Diorama "Europe 1944"

Diorama “Europe 1944” using Dragon’s Sd.Kfz.251/22 Ausf.D w/ inbox figure set and an extra figure set - by “Art Instructor”:

This is from my latest page:

http://www.falconbbs.com/model51c.htm

Comments and suggestions are welcome!

Hi MM,

I’m seeing an apparent dissociation between the guys on the ground and the guys in the 251.

The guys on the ground are doing something (I’m not sure what they’re supposed to be doing, re-arming the 251 perhaps?). The one closest to the front appears to be stalking someone, but he’s peering around the corner in the direction of his buddies.

The guys in the track are gazing off into the distance with their backs to the guys on the ground, seemingly oblivious of what’s going on behind them.

If the guys on the ground are meant to be the focal point of the scene, the view is obstructed by the 251 right in front of them (between them and the viewer) and by the walls of the ruins.

Yeah

Pretty poor composition. What is going on here? The guys in the track are hanging out, shooting the breeze, pretty much ignoring the guys on the ground. The guys on the ground look like they are hunkering down, taking fire… or something…

Build looks OK, though.

SSDD

There are good elements to this dio. Unfortunately, they are dissociated from one another. The guys on the ground look like they’re hustling and taking fire. While they are taking fire the guys in the 251 are doing what? they guy in the back of the 251 doesn’t appear to be associated with anything going on, much like the guy on the ground towards the rear of the 251.

The 75mm casings on the ground, the hunkering ground troops, and the relaxed 251 crew seems incongruent. Perhaps if the 251 crew were posed to convey a sense of urgency/imminent threat it would tie together better.

The 251 appears to be a soild build as does the dio base. The dio could use a lotmore debris, IMO, as those buildings are demolished.

Dave

Nothing here. I’m guessing Art Instructor had a ruins kit he wanted to use…somehow.

MM,

Please let A.I. know that some very good modeling effort went into the creation of each element of this diorama, but they just do not connect with each other. Some of the work is very good (i.e. vehicle and figure painting, seam cleanup for the most part, and added details like slings, etc.), but what makes a good diorama is its composition and the tying of each of those individual elements together so they make a unified scene rather than a cluster of model kits and parts.

Happy New Year!

Hi MM

The figures and details are well painted, but as others have stated there seems to be confusion between the ones on the ground and the ones in the halftrack. Is the halftrack placed backwards? At least then the action would have all the soldiers facing in the same direction.