Pz IV Dio (pics)

Lookin' good so far... Guessing on the locale via the paratroopers, though... France or Holland?  Might wanna establish that, maybe a street sign or business sign in the appropriate language, along with a propaganda poster or some graffiti... The interior of the building is pretty sparse, do you plan on adding some type of details, like wallpaper, pictures, furniture, etc, to establish what it is? 

Hard to tell from the pics, so I'll ask, why was the tank abandoned?  I like the caution the GIs are displaying, not knowing if anyone's "home" or not...  But I'd say that they are bit too close to each other if someone is... I also think your base is a skosh small, and I'm not a fan of anything "round" for bases,  but that's just my personal taste in dioramas, and means nothing to anyone but me... 

Keep it up... Overall, I like the idea...

Very nice looking tank.

Couple thoughts...

The building looks extremely narrow. You have to wonder what it would have been used for.

The hieght creates a visual porblem of a lot of dead verticle space, same as if you had too big a base with nothing happening.

The pack on the nearer figure looks like it was velcroed in place. Add some strappng to make it look like its being held on his back with something.

Thanks all!

Hans - I completely agree. The trouble I'm having at the moment is, I need to find the perfect balance between what would be remaining (I think wallpaper, maybe a wire or two sticking out of a fixture, etc) and what wouldn't (mirrors, pictures, etc). The wallpaper is in the works and should be installed in the next few days. Three different wallpapers, actually, made by scanning colored & patterned paper from the crafts store and then reducing it. The tank would have been abandoned perhaps for lack of fuel or for a mechanical issue as US troops advanced. Maybe I can introduce some kind of tools or something to better suggest that. The figs in the one pic are just there for reference at the moment. Good idea to spread them out a little.

Steve - Thanks! Still lots to do, though...

ajfleche - Yeah, still a lot of work to do on the figures. I'd like to redo all of their webbing and most of their gear. So far they've not come out the way I envisioned.

I'm thinking about repainting the tank anyway, but I'm not sure. Thanks for all your help!!!!!!! Excellent suggestions all!

~J

Sorry, forgot to add that I'm looking for a reason for the height of the building. A crows nest? Sniper position? No, not a sniper position. But an observation post or some kind?

jthurston wrote:

Hans - I completely agree. The trouble I'm having at the moment is, I need to find the perfect balance between what would be remaining (I think wallpaper, maybe a wire or two sticking out of a fixture, etc) and what wouldn't (mirrors, pictures, etc). The wallpaper is in the works and should be installed in the next few days. Three different wallpapers, actually, made by scanning colored & patterned paper from the crafts store and then reducing it. The tank would have been abandoned perhaps for lack of fuel or for a mechanical issue as US troops advanced. Maybe I can introduce some kind of tools or something to better suggest that. The figs in the one pic are just there for reference at the moment. Good idea to spread them out a little.

I do wallpaper the same way, heh. Find dollhouse wallpaper patterns on a Google search and print 'em.. Regarding pictures, I do those anyway... Find a small portrait, like the Pope or a family portrait from a frame ad, or a landscape painting, etc.,  then made a frame from strip, cut some acetate to resemble broken glass, and hung it askew on a wall... I also mask a few spots on the walls here and there with a piece of low-tack tape, spray the wall with thin coat of yellow, then remove the mask to have a spot that swows where a picture WAS hangin'...  I chop up a bunch of acetate for broken glass from the windows as well...  Did a Crucifix from strip stock as well, put an "N"-scale railroad brakeman on it and hung it... (Thanks, Shep.)  Couple smashed wood chairs, or a smashed table with HO scale wooden porch columns for legs, or a smashed headboard from a bed... That is, if your building was a residence of some sort...

jthurston wrote:

Sorry, forgot to add that I'm looking for a reason for the height of the building. A crows nest? Sniper position? No, not a sniper position. But an observation post or some kind?

Yeah, but you need more floor... A few sandbags at the window, a spotting scope of some kind, like the one in the US Command Set, and a Kraut radio (might wanna smash it though), and a map would establish a convincing OP...

Yeah. I'm starting to lean back toward making it just a convenient place to hide a tank. The taller the building, the harder the tank is to see from the air.

I don't know. But it occurs to me that an OP on what's left of the third floor (assuming a floor repair) might be a little distracting from the focal point, which is of course the tank. I might still put a few sandbags in the upper windowsills, though.

Likewise, I'm not sure if I'm going to invest a lot of time on figuring out the original purpose of the building. From the look of it, I'd guess that it may have once housed government offices, perhaps private offices like those of a bank or a lending institution of some sort. but this wouldn't have mattered to anyone who happened upon a Panzer in the rubble of the building.

As for location, it does look late-30s German, if you think of it as a government building. Mini Art calls it "East Prussian City Building". Maybe I'll include a German government sign or something in the rubble, if I can find one.

As for pictures, crosses, small furnishings, stuff like that, I have lots of that stuff and can do something along those lines. I also have lots of broken 'glass' for the windows, so that can be done easily and will add a lot to it.

Very cool! You guys are a huge help with great dio ideas.

Here's a Q: Do you guys think the tank needs to stay painted as is, or should it be redone in more of a camo scheme?

   Nice one JT. Never built one of those mini art buildings but I know what they look like and my hats off on the job you've done with it. The tank looks great I like the wear and tear you've givin it.

   If you do decide to repaint the mark IV you may just want to add some green splotches. It could look like the crew added the green over the older base coat. Also if the crew had time they would have pulled the mg's from the hull and mantle.

    Again great job. 

Man, thats cool, JT! I realy like the look of it!

This reminds me of a photo of a Pz IV sitting in the rubble I saw--it's a pretty well-known photo; I think it's been in some of those Concord books. It really has a good resemblance to it!

Nice work on the PZIV--I like the blue turret numbers! And the zimm and all looks great!

Nice job!!!  Love the rubble...a technique that really worked well for me in that scale was coffee grounds..threw them in and then painted..looked good and gave off a nice aroma for a couple of weeks!!

Mark

jthurston wrote:

Likewise, I'm not sure if I'm going to invest a lot of time on figuring out the original purpose of the building. From the look of it, I'd guess that it may have once housed government offices, perhaps private offices like those of a bank or a lending institution of some sort. but this wouldn't have mattered to anyone who happened upon a Panzer in the rubble of the building. As for location, it does look late-30s German, if you think of it as a government building. Mini Art calls it "East Prussian City Building". Maybe I'll include a German government sign or something in the rubble, if I can find one.

Just for fun, I made ya a German Government sign..

If you can dig the irony of the sign on a bombed-out building, this one reads:

Air Raid Protection Service

Magdeberg

If you print it out on cardstock or the like, it'll be a bit smaller and closer to 1/35th... Measures out after printing at 4mm x 2.8mm.

If you decide to add GIs to it, the 30th Infantry Division (Old Hickory) was the first into the city of Magdeberg

I'm thinking, "Find a place to hide the tank!" And it would be well hidden, especially from ground level.

I'm reminded of the scene in Band of Brothers, when the US sgt is telling a Brit Firefly TC that there's a Tiger over there behind that barn. The Brit says, "Well I caunt shoot him if I caunt see him." It's just about the last thing he says.

I've changed the layout of the rubble a little, but it's not very noticable. I've also improved the construction of the busted-up floors. I have found the right wallpaper patterns and should be able to print them tonight. I also repainted the wooden parts, which didn't look much like wood in the pics.

Further painting of the rubble itself continues. It's a long process, because missed spots stand out like Michael Jackson at the Chuck E. Cheese, but it's gonna look super cool once it's done.

Hans von Hammer wrote:

jthurston wrote: Likewise, I'm not sure if I'm going to invest a lot of time on figuring out the original purpose of the building. From the look of it, I'd guess that it may have once housed government offices, perhaps private offices like those of a bank or a lending institution of some sort. but this wouldn't have mattered to anyone who happened upon a Panzer in the rubble of the building. As for location, it does look late-30s German, if you think of it as a government building. Mini Art calls it "East Prussian City Building". Maybe I'll include a German government sign or something in the rubble, if I can find one. Just for fun, I made ya a German Government sign.. If you can dig the irony of the sign on a bombed-out building, this one reads: Air Raid Protection Service Magdeberg If you print it out on cardstock or the like, it'll be a bit smaller and closer to 1/35th... Measures out after printing at 4mm x 2.8mm. If you decide to add GIs to it, the 30th Infantry Division (Old Hickory) was the first into the city of Magdeberg

Hans - How very cool, thanks! I may actually use that!!!

Question, though: Why Magdeberg?

ajlafleche wrote:

...The building looks extremely narrow....The hieght creates a visual porblem of a lot of dead verticle space...

I agree.  Too tall and too narrow.  It detracts.

Fantastic dio jthurston. The IV is awesome, love the zim, going to have to try that one day. I like the Miniart buildings, they are a pain to put together but are cheap and nicely detailed. Have a look at www.jennifersprintables.com, lots of different styles of wallpaper.

Mark

jthurston wrote:

Hans von Hammer wrote:  jthurston wrote: Likewise, I'm not sure if I'm going to invest a lot of time on figuring out the original purpose of the building. From the look of it, I'd guess that it may have once housed government offices, perhaps private offices like those of a bank or a lending institution of some sort. but this wouldn't have mattered to anyone who happened upon a Panzer in the rubble of the building. As for location, it does look late-30s German, if you think of it as a government building. Mini Art calls it "East Prussian City Building". Maybe I'll include a German government sign or something in the rubble, if I can find one. Just for fun, I made ya a German Government sign.. If you can dig the irony of the sign on a bombed-out building, this one reads: Air Raid Protection Service Magdeberg If you print it out on cardstock or the like, it'll be a bit smaller and closer to 1/35th... Measures out after printing at 4mm x 2.8mm. If you decide to add GIs to it, the 30th Infantry Division (Old Hickory) was the first into the city of Magdeberg Hans - How very cool, thanks! I may actually use that!!! Question, though: Why Magdeberg?

First town that I saw looking at a Reich map... I can put up one on the other side of Elbe River too...

EasyMike wrote:

ajlafleche wrote: ...The building looks extremely narrow....The hieght creates a visual porblem of a lot of dead verticle space...   I agree.  Too tall and too narrow.  It detracts.

I still think a figure (sniper/FO) laying (hiding) between the wooden ledge and the old balcony door; barely hanging on and afraid he's about to get caught, would not only justify the height issue, but also support the overall tense atmosphere!        Maybe have a couple pigeons sitting along the wall, with the fellow peeping up at them with his finger in front of his mouth.. SHHhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Just my thoughts...

Frank