Diorama Questions

I've done both. Having a photo is really helpful if you're showing something non-standard or historically questionable. However, not every instant of every action is photographically documented. Pretty much as long as you get the overall hdetails correct, the right tank in the right theatre, the right uniforms, etc. you can use a lot of creative license.

Either way is fine. Dio's tell stories. They can be true stories like those in pics. or fictional ones that could have happened. As long as the story seems plausable go with it.

Sometimes I'll build it straight out of my imagination, but a lot of times I'm inspired by certain things. I've never copied a picture. A lot of modellers model to preserve history. I don't, I just like the machinery, so that's why I do it, and as such don't copy past events for anything, but make up my own

When I build a diorama I build it to represent something that could have taken place. Most of the time I even leave unit identification off that way it could be any unit at any time almost anywere. Pretty much as long as the figures match the vechicals and you think it looks good, it is good.