Right on time - Afrika Korps 1942

[RefiksModel]

Hello fellow modellers, 

   I would like to lay my fisrt dioama to your inspections. 

   I started in 2017 and finished late summer of 2018. I think, I have improved myself a bit since than so I can spot some of my mistakes. And I know I have a lot of other mistakes and incorrect applications here. As I said this is my first diorama project and also the first time I painted a figure. Nevertheless, I am happy with the results except figures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I am leaving this link here for thoose who wonder the building process:
https://refiksmodel.blogspot.com/2019/09/afrika-korps-diorama-1942-was-my-first.html

This my personal blog where I share my projects. I recommend anybody who likes to read blogs to read and follow it  

I am open to criticise, but don't be too hard, as I mentioned before it is my first try  

Have fun!

Edited September 25, 2019 by RefiksModel
Misnamed Topic

[Badder]

Hi RefixModel,

 

For a first attempt that's pretty good - certainly better than mine was! Everything looks to be neatly built and painted, the scene is a 'busy' one and there are a few nice little details to add that extra bit of realism (the boards for the shells for example)

 

I had a look at your blog; a concise, neat, eye-pleasing and informative thing it is too.

Having read it, may I suggest using wooden coffee stirring sticks for such things as floorboards, roof rafters, gate bars, barn door and fence panels etc? It saves sanding and filing toothpicks flat and they are pretty good in scale for floorboards in particular, but can obviously be cut to the required lengths and widths.

 

Only one other tip, and that's regarding the layout of the diorama. Dioramas nearly always look better when the main components are placed on the base at an angle, rather than parrallel to the edges, And then they usually look better when the components are at angles to each other as well. The crux of the problem is the size of your base then. You needed a base twice the size, giving more room to model the building at an angle, park the Hanomag more 'casually' and not have the AT gun barrel overhanging the edge.

 

But as I said, it's a petty good diorama for a first attempt and I can't fault anything other than the parallelity.

 

Rearguards,

Badder.

[RefiksModel]

Hi @Badder, that you for your kind remarks.

   I have plenty different kind of wooden sticks right now in case of I need any kind of wood shape (coffe stirring stick, chop sticks, a more thicker kind of stick I don't know what it is etc.) 

   Right now, I am working on a vignette as you see my blog and I am plannig to put unparallel my tiny, litte, freak Panzer II on the base. I have seen the difference in every diorama I inspect since then.

   Thank you again for your comments and suggestions. 

   I hope you enjoyed my Turkish delights

   

 

[Red Five]

Looks really cool, one of my first dios was an afrkia korps scene and it got me hooked. Great work. Agree with badders point on layout, It makes it look more like its a snap shot of something bigger if you use a cleaver angle but this still works for me, i enjoy the gun sticking out a little its all personal taste and unless youre pallning on winning a show then just do what you like, afterall youll be the one looking at it all the time.. 

 

Deserts are surprisingly harder to model than you'd think. I find that by adding a few smaller rocks and some dry foliage here and there goes along way and alot of DUST!! It gets everywhere, espcially when you've got 75mm guns kicking off etc. I had a friend served in Iraq and was sraching it out of his beard for days when he got back. In terms of figures give this a try if youre first starting off. Get some Agrax Earthshade from Games workshop. Paint the base colours of the uniforms, skin etc then wash everything in agrax. LET IT DRY and i mean it DRY as otherwise it mixes with paint and goes to poo-poo quickly. Then go back over and touch up the raised area with the base colour then on top of that add shightly lighter shades in smaller amounts to get definition. I'm in no way a figure painter but in 3 years ive got alot better and when you get the knack its actualkly quite straight forward to produce acceptable figures for dios. Proper figure painting is a different thing all together and takes alot more skill than i posess. You could even give it a go on this dio as the base coats look spot on just maybe a little extra defenition to highlight creases and shadow etc.

 

Look forward to seeing more of your builds.

 

Thx

Simon

[RefiksModel]

1 hour ago, Red Five said:

Deserts are surprisingly harder to model than you'd think. I find that by adding a few smaller rocks and some dry foliage here and there goes along way and alot of DUST!! It gets everywhere

   If I were doing a Desert dio again, I would have burry everthing in the base a bit, like they are really on sand. For example if you look at the legs of the pak40, it looks like it is on a hard surface, not on sand, or feet of the soldiers etc.

 

Thank you for your comment and suggestions Simon, and if you have a look to my blog, I would be very happy,

Burak