Thanks for all the comments and/or suggestions, guys!
DOOG, thanks---it was, as you pointed out, a little of a stretch for me to go to the degree of weathering that I did on this one but felt that the scene really called for it due to the conditions it was portraying. I actually like the way it turned out so who knows what my next tank will look like...lol...The composition of the finished elements is always the toughest part, especially when you are working with so many figs in one scene (10 plus the dog in this case)...There are many figs that turned out well enough to rate as a "focal-point" fig, which complicated matters more. Being as much a military historian as I am a military modeler, I was trying to convery a few things with the composition that may explain some of my choices: The battle of Kharkov was VERY fluid, much like those battles fought in North Africa, with armored columns thrusting deep into enemy lines and often by-passing strong points for the infantry to deal with later. There weren't the well-defined front lines that many of us think about during much of this battle. In that sense the soldier pointing somewhat to the rear/side could either be describing the recent action that took place by pointing out his unit's axis of advance, or he could even be pointing to other by-passed Soviet strongpoints. In any event, I think he also helps balance the other front figs and tank barrel which are all posed to the "front" of the dio...In addition, the two figs on the tank are also looking to the front, so in my mind it does offer a little balance...thanks for the feedback, man!
BIFFA, thanks...I have been wanting to do this one a looooong time !!!
HERMES, thanks for the good feedback on the figgie painting. I am always trying to improve on my skills and since I have been a member of the Forum for just over a year I think I have learned a lot from you guys. I do feel that I am a better figure paiinter than I was a year ago. My goal is to learn something new on each one of these and you helped me to do that with this one.
AJLAFLECHE, in all my years of modeling and competing, I must say that I have NEVER heard of "wind" brought up as criticism relating to a dio, but hey--I take it as a compliment if that's your major point. However, if you look closely, you will also see that the guy w/ the long tan coat also has the right flap of his coat "blowing" in the same direction as the cap you pointed out...also the soldier next to him seems to have his MP40 strap blowing in the wind that way as well. Also, note that the German Shephard has his tail down, something they do when the wind is at their back...![Big Smile [:D]](/emoticons/icon_smile_big.gif)
STEVEM, thanks for looking. I realize this dio is FAR from perfect---that's why we all usually have a next project always lined-up. The composition, as I mentioned earler, is always a tough call, especially when you are working with snow, as that makes "practice positioning" difficult. I must say that after studying the pics I might go back and move the man with the long coat, soldier pointing and dog forward and slightly to the right. I think this will do two things: eliminate the slight clutter at the front of the tank as far as figs go, and be the first group of figs the viewer sees, which hopefully will then begin a left-to-right scan of the rest of the dio. It will also fill in a little of the "white" area up front, which was purposely left somewhat stark to press home the winter conditions. I usually don't like leaving a lot of empty spaces in my dios but felt the snow and stark terrain were part of the story. I also would have liked to have received my new MINIART Russian 76.2mm field gun BEFORE the ground had set up, as I would have most likely replaced the maxim with it since it does have more of a visual footprint. I did build a Russian casualty that I modified from a YANK GI casualty, but thought that the "shock" effect of that in the very front of the dio in the hasty dugout would have been too much of a distraction...
Also, thanks to DOSTACOS, WINGNUT, PANZERGUY, MOBIOUS, STICKMAN, PORDOI and HUXY (did I leave anyone out???) for looking in and commenting.