New Dio-WIP *Update 12-31*

HUH? Where's the chick?! LOL!

Seriously--looks great so far!

Hit that brick wall with a light tan oil wash, then wipe it off real quick to leave the "mortar" in between the bricks; it'll look realistic...

The buildng interior with the floor looks cool...like the weathering/ smoke on it too!

I'll be excited to see what you come up with for this one! What's the vehicle gonna be?

Certainly the blocking works. Is that the base? If so, looks to be one smallish Sdkfz or a foot squad.

My eye always goes to whether or not civil engineering is thought about. I assume the finished facade won't have lintels at knee level.

Here's where vespa boy gives me thought. What if your ground plane isn't plastruct sheet or such, but a little bit more hand crafted?

Last thought- I always like a couple of letters. In this case, maybe a hand painted sign on the end wall advertising beer in the appropriate language? Give an immediate sense of place.

I really like your dios, so look forward to progress shots.

"Attaboy" Bondo

Thanks, guys...the base is actually larger than one might think...the workable size is about 11.5 by 8.5 inches, so there is actually enough room for...oh, I dunno---maybe a DML zimmed King Tiger?......or something like that? Anyway, ya'll know like I like to hang things close to the edges of the base...lol...creative turret positioning can also add inches to a dio...

...the building actually depicts what I believe to be a typical German rowhouse with a basement...those are the 1/4 windowns you see at ground level; they represent the building going down into a basement...interesting you mention Vespa's work, as I will be doing a lot of creative carving, sanding, cutting, etc...to depict the street, sidewalk, lamp and water pump properly, and make them all mesh...as this is late war (Oct/Nov/Dec '44 approx.), I might have a dusting of snow on the ground in some spots...the tank will most likely be a 503rd Heer tank, which fought around Aachen and the Hurtgen forest around this time...I already have pictured in my mind how the finished dio will look and I think it will be pretty cool...stay tuned...lol...

Mansteins revenge wrote:

Thanks, guys...the base is actually larger than one might think...the workable size is about 11.5 by 8.5 inches, so there is actually enough room for...oh, I dunno---maybe a DML zimmed King Tiger?......or something like that? Anyway, ya'll know like I like to hang things close to the edges of the base...lol...creative turret positioning can also add inches to a dio... ...the building actually depicts what I believe to be a typical German rowhouse with a basement...those are the 1/4 windowns you see at ground level; they represent the building going down into a basement...interesting you mention Vespa's work, as I will be doing a lot of creative carving, sanding, cutting, etc...to depict the street, sidewalk, lamp and water pump properly, and make them all mesh...as this is late war (Oct/Nov/Dec '44 approx.), I might have a dusting of snow on the ground in some spots...the tank will most likely be a 503rd Heer tank, which fought around Aachen and the Hurtgen forest around this time...I already have pictured in my mind how the finished dio will look and I think it will be pretty cool...stay tuned...lol...

A couple of shots to give better scale:

PS: still working on the story to fit the chick in, doog...lol...

Oh, that is another kind of architecture altogether. That would be Dutch/ Belgian brick architecture, minimal stone.

First let me say I look forward to seeing this one as it goes. Try and keep some WIP pics so we can watch. Easier to catch some tips than getting bombed with the finale.

And on that note I have a couple questions. (not of your skill or technique) Things that caught my eye and would like to ask befor I make a booboo down the road.

1) The brick is "redder" (surely thats not a real word!) than I would have used. Is it the lighting or am I just from a region that uses a "browner" (and score 2 for the venacular!) brick? Maybe as Doog said with some mortar work it will tone down.

2) the one side of the building has what I take as smoke stain/soot. But more prevalant on the 2nd floor. Is there a hole in the wall I cant see that smoke or flames would have been coming thru? Was the beam there burning some? Is it not smoke stain at all?

3) The beams (not sure what you really call those. The timber IN the stone) is light. Like it's new wood. Or like it was treated for a natural finish. Was this often the case?

Seriously I ask from a learning stand point. Not knockin your work at all. Keep churning out great models!

Looking great so far, Manny. I think the layout looks fine. I like the detail on the accessories you've got happenin' so far. Is this gonna support a Pz III? I know how much you want to marry one, as do I

I did this same building in a dio, my first attempt at really detailing the interior. I made a mistake, though; I finished the bricks "boarding up" the ground floor window from the interior using Sculpey. Looked great- until I painted it... them's some glossy bricks. No amount of Dullcoat brought it down. I modeled / suggested a basement from the the inside, with some grenadiers heading down into it.

I don't think the wood beam look too bad. If anything, a little staining for aging, but I think it looks good. Sets off the brick and stucco (?) nicely, got's an artsy quality to it.

Keep up the good'ers.

Steve 

kcmat wrote:

First let me say I look forward to seeing this one as it goes. Try and keep some WIP pics so we can watch. Easier to catch some tips than getting bombed with the finale. And on that note I have a couple questions. (not of your skill or technique) Things that caught my eye and would like to ask befor I make a booboo down the road. 1) The brick is "redder" (surely thats not a real word!) than I would have used. Is it the lighting or am I just from a region that uses a "browner" (and score 2 for the venacular!) brick? Maybe as Doog said with some mortar work it will tone down. 2) the one side of the building has what I take as smoke stain/soot. But more prevalant on the 2nd floor. Is there a hole in the wall I cant see that smoke or flames would have been coming thru? Was the beam there burning some? Is it not smoke stain at all? 3) The beams (not sure what you really call those. The timber IN the stone) is light. Like it's new wood. Or like it was treated for a natural finish. Was this often the case?   Seriously I ask from a learning stand point. Not knockin your work at all. Keep churning out great models!

1) The brick is "redder" (surely thats not a real word!) than I would have used. Is it the lighting or am I just from a region that uses a "browner" (and score 2 for the venacular!) brick? Maybe as Doog said with some mortar work it will tone down. It is a little "redder" than I normally  paint bricks. After all, I was the guy who said a few times in threads that bricks ARE NOT red...lol...part of the reason for the brightness is because I still have some toning down to do with washes and dusting; the other is that I wanted more of a contrast between building and tank...so there is a thought out process of contrast going on in my mind (hope it works!)...

2) the one side of the building has what I take as smoke stain/soot. But more prevalant on the 2nd floor. Is there a hole in the wall I cant see that smoke or flames would have been coming thru? Was the beam there burning some? Is it not smoke stain at all? In most of my dios I try to suggest what is past the border of the dio, and that's especially important to me because I like 'em small (to me the smaller dios convey more a sense of tension and urgency)...if you look close you can see that this is meant to be but just one row-house in a line of them that goes on...notice that there are remnants of an ajoining wall on the side with the cross beams...I will have rubble, etc. here that represents what was on fire and caused those stains...also, those beams have been charred a little as well...I actually used REAL FIRE from a lighter to get some of the burinig effects on this piece...if you look close inside you can see some VLS wallpaper that has been burned and is curling from the wall...the floors were also on fire...this method takes a lot of control...lol...

3) The beams (not sure what you really call those. The timber IN the stone) is light. Like it's new wood. Or like it was treated for a natural finish. Was this often the case? Wood is fickle...some of it looks distressed/old when it it actually new and vice-versa, depending on treatment, exposure, etc...wood used on the outside of a structure usually would have some protective coating on it, such as paint, clear laquer, etc...may still go back and darken it a bit...

Again, once the tank/figs are on the scene the building will merely provide a nice backdrop for it, along with the other bits, such as the barrel, waterpump, lamp, potato sack, etc...hopefully, it will all look like it is a cohesive piece when all the elements come together...will keep everyone posted on progress...thanks for the help...

The general layout follows fairly standard conventions, and works very well as such. You don't really have any obvious areas of empty space, and the one I was going to suggest, you mentioned will be filled with rubble. Will this be an "at ease" or a dynamic type of scene?

I'm curious as to what you'll do to represent the gloom of winter. The light flaking of snow in areas is an interesting idea, since I don't seem to see these scenes set in the winter time as often.

I gotta say the long board is really outta place!  otherwise it looks pretty good!

IYAAYAS wrote:

I gotta say the long board is really outta place!  otherwise it looks pretty good!

the doog wrote:

Manny, ya must have overlooked my post...what about the question I asked? Got any groundwork-type dios?

WOW Manny! Gorgeous! I've seen a few of these before but not that one with the American halftrack and Greyhound, and I'm not sure if I saw that Pz III one. The groundwork is excellent, as I would have expected!

You are truly a master! The US vehicles one especially catches my eye--the uniform camo and building look outstanding. I love your snow work, and the little details like the leaves.

Outstanding!

In the last picture is that the Academy Mutt or the Tamiya

Hellcat man wrote:

In the last picture is that the Academy Mutt or the Tamiya

vespa boy wrote:

Manny I am curious about street lamps, and maybe you can set me right here. I have been under the impression that the bases are made from cast metal which is strong when left alone, but is very brittle when hit, and results in a snap rather than a bend. Is this right?

Manny, vespa boy is gonna be hitting you up for tips on that base! That's looking pretty sweet!

I agree that the section beneath the building looks better like that. 

Manny you do have a great start there with a lot of textures in the street. I really like the paving bricks and the join mid way in the road and the drain in the gutter.

 This is something to think about as you build (and forgive me if I am telling you stuff you already know) Don't forget that there is a lot of action and consequence on streeet level, if you have a damaged building, the falling bricks must have hit the pavement and caused some pitting . Road repairs often don't match the surrounding areas. Don't forget to make everything settle into the base.... e.g. the pavement will have been redone a few times during the life of the building, so make sure the building doesn't sit on top of the sidewalk etc.

Nice work so far.