Hi there. I have lurked on the forum for a while now, getting tips and looking at the great dioramas here. I too have been working on mine in small spurts for a while now, but atlast i can see what it’s turning out like. I’ve still got a heck of alot to do, but I’d really like to hear any feedback to help me improve it.
The title for it is: “since when was the front there??”. I am theming it around a kessel somewhere in Russia that is slowly closing, with the panther and some grenadiers moving from a rear section of it to bolster the front. Thier clothing is mixed as it has just thawed and not everywhere has melted.
Things i should have done before i showed this: do snow in small melting pocket (although so far my experiments with gloss, baking power and paint are not perfect), add low grass all over (i cannot find any appropriate flock, so may use same stuff as the roof of the barn), finish both figures and vehicles and finally add some more foliage. but apart from that what do you think?
Looks like a very good start. I’d definitely add more low bushes, brush, and some grasses. Also, the half track looks like its kind of floating above the ground, as opposed to sinking into it. With the ground being as wet as you’ve shown it, the vehicle would have sunk a little bit into the mud.
Looks great so far, one thing; I would NOT use “baking powder” for snow!!! Anything with “baking” in the name is not chemically inert, and potentially can react with different solvents, glue, etc.( remind me to tell ya of my NIGHTMARE with baking soda!)
I’d use talcum powder–just overspray with lacquer and use a folded index card filled with powder to sift it onto the areas you want it. Talcum powder won’t yellow, and is inert.
I’m no pro but, one thing does jump out at me. Those three blue barrels? Were they delivered today? Looks like barrels I have delivered daily at work. Though they’re covered, if they’ve been there any length of time, shouldn’t they have a dusting of snow and/or straw on top? Maybe even more side stains on one as if it had been opened and was a bit away from the other two?
Nice work so far. Definitely add some low grass, in the same brown color as the bushes. The half track needs to be pressed into the ground to show weight during the spring thaw but the mud on the tracks of both vehicles was well done. If you are going to use some snow, try using Woodland Scenics Snow. It’s perfect for the job and it wont yellow with time. Keep us posted.
I’m currently trying to make my halftrack sink in a bit and painting the figures better. You’re right about the barrels! I’ve technically had them about 9 years… just never painted them. that’s on the checklist now!
I think I might add a load of small leaves around the area i want the tree which will be in the scrub land (although i didn’t add it for the photo), as i found a small ground type plant with maple type leaves. although does anyone know a good tree with branches that could look like a 1:35 tree? as so far i can’t find any. Can you tell i’m trying to spend very little money on my base [:-^] so far predominantly all my materials (minus PVC and poly base and newspaper…) are what i have found in my garden…
I think I also need to make the rest of the ground look wetter, especially near the stream, as of yet i’m still trying to decide the best bush materials, as i have some old commercial moss stuff (i think it is…) died in rather unnatural colours.
100% mud. and also some PVC mixed in. although i have found that simply slapping on wet mud turns up the kind of cracked groud you would find in a desert. instead i had a layer of pvc, the sprinkled really find crushed dirt et repeat.
“TREES for nothing!”–a stick/branch, steel wool, tea leaves, spray paint.
Stretch out the steel wool, spray paint it dk green, sprinkle tea leaves on when still wet; let dry, spray again, let dry, drybrush/stipple with lighter green, impale and glue on stick or multi-branched twig–VOILA!
For the tree, i do have some leaves that i will use one they go brown, but i may end up using the wire technique as i just cant find and good branches! I saw some great plant type stem which would look like small twigs on a tree…
does anyone know where this comes from or where i can find something like?
i used some parcel thread for the finer bits of grass, but for the other more tufty bits… erm well i actually used the insides of an old dead and dried palm tree… (as it’s full of fiberous strands like that, which make up its trunk) so you may find it rather hard to come accross. i only found it when i had to chuck it in the compost heap [:)]
snow is on the way soon! it’s on my list to try some methods of making it look like the half melted stuff you get when there has been deep snow.
