My first 1/35 dio "12th SS in normandy: escapeing the falise Gap."

It's a bit hard to see details in the pictures. It seems most of your light is from the reflection on the wall behind your subject, leaving much of your work literally in the dark. Try setting up your light source on the same plane as your camera.

Great first Dio!!!  I love the action from the Normandy campaign...A word on the trees...I did the same as you on my first dio...using those "Railroad" foliage...Sometimes they just don't look so real...I went back and stripped mine off and went "Natural".  I pulled some small twigs out of the ground roots and all..cleaned them off, turn them upside down, trim the roots and BAM..instant tree with branches...I then sprayed the branches with glue water and rolled them in oregano leaves...Looked pretty good and smelled good too!!  

Other than that, great work..look forward to seeing more!!

Mark

ya the hobby store had som more "real" looking trees but they were $20 bucks a peice i bought these came with  7 in a pack with the leave material for 9 bucks :)

oh the dead tree ill probably add leaves to it just was lazy and dident. 

Hey...don't stress about the trees...you've got a great first dio...in fact as you do more you'll look back and say..."I should have done this or should have done that".  There are so many techniques out there, you can't possibly know them all or use them all...You just build it for you.  Part of the fun is learning more project to project.  Not to get old school on you but when I started dioramas back in '88, I picked up the book "How to build dioramas" by Shep Paine.  I was hooked!  After reading that, I built my first Sherman diorama and entered a local competition and won 2nd place.  The judges told me the reason I didnt win first place was because I didn't sink the tank deeper into my "wet" earth.  Details man!!  It'll kill you everytime..but I took it and learned from it...Best of luck...By the way...welcome to the forum!!

Mark

If this is truly your first, then you've done very well. The muddy road looks awesome. The more detail-oriented I get, the less satisfied I am with store bought trees and foigage. It's just a matter of taste. Your trees look good.

I agree with an earlier post about wanting to see better lighted shots. I understand your point about realism and shadows, and you've achieved that effect. But now, I'd like to see some focused detail shots of the figures and the Pz III.

Steve

 Great work! I've been building armor in 1/35th to the max and HO railroad layouts right in the same room. I have 1/48th scale WW 2 Aircraft hanging from the ceiling as well, and in many ways the 3 all work into the same application of painting (all acrylic paints) and weathering.

 I posted many threads on these forums as well as Model Railroader and included many tips on each "side" of the hobby, one thing I have learned over the many years is ground texturing is the same for all dioramas. I use the blocks of soft green florist foam, the kind that looks like bricks, there are many possibiltiies in the use of this product to complete dioramas the size of yours and up to RR diorama sections.

 After cutting the blocks down to the right thickness in varying layers I glue it to the scenery base board with Elmers white glue. After the glue dries I start to coat the foam with acrylic base coats of earth tone paints, then while the paint is drying I use the tracks, wheels or other means to make the impressions in the mud or dirt wtih the same tracks or wheels on the vehicles that will be in the diorama. Much in the same way you show in your fine work. I have been doing this with the foam bricks now for about 20 years and the cost of the foam is much less than any other medium I have found. The main advantage of the foam bricks is the cost, only a few $$$ for three in a pack. Many people overlook the art/craft section of the local hobby store and miss out on the fantastic amounts of diorama material in bulk. All of this mixes with HO rr scenery and large scale military, it's all the same technique and crossing from one to the other ahs taught me a great deal.

 Experimentation is the key. Try making streams with "Minwax" Glossy Polycrylic wood sealant. Mix thouroughly following the directions as if you were coating a piece of woodwork. Pour into a trough (stream bed) and let the sealant flow, you will have to dam one end of the trough until the fluid sets up. Keep adding layers about 1/4 inch at a time and you should start seeing the effects of the water -look. Once again it is all about experimenting with any non-hobby product. Home improvement and craft products are out there and one starts to see the benefits of using the bulk items. One quart can of Polycrylic would last the average modeler a lifetime for intermidiate water scenery jobs.

 One day I will borrow my mother-in-law's digital camera as I am still a film photographer and post photos of some of the ideas I have mentioned on this and the Model RR forums. But as with all of us in these hobbies I like to be 100% with the scenes I would be refering to, so please be patient. I have had a strong influence in the arts from a father who made huge contributions to the photography world through his work at Eastman Kodak and my mother who used watercolors to create all sorts of scenery paintings. So I have ahead start in the arts and my canvas is in the form of military dioramas and trains.

 I hope I have shed a little light on this subject and the fact that the diorama in this post is somewhat in the shade does in fact add to the realism. Keep up the great work.

johncpo

the figures are dragon 12th SS HJ in normandy and there not in winter smocks, there in summer blured edge smocks, and one is in itialian foilage camo.

and yes there were a few Panzer III varients still in use for infantry support roles only in normandy. 

yes no doubt, but they were used as support rolls as "infantry support only" the mark IIIs were no match against late model allied armor.

get a copy of From normandy to the Ruhr: with the 116th Panzer Division. By hienze gudieren. up armor Panzer III F's, G's, And H's with the 50mm L/42 gun were used. not many but they were thier. and alot were converted to ammo carriers and divisional Communication vehicles in the rear.

Great job, but the tree with no foliage look a little artificial.

Pedro

one important area,any advise how to construct  mud, or pot hole water.