I know how you feel. I have several figure sets that stalled in painting when I moved last summer. Still trying to get caught up on my backlog...

Hey SP, those are pretty cool! Reminds me I started a post on some ROK figures over two years ago myself and they're still sitting under the workbench

Here are a few more shots of how they look now...

Any suggstions or feedback?

Wow, I did not realize that this had been stalled for nearly two years. I started doing the final work on these in recent weeks and they are now almost finished.

Only this pic of this pair came out good

My favorite pose of the set

and the non action pose

I still want to make the handlers faces a little more scruffy and touch up the dogs a bit.

They're looking great so far.

Today I had finished the base coat of flesh and Vallejo Khaki for the uniforms. I tried Polly Scale Brown Drab PC-10 (a RFC WWI color) for the steel pots as a base color but it is bit too light for what I want. More pics will be posted as progress is made. There is quite a bit to go here.

I've read about a zillion notes in these forums over the years, and have been consistently impressed by one thing:  the spirit of honoring the subjects that is universal. among the modelers.  If a dio of the Light Brigade is acceptable because it honors human character, who could anyone see anything different in a dio of war dogs?  Some folks spend 'way too much time looking for something to bellyache about.

Similar subject:  In 1862 - during the War of Northern Aggression - Federal soldiers tried to send several mules into the Confederate camp below Val Verde ford, on the Rio Grande.  The mules were loaded with 12 pdr howitzer shells.  The fuses were lit and the mules shooed toward the Rebs.  The mules, being smarter than expected, realized those Rebs were about ready to start eating mules!  They turned around and started following the Yanks back to home and oats.  It turned into a quite a footrace - until the shells went off.

I'm afraid I'm one of those people who feel strongly in the dog's favor. I know how I too would fight for the life of my pet. I was reading on a military site that supposedly, the dogs would be trained to drop the load (no pun intended :p) and race back before the big boom. Of course, it rarely worked out that way and the dog would be killed along with the tank. 

I do however, like the figures and from what I can see, they look nicely made. I too would really love to see in progress pictures.

Rob

the doog

UGH!

I give you credit for being able to do these figures---I couldn't even attempt them., knowing the history of these cruel commando's.

They shoulda used cats...   ....lol

Knowing Stalin I am surprised he did not convince the average foot soldier to do it.  "For the Motherland!"  Had to be a better outcome than 40 more years farming on a steppe

Brian

I've got 1 cat & 1 dog and though they love me, i doubt seriously either of them would cooperate long enough to blow up a panzer for me 

stikpusher

I hear ya... I can think of many critters I would rather see go boom than a dog. But none of them listen to humans very well.

I too am not a cat lover, in fact I am deathly allergic to there dander. Being independent companions perhaps the best delivery would be a Cat-a-pullit or Trebuchet?

I hear ya... I can think of many critters I would rather see go boom than a dog. But none of them listen to humans very well.

UGH!

I give you credit for being able to do these figures---I couldn't even attempt them., knowing the history of these cruel commando's.

They shoulda used cats...   ....lol

stikpusher

Boomer that diorama is beautiful. I love how the dog is just trotting allong and al the Germans are in various states of reaction. Which one is Manny?

SF, the Zvezda dogs do indeed have the tilt stick on top. Look closely at each dog on this pic here. I thought they might be too thick when I saw them at first. I figured it would be more like the tilt rod on the AT mines I once trained upon. But after reading up on these dogs, the little stick looks right.

I do want to do a diorama, but since these handlers are in the padded winter uniforms with the felt boots, a winter scene like somewhere near the German advance finally being halted in the snows outside Moscow in late 1941 is what I have in mind.

But that spring scene of the lone dog is wow!

    Hey fellas, glad you liked it. Took me ages to find it. I have been looking for it since this thread started..... I had the image of the dio in my head, i just couldn't remeber where i had seen it....lmao

Stikpusher....  lol....you didn't see the second dog? I guess that's exactll what the Russians were hoping would happen for the Geramns...

                           It is a great dio and the builder has captured that precise moment when the Germans are reacting to the threat. Some have obviously comprehended what is happening and are taking action and some are still in a state of..... WTF!!?

SF....   the dogs in the dio i linked you to do have the little trigger sticks. If you go and look at the photo that shows just the dog you can clearly see the stick. It even has a little spring going from the stick to the trigger....a nice little detail...

INDY....   hey mate, i am not sure this is quite the best thing i have ever done....LOL!......and sorry.....i can't tell you about that on here.... I am glad you liked the link though. I agree, they are some of the best dios i have ever come across.

             For all you good fellas, here are links to two other websites with other awesome and inspirational dios that i have discovered. I check these sites out frequently for new content....enjoy!!!

             http://www.diorama.ru/         (you can switch this one to english text. It's in the top right corner)

             http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rs_wells/Index.htm

 Boomer...

Boomerang!

Man-thats like the best thing you ever did--pointing out that site. thanks for that. That is the best bunch of Dio's I've seen in one place since Missing Lynx ! Fantastic work The CZ modellers just seem to have a general high standard.Excellent~!

I completely missed the second dog until you pointed it out SF.

Well here they are- primed as of this afternoon. Tomorrow I can start the painting.

But that spring scene of the lone dog is wow!

Yes it is a excellent diorama, the viewers focus is directed at the dog advancing on the left as the soldiers are alerted to its threat. The dynamic part of the scene is the other dog sneaking up from the center right, giving the viewer unexpected danger with a few possible outcomes. The animated poses and faces really bring the scene to life!

I have read about these dog teams and they turned out not to be terribly effective. They were trained to find food under armor vehicles so to be familiar with them, which were mostly Russian vehicles. The dogs knew the scents and sounds of Russian vehicles and took them to be targets at times as well. I have never seen any figures on how many vehicles were destroyed by these teams, but there is a mention that 11 vehicles were damaged in one battle. But neverthe less, the project was dropped.

Mike T.

Boomer that diorama is beautiful. I love how the dog is just trotting allong and al the Germans are in various states of reaction. Which one is Manny?

SF, the Zvezda dogs do indeed have the tilt stick on top. Look closely at each dog on this pic here. I thought they might be too thick when I saw them at first. I figured it would be more like the tilt rod on the AT mines I once trained upon. But after reading up on these dogs, the little stick looks right.

I do want to do a diorama, but since these handlers are in the padded winter uniforms with the felt boots, a winter scene like somewhere near the German advance finally being halted in the snows outside Moscow in late 1941 is what I have in mind.

But that spring scene of the lone dog is wow!

Excellent link Boomerang!

I just browsed the site and was really impressed by the quality of work they are producing.

There is a detail missing from the canine anti-tank dogs, there should be a stick about 1' long sticking up from the explosive pack they are wearing. The idea was it triggered the explosion when it bent over from the dog running under the vehicle. I recall the Zvezda kit is missing this as well from the pictures posted. I have a reference book with a photograph of this if need be.

Woooohoo!!  I found it!. It's quite a well done dio...

Here is the link to where the dio (some awesome dio's here) is featured.....

                                  http://www.schusterdiorama-35.cz/en/gallery/94/68/

Hope this inspires you for a dio Stikpusher...

Boomer...

I saw a dio with the dogs in it. The pics are here somewhere in my favourites. Do you think i can find it...

Boomer...

stikpusher,

Suppresion fire, if you need decals for a Canadian Sherman, look up Ultracasts decals. They have small sheets for various Canadian units

Tanks for the link! Once another reference book arrives I will order directly from Ultracast. I never realized they had that many products or a site with direct order capability. Guess its a must in this day and age!

Same here. I like the occasional set of Germans that is off the beaten track, say the recent Gebirgsjager Defenders from Dragon, but otherwise I give most of them a pass these days. I have plenty already. I did pick up a neat new set from Masterbox- Scotland the Brave, three standard Commonwealth figures in action poses, and one upright marching piper in a kilt and bonnet. Very nice! Now if we can get some more PTO and CBI figures from both sides.

Suppresion fire, if you need decals for a Canadian Sherman, look up Ultracasts decals. They have small sheets for various Canadian units

http://www.ultracast.ca/Armour%20Decals%20-%2035%20Scale.htm

Frankly I've been a little burnt out by Germans, Germans, and more Germans in the figure category and I'm quite happy to see more Soviets and UK/Commonwealth subjects.

Well said buddy, it can be difficult to find ANY decent figure kits that are not WWII Germans. Hopefully the AM resin manufactures will step up to the challenge as well.

I have started the shift to commonwealth subjects recently. Harder yet is finding research material on Canadian forces and units. Predicting this trend I picked up a AM decal set for 4 Canadian 1/24 scale Mosquitoes! Yes that only means the Airfix kit will be purchased eventually. Now I need some decals for Shermans in Canadian units.

I've been really impressed by most of the stuff coming out of Eastern Europe recently. I'm going to have to pick up these sets.  Frankly I've been a little burnt out by Germans, Germans, and more Germans in the figure category and I'm quite happy to see more Soviets and UK/Commonwealth subjects. 

Though with the dogs I'd be tempted to do a small diorama with a political officer holding up a diagram of a Panzer IV with the words 'GOOD TARGET' and a T34 with the caption 'BAD TARGET' for the dogs to look at...

Indy,

Thanks for that bit of research.

The scene showed three Vietcong soldiers using the heavy machine gun on a anti-aircraft mount similar to the box art on the Zvezda kit you pictured. They fired in short bursts, possibly 3 rounds at a time and managed to down a Huey before being taken out by another firing rockets.

Looking forward to seeing your tank busting dawgs painted up!

~Suppresion Fire~ I remember the scene and have plenty of that film memorized but I can't say I remember what MG was in that scene---Wikipiedia does list North Vietnam among users of DSHKM a slightly more modern version of the DSHK and they show a picture on that Sokolov mount

I don't know about you but usually when I see these machineguns they're mounted atop tanks & APC's

~Manny~ROFL~~never get out of charactor....

..sorry...now back to our regularly scheduled thread.................

Lets call it a K9 ATGW But didnt one get your chow truck?