Recon in Russia (pics)

I "recon" I like this...nice composition, nice colors...

A few observations:

The running gear in too clean, especially when compared to the rest of the AFV...The interior of the track is too bare--stuff it full of gear...The one guy inside on the right seems to be having a fit over something he is seeing and pointing at while the rest of the group doesn't seem to be out of their "in the rear with the gear" mode...It would be far more common to have a black and white national cross on a dark yellow base than a pure white one...

Very nice, overall...

Thanks Manny! I can definitely dirty up the running gear, and I was looking for an excuse to add a bunch of troopie gear in the vehicle.

The one guy next to the MG is indeed going nuts. Most of the comments I've gotten so far are about this guy. "What is he doing?" "Is he dancing?" etc etc. I think the idea was, these guys are arguing over directions. But I might have to break down and either remove or re-pose this guy. In the end, he's a little too dramatic for the scene.

I was specifically looking for a national cross that's a little different from the usual black & white square. Don't know why, just thought it looked cooler on this particular track.

Thanks, Model Maniac! Or should I say, kawpum kap! I tried this one and the other dio on different shape and size bases, and this one looked best. Just kinda fitted the theme better. I probably do need to clean it up a bit around the edges, though.

My next 251 dio is pretty similar to this one, but with more small stuff (troop gear, etc), and I think it's on a square base. Stay tuned...

~Jerry

Only one thing that really jumped out at me and that was your base... It's a bit small for your dio and the track's rear looks like it's hanging outside the "frame"...  Don't be afraid to go with a larger base next time, you can always cut it down to size, but it's pretty hard to add on to..

Myself, I use clear plastic box picture frames for dio bases about 99% of the time, since they're easy to glue together into different sizes if you need more than what's available... Plus they're hollow and will hide any wiring, batteries, power packs, or light sources you may want to use, and are also easy to "dig" foxholes in..

They usually come in sizes 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, and 11x14 and are about an inch & 1/4 high...

This one's on an 8x10 frame...

The Gamaschen could be a number of different colors, even two different colors in the same set issued.. The most common was a dark field grey and the straps are black or brown leather...  There was no significance to the leather color, it was "use what ya got"...

Here's some original issue leggins for the "Rückzug-Stiefel" (Retreat Boots in German Infantry parlance)

Thanks for the help, guys!

Stik - Good point. I had a bit of a color issue there myself. At some point in the war, I think you start to see a lot of lighter colors in the straps and webbing, and I was trying to depict this. I think I overdid it with the light colors in the boot blousings and some of the straps etc on the breadbags, etc. I might re-do that. All OK, Jumpmaster...(any excuse to say that, these days :))

Hans - I like the idea of these frames. Like it alot. I was thinking of something with some more depth to it, didn't know where to find it. You said these are made of clear plastic? Don't know if I've ever seen them before. And thanks for the pic, I can definitely use that. Looks like a Russian Dark Green might be in order...

Maffen -

Bronto - Yeah, the title is kinda an in-progress thing. I tend to work in series (serieses?), and this one is part of a group of builds I'm doing depicting SS and Heer recon elements in different settings. I think I'm gonna end up calling it something like "That Way!", set in France, 1944.

Hans - I like the idea of these frames. Like it alot. I was thinking of something with some more depth to it, didn't know where to find it. You said these are made of clear plastic? Don't know if I've ever seen them before.

I get mine at Hobby Lobby, but they usually can be found anywhere picture frames are sold, even Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc..  They're pretty cheap too, the 8x10s are only about 4 bucks..

I think this is a pretty nice little dio... I agree that the one guy in the track looks out of place, unless it is supposed to be one of those 'Holy shnikies, look at all the Ruskies that just came over that hill...' type of thing.  If that is the case, you might consider changing the title.

The one other thing that jumped out at me was the angle of the head on the other guy in the track.  In the pic taken from the rear, it doesn't look like he is really looking at the guys he is interacting with.  He kinda looks like he is looking down at the side of the track.  Might just be a quirk of the photos, but it did strike me as odd, for some reason...

Thanks, Hans. I will definitely check Hobby Lobby.

bbrowniii, I might be able to reposition his head, but honestly I was starting to consider replacing him with a fig that'll be a better fit. I have several from Dragon & Tamiya that'll probably work better in that spot.

I'm already considering getting rid of the other guy, for two reasons: One, he looks too excited about whatever he's pointing at, for the general feel of this dio: and Two, he has a very strangely-shaped foot sticking up behind him. Just doesn't look right. He was originally molded to fit in the back seat of a kubelwagen, pointing up at passing tankers, and I think he'll look much better in that role.

~Jerry