The origin of this little diorama lies in a Group Build between members of my local club. The idea was to build one of Matchbox’s fabled 1/76 AFV kit, those with the little diorama included. Anything could be done to the vehicle but it had to be placed onto a diorama that included the Matchbox-provided base.
My choice fell on the M16 Half-Track. The kit is rather basic now but I remember building it back in the late 1970s and being amazed by the better fit (than the Airfix AFV kits I was used to until then). I spent quite a bit of time thinning down and adding details the Matchbox kit. Most of the time went into the figures, all modified from existing plastic and resin ones to represent a crew being surprised and running for cover as German fighters and fighter-bombers fly very low in order to reach their targets during Operation Bedenplatte on 1 January 1945.
The aircraft is HobbyBoss’ 1/72 Fw 190D, mostly built from the box.
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I like this it’s a great little diorama.
The Dora looks well built and painted.
Love the guy kneeling down it gives the whole scene some tension.
Well done 
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Very nice and I appreciate the story behind it. I’ve never built a diorama but have some in the planning stages, yours is an inspiration.
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About a decade ago, I was with my dad at his assisted living facility. His neighbor was 96 years old. We started talking about his experience in the war, and he described being assigned to a half-track unit that was stuck in a shallow ditch when along came a Bf109. Took them by surprise, but the way the neighbor told it, he kept his cool and manned the guns and shot that SOB down. I’ll take that as a true story from that gentleman.
Your diorama instantly made me think of that story. Excellent work!
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This is very well done. Love everything about it. It is so true to life experiences at that time.
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Great job on the composition. That’s a super cool diorama. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.
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