Hi you all!

Here I am again, but now with a little update of my fist dio.
At this time I'm working on the building... Adding more detail, removing the airbubbles, etc etc,... You know
I'm still searching for the sidewalk, but I've asked a follow moddeler for a favor The streetlamp will be replaced (searching for one too) and I've started painting the heads of the figures (priority number One!!!!)
The jeep needs a little bit more cleaning up, so I think I'm heading the good way...

All comments are welcome, I need a lot to learn. Don't be too easy with me, the harsh way is the best way

Houzee!
Wesley

The pictures:

It looks very,very good! May I suggest Kankali's sidewak to add to your dio? I've bought some and I'm delighted with it! And Why not one of Verlinden's steetlamp to go with it? They're really something and very easy to build! As for the rest, keep up the good work, you're certainly on the right track!
Cheers and happy modelling!
Prato

Nothing to complain, the Layout looks very good and compact.
Why do you want to change the lamp ? It seems ok for me ?

Cheers

I think you are doing a fine job there wesley,cant wait to see it finished,personally i like the lampost.

dio looks very good.

May i ask how you make the wall? And the bricks in it?

Hey Sarg:

Simple and straightforward, good composition, easy
to grasp what is going on immediately. It's hard to
believe this is your first. But my guess is that from
looking at all the work you've done on the bonnet of
that vehicle, you've been modeling for a while

I really like all the after market things you have in the
jeep, but most especially that large "basket(?)" looking
rectangular container that looks like it is wicker?
The "tail end Charlie container on the caboose. Dude,
that thing has eye appeal, IMHO. I can tell you're
putting a lot of thought into this. My first word above was
"simple", . . . but that doesn't mean easy, does it? :-) :-)

However, the fuel drum in the back in the corner of
the wall in ruin looks out of place. The wall is damaged
but the drum isn't. . . Very minor point, of course.
Perhaps a fuel drum that has been damaged? Semi-
Crushed? Final point. The posing of the two figs is
very well done and will be the heart of your project.

Keep us posted with the photographs, please Sarg?

First of all, thanks for all those promising words!
Second:

@ Prato: I've looked at the kancali website and the sidewalks are looking indeed very nice, but if I put them on this diorama, I've got the same pattern then the street. And that's not what I want... I want to have something different...
I also looked at the verlinden website and that's a streetlamp I had in mind. So I guess that would be the one I put on it.

@roudeleiw: I don't know why I dont like the lamp. It has got something that dislikes me. I just don't feel right to put that lamp in that dio... Just a feeling.

@Snake-NL: The ruin is from Custom Dioramics. You can find it on the website of www.molplasticmodelbouw.nl.
Ff voor ons in het nederlands: Ik denk wel dat je de site kent. En aangezien dat het een online bedrijf is dat gevestigd is in Nederland zou het toch makkelijk te bestellen zijn. Neem maar eens een kijkje, CD heeft echt een groot assortiment aan huizen etc.

@MiamiJHawk: As you can see, I'm on the site from 2003, almost three years now. The first year I came only here for watching the dio's and that's were my intrest started. Then I've met a figure painter wich you all will know: Gino Poppe. He learned me the basics of painting in acryl a year and a half ago... Now in the meantime, I've only painted 3 figures (2 of them I still have, the other went into the trash) I'm working on 5 projects including this diorama. All of them has got the figures to paint, except one. I don't have got much experiance in modelbuilding and certainly not in vehicles. This one is my first (exept the unfinished Tiger II on my desk - Where the hell is that upgrade set I've orderd ) and the first time I worked with PE...
The drum is really out of place, I know... I've put it there to remind me that this too would be a room. And not something that wouldn't take part of the dio. There need to be added a floor in it and what I'll put against the wall, I don't know. I guess maybe an oven, because it would be a backery... Who knows... That's something for thinking while I'm working on it...

Cheers

Paint it! I wanna see it finished!

It looks really good. Nice models - building, figs and vehicle.

Look forward to see more.

Simon

Hi Wesley,

Small suggestion for the lamp post. You can make a clear "bulb" for the lamp very easily by taking a clear plastic sprue, cutting off a piece and sanding it to get the right diameter, then hold it over a candle. It'll round itself off and look like a light bulb. I've used this technique and it looks a lot better than trying one on the solid color plastic thing in the kit.

Barry

I would like to make a suggestion.

The two soldiers looking for cover seem to be the critical point of the scene. My first thoughts were that they would be blocked from the viewer unless the were standing higher than the dio. How about placing the jeep on the sidewalk, possibly crashed into the lampost with the two soldiers on the street? Then you could display the fine jeep and show off the soldiers without obstructions

An excellent start Wesley and more so considering its your first dio. As mentioned by the rest it does have a nice dynamic feel which is well composed with a good backdrop.

A very small suggestion though. The rear end of the jeep is sticking out slightly out of the dio. It depends on the viewer's point of view and the model but in this case I think it may keep the dio tight if you bring the vehicle in.

Alan (Shermiesrule) has a very good suggestion as to the position of the jeep. His suggestion would definitely add a lot more to the action feel of the scene.

Good progress.

I made a sidewalk once for a vignet.
First I greased a piece of slate tile with vasoline then poared in some Quick drying plaster after making a dike around the slate with plasticine. After the plaster has dried cut it into desired shapes.

Sidewalks can be easy. You can etch in a stone pattern right into the piece you have now. Or put down a very thin coat of spackle then etch that.
The Kancali products are all very good and I wouldn't hesitate to buy them. I do understand your hesitation on the pattern though.
You could also explore cork for stones, the thickness is my only hesitation. The cork sheet may be too thick.

Wesley, this has shaped up well!
Is the sidewalk going to be extended to continue the straight edge on the far right where it angles back? If not, then the grate would need to be reset to the kerb on the angle of the return... Does this make sense?
Cheers
Brad

Hey,
The dio is coming along very nicely Wezz.Will you be adding alot of rubble and debris to the dio?Have you found a solution for the footpath?I know it has been mentioned by Slodder that Kancali have a good paving sections..by chance i happen to have some left overs from my first dio attempt.If you would like them,PM me and i'll pop them in the post.Good luck with the rest mate,Cheers,Shay

Hi all.

For the lamppost I will buy a Verlinden one. And the sidewalk will follow the streetsection like its laying down now. The wood that you see is just there for raising the house and lamppost to get a better sight on the things.

Shay, Thanks for the offer. Peter Stoof was making one for me now. So I'm waiting of his price for the sidewalk. How much do you want for those kincali ones? Maybe I could use them with an other dio.

Greetings

Wezz,

What's the story behind the dio? There is distinct action going on....maybe I'm too dense to sense the full impact. Looks like one guy is pulling his wounded comrade out of the line of fire?

Now, for the obvious.....your roofing looks great! The walls too. I personally, having little experience tho, think the street light (that particular type) seems too tall?? A 55-gallon drum at the back? Perhaps out of place (that is, without this being finished??)?

One more: What on the back of the "Jeep?" It looks like a bale of something, just don't know. Again, I can be dense (or un-enlightened).

Yep, bet you been modeling for a bit! Plaster, resin, Kancali(maybe?), and what not. Very nice!

Mike (++) (++)

Wesley,

I think you are off to a good start.

The British Airborne jeep looks excellent. I take it this is an Operation Market Garden setting?

Are the figures German? I can't totally tell but they look German due to the gas mask carrier on the standing figure. If they are I would put the British jeep up on the curb with the two left wheels and have some vehicle kit strewn about the ground...make it look abandoned and left behind in a panic. Play around with differnt angles for the jeep.

Move the jeep fully onto the diorama so the rear end doesn't stick over the edge. If you are worried about losing sight of the figures place the wounded figure closer to the lamp post or out in front of the jeep on the road.

With that amount of destruction to a building make sure you have adequate amounts on rubble. The sidewalks would probably be almost covered in broken bricks, roofing, window frames, glass, and furniture. The rubble just doesn't implode on itself when a building is blasted away. Small bits of rubble should blend onto the road surface also...make it look like a fresh war zone.

If the wounded soldier was hit in the immediate area then maybe some fresh bullet marks in the building bricks would be suitable. I would place his weapon further away from him to make it look like he was already being dragged away. Why are they there? Are they gathering information or looting the jeep? Maybe added some captured maps on the ground dropped by the injured German.

Move the lamp post closer to the curb. Most lamps that I have seen aren't in the middle of the sidewalk.

It'll be a great little diorama. Good effort by you. Have fun.

Hi guys,

@mike:
The story goes like this: The British Para's were landed somewhere further and took the house as an outpost. The Germans took it underfire and cleaned the house. They wanted to clean the house next to it and went under fire. A german SS Soldier has been hit and his officer's pulling him out of fire.
Now I'm still looking at a figure to provide some covering fire at the top left window.
As I said a couple of posts that this streetlight would been replaced by a verlinden one. And the A55-gallon drum was for me an reminder that there would be a room also... I forgot to take it away when I took the pictures. My mistake!

@Jason:
It's indeed an Market-Garden dio.
The figures are German. They are from warriors.
There is still some work at the jeep. Adding a map, placing some guns,... You know, the typical extra stuff Para's took with them.
I won't add too much rubble at this dio. I dont want to put too much at it... It still has got to be fun to watch at... Too much rubble can be an overdose... I will see when I'm adding it how far I can go.
The bulletmarks will be added at the building... Im detailing the building how it would be before an attack and then I add the damage... So I can get a clearer view at it.
The lamppost would come there were the light woodwork stoped. So it's close enough at the street.

Thanks to you both for the input.
An other Update will folow when I have my sidewalk...