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Normandy

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  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Oregon
Posted by falschimjager on Friday, July 20, 2012 3:14 AM

That's some pretty good advice he's giving you. From a construction standpoint the minis and the groundwork look really nice, it just looks a tad cluttered. But like I said just a few tweaks and that's some A grade stuff you've got there.

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 10:31 PM

One more thing...  Try to take some photos from the figure's-eye-view... See what they "see"...

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 10:30 PM

From a first look, it's ok, the ground-work is really well-done, although there are few spots that look rather "planned" instead of the "random" found in nature (Don't sweat it though.. It's hard to do at first).. It's also a bit too difficult to place it ( the dio) in Normandy just by looking at it...  In fact, finding more groundwork and foliage from nature would go a long way in improving it, of course, although it's ok now.. Just saying that in the future, use more from the backyard than you use from the model-railroad section of the LHS..

It'd be more interesting showing it as the "German side" of a Normandy hedgerow... In two levels... The hedgerow at the top, acting as the rear border, with the flat area behind it being where most of the action is taking place... Perhaps a piece of road, with a sign-post reading "St Mere-Eglise5 km" or some-such near it to further establish location...

The figures, while well-done from what I can see,  appear to be in stock poses, which tends to make them appear more like mannequins and less like "moving troops"... Getting them "off-balance" will go a long in making them appear to be runing.. Plus, you have too many for the space.. I'd reduce it by about four or five... Soldiers only get that close togther in war movies (because the camera needs them to be that close) ...  A single artillery or mortar round would kill or wound all of them..

You don't need the two MGs side-by side (nor would you deploy your guns that way), and with the sandbags, why would the A-gunner holding the barrel up? That's an assault firing position, only used in emergencies (and when the gunner can't get a line of sight on the targets from the prone), and usually when on the offense, advancing fast, and since finding places to use the bipod are scarce sometimes.. Not a very good position(read: survivalbe) for either the gunner or the a-gunner...

Were I to do it over, I'd cut the MG34 team, leaving the MG42 and the sandbags in place..  But to increase the drama, I'd have the half the Infantry running in the opposite direction of the gun's primary direction of fire (towards the rear), leaving "Private Panzerfaust" with the gunners, since it's likely their hedgerow postion is about to be overrun, as the unseen Allies have a Sherman or Stuart with a hedgerow-cutter mounted and have just crashed through the opposite hedgerow.... The Grenadier would be better modeled as a casualty, adding more drama and urgency to the scene, don't ya think?

This would suggest to the viewer that the gun is dealing with the supporting Allied infantry, and the Panzerfaust is their to deal with the tank when it gets closer to the position.  Meanwhile, the other Germans are displacing to the next position, with the MG34, to cover the MG42 team on their retreat from what will soon be an unteneable position...

Frankly, I'd take the piece you have there, and keep it in mind as you build the next one...   You're definately on the right track, just gotta work on planning a bit more (always do a mock-up so you have plenty of room and everyone's place when you start drilling holes for foot-pins, and always look over period photos, paying attention to the terrain and foliage when you're gonna model a specific area), and try to avoid the temptation to put too much into too small a place...  Every diorama-builder has done it, so you're in great compnay..

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 11:56 AM

Ground work looks really nice; I like it alot. Can't really see any details on the figures. The layout however has some real issues. The guy throwing the grenade and the guy running forwar are directly in teh line of fire for two machine guns and an MP40. If your figures have target to fire at, they are also targets, the guy with the binoculars and the guy ot the far right might as well have bullseye on them. You have a guy throwing a grenade and another bringing up a panzerfaust. That suggests there are ground troop less than 50 yards/meters away supported by armor, thus binoculars aren't really needed. For future projects, you might want to consider whay everyone is where they are and where they are going if their pose suggests movement, what they are doing and any lines of fire.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Romania
Posted by Panzer_Grenadire on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 2:39 AM

Excellent, I like very much the action you suceeded to depict as well as the painting job and groundwork....

Which figs did you use?

  • Member since
    April 2012
Normandy
Posted by Bigh55 on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 6:05 PM

Here is a Dio I have constructed to represent the normandy region of France.

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