1/35 scale Dragon 120mm mortar team

Well, first I'd say it's a super piece of work! Good painting, good scene layout, and from what I can see, excellent skin tones and faces on the figs.

The only thing I'd advise is, since it looks like a semi-permanent emplacement--or at least not simply transitory--I'd lay a couple pieces of personal equipment around, especially since none of the guys are reall wearing much at all; ya know, go for a little more of a "lived-in" look...a couple bed/tent rolls, a few canteens, some rifles, etc...

Really nice overall though!

...this is the second vignette/dio I have seen of yours and you have a lot of talent...the ONLY thing I have questioned about both is your choice of colors in the camo patterns, although this one is a lot closer IMO than the first...the pattern for the splinter looks good but the green is too bright on the loader...

...each work you post is getting better expodientially...keep up the good work (but check refs on camo colors)...

Thank you everyone on commenting. I will check references more than just use the boxtop! Plus, the kit comes with half a dozen opened boxes with mortars that I will use, plus add packs and stuff. I am thinking of building a Torn FU br1 field radio, too.  Added some tree roots and trunks to the base:

Fantastic work on the skin tones and other paint! None of the down-the-leg seams that Dragon is evidently so fond of, although I do see a little scraping on one of them. Your groundwork and everything looks great.

A couple of questions though:

1. These camo parkas were reversible, right? If they were, then what you've got is, the ones with the camo side out, the white is showing inside the collar etc. But the other ones, with the white side out, shouldn't they be showing green/camo on the insides of the collar?

2. Camo netting over a mortar position? Given 1940s fuze technology, wouldn't that be kinda scary? I realize it's pulled back, but maybe they would have removed it, or not put it up? Or maybe they would. (It does look good...)

You've already addressed the too-bright green in their uniforms and the lack of additional ammo (should be stacks of mortar rounds sitting there somewhere) and other gear. Overall, I'd say this is a bang-up job!

Fantastic work, Buddho! It really shows a lot of attention to detail. I can't speak to the authenticity of things such as whether or not camo netting would have been used (don't know why not), uniform design and such, but what you have here is *very* well done.

If I had to come up with something that could be improved - aside from the absence of miscellaneous gear and ammo already mentioned - it would just be that their boots look too clean for them to have been working in that environment. It kind of gives them that "just placed in a diorama" look.

Excellent scene!

Thanks again, Eric, Jthurston and Rich Carpenter.

I do have some work to do...one thing is weathering the boots and such. I have them placed for the photos. I could be wrong, but using the box as a guide it looks like both of these type of reversible clothes (camo and gray) had white on the opposite side. Can someone clear this up?

 Regards, Dan

Hey Buddho, another great piece from you. I've enjoyed all of them, and this one is really well done.

As I am looking at the ground work, I am wanting to see more variations of dark and light earth tones. Wouldn't the sub- ground level earth be much darker than the higher ground? Then, I got to thinking... the cold weather uniforms, yet no apparent snow... does this suggest late autumn,  real early spring (thaw)? I guess what I'm getting at is that I think my brain wants to see a really muddy sub-level because... well. I guess because that's where the water goes

Maybe not. Never mind me. Just got me thinkiin'... real nice job, painting is well done.

Steve 

Thanks Steve and I believe you are correct...there would be mud at the sublevel...Ill have to fix that. I was thinking of adding some snow then thought the cam net should be camou'd white? I dunno....

SO here is the stuff Ive been working on. Taking suggestions, I added some personal effects and placed the ammo around:

Thank you everyone for giving me tips and suggestions to complete this diorama:

OH BABY! YEAH!

That's the ticket! GREAT JOB, Buddho! It really came all together, and the whole composition is really tied together perfectly! the snow is a nice touch, and the accessories are just what it needed! An awesome job! 

Thank you all for your kind words and suggestions!

I actually did go back and darken the dug out areas with black/brown, but the photos dont show it! I think part of it is I used acrylic medium over most of the area to simulate wet mud/ice that the sheen lightens the color up. I guess more practice with the color/ice/photo steps will get it better on future dios.

Regards, Dan

Buddho,

First let me say that I really like this little dio, and I like how you incorporated the suggestions of others to improve the product.

I only have one observation from a guy who has been a mortarman for many, many years.  When a mortar fires, all the force from propelling the round it directed into that big, round baseplate.  Typically, the first round or two that is fired will drive the baseplate into the ground (we call this 'seating' the baseplate) which is actually advantageous, because it makes the whole platform more stable.  In fact, when we fire the first two rounds from our mortars, we have one of the ammomen (they're expendable, right? ) stand on the back edge of the baseplate to add their weight in driving it into the ground.  I'm not sure if that was standard practice with the Germans back in WWII or not.  In situations where the ground is frozen, rocky, or otherwise too hard to seat the baseplates, we'll stack sandbags, sandfilled ammo crates, tree limbs, etc under the baseplate to give it a seat.

So looking at your dio, my first impression is that this is a prepared position recently occupied and they are firing their first mission.  Not sure if that was what you were going for (or if it even matters) but I thought I'd share my observations. 

Again, a really impressive little dio.

P.S. The camo netting over the gun pit is pretty standard - they would have pulled it back just like you have it (or in some cases fired right through it...)

P.P.S.  Ooops, I lied - one more comment.  That ammoman standing just in front and to the right of the mortar tube.  Odds are he would not stand there, particularly with a live round.  There is a pretty good shockwave coming out of that tube, and he stands to get the brunt of it.  You might consider moving him back a little so he is behind the tube.  (In case anyone thinks to ask, the guy dropping the round will duck down below the level of the tube to avoid the shock of the round exiting).

Hey Buddho,

I've done a little checking and you're right about the reversible colors on the jackets. Some would be camo with white on the inside, while others were gray with white on the inside. So yours are accurate.

Even if they weren't this would still be an outstanding build!!

Thanks to both of you, for your kind comments...

BBrowniii for your knowledge as a mortar man, I do appreciate the details you have picked out and will move the second guy out of the blast path...

and Jthurston, for researching the uniforms and letting me know this was correct.

Regards, Dan

Im loving your work mate, you really seem to have a talent. Can you tell me what you used for the base? it looks like styrofoam or something of the like. Im guessing you painted it the grey colour aswell.

Dave

Thanks Dave.

THe Foam I use is 10lb density modelling foam scraps I get from work. We make large mandrels and N/C machined proofs with this material. It has about the same density and carving characteristics as balsa, without having to worry about grain direction.