Jump to content

Recommended Posts

So, this is my first planned diorama, and the first diorama I've attempted (actually, that's not true, I bashed one together out of balsa wood a long time ago :P). But it will be the first diorama since I started putting more effort into my modelling.

So far I only have the rough plan of it, and what will decorate it. Its one of at least three dioramas I have planned for this particular setting, which is a fictional conflict between China and Japan. This one will be set on a Tokyo street and features a Humvee crew meeting with a small group of JGSDF soldiers. Over the years I've picked up a number of JGSDF figures, some from the Iraq Humanitarian Assistance set and others the Type 90 w/ loading crew (which I'll probably put with my Abrams). Only painted up the two shown here so far (that camo is tedious, maybe more so than ACU).

The additional decoration for this idea came from the Meng barriers set. The k-rails in the set I've painted up and will likely use with my Bradley idea. I also planned to get two other Meng sets, one being the highway set (possibly for the Abrams) and the other the vending machine (for the Bradley). The Bradley (an M2A3 BUSK), which I've started building, will also be in NATO three-tone.

So without further ado, here's a basic look at what my idea could look like :)

dio1_by_moab23-da7y7kb.jpg

dio2_by_moab23-da7y7p4.jpg

dio3_by_moab23-da7y7rt.jpg

dio4_by_moab23-da7y7yv.jpg

dio5_by_moab23-da7y80j.jpg

dio6_by_moab23-da7y830.jpg

dio7_by_moab23-da7y858.jpg

dio9_by_moab23-da7y88m.jpg

dio10_by_moab23-da7y8c4.jpg

Gaz

Edited by GazB
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A great start and you have the patience of a saint to have painted that camouflage.

For that authentic Tokyo look, don't forget to add at least one man waving a flag or led baton per traffic cone!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A great start and you have the patience of a saint to have painted that camouflage.

For that authentic Tokyo look, don't forget to add at least one man waving a flag or led baton per traffic cone!

Haha :P

Thanks, bhouse. Just hope it comes out as it does in my head :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I've been doing some work on a second diorama linked with this theme, this one using my Bradley. I have the basic set up for it planned out, but have to wait for my camera to charge up, and some better lightning conditions (energy saving bulb is terrible for providing ambient light). Idea with this diorama is an ambush on a joint group of Army/Marines.

While I don't have any pics of the set up available, I do have some of my Marines. These were the new Masterbox set, which was a little confusing in that the boxart seems to depict an Army unit (based on a patch), while the painting instructions depicted desert MARPAT. So I decided, per the theme, to paint them in woodland MARPAT and make them a small Recon unit. I also adjusted their positions from that shown. While the figures themselves are very good, save for difficulty in positioning the weapons without having to cut pieces off, the guns were a little disappointing. Strangely, they were less detailed than those of the previous Army set, with one side of the guns almost looking as if they'd suffered a bit of heat damage that slightly blurred the detail.

Another thing is the age of the weapons. In the Army 'Man Down' set, the weapons provided include an M4/M320 combo, a modern M249 w/ Eclan, another M4 w/ ACOG, and a SCAR-L w/ GL. The newer set by comparison includes an M16A4 with a collapsible stock and an M4 w/ M203, but also a really old style Minimi and M21, the former of which is depicted on the boxart as being a Mk.46. The Minimi ammunition box was also poorly detailed in comparison with the SAW. So, since the M249 was the weapon of the gunner in my Humvee diorama, I decided to give it to the automatic rifleman in this group. I also provided the medic with the M4/203 combo instead of the M21, which, while nice, is pretty outdated. Another outdated element was the holster of several figures being old 'suicide' style ones. The one modern holster depicted also had a different weapon from the boxart (USP or HK45 on the pic, but an M1911 [maybe an MEU SOC] on the moulding).

Anyway, enough waffling. Here's a quick shot of them together :)

MARPAT is a tad easier to be consistent with, but mixing up the colours is a pain. The brown ended up getting less fine over time because I didn't have an ample supply, and was exhausting it by the end.

marines_by_moab23-da9q4ar.jpg

Gaz

Edited by GazB
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, another update in my "Tokyo 2019" scenario.

I've had a Tamiya Type 90 sitting on my shelf for years, largely completed. In actually inspecting it again I've discovered I hadn't attached all the parts or even painted some of them. The paint job itself wasn't too bad for brushwork, and I wished I'd finished it at the time so that I could keep it. But I think it needs a respray, which is going to result in some nightmarish masking of those decals if i want to keep them. I'll then weather it up. Now this particular set was the one with the loading crew, the figures and accessories of which I've never used (cue several days of painting little men in Japanese flecktarn). My basic idea follows other examples of this kit in a diorama: the tank is being rearmed, but also refueled thanks to some drums I bought. Additional figures from the Iraq Humanitarian Assistance set, as well as some Masterbox U.S infantry, will complete it. I intend to do a grassy base for this one (was a toss up between that, or a parking lot being used as a makeshift resupply spot. I was thinking of using the ammunition boxes and the shells with my Abrams in some way, hence why I repainted them in Olive Green and the shells match U.S. tank rounds. I quite like the colour of the boxes over the Buff in the instructions, but I wonder if it'll be authentic. I may spray them in Buff, then add some chipping fluid and do the Olive again.

Either way, this is a basic idea of my layout :)

jgsdf_by_moab23-daa2t8s.jpg

jgsdf1_by_moab23-daa2tcx.jpg

jgsdf2_by_moab23-daa2tfk.jpg

jgsdf4_by_moab23-daa2ti0.jpg

Gaz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...