US Army assaults Argentan dio(WW2)WIP pics

Great job!

I'm using some of the same figures for a work of my own.  How did you do the rifle slings and helmet straps?  I'd like to add those to my figures as well.

Dan H.

Hey red1, gorgeous dio! You can see that you've really put a lot of work into it! The interior of the house is beautifully done; the furniture is well-rendered. and the soldiers are an impressive lot! The finishes on all are very good too!

If you want some critique, I have a couple things that hit me right away...

I don't think you'd see soldiers on top of the tank going into an obviously "hot" zone--tanks tended to draw fire, and the concussion alone from a round striking the Sherman would kill those two GI's on the deck. Ditto that for the TC; he would most likely be "buttoned up" inside.

Second, I'm not "feeling" the placement of the two buildings for some reason...the house looks like it would have extended PAST the archway there, like, THROUGH the wall--unless the wall terminated there. But that doesn't look like a wall that WOULD end there...get it? I just don't think the layout of the scene works--perhaps you had that "other building" in your mind as you were laying it out?

Anyway--not to take away from your efforts! It's a beautiful scene to be sure! Hope to see more of your work! 

I couldn't find it on your blog, what figures did you use, and was the house and archway scrathbuilt?

Thanks,

David

Not a problem David.

The figures are from 3 different figure sets. The Tamiya US assault infantry and western europe set. 2 figures are from DML's Omaha beach set.

 As for the Normandy building, it is from MiniArt miniatures.  Miniart has a wide range of buildings(they are huge) and they are cheaper than earlier brands, though not as easy to built. Check out the MiniArt site http://www.miniart-models.com/ It's awesome.

The archway was scratched built from foamboard and tile sealant.

Hey you're right on the dot doog. The placement of the archway needed to be slightly further away . The fact that I did not have the building when I did the base was my pitfall for this project. Your eye for detail have caught me red handed man. By the way, the wall of the building does not end there, only my dio  ended there. It would have been better if its a bigger base. I admit there are flaws in this diorama. Hey dats the reason I always keep coming back  here- to learn from you guys.

My idea was to simulate a scene where it tells a different story when you look at the scene from different angles. As for the 2 figures on the tank, they were at first taking cover behind the wall.

(far bottom left of photo)

 However if the dio is viewed from the front, they were blocked by the M4 Sherman.

So I placed them on the Sherman. It's not much for realism perhaps but more for a exaggerated picturesque effect like what Hollywood so often does(where everything has to fit the camera lens). Okay I'll try stay away from Hollywood next time. Thanks for the crit bro.

 Thanks Dan

You can use paper or ribbon cut into thin strips to simulate rifle straps. If you want more detail, u can use epoxy putty(green stuff) to add buckles and metal parts.

I used epoxy putty to make the helmet straps. It's tricky and time consuming but worth the while.

 I like to add: You can also use DML US helmets cause they come with helmet straps but I'm not sure how well they fit with with Tamiya models.  Just haven't tried them yet.

I'm not a big fan of Tamiya  by the way but got no choice for this dio(competition rules).

I thought about ribbon - how do you get it to drape (hang) right?  Do you paint it and shape it while wet to what gravity would do?  How do you attach it to the rifle?  A blob of white glue, maybe?

I like the idea of using putty for the helmet straps.  Do you lay it out and cut it on the bench, then apply it to the helmet while still wet, or lay it on the helmet and cut it in place?

I haven't tried other figures yet, I found the Tamiya ETO figures in my local shop and thought they'd be a good introduction to the field.  Thanks again for all your help.

Dan H.

It's not that difficult actually. Get the length right then just paint it and let it dry .

Don't fix the weapon onto the figure till you fixed the strap onto the  weapon. 

Plan how you want the strap to hang(just follow the illustration on the box.), glue one end at a time. I use Faller model glue.

.

It's expensive but would give a very controlled and clean finish. I'm hooked with this. Anybody has better model glue, just let me know.

After glue has set, fold it into the desired shape and glue onto the figure. When dry adjust it some more till you like, then touch up with paint.

For the putty, rolled it thin(wait till it is less tacky) and attach it wet onto the helmet and cut to desired length. Use a pen knife of shaper to adjust it. All done.

Peace,

Good news! This Argentan dio won a placing at the Tamiya Modelling Compertition 2007. I guess I'll have more fulfilling modelling days ahead after all. What an experience. Something to look forward to every year. Hurray!