Bones1977
I don't post much but I got to say this is pretty awesome !!! It's would be cool to paint the lens on the the street lights a bright neon green to make it look more spooky !
Thanks for that awesome suggestion, Bones! I'm sorry that it took me a while to get back to you on it, but I've been consumed with finishing this and have been working hard to get it done. I have to thank you for this great piece of advice, which I have used in the diorama, and I think it adds an extra level of spookiness to it!
Here are the last steps and finished photos!
I painted the Plus Models street lamps with a craft store acrylic mix--details in the article to be written soon--and then added a dash of white to the mix to paint the squiggle texture on the lamps. It kinda looks like marble to me. The white of the lanterns was again craft store acrylic, with a trimming of yellow and bright green to impart that eerie glow as suggested by Bones. Testor's enamel Brass was used for the trim. Here, I'm making a base for the lamps to slide into and which will be then placed in the grass.
I'm using a Dremel tool to scrape away a place for the lamp base.
The base in place. I drilled holed for the lights and epoxied them in, and then used superglue to fill in around the edges with some more grass powder.
After installing the park bench (Mini Art), I use the Dremel again to rough up the ground for realism.
The base awaiting the elements.
The finished diorama: "Death to the Defiler!"
The tank was attached to the base with epoxy cement.
The top DOES still come off to show off the interior.
I added some litter--water bottles and coke cans, etc--to the scene at various places. I aso added two rifles stored inside which were locked securely with a dead bolt and chain.
The memorial boquet, public viewing stair and "Kein Eingang" (no entrance) sign and chain.
The boquet was painted with craft store acrylics. The banners come with the kit--Plus Models again--and are simply soaked in water and draped over the piece with a light coat of white glue.
The soldier coming through the tank and the vandal...the graffitti is decals by Uschi.
I think that this scumbag came out pretty good, face-wise? Again, painted with 90% craft acrylics.
One more of the soldiers. Note how I painted the reflection of the "spooky light" on highlights of the "bones". I think this draws a more cohesive link to the overall story line and feel.
The park bench...yup, craft store acrylics. Painted by simple blending of colors on the brush. There were no oil washes used here.
The back of the tank and dio..Joefix leaves added an aire of cold October..
And one last angle..
This diorama was inspired by the genuine horror that I've felt in my many travels around Europe. There, the willingness to deface and destroy what are gorgeous old monuments and incredible buildings of beautiful marble and granite by people who have a need to be recognized by the illegible scrawls that they leave rather than the good that they do apparently knows no bounds. I remember being outraged in the town of Nurnberg when I found a small store which apparently catered to this sickness, and sold the wares of the trade--small, easily-concealable paint cans, masks, and gloves, etc. The whole store was actually dedicated to "tagging". And of course, in the beautiful old city, the ease of access showed..Ugh! 
So anyway, this is my fantasy, my "release", to get it off my chest in an artistic way. I hope you find both humor and empathy in it. 
As always, thanks for following along, and for all the nice comments which everyone has been so kind in offering!