~ ! Clash in Tunisia ! ~ { Final Photos on page 37 }

vespa boy

Congratulations on finishing a big and very detailled project like that. Take the time to exhale, look around and then dive into the next one. Everything that you learned and every piece of constructive criticism you received on this build will go towrds making your next dio even better.

~I appreciate that Narayan-- you're someone that  really knows about working on projects for a long, long  time until you've got what you're after!       I'm able to progress regardless of what comments I receive ( though I truely am happy for those viewers of the thread that can actually just enjoy something good)  & I know and every work I complete  builds on the knowlege and experience gained during the last project.

agentg

I stand in awe of the Clash.

One thing though, just where will you put this behemoth?

G

Thank you for that Wayne !

 I'll have a post regarding the final display in a week or so

Let me know when you're in the area--you can take a look 

Electric Blues

First off, congratulations on this beautiful diorama and second, thank you for all the top notch photos!

Every detail, from the footprints in the sand to the war weary helmets, is perfect. I really don't understand how you can keep your concentration focused during such a huge project! The more I look at the pictures, the more detail I find!

Congratulations on this true work of art. 

~~E.B> ~~ thanks to you for that Mr. !  The best photos are yet to come--please stay tuned. I hope you find the whole thing inspiring, you know I find your 1st Dio W.I.P. to be very good and I'm enjoying watching it come together.

M1Carbine

Adam - an absolute masterpiece my friend.

 

Bob

~~Thank you Bob---you're  a really kind terrific guy. Masterpiece isn't a word I throw around lightly, but I guess it may apply until i do a work t eclipse this one.  I gotta just say thanks again for your excellent support and  being a sturdy  rock we can all depend on  for honesty and encouragent----(you make awsome planes too)

rtfoe

Adam, I'd like to congratulate you on a job well done. The many hours you have spent meticulously rendering all the individual items in your dio have paid off very well. The visual image you had in your mind has now been transformed into 3-D for us all to view and admire in awe. The "Clash" title which was so controvertial at the beginning of your build is now plain to see and justified. Might I say "persistance is the virture of Dio builders" and you have shown it regardless of critism.

Well done! And looking forward to your next project.

Cheers,

Richard

 

A huge thanks for that Richard !! It's a great pleasure to know you see I've managed to realize  exactly the complex scene I had in mind. I  also appreciate that you've hit on the point that it was difficult to tell what the title's real significance was until seeing the finished work--obviously the very moment of that "clash' has been at the center of a tiny inconsequential debate here--let me say this about that--If I'd wanted to model a more dangerous, aggressive Brit up front--I would have---one reason I didn't was to even the odds some--since I'm portraying the moment right before the fight, I didn't want it to be a foregone conclusion what the outcome would be. I always wonder about some of the decisions of the builder of even some of my favorite Dioramas,, but I don't try and say"Oh I'd do this and that" and I wouldn't remotely think the builder would care if I did.

Anyways Richard, t's a honor to have the respect and interest of another great military Dio builder such as yourself......someone actually doing  great Dio's and posting work that I'm interested in and like....

Hans von Hammer

Some folks seem ignorant of the difference between "criticism" with "critque"...

~~Not really clear who you're grumbling at there Hans, though using the word ignorant towards members leaving comments here isn't making you any friends. What's more, there's not such word in the English language as "critque" ---I suppose you meant "critique" ? If so your point is extremely negligable if you're not ignorant of the meaning of critique:

cri·tique  (kr-tk)

Some folks seem ignorant of the difference between "criticism" with "critque"...

Adam, I'd like to congratulate you on a job well done. The many hours you have spent meticulously rendering all the individual items in your dio have paid off very well. The visual image you had in your mind has now been transformed into 3-D for us all to view and admire in awe. The "Clash" title which was so controvertial at the beginning of your build is now plain to see and justified. Might I say "persistance is the virture of Dio builders" and you have shown it regardless of critism.

Well done! And looking forward to your next project.

Cheers,

Richard

Adam - an absolute masterpiece my friend.

Bob

First off, congratulations on this beautiful diorama and second, thank you for all the top notch photos!

Every detail, from the footprints in the sand to the war weary helmets, is perfect. I really don't understand how you can keep your concentration focused during such a huge project! The more I look at the pictures, the more detail I find!

Congratulations on this true work of art. 

Congratulations on finishing a big and very detailled project like that. Take the time to exhale, look around and then dive into the next one. Everything that you learned and every piece of constructive criticism you received on this build will go towrds making your next dio even better.

The scene that your dio reminded me of in "SPR" was the last battle where the Sarge meets a German face to face, they both try to shoot each other then take a couple steps towards one another and throw each others helmets, intense!, not exactly like yours but reminded of that kind of same thing.

INDY;  Beautiful work of art.  The level and quantity of detail is awesome.  A museum piece of this quality deserves recognition.  I know the editors of FSM monitor these threads, so my appeal to them is to share this spectacular moment in time with the rest of the modeling world.  Thanks for sharing your work and time with us, it has all been greatly appreciated.  Rick.

Oh, by the way, if I have missed it along the way...  What are your intentions for displaying the Clash?

Pawel

Hello Indy!

Congratulations on your finished work! It really looks good!

Lemme tell you - getting a comment about something being wrong, after doing a lot of work can really frustrate. Knowing there were so many opportunities to fix it just makes it a lot worse. For me stuff like that runs me into that bad disease - perfectionism that has to be fought. But I can see you keep your balance, so that just leaves me wondering what's going to be next? Keep 'em coming and have a nice day

Pawel

~Pawel~ Thank you so much, my friend. I'm  really am glad to have your remarks and your company here in general.   You have a noble style about you, and often find such ideal words.        As for Clash- There's nothing to fix, nothing I'd change........I didn't rush anything, , it's really exactly what I'd pictured---->which is the only real success of an artist----> Have his efforts realized his vision?     Did he get the results he was aiming for?---> Or has he settled for whatever the paint did by chance.?             As for what's next, I don't have an announcement right now, but don't worry, I have plenty of projects in the works---see you soon.

Lufttiger

Awesome Dio Indy, it turned out really great, and with out a doubt my type of favorite ones to do, Action, and telling a story. You've done both here very well indeed. I don't see anything in your building or painting that i would change, so i have no advice for ya here.
And of corse you aready know i love your base and ground work, maybe cuz thats how do it too, ha ha.
As far as the layout, it all works fine for me, maybe a liitle odd with the German & Brit running towards one another, but then i seem to recall the same thing happening in "Saving Pvt Ryan"
So there you go, a terrific job. PS, I still need to get as good as you with ground work, ah , someday!

Well done my friend, well done!!!

~Luftiger~ Another Awsome post of praise from another awsome Dio builder~! I really appreciate that my friend. I do see alot of kindred ideas about how to combine models and create scenes between our works, and happily--they still don't resmble eachothers!   SPR is a smoking cool great WWII film (I know, the rivit-counters have a fieldday with it ) but it's about the best made---which scene do you mean?---Again, thanks.

~~I'm still working at editing my well over 100 photos --so have yet to post them--but yes, these are a few I like.

Schnobs

I am really amazed at all the detail and trying to capture that moment before combat or in in this case as the reaction ripples through the squad element is challenging in the extreme IMHO and very subjective.  A dio of combat in action is pretty straight forward and scenes of refueling and rearming are common and probally easier.  I have been paying close attention to this due to the fact that my next dio will be portraying that magical moment right before the rounds go down range.  It is very subjective and difficult to portray,  I have been in combat where guys brushed "bees" from around their ears until we realized they weren't bees! 

Awesome work Adam and as has been stated there are diffent approaches you could of taken and we discussed quite a few before you locked in your plan.  I thnik the final end result is fantastic and a great tribute to your tenacity and skill!

Thanks Sir Edmund Figgy!    More than gracious praise from a great modeler and even better friend. OK, cat outa bag, of course you we're one of the vet-friends I was talking about, and your lock-step interest in the progression of this project during it's great length had helped lead to an end product I am very happy with and proud of.  So EdMod, I won't say it was an easy mission, but I'm pleased to have undertaken it, and will be there if you need anything at all. I can't wait 'til your monster-Dio falls together Mate!

Manstein's revenge

Very impressive work of art...the time, blood, sweat and tears definately shows through as evidenced by the sheer quality of the elements...heart and soul is in this dio, man.  Congrats! 

Your step-by-step is one of the finest I've seen on such a large project!  You illustrated well how a good dio is a collection of several smaller projects...when one pays attention to each "small" project as if it were the end and not the means, you get a museum quality piece of work such as this...

Thank you for that Manny---High marks indeed! & From a man that knows what he's talking about and really appreciates a finely crafted Dio &  Blog  . Manny , you know that I'm a huge fan of your Dioramas , and that makes your excellent remarks count  all the more and I'm really looking forward to seeing your W.I.P.'s progress.  Thanks again

bbrowniii

Hey Indy

I was going to write this without reading any response you may have had to my last post, but I see that you did not reply.  I would take that as a sign that my post was not read, but since it has been up for so long, I'm fairly confident you have seen it, so I'm not going to bother editting it.

I feel like I owe you a bit of an apology.  This has actually been bugging me all night.  You worked really hard on this project and shared it with us every step of the way.  Your finished project is outstanding.  What you don't need is me pointing out niddly little things that I might have done differently.  After all this hard work, you deserve your moment in the spotlight.  You don't need me trying to tear you down.  So, I apologize for my comment about your figure placement.  In the grand scheme of things, it just doesn't matter (at least from my point of view).  Thanks again for all the work you did, not only on this project, but the work involved in sharing your techniques with us.  Like I said in an earlier post, I can't wait to see what you have in store for us next!

  Wow Boydd ~ That's more than I would have hoped you might have to say. You really didn't have to say that, but I agree with it (see my response to Hans) It wasn't  your post I was ignoring, in fact I've been trying to weigh out a response to it---something that started,"  Well,Boydd, you have been a solid supporter of this project from the start, and thanks to you for that, I wouldn't have expected the critism you posted, but considering I know you're a friend and have enjoyed the blog alot, I have to consider it......"

  You have to ask yourself one question---If  Hans hadn't given you those doubts to chew on would you have made any critical remark--at all?  I doubt it. It often goes like that here--a cascade of ideas or one kind of another falls through the posts, I've takin a few of those rides too.

~No harm done Buddy & thanks again for the support during the project.

~I guess it's time I said something on my thread again~ I'll start fromt the last and work my way back--Like they told my Grandad in the Navy -"Always follow your last order first!"

Hans von Hammer

Hans von Hammer:

Pffftt... I SAID it was outstanding work...    Or is that level not high enough for you?   

 

 

I'd just like to add that this has been bugging ME to...

I don't know why, but for some reson you got the impression that i meant that you nended to CHANGE something... Nothing could farther from the truth...

And to say that I should have said something "3 months ago" on whatever page, well. I didn't even look in here for about that length of time since I was hagin' out in th' aircraft hooch and O&E/GM discussions... It was only recently that I poked m' head back here... See, if I'm not  currently working/building a diorama, I don't really come the dio hooch very often... If I do, it ain't to see what the experienced guys are doing..  you Tunisia build has been going on for so long that I just flat didn't bother with it until I saw "Complete" in the title...

I simply commented on what I saw, and pointed out that which I thought would work better in future projects, whether you chose to agree or not was of no consequence... It never is, as we all know that we'll all do what we like... 

My comment about the gun crew figures turning their heads was simply a suggestion of the  "mechanics" of diorama building, as it were... A way to direct the viewer's gaze towards the action taking place elsewhere around the diorama.  I said that because viewers have tendency to look at a diorama like they read a book, i.e. from left to right, then down... 

BTW... The comment about your Vet friends having actually SEEN combat.. Well.. I'll just say that I got a Bronze Star/V device that says I might know a thing or two about it, having seen the Elephant also... 

That said, I'll say again that I think it's outstanding work...

 ~Han's, thanks for that.   Honestly I have believed you and I have established a good repore and I should know by now that you really like to be helpful. I hope you can try to unerstand that from my point of veiw,--if it's"outstanding", then it stands as is--it doesn't require diagrams,advice  and pointers  [It's just outstanding ] and if it was me saying that to you, I wouldn't want to spoil the sentiment by drawing pictures and going on about how I'd improve the thing.         Every one of us is different (thank God) and does things in our way, but I wouldn't try to make suggestions about something I thought was "outstanding" unless I thought my friend had really blown it somewhere---which brings me to why I labeled the post 'picky & critical"--I did expect something along those lines (not from you though) from a few members I may have exchanged snarky remarks with regarding thier shortcomings. (maybe even mine) I never claim to be perfect, but I am confident, and that can seem stuck-up, particularly if someone already has some little bone to pick. After 7 months on the project I do like to hear that people enjoy it, especially from other modelers whose work I like.   I know that many of these modelers of which I   speak (on this site and elsewhere) are really blown-away by 'Clash', and have commended me highly for the detailed blog.

I remarked about my combat-vet-friends only to legitimize what I was saying-wasn't a dig at you--I don't know your service record but I would hold you high regard for your service anyways.

~Thanks again for the post & for the 'Outstanding" and I guess also..... for trying to be of help~

 

 

Hans von Hammer

Pffftt... I SAID it was outstanding work...    Or is that level not high enough for you?   

 

I'd just like to add that this has been bugging ME to...

I don't know why, but for some reson you got the impression that i meant that you nended to CHANGE something... Nothing could farther from the truth...

And to say that I should have said something "3 months ago" on whatever page, well. I didn't even look in here for about that length of time since I was hagin' out in th' aircraft hooch and O&E/GM discussions... It was only recently that I poked m' head back here... See, if I'm not  currently working/building a diorama, I don't really come the dio hooch very often... If I do, it ain't to see what the experienced guys are doing..  you Tunisia build has been going on for so long that I just flat didn't bother with it until I saw "Complete" in the title...

I simply commented on what I saw, and pointed out that which I thought would work better in future projects, whether you chose to agree or not was of no consequence... It never is, as we all know that we'll all do what we like... 

My comment about the gun crew figures turning their heads was simply a suggestion of the  "mechanics" of diorama building, as it were... A way to direct the viewer's gaze towards the action taking place elsewhere around the diorama.  I said that because viewers have tendency to look at a diorama like they read a book, i.e. from left to right, then down... 

BTW... The comment about your Vet friends having actually SEEN combat.. Well.. I'll just say that I got a Bronze Star/V device that says I might know a thing or two about it, having seen the Elephant also... 

That said, I'll say again that I think it's outstanding work...

Hey Indy

I was going to write this without reading any response you may have had to my last post, but I see that you did not reply.  I would take that as a sign that my post was not read, but since it has been up for so long, I'm fairly confident you have seen it, so I'm not going to bother editting it.

I feel like I owe you a bit of an apology.  This has actually been bugging me all night.  You worked really hard on this project and shared it with us every step of the way.  Your finished project is outstanding.  What you don't need is me pointing out niddly little things that I might have done differently.  After all this hard work, you deserve your moment in the spotlight.  You don't need me trying to tear you down.  So, I apologize for my comment about your figure placement.  In the grand scheme of things, it just doesn't matter (at least from my point of view).  Thanks again for all the work you did, not only on this project, but the work involved in sharing your techniques with us.  Like I said in an earlier post, I can't wait to see what you have in store for us next!

Indy

As you know, I have been following this all along and, as I said in my last post, after just a brief glimpse, I've got to say WOW.  Really nice work overall.  Your attention to detail, and the skill you have in explaining what you do sets the bar pretty darn high.  It makes me wonder what you'll come up with next.

At the same time, I do have to agree with one point that Hans made - I do think the 'Kid' and the German facing each other seem inconguous.  From above, looking at the angles, it looks like they should have seen each other 'sooner' and by now should be reacting to each other.  Now, maybe my opinion is being shaped by the photos because it is a little tough to tell if the German is reacting and the 'Kid', being too green, just doesn't really know what to do for the last 4 seconds of his life.

I'll definately look forward to the additional pics you plan to post. 

I'm glad you are happy with your result!  Your hard work and effort definately come through.  Great job!

Very impressive work of art...the time, blood, sweat and tears definately shows through as evidenced by the sheer quality of the elements...heart and soul is in this dio, man.  Congrats! 

Your step-by-step is one of the finest I've seen on such a large project!  You illustrated well how a good dio is a collection of several smaller projects...when one pays attention to each "small" project as if it were the end and not the means, you get a museum quality piece of work such as this...

I am really amazed at all the detail and trying to capture that moment before combat or in in this case as the reaction ripples through the squad element is challenging in the extreme IMHO and very subjective.  A dio of combat in action is pretty straight forward and scenes of refueling and rearming are common and probally easier.  I have been paying close attention to this due to the fact that my next dio will be portraying that magical moment right before the rounds go down range.  It is very subjective and difficult to portray,  I have been in combat where guys brushed "bees" from around their ears until we realized they weren't bees! 

Awesome work Adam and as has been stated there are diffent approaches you could of taken and we discussed quite a few before you locked in your plan.  I thnik the final end result is fantastic and a great tribute to your tenacity and skill!

Awesome Dio Indy, it turned out really great, and with out a doubt my type of favorite ones to do, Action, and telling a story. You've done both here very well indeed. I don't see anything in your building or painting that i would change, so i have no advice for ya here.
And of corse you aready know i love your base and ground work, maybe cuz thats how do it too, ha ha.
As far as the layout, it all works fine for me, maybe a liitle odd with the German & Brit running towards one another, but then i seem to recall the same thing happening in "Saving Pvt Ryan"
So there you go, a terrific job. PS, I still need to get as good as you with ground work, ah , someday!

Well done my friend, well done!!!

Pffftt... I SAID it was outstanding work...    Or is that level not high enough for you?   

*INDY

 

Hans von Hammer:

 

Been waiting for this... Outstanding work, Indy..

Thanks for that Hans, if that's what you we're here to say

BUT! (You knew that was coming, right?)

Yeah, this is the kind of picky criticism someone should expect on this forum--You realize the thing is finished right? If you actually we're trying to be helpful you might have said something after I posted the layout 3 months ago on page 19 :

I was even discussing a few possible changes at that point, do you really think I'm interested in this now?  I do believe I said I was happy with it, it met my vision for the project , and I haven't shown the final photos yet, that may put to rest some of your concerns---but to meet your assertions....

I'm a little curious as to the action... It seems like it's a little stiff..  not to me--or I would have done things differently

 Figures that are supposed to be moving seem to be a bit too..  Balanced....  Are they? Maybe not--maybe they are suposed to be stationary.  The breech is closed, Commander's hand is raised,They are ready to fire and concentrating on that as best they can with all the noise going on on the battlefield (I guess the sound is missing , right? from the blog , right?)     The  Loader ( your #2 ) is waiting with a ready round---[should he be doing calisthenics Sarge? ]The 2nd Loader (your #1) is standing back by the ammo stash being bored, just standing there, as I modeled him. (Some of my Vet friends {that actually saw combat} have told me all about all the boredom mixed with moments of sheer terror that is combat)

I get that it's JUST happening, total surprise, and realization hasn't sunk in yet among the PAK crew..BUT

Figures One & Two:

#1 seems totally oblivious, more "at rest" in a conversational stance..  #2's doinghis job, but is in position to see the commotion.   Both he and Figure #2 would look better if the heads were turned in the direction of the attack by the Brits.. Kind of like, "They see it, but haven't recognized it for what it is yet"..

  That's just a terrible suggestion Hans....if I had shown them seeing the attack and not acting on it--it wouldn't make any sense. The moment I have modeled is the exact moment of the 'clash' where the suprise attack comes in ===the guncrew is modeled as oblivious on purpose, in fact many subtle things we're done to re-enforce this. The 2 Germans on the road are just reacting to the attack that's incoming--no shots are fired yet, but this is the moment just before the 'spark'

Figure #3:

He'd look better if he was off-balance, only one foot on the ground with rifle & bayonet extended in a "long thrust & hold", or "Charge!" position... He'd look a lot more like he was running. His German opponent then would look more like he was about parry the bayonet thrust...

~he's the 'skinny-kid', on point--1st mission maybe (about to get destroyed probably) that's the idea, he is on his toe, maybe in future pictures you'll see it--if not--oh well--he's not supposed to be that "on-it" (it's all in the text of the blog, by the way-and I realize it's only worth something if the veiwer can see it, dozens of others have so far)

 #4 is having the same problem... Too balanced.  He also would benefit from a running pose, one footed, OR, planted like that, BUT with Thompson raised to the shoulder in firing position..

No, he's not yet in position to fire, he's still rounding the truck

Just minor tweaks, mind you, something to keep in mind, but I think it would look more like there's really something intense going on..  Anytime a figure is off-balance, in a pose that you know would cause him to fall if he were actually standing like that for more than a half-second, goes a long way towards giving them an "action" feeling..

That's quite right--and I know that--and I've modelled the scene with that in mind--maybe you  and anyone out there agreeing with you will see in the final pictures I have yet to post that the Fallschrimjager & DAK man on the road are both leaning into one foot,peeling off in opposite directions, to gain space to act---the 'skinny-kid' is on his toe, leaning forward, about to get his brains bashed in for King & Country

 

 

 

 

 

And then there are authors who realize the value of such criticism, are thankful for the honest input and efforts of the critic,  and who resist the urge to take it as a personal insult or attempt to degrade their work. These are the modelers who understand that superfluous praise and fawning adoration by friends and admirers is the surest road to self-deception.and mediocrity.

In this post, we have an example of one of these critics, but the latter is sadly absent.,

Having "got the message" that nothing but positive, reinforcing comments are welcomed concerning the finished work, I choose to refrain from commenting on the work. (Hate to say it, Chris, but maybe you were right? )

Hello Indy!

Congratulations on your finished work! It really looks good!

Lemme tell you - getting a comment about something being wrong, after doing a lot of work can really frustrate. Knowing there were so many opportunities to fix it just makes it a lot worse. For me stuff like that runs me into that bad disease - perfectionism that has to be fought. But I can see you keep your balance, so that just leaves me wondering what's going to be next? Keep 'em coming and have a nice day

Pawel

Hans von Hammer

Been waiting for this... Outstanding work, Indy..

Thanks for that Hans, if that's what you we're here to say

BUT! (You knew that was coming, right?)

Yeah, this is the kind of picky criticism someone should expect on this forum--You realize the thing is finished right? If you actually we're trying to be helpful you might have said something after I posted the layout 3 months ago on page 19 :

I was even discussing a few possible changes at that point, do you really think I'm interested in this now?  I do believe I said I was happy with it, it met my vision for the project , and I haven't shown the final photos yet, that may put to rest some of your concerns---but to meet your assertions....

I'm a little curious as to the action... It seems like it's a little stiff..  not to me--or I would have done things differently

 Figures that are supposed to be moving seem to be a bit too..  Balanced....  Are they? Maybe not--maybe they are suposed to be stationary.  The breech is closed, Commander's hand is raised,They are ready to fire and concentrating on that as best they can with all the noise going on on the battlefield (I guess the sound is missing , right? from the blog , right?)     The  Loader ( your #2 ) is waiting with a ready round---[should he be doing calisthenics Sarge? ]The 2nd Loader (your #1) is standing back by the ammo stash being bored, just standing there, as I modeled him. (Some of my Vet friends {that actually saw combat} have told me all about all the boredom mixed with moments of sheer terror that is combat)

I get that it's JUST happening, total surprise, and realization hasn't sunk in yet among the PAK crew..BUT

Figures One & Two:

#1 seems totally oblivious, more "at rest" in a conversational stance..  #2's doinghis job, but is in position to see the commotion.   Both he and Figure #2 would look better if the heads were turned in the direction of the attack by the Brits.. Kind of like, "They see it, but haven't recognized it for what it is yet"..

  That's just a terrible suggestion Hans....if I had shown them seeing the attack and not acting on it--it wouldn't make any sense. The moment I have modeled is the exact moment of the 'clash' where the suprise attack comes in ===the guncrew is modeled as oblivious on purpose, in fact many subtle things we're done to re-enforce this. The 2 Germans on the road are just reacting to the attack that's incoming--no shots are fired yet, but this is the moment just before the 'spark'

Figure #3:

He'd look better if he was off-balance, only one foot on the ground with rifle & bayonet extended in a "long thrust & hold", or "Charge!" position... He'd look a lot more like he was running. His German opponent then would look more like he was about parry the bayonet thrust...

~he's the 'skinny-kid', on point--1st mission maybe (about to get destroyed probably) that's the idea, he is on his toe, maybe in future pictures you'll see it--if not--oh well--he's not supposed to be that "on-it" (it's all in the text of the blog, by the way-and I realize it's only worth something if the veiwer can see it, dozens of others have so far)

 #4 is having the same problem... Too balanced.  He also would benefit from a running pose, one footed, OR, planted like that, BUT with Thompson raised to the shoulder in firing position..

No, he's not yet in position to fire, he's still rounding the truck

Just minor tweaks, mind you, something to keep in mind, but I think it would look more like there's really something intense going on..  Anytime a figure is off-balance, in a pose that you know would cause him to fall if he were actually standing like that for more than a half-second, goes a long way towards giving them an "action" feeling..

That's quite right--and I know that--and I've modelled the scene with that in mind--maybe you  and anyone out there agreeing with you will see in the final pictures I have yet to post that the Fallschrimjager & DAK man on the road are both leaning into one foot,peeling off in opposite directions, to gain space to act---the 'skinny-kid' is on his toe, leaning forward, about to get his brains bashed in for King & Country

 

 

Been waiting for this... Outstanding work, Indy..

BUT! (You knew that was coming, right?)

I'm a little curious as to the action... It seems like it's a little stiff.. Figures that are supposed to be moving seem to be a bit too.. Balanced....

I get that it's JUST happening, total surprise, and realization hasn't sunk in yet among the PAK crew..BUT

Figures One & Two:

#1 seems totally oblivious, more "at rest" in a conversational stance..  #2's doinghis job, but is in position to see the commotion.   Both he and Figure #2 would look better if the heads were turned in the direction of the attack by the Brits.. Kind of like, "They see it, but haven't recognized it for what it is yet"..

Figure #3:

He'd look better if he was off-balance, only one foot on the ground with rifle & bayonet extended in a "long thrust & hold", or "Charge!" position... He'd look a lot more like he was running. His German opponent then would look more like he was about parry the bayonet thrust...

 #4 is having the same problem... Too balanced.  He also would benefit from a running pose, one footed, OR, planted like that, BUT with Thompson raised to the shoulder in firing position..

Just minor tweaks, mind you, something to keep in mind, but I think it would look more like there's really something intense going on..  Anytime a figure is off-balance, in a pose that you know would cause him to fall if he were actually standing like that for more than a half-second, goes a long way towards giving them an "action" feeling..