Embarking on a huge Mekong diorama - to include: Tamiya's PBR with eduards etched detail set, an Italeri LCM3 converted into a tango boat, two Academy M113 Acavs parked ashore, dozens of US combatants, possibly some VC in Verlinden's sampan and small river boats (both excellent) and an 80/20 water/jungle split. To fit that lot in needs a base 70 x 100 cm. Hmm. gonna need a bigger workroom...
Got some great tips on modelling cloth for tarps and sandbags - more soon!
Plenty to get on with for the start of winter...

Sounds cool! Keep us posted! Thanks for your time!

Sounds very interresting and huge. Hope to see some progress soon.

sounds perfect, let us see picture's when you have them!

Keep on modeling! :-) :-)

feelpanzer

The diorama sounds like a serious project keep us informed, any photos of the ongoing project

hi,
this sound very good will look forward to see some pics.

i have some vietnam figures i want to put in a nice piece of jungle but am not sure how to do this. would you mind sharing your tecnique!

keep up the good work

Ok, so as usual, this has taken a few turns away from the ambitious project it started at... I'm scaling it down as the planned baseboard size wouldn't fit out of my workroom. I found this out after cutting it at work, bringing it home, and then trying to negociate the stairs with it held flat. Didn't even make it into my room.

Things look so great when thay have a bit of room around them, so unfortunately I've had to cut some of the elements out: two PBRs, but only one 113, still 20 or so sailors and soldiers, and sadly no Tango boat; though that is still a project I'd like to undertake sometime in the future...

So far have both PBRs done, ant they're just waiting for their weapons and clutter - the 113 is about to be weathered on the outside, and has fruilmodel tracks - they make all the difference - and the troops are coming along nicely. About 30 different shades of greeen representing different stages of wear and wash on their uniforms, several skin shades (we all tan to different colours after all), and a spares box over-brimming with crates, barrels, tarps, kitbags.

Once the base is roughed out, i'll post pics..... then I can get on with the terrain and water - read some great posts on how different water poduducts work so will start there....

Weel it should like you said, it will make a great winter project. you should be busy for a while. a good while!!

Sounds ambitious! Keep us posted on your progress!

Ditto.

Would like to see some pics of your progress so far if poss. Sounds interesting but you've been on it for months and we've not seen anything yet.......

Ok there are now a few images on my Kitmaker page... will try and link to it here http://photos.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/ppuser/21327/cat/500

Looks good so far. Be interested to see how they fit into the diorama.
Keep us posted,

James

I like the look of the kits so far, looking forward to seeing the progress shots as you get along with it.

Des

Ok, well, I think the way things are shaping up, the pair of PBRs will be sat nose in to the bank alongside a jetty, two crews on one boat eating, drinking, chatting, and a couple of crew loading .50 cal ammo cans from the jetty... then the shore has the M113 on it, back and top open, with a loose huddle of soldiers around listening to a field briefing. Some other guys just milling about link the two elements of the scene. The main focus on the ground though, is shaping up to be a sandbagged bunker, part made on the ruins of an old brick house which stood next to the jetty. This is how the PBRs happened to be able to land and take on supplies. It must, I guess, be a little way from the big fight, but I plan on putting some perimiter barbed wire, maybe a checkpoint/armoured cabin and some guards near the roadway entrance to turn up the threat a little. Lots of palms, mangrove roots in the river, red mud... got most of the figures painted now, minus the final weathering - will try and post a few close-ups this week...
Then I can start roughing out the base; I'll make the first copy in clay, as detailed as I can, then take a soft vinyl mould of it, reinforced with plaster and wooden struts, then cast the final one in plaster, leaving ample scope for scratching out/adding alterations... Due a couple of weeks off work at easter so should make more headway then

Many thanks for your comments - more always welcome - especially on the feasibility of the above scene.

Richard

Sounds like its going to be a stunner. Cant wait to see some photos

Des

WIP figures - weathering still to do. Currently collecting model palm trees - expensive! Will also follow Csago's palm making techniques... A mix of trees required. Anyone got info on other types of trees in Vietnam, particularly around the delta?

The white guys look great!!!, the black guys i think need a little bit of work. I think you should make their skin colors different a little, one a little more brown then the other. Other wise keep up the awesome work

I remember reading years ago that someone used some Testors 'rubber' paint for darker skin tone, it seemed to work pretty well from the pics I saw.

Looking good so far. Keep us posted on your progress.