In re-reading this thread, I really think you should reconsider the battle at the front. While one can accept dramatic license in the lliberation part, it would set a very dissonent tone to have all the activities you describe going on inside, while a battle raged just outside the gates. Mengele choosing additional victims while the place is being assaulted doesn’t ring true. A figure as high ranking as that would have been kept away forman encroaching force, particularly an armored column. Punising an inmate while your facility is under fire is not good use of manpower.
My goodness what guts you have.
First may i say God rest your fathers soul ,he’s seen the horrors of this earth and is now in a better place.
Secondly i hope you have lots of experience with kit bashing and rebuilding figures,if not…WAIT …remember Speilsberg had the playwrite for 16 years before he felt that he had enough experience to do the movie justice.Your subject is wonderful but have a clear idea of your finished model, skcetch it THEN START.
I love to make big dioramas and let me share with you some of my experiences. Sometimes if it’s too big you lose the concentration of the viewer and making a series of smaller ones catches thier attention better . I once made one so big i couldn’t get it out of the room and was then wondering why nobody appreciated all the detail,i was told it was overwhelming. I also enjoy building historical dioramas but keep in mind not everybody shares your enthusiasm and the people you least expect will tears you down. I am an Armenian living in Los Angeles California I Built a large Diorama of the Armenian Massacre that took place in 1915 by the Turks. 2000,000 Armenians were slautered and all this started on April 24th 1915 . In 1988 when i built this dio. it was brought to the attention of a group of Armenian art exibitors and they asked me to enter it in an art competion comemerating the massacre. Perfect you might think…i was disqualifed for being too violent and graphic.GO FIGURE any way long story short , dont be suprised if you get strong crititism for it. The important this is you do this for yourself and your dad.
My most recent Dio. was of the crucifiction of Jesus. Talk about not being popular. There you have it you have to do it for yourself. Do LOTS of research the more you do the more accurate it becomes.If i can help with any techniques Email me vicken67@yahoo.com .Goodluck can’t wait to see it when you’re done
What a fitting tribute indeed. I look forward to your progress on this. Please keep us up-to-date.
I agree with the above posters. Do not let the ones who are critical discourage you. You know why you are making this dio and that is all that matters.
Please keep us posted on your progress and let us know if we can be of any assistance to you.
Dear Ajlafleche, you are absolutely right: when I did a dry-run setup, it looked ridiculous having a skirmish outside the gates. (O, but I spent so much time on that Tiger tank! And those Russian infantry figures from Preiser cost so much money!) When I took the skirmish away, the viewer’s attention was immediately diverted back to the atrocity vignettes, which is the most important part. After I finished all the vignettes, that whipping table looks particularly horrifying. Can you imagine having your pants pulled down and butt whipped in front of everybody in the middle of a death camp? And solely to humiliate you? That vignette is almost as scary as the execution line. Incidentally, my sweet wife took a look at the Mengele “selektion” vignette and really was horrified and saddened for the people who had to suffer there.
I have a new question for everyone. Since I’m working in 1/72 scale, how do I make the ground appear like beaten earth, while giving something for my figures to stand on? I have glued my figures to sheet styrene, then I’m laying down glue and sprinkling “fine ballast” and “fine earth” on top, but it looks like they’re standing in powder. How can I flatten this?
P.S. Wait till you see the pictures!
One suggestion for standing the figures. Build the ground all beaten where you want the figures to stand. Then remove the tyrene sheets from the bottom of the figures. Next, use a small pinvisedrill and one of the smaller bits to drill a small hole in the heel of the figures you want to place. Then CA glue a short extension of copper or brass wire in the heel, leaving some sticking out so that the figures are able to be stuck into the ground. Be sure to make the wire long enough to hold, and if necessary, drill a hole in the Dio base to place the wire into. Apply CA glue to the wire before pushing into the base, making sure that there isn’t too much on the wire pin so it doesn’t leak out from under the boots.
I hope this idea helps you. I can’t wait to see pics!
That says it right there! You are not only building a personal dio, but something that will speak deeply to many people. I was planning for some time to do a cattle car dio, but I haven’t had the time. With dedication, any diorama can speak strongly.
Good luck, and show many progress pics. [:)]
He’s right. When the Red Army arrived, the camps were all abandoned, and I beleive one of the crematoriums was destroyed. We watched a movie on it in social this year. (not that it matters) Many of the survivors were left to rot in their barraks and were to afraid to leave.
Sounds like an original Idea, and a difficult one at that, ummm, have fun!?
-Tigertankman
WOW… I got into this hobby to relax myself. The thought of ME doing a death camp I couldnt imagine! Even the thinking of how I would do it now makes me feel nauseated.
But I’M GLAD to hear that you have the fortitude (especially with a father that was a prisoner there) to do it!!! We all need people like you that have the guts to do the hard stuff and not try and lock it away and forget about it.
WHen I lived in Germany I toured Dachau…and those images will live with me forever. Espeically the areas around the camp where there were so many ash pits that NOTHING will grow.
God rest your fathers soul… my hat is off to him!
I look forward to seeing your progress!
There is an episode of stephen spielbergs and tom hanks’s " Band of brothers" that deals with the liberation a concentration camp. Ginven the way the series was shot with the colour desaturated, it is unnervingly real. Maybe some good resource material here.
You are a brave person tackling this subject - good luck-
Another great resource movie is “Shindler’s List”. There are numerous views of Auschwitz in that movie. I was honored to have been able to meet one of ‘Schindler’s Jews’ face to face. It happened just before that movie came out.
frasercz
You are to be commended for your efforts and desire to want to do this. It is truly a subject that has affected so many, and will continue to for the rest of time. And it will be a fitting tribute to those you died there and those that survived having seen things no human should ever have to.
You have set a great task before yourself. Its final appearance will dictate its effectiveness in what your are attempting to accomplish. You have a personal interest in this project and you must remain objective. Someone suggested you speak with a museum or something of that nature… the Holocaust Museum in NYC for example. Get a true historian’s input. Like the weathering on a model… too much can detract from the overall impact. A simple, strong, single image may speak volumes more than many weaker ones and a simple approach may be desirable. Someone suggested you speak with a museum or something of that nature… the Holocaust Museum in NYC for example. Get a true historian input.
I wanted to say good for you for taking this project on. While I dont want to say cant wait to see the photos, I cant wait to see the photos. I do agree with most of everything that has already been said in this thread. At times we modellers tend to forget the horrors of war or that which is inflicted upon the citizens of nations. Please keep us updated on your progress. I wish you well and I tip my hat to you!
Your subject matter is one that has been on my mind for many years, though I’ve never really known how to approach it. One thought that occurs to me is that your portrayal and the ability for people to take it all in, might be enhanced by doing it as a series if vignettes in a larger scale rather than trying to do the whole immense thing in one small scale. That would also allow you to portray the subject at different points in time… just a thought thrown your way. Keep at it, your heart and head are in the right place. Chuck
we just finished reading Daniel’s Story in English class in school. In the book, Daniel, his father, and little sister Erika were sent to Auschwitz. Daniel and his father were put to work in the camp, while his sister was put into the orchestra. the book says something about the orchestra being set slightly back from the main road that led form the barracks area to the “factory area” where Daniel and his father worked. People in the orchestra mostly played string instruments and “wind” instruments. well, hope this helps, show’s i payed close attention in English class[:p]
Anthony
I am surprised that more people havent attempted something like this. What a noble idea to commemorate your father as well. I look forward to seeing pictures.
Band of Brothers episode 9 “Why We Fight,” is sooooo powerful. I don’t know if I could watch that again. From what I understand it is very authentic.
Props for taking up something different. Too many times modelers are thwarted by political correct BS. However, a project of this scope is quite a massive undertaking. I’d suggest research…LOTS of it. Read books, look at movies and pictures to get a feel for the atmosphere you want to establish. After that, you’ll need to spend a lot of time planing it all out on paper to make sure that it is balanced. A diorama of your size, considering the scale, allows for quite a bit to happen at once, so you’ll want to make sure that it is as flowing as possible. Also, again considering the subject matter, careful research will be neccessary if authenticity is something you’re striving for, and there are going to be a lot of little details that you’ll need to fill.