On the Road to Tunis

Just one thing, all the way to the left is a guy w/ papers looking like hes checking sometin normally while the soldiers are like running and ducking. I would Do something about that officer w/ papers, other than that its nice.
-ERAD

Wow, a 2 1/2 year-old thread, ressurrected!
It is indeed a nice dio, and I'm glad to see it again, but folks, I don't think Steve has posted here at FSM in a LOOOOONG time (five months, to be exact).

Who knows, maybe he'll pop in again sometime!

Nice work mate .

Nice!

yeah I dont know why I do the hard stuff first? :( Self-Torture?

Thanks for the input, More Pics Soon!!!

-Muzzleflash

I like your dios. Both this one and the Russian winter. Nice movement and dynamic, they are a good "snapshot".
I give you credit, personaly I think doing damaged or burned out vehicles can be harder than in service working vehicles. Not only do you have to buld the model, but now you have to "break it" and do so in a way that looks convincing. You do this with your vehicles. I especialy like it when there is some major damage, it gives you an opportunity to do some interior detailing.

I concurr with Robert (shermanfreak) on his critique.
I will preface mine with ,it may be the photo, and if it is please disregard.

The figures are a bit shiny. They also appear flat. (Dimensionaly, not paint finish) A dark wash and some highlights will make their uniforms stand out a bit more and give them some more depth. Remember they are exposed as well and suffer from the same dust, mud, etc. the tanks do. Dust up their boots a bit. Give 'em some weathering. Also you might want to think about drilling a small hole and insert a wire in the foot. This can be inserted into a hole you drill in the base and you won't have to use the putty to attach the figs to the base. Avoiding the "oh my Fritz..what have I stepped in?"

When doing dioramas, spend as much time finishing the figs as you do the vehicles. They make an important aspect of the scene and are an equal focus of the viewer if not more so.

The background photos really add to the overall and give it a place and help set the mood. Nice touch.

Love your groundwork. What do you do for ground?

As always, do what makes you happy and what you feel comfortable with. Take any criticism with a grain of salt (also good for weathering effects), retain what is useful and discard whatever you think is unnecessary.

I see a talent to keep an eye on. They look good, keep em comming! I can't wait to see the hedgrow and the river dios.

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by muzzleflash88 i am working on MANY at the same time including planes on skis with full ground crew (coming soon

Cool-- I am in the middle of this type of thing as well--what plane is in yours?? I have an IL-2 and a MiG-3 with ground crew and a horse drawn fuel sledge.....still a long ways to go but I look forward to seeing yours....

Thanks!
I am getting used to weathering, but as I keep reading it is best to go lightly. I guess I'll beat up tank 15 a little more :)

As far as being all over the place with my dios (winter and desert), i am working on MANY at the same time including planes on skis with full ground crew (coming soon), and a hedgrow scene is almost done, and one that is a "river crossing" that is allllllllmost done :) , and a flak bunker. I am also working on a Verlinden streetfighters base with germans surrenderring to US MARINES. The question is how many germans surrender per 1 US Marine?

The figures above are painted in acrylic paint, mostly Tamiya and PollyS. I have to check to see if they are shiny or if it was the flash.

Thanks for your comments on my other post also.

-Muzzleflash

From the snows of Russia to the desert of North Africa, you do go from one temperature extreme to another don't you Muzzleflash.

Some nice work done on the weathering for the knocked out Panzer II. The burn marks up the side of the hull are a nice touch. You've also produced some very good ground work for this scene, capturing the barren look of this terrain. Once again a couple of things come to my mind with this build. A little more weathering on the second Panzer would really touch it up. The desert conditions were very harsh on any painted surfaces. Once again the weight of the vehicles would push them into the ground a little more. I'm not sure what type of paint you use , but the figures do appear a little shiny. This could of course just be the camera flash and if that's so disregard. another nice bit of work here though, you certainly do like your dios and once again with a few touch ups it'll make a great addition to your shelf.