's everyone else got planned?

HI!

The scale is 1/35, and it'll be with germans.

I'm planning to get the Verlinden ruin "City House Ruin" and make a mg-nest behind a roadblock, manned by germans. The figures will be Dragon's "Fallen Comrade - Aachen 1944" (the one that stands by the window on the box-art) and the "Wiking - Hungary 1945" set, plus some figures from me ole scrapbox - Tamiya based mainly.
I also got an old Italeri Opel Blitz truck painted in winter-scheme, but I'm thinking of using it (repainted) to this project. I might turn the truck into a wreck and make it a "natural" piece of the road block.

Thats were I am. Tomorrow I'll get the figures and the base, and then get the ruin.

See you soon

Simon

hi simon. nice to see another dane in the campaign. . Hmm well i have made 50% of the diorama, the other side of the diorama, so to speak. Hmm my history about the diorama is that a ISU-152 the mighty beast is rolling down the street, the german pak 40 crew, gives up while they have run of ammo. Hmm so to the other side of the diroama, i am going to hide some volksturm in the city house ruin, waiting to hit the migthy beast!

my supplies so far.
lots of sand and rubble.
ISU-152 almost done, just need some fruil and some paint.
MIG Russian Tank crew
Dragon Volksturm with hornet head
Dragon Giorgian Legion, need to modifi the figures, also with hornet heads
Custom Dioramics. City ruin house corner or something like that.
AFV german halftrack with pak 40

Hi
A little update.

Iøve made these two guys. Both are Dragon out of the box, apart from the kneeling guys head - thats Hornet.

For the moment I have one more figure on the workbench, and soon I'll receive a ruin so I can get working on the groundwork itself. Until then: Enjoy!







You're welcome to comment it. Thanks in advance

Sorry for the late response!

Danial, that a great list! I'm lookong forward to the results.
I recieved my Dragon 6047 ISU 122 last week.
Now finding some time to build it...

How are the rest doing??

Paul

Simon, they look very good! Are they Gen II figures from Dragon?