"Death in the Courtyard" *finished, more pics, page 15*

Finished constructing and detailing US figgies...the Tamiya figs are pretty good for injection molded but I dressed 'em up a bit w/ some PE and DML GEN2 equipment...I made some slings and chin straps using some PE...also laid some basic colors into the building and water trough...took the suggestion that I move Mr Thompson to rear of the column and am pleased w/ the result...

Comments welcomed...

Man sometimes the chips do fly, I have an owie scar on my cheek from a piece of brick, holes in my ankle from God knows what, and one small scar on my left hand all from close calls.

Reminds me of another story, Agent G...  A Viper Driver buddy of mine, Richard Anderson, was a black powder shooter and one day he was shootin' one of his pistols at an old oak tree.  One shot, the ball hit a big ol' knot in the tree and came straight back at him and hit him right square in the package on the head of "Little Richard"...  It made him do a sommersault and roll around on the ground a bit, but we determined everything was still where it should be, no blood, he wasn't going to sing soprano... (Swelled up pretty good-sized, though)...  Anywho, that was the day that he got his new callsign:  "Iron" Dick Anderson...

They don't "Mushroom" like a jacketed hollowpoint, but they DO shed their jackets and tumble after hitting something.

Heh... Remind me to tell the story of what happened to a guys' field jacket that he tossed up on the berm behind us the day we were in the trench pullin' target butts on the machine gun range...

I think Atak makes a FAK (field application kit) in resin that is just lovely! Could put it on the ground by the wagon as though it was hastily dropped when the krauts were caught by surpise.

 This one is gonna be a looker MR for sure!! Very excited about the barrel, I hope you pull it off!!

Hans von Hammer wrote:

Have you thought about moving the fig with the Thompson to the rear to make it look as though he's signaling the rest of the squad to hold thier position? That would be a given, since the rest of the squad would already be in overwatch, covering the element that's on the objective.  One thing I didn't point out before. That the Plt Sergeant and the Plt Leader wouldn't both go forward at the same time.  One would remain with the rest of the patrol that's in overwatch on the forward element, most likely the Platoon Leader.  'Course, that's only if the entire platoon is on that mission, 4 squads, or about 40 GIs... If it's a squad-sized element, it's likely that the leader is a buck Sergeant with a Corporal in command of the other fire team.

Have you thought about moving the fig with the Thompson to the rear to make it look as though he's signaling the rest of the squad to hold thier position?

That would be a given, since the rest of the squad would already be in overwatch, covering the element that's on the objective.  One thing I didn't point out before. That the Plt Sergeant and the Plt Leader wouldn't both go forward at the same time.  One would remain with the rest of the patrol that's in overwatch on the forward element, most likely the Platoon Leader.  'Course, that's only if the entire platoon is on that mission, 4 squads, or about 40 GIs... If it's a squad-sized element, it's likely that the leader is a buck Sergeant with a Corporal in command of the other fire team.

   Manny taking shape nicely, even without a buxom blonde

   The wagon makes a great center piece for this dio. I think it's one of the best accessory     item's I've seen in a while.

   Have you thought about moving the fig with the Thompson to the rear to make it look as though he's signaling the rest of the squad to hold thier position?

dupes wrote:

Mansteins revenge wrote:  dupes wrote: Cool idea, Manny. Like what you've done with the lamppost/base part already. Question - what are you doing with all of the glued-down sprues? Using it like rebar for whatever ground simulating paste you're going to use? Can't wait to see more. The glued-down sprues you guessed exactly right...I often use them to provide something for the Celluclay to grip onto...I find that the sprue helps minimize curling, sliding and and lifting of the Celluclay... Very interesting. How do you attach the sprues, hot glue gun or something along those lines?

Mansteins revenge wrote:

dupes wrote: Cool idea, Manny. Like what you've done with the lamppost/base part already. Question - what are you doing with all of the glued-down sprues? Using it like rebar for whatever ground simulating paste you're going to use? Can't wait to see more. The glued-down sprues you guessed exactly right...I often use them to provide something for the Celluclay to grip onto...I find that the sprue helps minimize curling, sliding and and lifting of the Celluclay...

Very interesting. How do you attach the sprues, hot glue gun or something along those lines? 

Hans von Hammer wrote:

...the "lamppost base" is a manual water-pump (the hand-crank is on the far side---not too visible in the pics)...I am gonna put a bucket w/ water next to it as it progresses... I'd consider booby-trapping that pump or bucket...  Not too obviously, but enough to be seen by the viewer, but not the GIs...

Great idea! Huxy agrees! 

...the "lamppost base" is a manual water-pump (the hand-crank is on the far side---not too visible in the pics)...I am gonna put a bucket w/ water next to it as it progresses...

I'd consider booby-trapping that pump or bucket...  Not too obviously, but enough to be seen by the viewer, but not the GIs...

Turn the wagon alittle more to the left, Put a guy on the six of the wagon covering the three o´clock. Maybe add a corpsman being stopped from running forward? Oh yea, and a gal in her skivies lookin around the corner to see whats goin on.

                                                    Regards, Mac

dupes wrote:

Cool idea, Manny. Like what you've done with the lamppost/base part already. Question - what are you doing with all of the glued-down sprues? Using it like rebar for whatever ground simulating paste you're going to use? Can't wait to see more.

The glued-down sprues you guessed exactly right...I often use them to provide something for the Celluclay to grip onto...I did the same thing in my "Backhand Blow" dio and actually posted a pic of the base with them on it in my WIP thread...I also used tongue depressors for creating elevation...I find that the sprue helps minimize curling, sliding and and lifting of the Celluclay...

Cool idea, Manny. Like what you've done with the lamppost/base part already.

Question - what are you doing with all of the glued-down sprues? Using it like rebar for whatever ground simulating paste you're going to use?

Can't wait to see more.

OOO I like the idea of water running out of the barrel or somewhere! I think you could pull it off with some fishing line making the general flow/line/trajectory of the water, then building up the water itself with WS water effects, clear epoxy, or something like that.
If you put bullet holes in the wagon, I wonder if there would be a way to show chunks or slivers of wood flying away or chipping off of it?

I'm w/ Wir & Doog...corpse off to the right...I was thinking by barrel, but then wondered how it would be if it appeared that the German was offed while using the cart as cover, opposite from the US soldiers....guess it would depend on the damage to the German.

MR, I hope no animals were harmed in the production of this diorama?

, Dave.

(Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, do not claim to be one, never played one on TV, and have not slept at a Holiday Inn Express.)

vespa boy wrote:

I agree with Wirraway and Doog. Experiment with the prone figure nearer to the barrel. You have a strong diagonal with the standing figures and the wagon. The hitch on the wagon being angles away from that diagonal leads your eye around the corner to show the viewer what the figures will see in a moment.

Actually, it was never my intention to imply that the US soldiers had not yet seen the dead German, just that thaey had engaged the enemy, fell one, and were now advancing cautiously as a result...but, having said that, it might be more interesting if they have not yet seen him...another thing I have been thinking of doing that IMO would double the sense of bullets flying is to drill a few holes in the barrel and model some water/wine running out of the holes onto the ground (any tips on ways to do this would be great--although I know of a few methods)...also some bullet holes in the wall/wagon, etc...thoughts?

Gonna look great, can't wait to see how you render the US uniforms.

Steve