Streets of Russia 1942

the doog

 

 

Cool beans---pics would be good?

 

 

Check over on the Weathering Group Build 2011, since I'll be posting them there in a day or so, but sure, I'll post some here.

personman906

ok so i iced up many parts by mixing a bit of white acrylic with ethyl alcohol.  i added a few small snow drifts and some more pigments on the ground and rubble.

ok so i iced up many parts by mixing a bit of white acrylic with ethyl alcohol.  i added a few small snow drifts and some more pigments on the ground and rubble.

the doog

 

I hope you don't take the criticism as withering; I'm just trying to give you an idea of the myriad of elements that need to be considered for a truly slamming diorama, which IS, after all, about telling a story. And good stories are sometimes difficult to tell without a lot of practice and a good editor!

I am not trying to pile on, but I have to agree with doog's comments. There is too much left out of the dio that is not 'implied' that the 'story' of it doesn't work.

Also, a note on cammie nets - they are used to break up the outlines of a vehicle or position. Usually they are draped in such a way that the are suspended over the vehicle, creating more random shapes rather than sharp angles and flat surfaces.

I mean, you say that the cammie nets are white because there is snow. Well, OK, fine, I'll accept that. But the tank is already whitewashed, so why would it need a white cammie net on it as well? The other thing is that, unforunately, the gauze that you are using does not really mimic cammie nets that well.

I'm also curious about the tracks. They appear to be pretty silver/grey. Did you paint them? If, as you suggested, the vehicle has just fled a forest that was overrun by the Germans, shouldn't there be dirt/mud/snow/debris clogging up the running gear and the tracks?

As someone said before, individually, I think the elements look pretty good. The beat up white wash on the assualt gun looks nice.

As with doog's comments, I hope you take this in the spirit it is intended - as honest critique, based on what I see.

personman906

 

 

 

 

First of all, I cut some parts in the camo nets so the hatches would be able to open, since the assault gun is supposed to be going through the streets after fleeing a frozen forest overrun by Germans.  The reason for the white nets is simple: there's snow everywhere.  Also, my reason for there not being snow on the ground is that it would have been either melted or cleared by the implied explosions and the debris they left behind.

In dioramas, Composition is everything. You can have the most impressive models decked out in $300 worth of aftermarket items, and it doesn't mean squat if your composition is weak.

Maybe the first rule of great composition is: Never Assume that your viewer "knows" what you were thinking with the scenario that you're depicting.

For instance, you tell me that "... the assault gun is supposed to be going through the streets after fleeing a frozen forest overrun by Germans". Now, to be honest, I don't see that, and wouldn't have assumed that if you hadn't told me that. Nothing really positively says that in the diorama besides your word. And if I were viewing this diorama as a judge or a simple modeler on a display table somewhere, I wouldn't think that to myself; I would more likely think "Why the whitewash when there's no snow on the ground?"

Which brings me to the second point. You say " The reason for the white nets is simple: there's snow everywhere." Another poster already pointed out that, well, there's not really...if you look at your diorama objectively, you'll see that you have rather omitted that detail.

Once again, you assume that the viewer can read into your reasoning and know "what you meant" when you say " ...my reason for there not being snow on the ground is that it would have been either melted or cleared by the implied explosions and the debris they left behind."

If you cut the netting for the hatches, it should probably have been peeled back to represent the crew entering and exiting the vehicle; realistically, who would have re-draped it over the hatches again?

I hope you don't take the criticism as withering; I'm just trying to give you an idea of the myriad of elements that need to be considered for a truly slamming diorama, which IS, after all, about telling a story. And good stories are sometimes difficult to tell without a lot of practice and a good editor!

the doog

For a "first" dio, it's a good effort, but I question the wisdom of the "camouflage nets". They are completely covering the crew hatches, and if this were an abandoned tank, the crew would have displaced them getting out. Also, camouflage nets are generally brownish in color, aren't they?

Some nice details and thought in the rest of it though.

First of all, I cut some parts in the camo nets so the hatches would be able to open, since the assault gun is supposed to be going through the streets after fleeing a frozen forest overrun by Germans.  The reason for the white nets is simple: there's snow everywhere.  Also, my reason for there not being snow on the ground is that it would have been either melted or cleared by the implied explosions and the debris they left behind.

For a "first" dio, it's a good effort, but I question the wisdom of the "camouflage nets". They are completely covering the crew hatches, and if this were an abandoned tank, the crew would have displaced them getting out. Also, camouflage nets are generally brownish in color, aren't they?

Some nice details and thought in the rest of it though.

nice build

Ron

All the pieces seem sell done, the figures give it an air of impending action and their dress seems to fit with the winter whitewash camouflage on the tank. My only question is, with it being obviously cold (I assume that is what you are conveying?) it stands to reason there would be some snow/slush/muck on the street. It just looks too ... clean. A jarring note on an otherwise very good piece.

Here's some pictures.

Please post some pictures.  I'd like to see it.