Hello!

The gun emplacement on top of the bridge immediately got my attention. How realistic is that? Never seen anything like it before.

Also the tram line and the narrow bridged-over waterway fit the Low Countries a lot better then they do Normandy.

Overall the dio is very impressive. Keep 'em coming, and have a nice day

Pawel

Fantastic work!

My only comment is a wish for a slightly dirtier roadway.

Steve

I love it! Well composed, and great work on the bridge!

Pawel

Hello!

The gun emplacement on top of the bridge immediately got my attention. How realistic is that? Never seen anything like it before.

Also the tram line and the narrow bridged-over waterway fit the Low Countries a lot better then they do Normandy.

Overall the dio is very impressive. Keep 'em coming, and have a nice day

Pawel

Hi Pawel,

Thanks for the comments.

Basically the gun emplacements I've seen were on towers and the roof tops of high buildings. This one was purely from my imagination. After doing it I realised it was quite precarious to have it on the bridge itself. I wouldn't want to be on the bridge if a bomb goes off.

You're right about the trams being in the low countries and not in Normandy. Again creative license in use here.

A real bridge would have taken up a larger base and I was working within space limits and composition.

Thanks again.

Cheers,

Richard

Mic

Fantastic work!

My only comment is a wish for a slightly dirtier roadway.

Steve

 

Hi Steve, thanks.

I see your point. I thought about the dirtier road for quite a while but decide against it. The reason is this was D-Day plus 11hrs and the Paras were lightly armed. Germans were practically taken by surprise. Debris would have been minimal and spread around damaged buildings only. The bridge is unscathed as you can see but I should have strewn German left overs, barbed wire and barricades.

Cheers,

Richard

Kolschey

I love it! Well composed, and great work on the bridge!

Thanks Kolschey,

I had fun doing the composition. Everyone is interacting with one another and some are looking ahead beyond the dio itself. Distance and size calculation is crucial to dio composition. I'm glad you liked it.

Cheers,

Richard 

Everything looks great! one question, what did you make the road out of?

101stAirborne

Everything looks great! one question, what did you make the road out of?

Thanks,

This is the only aftermarket product I used here called Faller. Specifically for Railroad dios, it's compressed foam textured to fabricate walls in HO/OO scale. I sliced off sections with a hobby knife and glued them with white glue(Elmers) onto the styrofoam base. Here's a cut example of what it looks like:

Incidently the whole bridge structure including the bottom masonry can be detached. I did this to facilitate painting in sub-assemblies.

Cheers,

Richard

*****EXCELLENT***** 

I gotta say I really like this work ! The British airborne are some of the great inspirational heros of the war, and perfect Dio subject matter. The composition and structures chosen seem to have led to some really intense modelbuilding challenges that I'd say you dealt with well.----I like it!

~ You say this is from '98 ? There must be many more since them---if so--please continue posting them here--I'd love to see more from you. What have the last 12 years brought?

*INDY

*****EXCELLENT***** 

I gotta say I really like this work ! The British airborne are some of the great inspirational heros of the war, and perfect Dio subject matter. The composition and structures chosen seem to have led to some really intense modelbuilding challenges that I'd say you dealt with well.----I like it!

~ You say this is from '98 ? There must be many more since them---if so--pleae continue posting them here--I'd love to see more from you. What have the last 12 years brought?

Thanks Indy,

My build process for dioramas takes quite a while especially in between the individual builds like planes and ships but here are some since 1998...

Normandy ambush somewhere in Caen. Close-ups in another post later

Small vignette of another ambush at the Normandy Bocage with an ESCI kit all in one box.

Another vignette in autumn.

E-Boat dio. My first attempt at water and a boat in action. Sad to say some of the figures were pinched during one of the contest displays.

A WIP that's long overdew. This need a base that I've yet to decide on. The figures were re-posed considerably. Their equipment are yet to be added.

1/72 scale carrier deck dio of the US Navy's last bi-plane fighter on Saratoga. WIP will come later.

Starwars Speeder bike dio. I'll feature a short  WIP later on this.

This was shot before the M10 and M36 was put in moving up the road. I'll get another shot of it with the tanks on.

Kure harbour WIP. The figures and railings on some of the ships have yet to be added. WIP on-going.

Here's an on-going WIP on a local scene called "R & R" featuring our own Armed Forces guys stopping by the road side fruit stall in the 70's. At the time we still had small pockets of communist guerillas operating in the jungles. This progress build has been running for three years now. Lots of scratch building and modifications.  Will post later.

This is one of the latest WIP's that involves the 101st Airborne in Normandy called "David and Goliath". Only the tank , buildings and base have been built up. The figures already selected and will be reposed.

I've others like "Before the Bulge" and another Vietnam group build dio yet to come. Will post later.

Comments welcomed.

Cheers,

Richard

Thanks foir sharing your builds. WIPs are a great way to share your experience and I find them often the best way to learn. You have a great eye for composition and detail. I do like that you were not bogged down by historical detail in your bridge dio and knew what to add and what to delete.

Very Nice stuff Richard--I really like your work and am happy you've joined us here and are posting these Dios. I look forward to more pictures--the Normandy scene in particular, but whatever you wish to share. i gotta say your Opel Blitz stuck in the frozen mud really caught my eye

Having just completed a desertized version myself

 for my current build ~ ! Clash in Tunisia !~   nearly finished now after 6 months

~~Anyways , I look forward to seeing that truck placed into a setting or whatever else you're up to!

vespa boy

Thanks foir sharing your builds. WIPs are a great way to share your experience and I find them often the best way to learn. You have a great eye for composition and detail. I do like that you were not bogged down by historical detail in your bridge dio and knew what to add and what to delete.

Thanks Vespa Boy,

I'll be posting the WIP's soon and mind you some are pretty long. Sorry to say the bridge dio doesn't have any as I didn't record the build...no forums at the time.

I was inspired by the two remaining pre-WW2 steel bridges in my home city of Kuala Lumpur. One of them straddles across the railway lines infront of the old main railway station. This station is some times featured in old WW2 photographs of the Japanese take over of Kuala Lumpur.

We may have the tallest Twin Towers in the world but we still have the old stuff if you look hard enough.

I won't stop just because a bolt was not suppose to be in a certain spot...either go around it or remove it...in the end, it's a hobby to be enjoyed.

Cheers,

Richard

Whoah! Indy,

I like what you did to your Opel Blitz. detailing is superb especially the tarpaulin...I presume it's made with either lead foil or A+B putty?

The chipping is spot on reminiscing sandstorm weathering. Oh Oh...nice touch on the stash of "vino" in a basket and open tool box.

Here are more pix on the bridge dio...notably the damaged house. I scratch build all my houses and buildings with styrofoam and spackle.

Enjoy. Cheers,

Richard

~Richard~ Thanks for the comments--it was a bit more involved than I usually get per vehicle--I'm in it for the Dio's, more than ultra-super-detailing one set of wheels, but I went for it with that 1--it's all in the middle of the blog if you get some time, follow that link  -but yes the tilt cover was created with 2part epoxy-putty.~~

~Your structures all look very nice, now that you mention it--the additional photos are very welcome---there is ALOT to look at in the "Hold" Dio---this time I was really liking the 20mm enplacement on the side of the bridge and the shot-up nazi flag--->Superb!       That's a huge group of figures, and the ALL look very natural, the poses realistic, and seem to all be very cohesive with eachother--I'm in the middle of painting 14 figures, so I know what it takes and really appreciate your work.

I have no idea if the AA gun is accurate or not but I love your diorama.

Beautiful work on the bridge, nice jeep, and the figures are fantastic!

If you've done more I'd really love to see them.

Thanks Indy,

I'm the same when it comes to level of detail to vehicles in a diorama.

The shot up Nazi flag was made up by laminating two pieces of pre-painted paper with white glue. While it dried I teased it into shape bending it around a paint brush handle. Then I used incense sticks to burn through the little holes. The burnt effect is natural.

Tell me about the figures roughly 22 of them. Painting was just like the assembly line you have on your post. The difficult part was to get the equipment right. Para helmet (sliced from ESCI vinyl figures), Mark V Sten, Mark IV Lee Enfield, Piat, entrenching tool, Knap sack. Most of them scrounged or scratch built. Share a secret...the para lying in the back of the second jeep has two left legs.

Your 14 figures look great...can't wait to see them posed on the base.

Cheers,

Richard

Gamera

I have no idea if the AA gun is accurate or not but I love your diorama.

Beautiful work on the bridge, nice jeep, and the figures are fantastic!

If you've done more I'd really love to see them.

Thanks Gamera,

Not sure if it's accurate either but I enjoyed doing it.

No worries I've done more and will be posting later.

Cheers,

Richard

Cheers to you as well,Richard...again.. I'm really pleased you've joined us.

It looks to me like you did you scratching and converting well,...the equipment seems to be very consistaint and convincing in your build. The stocks made for the Stens are particularly good!

Thanks for the comment about my current group of figures---won't be long now

Thanks for the kind words Indy,

I've shifted some of my pictures in Photobucket while tidying up and it's messed up the post so I had to re-edit the pictures in the post. Can't touch your replies though. I still got to get a hang of this linking stuff.

Also appreciate your looking into the R & R post...it's a real long one.

Cheers,

Richard

Hi Guys,

Thought you'd like to see some more shots I took of the Dio...

he rest of the pictures weren't sharp so I'll have to shoot them again, enjoy.

Cheers,

Richard

Realistic or not, it's a very cool diorama. Great detail work.

Nice collection and variety---you have more WIPS than me!

The more pictures-the better

Very good stuff Richard--I really love how these guys all sway with the 'ride' of the jeep

makes for great story-telling--even  being a little blured in the photo adds some realism to the motion.

Thanks Tigerman, I went overboard on this one but had great pleasure doing it.

Cheer,

Richard

Hi Manny, I may have other WIP's on the way but this ones completed. The variety keeps me interested to create more dios and to improve.

Cheers,

Richard

*INDY

The more pictures-the better

Very good stuff Richard--I really love how these guys all sway with the 'ride' of the jeep

makes for great story-telling--even  being a little blured in the photo adds some realism to the motion.

Hi Adam,

Ha!...Only you caught the sway of the figures. Good observation on your part. I even sanded the two left wheels to get the slight weight on the left side. They were in a hurry and that's why the private was warning the officer speaking with the occupants in the radio jeep that there was bunch of  "Red Devils" bearing down the bridge.

Incidentally the Piat on the bonnet of the radio jeep was also scratchbuilt. Now there is one from the Dragon "Red Devils" figure set.

Thanks again my friend.

Cheers,

Richard

It's like the fourth of July and I'm seeing stars pop up all over the place.

I don't know how I got the five star rating but who ever did it gets my sincere thanks. Will always strive to do a better Dio.

Cheers,

Richard

rtfoe

It's like the fourth of July and I'm seeing stars pop up all over the place.

I don't know how I got the five star rating but who ever did it gets my sincere thanks. Will always strive to do a better Dio.

Cheers,

Richard

Maybe someone upstairs likes you??.....................