Its really tricky getting the foreground to match up with the background. There's too much detail in it and I'm going to try paining my own instead. That way I have more control over the finished picture.

It was fun, however, to learn how to do rain effects in Ps. That's a neat trick I will have to use again someday. I will be working on the efects after I get the background painted and matched up with the foreground.

In the picture above I need to make it more foggy so falling rain is more believable. After that I really want to do this in color.

I've got too much distance in the background and I need to tighten it up for the effects to work better.  :)

Glad you approve of the concept!

This is the basic concept I'm going for. Don't get too disappointed yet though, this is a crap output B/W, but I thought I'd show you what I was up to.

I can do better.

Well the subject inspired me. I've already got one of the pictures cropped and I'm almost finished erasing the background out. That parts takes time lol.

You're going to be pleasently surprised by what you're going to get, I think. I'm going to go a bit artsy with it because they are low rez pics, but I've done this before so it's old hat. It will be cool.  :)

Okay you have more than a couple of shots I can work with. I like the dark lighting as well. That gives me the initial effect of having it dark and cloudy without having to drastically alter the image.

This may take all day, or maybe a few days to get something worthy of the subject, but be patient with me and you'll get something neat, I promise.  :)

Ok Mike, here are thosepics.In the previous pics, i had given the wall some tonal variation in the blocks. But the coat of future seems to cancel that out. I did feel the wall lookedtoy like, almost like somthign you get in a chioldrens toy farmyard set. So i re did the tones in the block work and then used some AK interactive wet effetcs and i think the result is much better. The wall does not look at wet as it did, and i think i would need to try somthing else if i wanted to portray it actually raining. But for the scene and tie frame i wanted, this worked much better. So here are the pics,i know there are a few. I willleave it to you which you think best for working some magic on.

And thanks again.

No problem Bish. Its just another thing I find really fun to do, and I happen to not be too bad at it either lol.

Then you post the picture and say go. I will make it happen. :)

Okay Bish. I guess I'll wait. ...Drat!

All you need from that angle is a darkened sky background and maybe some distant trees with some mist in it to further the effect. May I offer you my Photshop skills for such an effort? All you have to do is post a picture.  :)

I really don't have much to say that has not already been said here. Beautiful work...again! The open setting while re arming looks just right. And your detail work is top notch as always.

I finished that one at the end of the year, the build thread is here.

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/3/t/162660.aspx

The build is set in the latter half of June. As I mention at the end of the thread, Kurt Meyer, the figure on the far right in that pic, took over the Div on Jne 14th. On the 19th was the big storm which caused lts of problems. So I was after a scene just after that storm. Some time after the thread, I went and re did the walls. As was mentioned, the wall does look rather monotone. So I added some variation in the stone work and then used some AK wet effects, which I had not used before, to add some wet steaks. Unfortunately I didn't get around to new photo's, which I should do really. It does looks much better. The model is now boxed up as I needed to create some display space, but give me a couple of days and I will take some fresh ones while I remember, I had totally forgotten until your post reminded me.

Bish

I'd like to know more about this one. It looks like you've got rain going on in this scene.

This is an amazing diorama depiction of the real world, or is it the other way around?  LOL!  It is the latter in my opinion.  Such a great and fantastic finish!

Toshi

Thanks Terry. I did find it a bit of a tricky build but not to bad. Its my first, but certainly not last, marder.

Nice build Bish, I aways thought the Marders were a tricky fit but a darn cool vehicle. Nice work.

Terry 

Well, that is one option lol.

Put a plaque on both sides. You can view either side based on mood. 

Thanks guys. I tend to go between simple bases and morecomplicated ones. This was a nice relief after the Jagdpanther with the trees.

Griffin, no, the box's are from an AFV club set for 7.5cm PaK ammo. I think i might have to agree with you on the name plate. Normally i think its better for the vehicle to be facing towards the front, but this could have been one of those few cases where it wasn't. But then i do like to go against the norm, like having a vehicle behind a wall rather than in front of it.

Now you have me thinking if i should move the nameplate.

That looks great. Love the ground work. Are the ammo boxes scratch built?

I think the name plaque should be on the other side to expose the other figures and the ammo boxes better. Just my opinion. I like it either way.

I have to agree with Gamera, that the quality of the construction along with the weathering allows this simplicity of the diorama to work. As Martha Stewart would say, "The simplicity of a Marder  Ausf diorama is a good thing."

(I think she said that.) 

Looks really good Bish, I like a nice simple base for something like this, sets off the model without over-complicating things. Kudos sir! 

Well, its not exactly my idea. Until last year i used to use rub on letters straight onto the wood. But it was a pain in the butt and i wanted somthing more colourful with the flags and badges. I actually saw what others were doing and adapted it for my own ends.

As for the flag, well i have one of those myself. No, i don't think it means your supporting those ideal's or causeing offense as its in your own private space. I assume you also have an old Soviet flag. I always find it strange that people get so upset at the nazi insignia but will display the Hammer and Sickle without a second thought.

I have done a couple of builds recently of vehciles in SS units. Instead of the eagle in the shield i have put the SS sigrunes. I have never had any come back, even when taking them to the model club. Its all part of the history.

I have pretty strong views on free speech and free expression,which of course i won't go into here. But if you want to display the flag, then thats your choice.

Awesome, I like it. You just gave me a tip for creating my plaques now. Don't be offended when I rip off your idea and you see some of my work on here with the exact same style plaques! I have a question for you though, an ethical one. That I have four display cases, each dedicated to a different nation during WWII. Germany, US, Soviet, and British. Above each case I have a flag, denoting the nation displayed within. Above Germany, I have a flag that is exactly like the one printed on your plaque, and I mean exactly, swastika and all. Do you think that some would find that offensive or that I am supporting those ideals?

Thanks Reaper. Yes, thats printed, i put some Fablon on it and then stick it to a strip of balsa.

Excellent work Bish. Did you print the "plaque" up and then overlay a piece of clear acrylic to it or how did you do that?