"Soviet tanks, west!" winter dio WIP

T-rex, one of the first rules of diorama construction is don't put your principle elements at a parallel to the base sides!

As it is here, you've got everything parallel to the base front side. It will look MUCH better if you would skew the road a bit from front left (or right) to back! Please seriously reconsider this!

Not to worry doog, the diograme is only a basic idea of the dio, the only reason that everything is parrallel is the drawing program that I use can't do diagnale, (or maybe I just don't know how).

The base of the dio (below) is a material use in gardening, it already has a pre made "path" of where the T-34 going to go and yes it is in diagnale, you'll see when the dio comes together next week.

Sherpert's Diorama book help alot in this dio unlike the others.

There alos going to be outer points, inlude a german soldier looking a the dead soviet horseman and tip tree by the T-34 passing.

Here's a better update.

See the tank isn't parrallel.

Note the gun commander is talking to the tank commander saying "soviet tanks west"

The trees bend by the tank passing throught

the german squardon moving in, one looks at the dead soviet horseman.

Now with lots of snow, I use woodland scenic snow instead of baking soda.

I look the dirt tracks behind, showing the tank weight, but It will need more snow to cover it more.

i remove the gun crew tissue outfit since it didn't look like a winter outfit, maybe they should just stay the way they look, if not then the gun will be abandon.

I don't like how the horseman looks dead, but more snow should make it look like its been a while that he's dead.

I still love the tank and if you look in the photos you can see that I weathed it brown with pastel and dry brush metallic grey on the tracks and exaust.

Back view of the dio shows that there's no wasted space anywhere, so there something to look at.

The MG 42 also adds inteast show the germans trying to gain some ground with the tank.

Another problem is the Pak 43 paint stroke pattern that I made seem more appropriate for the winter dio than just german grey, but I don't know if it existed.

That's all for now, the dio is more than halfway done, but there still the figures to be painted and snow to be applied, but If the dio is not done in time for the contest then the tank will go alone.

Hey there T-Rex,

This is my personal opinion, so don't take it the wrong way, but I think it would be better to have the T-34 at the back driving into the scene, rather than at the front driving out. 

Driving into the scene creates a sense that something's happening or about to happen. As it stands, it's like a photograph where you've just been a split second too late and have just missed the action and everyone's leaving.

Assuming your PAK is a in a prepared position, you might consider a small embankment or some brush/bushes in front of it for cover and perhaps a small clearing behind with a stockpile of ammo (though perhaps this might be somewhere just off the edge of its present position). I'd also reconsider the location of the guys in front. I wouldn't want to be that close to the business end of that PAK while it's firing (Think about muzzle blast etc.)...

I like the idea. 

I like the horse, lil bit of trivia, a horse wont jump over the body of another dead horse (was used as an anti cavelry tatics)

 As far as the dio Phil, I think he was more trying to portray the Germans moving on maneuvers or whatever, and russian tanks were spotted. 

I think the problem is there moving from right to left, natural progression is left to right (for westerners, not japanese and that ilk)  So it looks sort of like there leaving, instead of progressing.

Couple of things...  Gotta echo Phil, that Tank's gotta be moved, not only to the rear, but to the left as well.  Your base is way too small for the amount of stuff you got on it, as well...

PAK: ALL the figures go behind it, no one is ever allowed in front of the gun when it's in action.  Two, the gun's too far to the right, it needs to be moved left so you can open the trails fully and dig in the spades.  If your ground is "frozen", they dead to be up against "deadman" log or blacks that are staked down, but from the amount of mud, it looks like a "wet cold" environement.  Also, the tank is WAY too close to it.  The gun chief would likely take a shot at the TC for getting that close to his piece..  There's more, not the least of which is the camo on it, and the stock, outta the box poses of the crew, but I don't want to make you think I'm raggin' on you, cuz, I'm not...

The tank should have more space in front of it, rather than behind it, as Phil pointed out...  There's a HUGE deadspace behind it with nothing but tracks and a tree that mysteriously didn't get crushed by the track.  Turning the turret in the direction of the enemy is recommended.  Frankly, I'd lose the horse all together if you don't want to go with a bigger base... 

Overall, you have a great concept, with a storyline that will work well, but it's just flat too crowded and "busy'... More space will allow you to direct the viewer's eye around the scene, allowing him to see the story, rather than  slammin' him with a collage of German/Russian stuff... 

Intersting, Thanks Hans for the info, it seam that the pak idea is the problem now, listen I can't move the tank back, ( simply cause of the tracks), and yes the enviroment is late winter ( late febuary 1942 to be exact) and as winter ends, well its still cold, but there are signs of Previons battles (like the dead horseman). Anyways Hans you have some good points of the pak, so I just won't add the figure (no biggie, they weren't in winter outfit anyways). Instead the new idea is the pak is simlplie abandon cause a crew memeber got wounded (blood should replica that, and add more a story to it).

The Pak is intendend to be in this dio, so there no way its going, and as for the camo patter, I've seen many picture of some vehicles with a hand painted camo, so just think of it as stroke, (Pain dio book got a sherman in winter dio that gave me the idea) however was it really that common simple pattern, or just repainted german grey?

Nothing I can do for the empty space behind the tank, and can't turn the turret on this model (too tight or something) but no big deal, and the trees at back haven't been run over over they've been push out of the tank ways.

Feel free to ask anything else, comments or questions.

I've seen many picture of some vehicles with a hand painted camo, so just think of it as stroke, (Pain dio book got a sherman in winter dio that gave me the idea) however was it really that common simple pattern, or just repainted german grey?

I wasn't refering to that.  The temporary winter camo is water-based whitewash that really didn't cover all that well.  It was removed by the crew with water when it was no longer needed, revealing the equipment's original paint under it.  Shep Paine's T-34 Calliope was an example of crew-applied whitewash, using brushes, brooms, & mops... Neatness didn't count.  The camo on that model was eventually going to cover the entire tank, and that crew was just on the first coat of it...  At any rate, the gunshield on the PAK. with those straight lines, isn't an effective camoflage.  It draws the eye to it, rather than breaking up the outline.  Applying a streaky wash of a couple thin coats of white with vertical strokes using a 3/16ths flat would look closer to real, IMHO.  I'd thin the paint to about an airbrush mixture, maybe a skosh thinner, and brush it on.     

Another thing... Guns don't get abandoned because a crewman got wounded or killed. The gun is the crew's whole reason for existance, as it's a force multiplier. The Kompanie Hauptfeldwebel would be VERY unhappy with the gun chief... One guy can operate that PAK, if need be.  It could be abandoned because (A) It broke down, perhaps due to a broken firing lock and there was no spare lock, in which case, the crew would likely shove a thermite grenade into the breech and close it, letting the incendiary weld the breech shut permanantly, or (B) They ran out of ammo and abandoned it, in which case (A) applies again, or (C), or the positon was overrun in a previous fight and the crew scattered or was killed, without time to destroy the gun. 

The Pak is intendend to be in this dio, so there no way its going,...

Nothing I can do for the empty space behind the tank,...

  If you wanted to, you could actually have modeled it (still can, in fact) with one or both trails run over by, say, another T-34, or even this one, which would likely work to fill the deadspace behind the T34 and take care of that location problem in the meantime... Treadheads like to run over junk, as long as there's no threat of throwin' a track in the process... AFVs and tanks are the ultimate "Monster trucks"... Using carefully applied heat will allow you to bend the trails to the desired degree.  Of course, you'll immediately wish you hadn't done that, but drive on anyway... Those Tamiya PAK kits are cheap, 'bout 6 bucks or so... I buy one about ever' time I see it, I think I have half a dozen or so in the ol' closet...  Two of the figures have a lot of possibilities for other poses...

As for the weather, when I said it looked like wet cold, that would make it late fall of 42, or early April/late March.  Febuary is more or less the dead of winter in Russia, and that year was one of the coldest on record.  The terrain would be "white iron", to quote a German survivor... Wet cold environments are when the temps are warm enough to start melting snow during the day, and everything re-freezes at night.  Feb. 42 would be a "Dry Cold" where it's all frozen 24/7 and frozen hard... No mud...

At any rate, these are just some of my observatons... Continue to march...

This dio isn't turning out as smooth as I hope, (but still better that previous dios) again if I don't finish this dio in time of the contest then the T-34 will go alone.

For the Pak gun its true they wouldn't abandon it just because of a injury, however the tank commande head is turn to the right, so there has to be the pak gun there to have the attention of the viewiers. Now there can't be any crew figures because of there for it needs to be abandont, so what about the gun abandont by a anti-tank rifle (or armor piecing round) that kill a crew man and rander than staying as a open target, the crew abandont the gun.

Another set of Tracks passing by wouldn't be such a bad idea, but because of the small trees at the back, it wouldn't fit another tank without replacing them.

Finally for the whitewash, I added it for weathering and I think it work great, made it look more like it went throught a snowstorm.

 One last problem, a greenish color has appeared  in the snow, I don't know what cause it but it mit have been the turf under the snow that dyed it, I will need to add a white wash and som more snow, to make it look more like mid winter rader than late.

Again thanks for the points Hans

Finally for the whitewash, I added it for weathering and I think it work great, made it look more like it went throught a snowstorm.

Frankly, I don't know why you didn't apply the same painting technique to the PAK that you used on the T-34's temporary camo...

As for the snow turning green on ya, dunno what to tell you, other than to shoot it white again... I've never used anything for snow but baking soda for the simple reason that it's cheap and I don't trust a lot of commercial landscaping stuff... 

For the Pak gun its true they wouldn't abandon it just because of a injury, however the tank commande head is turn to the right, so there has to be the pak gun there to have the attention of the viewiers. Now there can't be any crew figures because of there for it needs to be abandont, so what about the gun abandont by a anti-tank rifle (or armor piecing round) that kill a crew man and rander than staying as a open target, the crew abandont the gun.

Forgive me, but I don't have a clue as to what you're talking about in that paragraph...

Another set of Tracks passing by wouldn't be such a bad idea, but because of the small trees at the back, it wouldn't fit another tank without replacing them.

I never said anything about a second set of tracks... Just that the PAK could have been run over by another tank in earlier fight, or that the tank you have there already could have run over the trails if you put it back in that big empty space you have behind the T-34...

With time running short and still the figures to be painted I had to imprevise.

Althought the main focus point was done (t-34 and pak 43) there was still a open space so I filled it with the dead horse (without the rider) and a old dragon kettenkrad that has its left side undone, so I place it as a abondont tip over half-track, quickly weather it and done in time for the contest.

The half track will be a perfect new MG spot for one of the figures, they will be added when done for for now it looks perfect.

Hey, not bad at all, T-rex. I hope you did alright at the contest.

Steve