Kharkov, 1943: "Backhand Blow" *UPDATE 5-21: new pics* - FineScale Modeler - Essential magazine for scale model builders, model kit reviews, how-to scale modeling, and scale modeling products

Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 23, 2008 5:46 PM

Patience, grasshopper...lol...

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Huxy

Member since
April 2008
From: Kristiansund, Norway

Posted by Huxy on Friday, May 23, 2008 12:31 PM

POST..... IT.... NOW!!!

I bet I have the entire forum supporting me when I say, Post it now! We can't wait!

"Every War Starts And Ends With An Invasion".

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 23, 2008 11:58 AM

Mobious wrote:
Have you considered adding a cig. in the bad a$$ mg 42 gunners mouth? Give him some additional attitude!

hmmmm...might do that...finished dio will be posted sometime this weekend...

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Mobious

Member since
September 2007
From: Relocating

Posted by Mobious on Thursday, May 22, 2008 8:25 PM

Have you considered adding a cig. in the bad a$$ mg 42 gunners mouth? Give him some additional attitude!

"It's a problem of applied physics" Roy Brown

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Huxy

Member since
April 2008
From: Kristiansund, Norway

Posted by Huxy on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 1:46 PM

I suggest putting guy 2 and 4 at the maxim looking over it and back to where they came from...

And how quickly does Celluclay dry?

"Every War Starts And Ends With An Invasion".

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dupes

Member since
November 2006
From: Coastal Maine

Posted by dupes on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 12:54 PM

Man, even your DOG is good...sure you haven't considered that fig toot at all?

http://www.mycyclinglog.com/profile/dupes

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Thehannaman2

Member since
August 2004
From: Buffalo NY

Posted by Thehannaman2 on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 9:14 AM

Manny, excellent work on the figures. They are head and shoulders above anything that I can do, honestly. However, you might want to take another look at the eye's of the guy with the MG42. Maybe it's just me or the photography, but they seem... I don't know.. a little vacant. Other than that, they look exquisite!

Justen

"The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success."

Member IPMS Niagara Frontier. "The BuffCon Boys."

IPMSUSA Member 45680

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vespa boy

Member since
April 2004
From: Boston MA

Posted by vespa boy on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 8:13 AM

You've got a visual two-way extension off the diorama base.... The tracks leading on and the small gun pointing off...or it can be seen as two guns pointing in opposite directions. Its a linear composition in its basic structure with a visual tension in the space between the tank and the field gun as they pull in opposite directions. Does that make sense? The only way to know what works is to start fooling around and see what works.

http://public.fotki.com/nkhandekar

This ain't no Mudd Club, or C.B.G.B.,
I ain't got time for that now

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wing_nut

Member since
April 2005
From: Piscataway, NJ!

Posted by wing_nut on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 7:36 AM

Mansteins revenge wrote:
Here is the base (imagine a Mk IVG in whitewash sitting where the tracks are embossed onto the base w/ a commander in the cupola--work with me; I can't show you everything yet!):

Since I am building the aforementioned whitewashed Pz IV G as we speak... the best thing for you to do is send the base to me and then you don't have to worry about what to do with the figures.

But since that seems a bit less than likely…

I see a couple of possibilities for the guys. #2 can be telling the tale of their last encounter with the enemy or how the Red Army guys that were manning the machine gun took off and pointing in that direction. The other 5 in the line can be listening.

Or, #2 can be yelling at a group, 3-6 with #1 standing of to the side listening in to hear what’s going on. In that case the dog could be at #2’s side face who ever he is pointing to since he is in a somewhat aggressive stance.

The 3 grounder pounders may just be standing around the machine gun muttering something like, “Shut up already, I’m as cold as the Kaiser… let’s get going.”

Marc

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redleg12

Member since
July 2006
From: New Jersey

Posted by redleg12 on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 5:54 AM

Manny -

Your figures are beyound reproach. As usual you blow my mind.

Nice ground work....can't wait to see everything togeather

Rounds Complete!!

"The Moral High Ground....A Great Place to Emplace Artillery."

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the doog

Member since
January 2007

Posted by the doog on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 12:41 AM

Stunning cast of characters there, Manny--really, that's a line-up of really exquisite figures there!

It's to late for me to think that hard yet, but I know that this will be a stunning piece of work when you get it together!

Oh, and uh................."HEY DOOG!!!!!" LOL!

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:58 PM

Well, guys, the dio is nearing completion: the Mk IVG is complete, the figgies are painted and the base is almost dry. That means one thing: composition time. This crucial step is a "make or break" for any good dio. The figs have to draw the viewer into the scene and then guide the eyes of the viewer pleasingly around the entire dio while telling a story...

This is where you come in...here is the cast of characters:

Yes, the dog is part of the cast.

Here is the base (imagine a Mk IVG in whitewash sitting where the tracks are embossed onto the base w/ a commander in the cupola--work with me; I can't show you everything yet!):

Now...where would you place each figure??? To help identify the figs just number them 1 thru 10, left to right (dude in cool coat would be number 1; ground-pounder w/ rifle leaning against him would be number 10)...

Help me out guys, pimp my dio!!!

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1:06 PM

Huxy wrote:

Manny, I love it!

but a question about celluclay... compared to plaster, when it dries, how hard is it? And how much like plaster is it anyways?

Celluclay is hard as a rock when completely dry...it is basically a high-grade of paper mache'...I add white glue to my mixture to minimize shrinkage...as far as comparing it to plaster, I feel it is a much better medium in replicating groundwork...thanks for looking.

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Huxy

Member since
April 2008
From: Kristiansund, Norway

Posted by Huxy on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 11:10 AM

Manny, I love it!

but a question about celluclay... compared to plaster, when it dries, how hard is it? And how much like plaster is it anyways?

"Every War Starts And Ends With An Invasion".

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SteveM

Member since
June 2006
From: AusTx, Live Music Capitol of the World

Posted by SteveM on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:58 AM

Awesome groundwork. Looking forward to all the parts coming together.

Steve

Steve M.

On the workbench: ginormous Kharkov dio

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 7:54 AM

biffa wrote:
That is some nice looking frozen ground right there and the figs and IV G look top notch Manny, this one will look great when it all comes together i will be checking back.

Thanks, Ron---if you look real close in the top pic, behind the dio base, you might see a plastic spoon that I glued two 35th scale boots to w/ superglue. I then "walked" the spoon around the base to make some "footprints" in the mud and snow...lol...

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biffa

Member since
January 2005
From: in the tank factory in my basement

Posted by biffa on Monday, May 19, 2008 10:27 PM

That is some nice looking frozen ground right there and the figs and IV G look top notch Manny, this one will look great when it all comes together i will be checking back.

Ron g.

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panzerguy

Member since
October 2007
From: N.H.

Posted by panzerguy on Monday, May 19, 2008 7:55 PM

Manny PLEASE stop you'r teasing me more than the ninteen year old that live's acrossed the street LOL.

Just one favor, when this is done please post a boat load of pic's

"Happiness is a belt fed weapon"

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madmike

Member since
July 2003
From: Perth, Western Australia

Posted by madmike on Monday, May 19, 2008 7:44 PM

Superb!

If I could get a smll amount of that level of detail on my 1:72 figures, I would be VERY happy.

As an aside. I am currently painting a 1939 era 1:72 Wehrmacht officer from a Matchbox 1:76 kit. This particular gentleman has a officers tunic open to the sternum revealing the shirt underneath.Is the shirt colour field grey or the more normal white and what colour would then be the high collar? I have not seen this type of tunic before in my small reference library and the officer is plainly not a tanker.

Anyone?

Cheers

Mike

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." - Galileo Galilei

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, May 19, 2008 6:15 PM

Thanks for all the comments guys! I always am experimenting with different things to form the contours of my dios...the tongue depressors were just handy to get different heights on this one...I wanted to depict a hasty Russian MG dugout that had just been overrun and abandoned as the Mk IV rolls up...

The re-bar is something I have been doing for awhile...not really necessary but gives me a warm fuzzy making me think I am recyclying sprue I would otherwise throw away...LOL...although I do believe it gives the celluclay something to "bite" into...I use Humbrol enamels for the figs w/ some oils for the flesh...nothing comes out flatter than a Humbrol matte!!!

The ground is still curing but here are some more teasers of how the base is shaping up---whaddya think so far???

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Mobious

Member since
September 2007
From: Relocating

Posted by Mobious on Monday, May 19, 2008 4:49 AM

Very detailed painting. The white uniforms look great. What types of paints do you use for your figures?

"It's a problem of applied physics" Roy Brown

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vespa boy

Member since
April 2004
From: Boston MA

Posted by vespa boy on Sunday, May 18, 2008 11:43 AM

The use of sprue as rebar is very inventive. I also like the stacking of tongue depressors. One thought would be to coat them with shellac so that they don't move around and warp too much if they get wet with celluclay/plaster.

I almost never comment on military vehicles, but I have to say that I really like the weathering on the Panzer IV. Nice work.

http://public.fotki.com/nkhandekar

This ain't no Mudd Club, or C.B.G.B.,
I ain't got time for that now

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Dr. Faust

Member since
May 2006
From: So.CaL

Posted by Dr. Faust on Sunday, May 18, 2008 4:10 AM

Nice! What's that old saying? "I may know nothing about art/armor/etc., But I know what I like!

I enjoy peakin' in on the armor and dio threads to see what your up to. Excellent stuff!

I'm taking notes on your figure painting BTW. I am doing one, my first serious try, and really like the way you pose and paint yours! I'll be watching for the next update.

Just build it (and post pics when youre done)

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the doog

Member since
January 2007

Posted by the doog on Saturday, May 17, 2008 9:09 PM

Hey Manny--wow, that panzer teaser is looking swwweeeeet!!!!

WHat? Is That WEATHERING AND CHIPPPING?!?! LOL!

Seriously--that looks fabulous! Good to see you expanding your horizons and going for a bit of a "beater"! I'll be very interested in seeing what you do with it!

That TC looks appropriately grim and menacing too!

Sure is coming along! I can't believe you fill up your base with all that "rebar" though! Usually, I never had a problem with the Celluclay lifting if I just put it down over a thin layer of white glue...I would think that all the space you need to fill there would increase the amount of it you have to use, wouldn't it? Hey, whatever works, I guess--the proof's in the pudding, and you make some tasty pudding! ...............

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Douglas1

Member since
July 2006
From: Kokomo, Indiana

Posted by Douglas1 on Saturday, May 17, 2008 7:00 PM

WOW!

Tamiya Jagdpanther 1/35 on the bench 80%

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 17, 2008 6:13 PM

Here is the dio base contoured out with tongue depressors (girlfriend is a nurse--lol) and using scrap sprue for re-bar so the celluclay will stick better...