Nice work on the armor and the diorama settings...

Thanks Doog! I think I really get more out of the small stuff, they build faster, paint faster and take up less space, plus adding scratch detail is easier as it's small enough that you really only need the general impression.

Robert, thanks a lot! I really love Volstad box art, I have collections of Dragon figure kits for the sole purpous it seems of building Volstad vignettes. I've got a lot to go! I really appreciate the comments I tried hard to blend the figures and the gun to the base. I think I will look into this snow product and add some to that vignette in particular to get some color variation in the groundwork along with some yellow weeds or talk grass. Thanks again!

Doog....you HAVE to take a look at The Scenic Factory's snow and ground cover....they market the best snow effect (imho) out there:  Precision Ice and Snow, which comes from England.  The snow melt wash they offer is a must have....out of all your presentations here, the Volstad vignette is REALLY well done...your ground work blending color and texture really makes this one.  Nice work!   Robert

Nice collection, Chris! I love doing these little 1/72 dio's myself; I have probably 20 or more done up. It can be tough to get the groundwork right, but you don't need a ton of detail to give a decent impression. I think you did a fine job with these. I especially like the soldiers with the little gun there. :)

I recall the days of barracks life and model building quite well. I never tackled any sort of vignette or diorama in those days, so my hat is off to you there! Very well done. I agree with you about the figures on the 251- they do add a "hurry up and wait" aspect that all soldiers are too familiar with. That is one constant of life in uniform I suppose. I any case, this is a nice collection of your studies form the past few years. Keep it up! We will be here, hopefully you will be too!

T.B. thanks for the vote of confidence on the snow! I appreciate it.

I think I'm happy with it but it still doesn't look as nice as some of the masterwork class of snow I've seen done by the pros, wish I knew their techniques.

Mike, thank you. I think being able to practice and test out ideas on kits that I'm less emotionally/financially invested in is a big help, I definitely encourage it! You really can't beat some of these 1/48, even 1/72 scale kits these days in terms of detail and price too.

I'm settled into Colorado pretty well so of course the Army has sent me off to Ft Knox, Kentucky for the summer, but I should be back to the bench by September or October (though I'll be spending November in California for NTC)

haha thanks a lot Missile! That'd be a neat idea, would be cool if my First Sergeant was into models. I think he was just concerned that I was some kind of new age unabomber with all the paint bottles, air compressor, metal PE parts, soldering iron, scalpels and who knows what else... Glad the weathering effects are getting good feedback, I think I'm pretty solid on my base terrain but what i really need work on is vegetation and weather- in terms of rain/snow/mud that looks more realistic.

Thanks for the comments guys.

Nice work!! As a retired USAF First Sergeant who did the dorm inspections, I would have loved to see the dioramas - might have even made it a "Show Room". I like the 251 the best. The weather effects and terrain look good to me as I have yet to try it.

Very interesting way to keep your hobby chops fresh and growing, and an inspiration. The idea of using small scale studies is exactly what I need to do when the lack of a method or skill set bogs me down. There are some great kits in my stash that I won't tackle 'cause I know I don't have the right stuff to work thru them.

Now that you're more settled, hope you'll have time to put your ideas into motion. Looks like you're off to a great start. Thanks for posting!

Mike

If I was on the jury about the snow ;

    I would definitely find the perp innocent of all charges of a bad job . As a matter of fact I would suggest a medal or something . Great Work ;   T.B.

tankerbuilder - I really can't imagine! Especially since I always find myself running to the hobby store or ordering some AM stuff that I never thought I needed when I started the builds. I'm sure you must have really had to plan ahead while you weren't away, not sure how long the mail takes to reach the guys out at see, but I'd be upset if it was as long as I think it'd be and I "really needed" that extra PE set or some new resin so and so...

Thanks Pawel! Will do. I'm planning on doing an airbrush test run on Trumpeter's Hetzer Starr I picked up at the hobby shop for 50% off. Thinking about a soft edge turtleshell pattern similar to the one in Karl's (the doog) old step by step thread.

cs.finescale.com/.../84424.aspx

Got a new Iwata Eclipse HP-CS double action airbrush, never had a double action before... new compressor with a tank and regulator, we'll see how it goes...

I will say, it's really awesome how so many of us are this attached to the hobby that we find ways to continue pursuing it, even when be all rights it's harder and less desirable with some living/working conditions we face.

Howdy, Chris - nice work! When I was on a permanent business travel like 10 years ago, I also set up a small temporaqry shop and tried new things - sometimes it's good to tackle a project that you don't really care THAT much about - and finish it! I especially like the Tiger. Good luck with your "studies" and keep 'em babies comin'! Have a nice day

Paweł

Now you can imagine what it was like to build model ships aboard a Destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin or anywhere else at sea .

Thanks! Yeah, I've found there's usually a creative way to turn a mistake into something that actually turns out better than originally planned

They look pretty cool to me! I know what you mean about experimenting with stuff though, just messed up a dio and scrapped a pile of Woodland Scenics snow of it...

Thank you very much! Knew I couldn't be the only one with issues like these. I definitely know what you mean with the inspections. Every time my NCOs come through they get a  look about em...

Lovely looking builds, I do like the 251 especially. I know the struggles of building in barracks well. I even kept all my stash in my room and displayed all my models there. It was a struggle, I hardly had any room for my military kit. But it was a talking point when ever we had a room inspection.

From one GRUNT to another, well done.