Hi There

Not posted for a while. Have been busy finishing this diorama off, it's my first attempt and I am quite happy with it.



There are some areas of improvement, as always but I would really appreciate some constructive feedback on my figures.



This was my first attempt at figure painting with mixed satisfaction. I learnt a lot from doing them and am really looking forward to doing some more.



I think the first thing I learnt was not to bother with cheap figures. They can made or break a project and next time, I will spend a lot more money on them. These are a mixure of tamiya figures and another set I won at Modelkraft 2007.



See what you think.

Stuart,

I almost missed this one and that would have been a shame as it is a very nicely composed diorama with some models that clearly show the work that you have put into making such a good job of finishing.

May I make one suggestion? I suspect that it is not just that the light is so strong, but more that you have quite a strong satin finish to the uniforms, particularly those of the gun crew. A few shots of flat varnish would really be finishing touch and lift the diorama in the process.

Hope to see more of your work in the not too distant future.

John

Hi there

Thanks for the info. That is a very good point about the uniforms. I was watching a film called the Devils Brigade today, with my old queen for mothers day, and noticed the very dull, almost felt finish of the uniforms. I will post back with an update as to my progress.

I would also really appreciate any comments on accuracy. I have tried to look into details such as uniform design, camo scheme, likelyhood of the scene and equipment. There are many people out there who pay close attention and deliver objective critism in regards to accuracy and I would like to know if I have satisfied people in this department, as I have always added a little artistic licence to my models.

Any questions are very welcome.

Kind regards

Stuart

Hi Stuart! Nice little dio for a first attempt. I'd go along with John about the shininess. Now for the dirt! I've never seen a photo of a pair of officers breeches in camo I'm afraid. The other thing that strikes me is that while the crew appear to be Wehrmacht, the camo is definitely SS. I'm not going to get into a slanging match about whether army soldiers never wore SS camo or not, but I think I'm on safe ground in saying it was very unusual. The "pea" pattern is a late war pattern, but the dio has more of a mid war feel about it, perhaps it's the marching boots, "pea pattern" is usually but not exclusively, matched with ankle boots & gaiters. The guy doing all the work (ie the loader) appears to have NCO "tresse" around his collar, I'd expect a squaddie to be doing this!

Hi Stuart,

Just gotta say that I really like the jacket laying on the floor - adds to the impression of it being a warm day (the guy with the rolled up sleeves adds to this also).

CB

I though the issue of the trousers might crop up. You will see on the rear hatch of the Sd.Kfz, a pair of muddy trousers belonging to the commander, which he felt, he had to change. The only option open to him was to use a pair of spare trousers, unfortunately not his own.

I made them out of milliput, with a belt buckle made from metal foil. I thought it was cute!

The scene itself is meant to be set around summer on the Eastern Front.

Thanks for all the info.

Stu

Hi John

Took your idea on board and applied some Revell matt coat to the uniform areas of the figure.



They are still not perfect, but better than before. Matt varnish may have been better.

Good advice, thanks

Stuart

The matte spray definitely improves the finish on the figs.

Stuart,

Great job! While the accuracy of who wore what when may be in question, i think you did an outstanding job painting the camouflage uniforms. My one pick is that the gun is out of battery. It appears as if it's in recoil. The gun should be further forward on the carriage...