Diggin' that PAK 40

somenewguy wrote:

I can't find any sculpting material or celluclay type products over here, all I have for terrain base is plaster of paris. Could you tell me how I might go about properly bonding that to the other type of styrofoam (not yours) made up of those little spongey pellets? Thanks mate.

Try art shops for Sculptamold, effectively the same thing. You can by Celluclay online in Australia as well.

Cheers

Mike

I have never built a diorama "by committee" before. Normally, I would only post finished work, this is the first time I've posted in progress shots and fielded questions and suggestions while I'm building.

Makes for better readin', don't ya think?

I'm kinda the same way... I used to have a "this-is-how-I'm-doin'-it-so-push-off" outlook on my builds...  But after a few (dozen) comments from folks who were lookin' at the piece on the table or shelf after I finished it and pointed to stuff I missed or hosed-up,  I started posting my WIPs for input from other modelers in here who may see some minute-but-important detail that I over-looked, forgot to do, or got wrong (which is easier and easier to do these days) and might drop in a tip or two that I didn't think of or know about to make something look better... The collective diorama experience here is a tool I plan to use as long as the computer holds up, lol...

Thank you Doog, and everyone else, I appreciate your complements, comments and suggestions.

It's kind of funny, I have never built a diorama "by committee" before. Normally, I would only post finished work, this is the first time I've posted in progress shots and fielded questions and suggestions while I'm building. This is just a side-line while I take a break from a larger and much more complex urban scene that has become a mini-Stalingrad of it's own, sucking up too much time, effort and materials than it is worth, at least until it is finished.

I've built another figure, a kneeling shooter with the rather unpopular Gew 41 semi-automatic rifle, hiding behind a bush in his water-pattern camo smock. He breaks up the monotony of the field grey uniforms and adds another point of interest. I'll take some more photos tomorrow when I hopefully have some light, though in this monsoon-like rain we are having, this might not happen.

All I can say Kykeon is that this dio is a real winner, for sure!The whole scene--gun, soldiers, and quality-of-the-base is just top-notch!

Let me be the first to give you the first...!! (Seriously; AWESOME!)

Yeah,.... Officer Observer is kinda hanging out in space. I had the figure already painted and just stuck him in, I liked the look so he stayed. After looking at the photo I posted on the other page of the PaK 38 crew with the officer standing, I thought it looked OK. I might conveniently plant a bush in front of him so he isn't quite as exposed. There is also the possibility of replacing him with a kneeling figure.

I'm still playing with the position of loader #2, I actually have 2 guys in similar poses and the other one is already painted, so he's probably going to take this one's place. There is also Herr Ammo Crate Schlepper still in the sidelines, he needs his crate built for him yet. His problem is that he is just standing there with a crate in his hands. I need to make him walking or something, he looks kinda dumb just standing there.

I'll try moving Loader #2 around and see if he can't strike a better pose.....

 Hello,

 A nice looking dio, Kykeon. A little more cover for officer observer would be nice, He's asking for a headache standing out there. The crate turned out really well. IMO schlepper #2 needs repositioned. It would be difficult for him to hand off a round. Maybe have him directly behind and facing Dr.Schlepper.

 Thanks for the info on the gun pit and the WIP.

 Best Regards,

 Mobious

I can't find any sculpting material or celluclay type products over here, all I have for terrain base is plaster of paris. Could you tell me how I might go about properly bonding that to the other type of styrofoam (not yours) made up of those little spongey pellets?

Thanks mate.

A bit more progress... Various colors of pastel dust have been brushed around on the dirt, while not highly visible, this helps break up the monotone appearance of the dirt. Ground and sifted Peat Moss has been added also. This settles into the small crevices and helps to darken the recesses and adds textural differences as well. It's still wet in this photo, but now that it has dried, the color is a bit more subdued.

I finished my first scratch-built ammo crate, a toil of 26 separate pieces, along with adding loader #2, who needs some paint. But here again I'm back to the same problem of him being in the path of recoil....but there isn't really anywhere else to put him. I don't want to put the ammo up on the dirt outside the pit where some sharpshooter or a stray piece of shrapnel would touch off the rounds. 

Yep, lots of PVA glue stick everything together. This type of styrofoam is rather porous, but I still put down a layer of PVA (white glue) before I apply the Celluclay. I don't want to take any chances that the Celluclay will curl-up around the edges as it dries. The "rocks" are glued down with it too. Using the cast "rocks" is sort of a extra step that can be skipped, but I don't like building up thick piles of Celluclay as it takes too long to dry in my soggy climate.

 I'm about to spread some "forest litter", which is basically ground-up Peat Moss. There are lots of little roots and bits of wood-like debris that help add complexity to the groundwork. I put it on dry and brush it around so that it settles into the small crevices, then stick it in place with diluted white glue, using a 1-ml. disposable lab pipette and dripping it on.

Thanks for the comments!

That's one fine lookin' basic build.

How do you bond the rocks and celluclay to the styrofoam, pva glue or something?

OK, ok.... bad Jesus Bolts and hot flying brass, get that guy outta there!

Actually, the only guys who have their positions fixed yet is the gunner, 'cause he was a pain to get his head and hands anywhere near that gunsight and the dude on the breech lever. Herr Loader will get his rear out of the way. Any problems with Officer Observer, other than the fact he is standing up, about to get picked off by some unseen sniper?

 Well, There are two optional guys trying out for a spot on the crew, Herr Ammo Crate Schlepper and Loader #2, trying not to drop the round he's pulling out of my 26 piece, scratch-built, ammo crate. I'll see if I can load some shots of them so we can decide who makes the cut.

Apart from afor mentioned Jesus bolt, that loader better have his catcher mitt on.  From the evidence of the ejected casing at his feet, there is a good chance, if there is around in the tube and he is holding the next shot, that casing is going to come out flying at him when the gunner opens the breech!  A well trained crew can open that breech on recoil and that casing will come out flying.

That just my two cents worth of input!

Great concept, I've been toying with the idea of doing a gun pit for a M105 Gun.

 Right now, the only thing that is glued down is the groundwork, everything else is just temporarily held in place the Blue-Tack sticky putty. I didn't check the gun's placement when I photographed it and it is not sitting properly as intended. But it still barely fits. Makes me wonder what a "Schwere PaK" was at the time this manual was printed.....a 37mm PaK 36?

 I followed the sketch dimensions (in meters) exactly while forming the pit. I have a 1/35th scale ruler, (a handy thing to have, BTW), which I used to trace a paper pattern, that I then transferred onto the foam. The gun sits symmetrically in the pit, but the trails are not quite fully extended, an error I did not note until too late. It isn't really noticeable when everything is positioned properly. Looking at a photo of the trail locking mechanism though makes me realize that it could not be locked in place without being fully extended....oh well....

What's with the Germans and their red grease fittings anyway? All the stuff I saw in Germany was that way too.

The grass is formed in two stages. Part is static grass and part is Woodland Scenics Tall Field Grass, or something close to that name. Most folks plant the tall grass clumps first, then fill in the surrounding area with the static grass, but I prefer to do it the other way around, this way I don't slob glue on the tall grass while I am planting the static. All static grasses come in various hideous colors to begin with, (see above photo #5), so I bought a huge container that was on sale for 1/2 price because of it's weird color at the LHS. Once dry, I AB it a dark green to start, then dry brush it in progressively lighter shades of green oil paint, ending with a light yellow. Everything is really brightly colored right now, this will all be muted down with a light dusting of a khaki color when I'm done.

Thanks for the sketch.. I was gonna ask ya about one... I got a PAK 40 that I "blew" the barrel on in the pipe.

I ain't all that concerned about the crew placement, it was just FYI and I was bored waiting for some groundwork to dry and thought I'd share a little first-hand Redleg info... I was a Redleg for the first 8 years or so of my Army career... Ya can take me outta the Artillery, but ya can't take the Artillery outta me, knowwhutImena?

I did notice the right trail looks like it isn't all the way out to the trail-lock though...  But it's only visible from the "God's-eye view"...  I'd be interested in your static grass technique... I use the stuff, but it's always so uniform, it looks like the someone mowed recently... Are you "stacking" it in layers or what?  Also, what's your blend?  Or do you paint it after it's dry?   

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Not much done overnight, working on a ammo carrying dude at the moment. Jeez....do Trumpeter figures blow chunks or what? This guy is worse than the old Italeri figs. Frankenstein boots, baseball glove hands, undersized and wrongly positioned pockets, dorky helmet....at least he is close to the pose I want. Carve off the pockets and scratch some new ones out of putty, reposition the arms, needle file the hands into shape, chop down the boots....he might make the team after all, I don't know yet. Gotta find the dimensions for a Pak 40 ammo crate....surely I have them somewhere.

In case anyone might want it, here is the drawing for the emplacement;

I thought about adding the Panzerdeckungslochern und Munitionslochern, as shown in the drawing, but I wanted to keep this dio small, the added trenches and ammo pits would have made it too large.

Ah... I don't know, but it looks like even the genuine German Field Manual sketch has the guys lined up like bowling pins behind the gun shield.  Maybe that's what the Gott mit Uns on the belt buckles are for....

You could probably sell it to the Field Artillery branch, and they could put it on prominent display at the place where they turn ROTC officers into arty guys...fair warning...

The FA School has videos of it... Much more effective training aid...

In and of itself, a dio of a jesus bolt knocking out part of a gun crew would make for a striking and interesting diorama.  You could probably sell it to the Field Artillery branch, and they could put it on prominent display at the place where they turn ROTC officers into arty guys...fair warning...

:P 

Kykeon wrote:

The reason it is so clean is that it has not been weathered yet. No single part is finished. The whole thing is only about 60% complete. There are more figures to be added, more shrubs, plants, dirt, forest litter, equipment, weapons, ammo crates, foliage camo, spent shells, garbage, ....and finally...dust, yet to be added. The figures still have a way to go before they are finished, they haven't even been dullcoated yet. Thanks for the comments, the work continues....

Well in that case you're dio is stunning so far!

Given the choice between the possibility of the Jesus Bolt killing you and the sure thing of a bullet from the opposing force, I'll take the safe position behind the bullet shield and take my chances with the JB.

This is looking good.

The reason it is so clean is that it has not been weathered yet. No single part is finished. The whole thing is only about 60% complete. There are more figures to be added, more shrubs, plants, dirt, forest litter, equipment, weapons, ammo crates, foliage camo, spent shells, garbage, ....and finally...dust, yet to be added. The figures still have a way to go before they are finished, they haven't even been dullcoated yet.

Thanks for the comments, the work continues....

That 7.5cm Pak 40 antitank gun dio, looks amazing. Seriously, it looks fantastic. However the Pak seems a bit too clean. For example the tires went over dirt and when the gun shoots off a round dirt and dust is bound to be kicked up. Perhaps you could add a bit more pastels. Otherwise, this dio looks great.

Jesus Bolt, be it as it may, but I've got plenty of photos of crews not too concerned about it;

Not saying that standing clear is a bad idea, hardly, but these guys couldn't be much closer.

Kykeon wrote:

I think you folks are seeing lens compression here, that loader is a good 3 scale feet beyond the recoil limit of the gun. Here is a top view, and as you can see, he's not about to become fish paste

No, it's not "lens compression"... The "Path of Recoil" isn't the same as the recoil limit... The path of recoil is anywhere directly behind the tube out to about 10-20 meters... When I referred to the "Jesus Bolt", I wasn't making it up.  There's always a possibility that the single bolt that holds the tube in the cradle could fail and the tube will come out of battery with lethal force and kill anyone standing behind it.  If that bolt fails, you had better have made your peace with Jesus because he's the only one who can save you (Hence the term, "Jesus Bolt") then...      A cannoneer will always stand a foot or so to the side of the path of recoil...  Your guy is almost there, but not quite.  It also looks like the assistant gunner has just closed the breech, so there's a round in the tube....

I think you folks are seeing lens compression here, that loader is a good 3 scale feet beyond the recoil limit of the gun. Here is a top view, and as you can see, he's not about to become fish paste;

 He's not that dumb....

Also, I just noticed the gun isn't in it's proper placement, it's out of it's wheel ruts and a bit back from where it should be. If it still bothers you all, I'll move him back some more, but IMHO, he'll be just fine, though I need to close his hand around the round, looks kinda cheesy as is....

panzerguy wrote:

The only thing I could suggest would be to add some crates in the rear area. Also the loader might want to watch out for the recoil

Concurr... NO artilleryman would ever stand in the path of recoil... Well, that's not true either, becasue I've seen guys catch a gun-breech with their chests, so lemme modify that to say that no SMART Artilleryman would stand in the path of recoil... That bit of safety is practically hammered into a gunbunny's skull... If the gun fires and the Jesus Bolt fails, it's a bad day for that loader...