"Clearing the Trench" Dio. - W.I.P.

Gonna be watching this one... Any dead Ivans gonna be in it?

(I'm with Patton on this subject... That when it came to the Russians and the Germans, we may have been fighting the wrong guys...)

Hans von Hammer wrote:

Gonna be watching this one... Any dead Ivans gonna be in it? (I'm with Patton on this subject... That when it came to the Russians and the Germans, we may have been fighting the wrong guys...)

Perhaps one or two dead Ivans, we shall see.  Perhaps they all "Evacuated" once they saw the Stug bearing down on them .... been known to happen.

Pretty much got the Stug constructed, save the running gear, the track and one two superstructure accessories.

rb 

I've decided upon a total of nine figures (two Crew figures, and seven Infantry) in this diorama, the highest figure count in one diorama for me to date. 

I haven't as yet attached "Flammenwerfer Guy's" arms yet, I'll need to fit the Flammenwerfer 'rig' first to insure proper alignment.  After I cut the trenchline into the foam, I'll have a better idea how the final figure positioning will be handled.

rb

I started working again on "flammenwerfer guy" this evening. I didn't care much for the out of the box rig, so I have made some modifications. The molding on the hydrogen bottle (small bottle) didn't suit me so I made my own out of sprue and added a 'leftover' PE strap and buckle from my M41 project:

I used some Evergreen Brand .020" white styrene rod for the hydrogen propellant line and added another shorter piece for the flow handle on the fitting at the bottom of the fuel tank -

- and some black tubing from my Tamiya 88mm Flak gun kit for the fuel line:
- after it has dried overnight on the first end glued, I'll glue the other end, then do a bit of work on that gap between the frame and the belt.

razorboy

**** The Germans favored a mixture of gasoline and tar (the tar supposedly added to the range) ..... sounds pretty nasty to me - not something I want to be hit with!

rb

The tar made it nice & sticky as well as adding to the range and burn-time... Straight gas burns up too quickly...  If you tried to wipe it off or "Stop, drop, & roll", it just spreads the stuff all over you even more...

Pretty nasty way to go, indeed...

I never knew that they used a tar/petrol mix until I started researching it the other day.  I guess that explains why flammenwerfer "Fire pics" almost invariably show lots of black smoke and orange flame.  Tar + gas + hydrogen propellant = OUCH!!!!

rb

I have determined that these two knuckleheads are way to relaxed in their stances and must be replaced -

- their replacements are on the way.

"Flammenwerfer Guy" is assembled and needs a little filling here and there and some final seam removal before painting -

razorboy

The story line will soon become clear ...... starting work on the base this weekend.

Thanks for following,

rb

Looking great Dave, will be waiting for more! Can't wait!

I've assembled all of the German figures I'll be using although they may or may not be in their final locations on the base in these pictures:

rb

I guess I should at this point, explain the storyline as it has developed in my mind.  This squad of assault troops have followed a Stug. up to a communications trench, using the Stug. as small arms cover.
The squad has positioned themselves as close as is possible to the trenchline, assaulting it in about 5 seconds - as soon as grenade guys one and two have thrown their stick grenades. 
The group on the left have lined up in order of travel with "Flammenwerfer Guy" in front, closely followed by Flammenwerfer's assistant, and "Bayonette Guy" following third. 
Around the right side of the Stug. "MG Gunner" is closely followed by "MG Assistants" one and two, both carrying ammo cans and ready to follow him as soon as the grenades go off and he no longer needs to cover the "Bunker" on the trenchline. 
"Grenade Guy 1" (prone) will follow those three around the right, while after throwing his grenade (Grenade Guy 2 - standing) he follows "Bayonette Guy" and is fourth in line around the left of the Stug.. 
"Squad Leader"  will go around either side that pleases him once the rush begins, afterall, he is in charge.
That is what I have envisioned and once the groundwork starts to develop that may change a bit here or there depending upon any unforseen constraints in construction but for the most part - that is the story.

Thanks for following,
razorboy

I worked on "Russian 1" today, he has a scratchbuilt RPG-40 in his right hand. The RPG-40 was a hand-held anti tank grenade and looked a great deal like a short can on a stick. To duplicate the "can", I used a piece of sprue and added the "rings" from fine gauge wire -

RPG-40:

rb

Really spectacular start!  Can't wait to see how it all develops.  Im getting back into this hobby after many years of being out of it (25+) and its amazing to see the quality of the kits and the ingenuity of the folks like you that make it all come to life.  Keep posting those pics!

Thanks Dogwatch ... and welcome back!

Keep in mind that if you have to explain what's going on in a diorama with more than a few words or a simple title, that you may want to re-think your story...  The story should not only be apparent to the viewer, it should be immediately apparent... 

I agree Hans, I have elaborated in order to establish the complete story line .... once it's completed, one should certainly be able to look at it and tell what's going on.  Of course, everyone's perception of anything is likely to vary, my in-depth description was based upon what I was seeing.

Thanks,

rb

That is awesome!, I really like what  you have done with the figures, you did a very nice job on the scratch built granade too!!

       Thanks, Jim

Nice work, it's looking great!

Thanks Guys,

Hopefully I'll get to work on it during the next four days (off from work), about ready to start the groundwork.

Thanks for following,

rb

Been on somewhat of an extended "Christmas Break" .... back to work on it this week!
rb

Can't wait for a update Dave...looks Fantastic!

Looks awsome! Can't wait to see it when its done. Like the story too.