Hi T-Rex. Thanks for sharing, it can be daunting to come up with a solid story line when creating a diorama. In all my years building models and attending contests, I have seen few EFFECTIVE, well-presented dioramas (but I have seen many masterful collections of figures and vehicles combined with split-pea cobblestone streets and scratchbuilt buildings). Most that I have seen simply did not follow the logic that Gino points out in Shep Paines' book series. It is THE reference for how to create what you want a diorama to do, which is:
1: Tell a story that is complete in its concept and creation;
2: Let the viewer understand the STORY, even if the viewer is not necessarily familiar with the particular piece of equipment. (Shep modified his own figures from Hisorex and other sources to get the figures to look and "act" the way he wanted, and got incredible facial expressions that portrayed fear, determination,anger and joy. Now we can largely buy many figures like this pre-made, all we have to do is paint).
As an example, I have never considered a line of German soldiers walking along beside, say, an Elefant to be a diorama. Unless there is some other piece of the story being presented that we do not see portrayed on the base plate, then to me it is a large vignette or a setting using figures combined with the vehicle. The vast majority of what are called dioramas follow this route, and are not necessarily effective at telling a particular story. The little details which point out clues that will help a viewer sum up what is going on in the scene (see Sheps book, its full of them) bring the whole idea together. I dont build armor, but I sure have enjoyed reading that book!
Experiment, lay out your ideas for your next project on paper, and have others look at it to see if they "get it". Keep trying, it comes with experience! :-) With all this talk of dioramas, I'm going to find it in the boxes, i haven't seen it since we moved and its time to re-read it.
Good luck!
David
Build to please yourself, and don't worry about what others think!
TI 4019 Jolly Roger Squadron, 501st Legion