Jump to content

36th Panzer Regiment in action at Grand-Leez, Gembloux, Belguim 14th May 1940


GRK

Recommended Posts

Hi all. 

 

I've finished off my diorama for the Tamyia Panzer Mk II. I wanted to depict a battle in the Gembloux Gap in which the 36th fought as part of the 4th Panzer Division. There was a fierce action here when they were confronted by French S35 tanks which put a stop to the German advance  before the French were forced to withdraw. 

 

More firsts for this diorama including water effects in the ditch, long grass and well an attempt at a telegraph pole! I had a few issues with the water-I used AK interactive still water, but despite applying it in thin layers couldn't stop it from cracking on the edges. I then thought i'd fill the holes with pva and then apply an even thinner layer of the still water. This was a bad idea as the pva then cracked and ruined the top layer- seems pva and still water don't mix! Might be good if you wanted to achieve that just frozen look but not suitable for May 1940! Anyway several more ultra thin layers of still water and I got a half decent finish on the water. 

 

I used Tremendous raw grass and I loved it, great product! I sprinkled more flock on top of this to simulate early flowers and give it some variation. I made the bull rushes in the ditch using stretched sprue with some air drying clay for the heads.

 

The figures are from Dragons Barbarossa set and I was very happy with them-nice details and plenty of parts for options. 

 

Overall I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and a good step up from my Matilda diorama in terms of challenge-had a lot of fun doing it, particularly seeing the vegetation coming together. 

IMG_5835

 

IMG_5829

 

 

IMG_5837

 

IMG_5838

 

IMG_5831

 

IMG_5840

 

IMG_5842

 

IMG_5841

 

IMG_5844

 

IMG_5826

 

Edited by GRK
txt change
  • Like 21
  • Thanks 1
  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great Scene. Get a story of whats happening with only two guys and a tank. Top stuff

 

In regards to water, the Vallejo stuff is just rubbish too, I had the EXACT same issue, ever so slightly too thick.....BOOM theres a CRACK or it shrinks quite a bit so its VERY time consuming putting layer after layer. I stopped using it for anything other than a glaze on top of other water effects. Depending on how much you want to use in future resin is an excellent way to go. However it STINKS and the surface you're putting it on NEEDS to be sealed fully before pouring it. I very nearly detroyed a dio at christams due to this. Plenty of How too's on you tube, plasmo does a good one of a KV 2 in water. Ive had some great results using it. I've also hand painted water for sea effects with good results too. Also look at woodland sceneics Surface water effects, it goes on like a thick pva (white) but dries clear and is excellent for ripples and wave effects. You could also probaly flatten it but it will be a chore.

 

Anyway really cool dio.

 

Simon

 

 

Edited by Red Five
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Red Five said:

resin is an excellent way to go.

Thanks Simon, your diorama's are excellent and definitely something for me to work towards. I do have a plan to make a Panzer Mk III set fording a shallow river and was definitely thinking of resin- which brand did you use? I've seen plasmos KV2 and you're Dniester River crossing so would be keen on giving resin a go. Did you have a problem with the heat generated by the curing process? 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, GRK said:

Thanks Simon, your diorama's are excellent and definitely something for me to work towards. I do have a plan to make a Panzer Mk III set fording a shallow river and was definitely thinking of resin- which brand did you use? I've seen plasmos KV2 and you're Dniester River crossing so would be keen on giving resin a go. Did you have a problem with the heat generated by the curing process? 

Hi. No not really. It didnt warp the tank or anything at all. It's not hot hot its just generates a little heat but cant really feel it. I used foam for the base. I used a watery plaster mix as first sealer. Then watered down pva and then thicker plaster then pva on that then usual base then sealed that with a mist of watery pva. It held up ok. Needs to be thicker than a usual base to stop that little bit of heat. You need ALOT more resin than youd think I did a dry run with some rice to get a rough idea of how much. I managed to do my omaha in one pour and that's just over 1 inch thick and it didnt crack. If you're uk based I'll send the amazon link for the resin I used. Good stuff but STINKS. also if you come to do it and want tips you can dm me or I can give you my email. I've done 3 pours all of which worked well. The 2nd the resin was fine but I didnt anchor the model properly and ruined it. Different story. 

 

Edit

 

I used this stuff. Use about1/2 to 2/3 of one of the 1kg from my river crossing dio. Ussed about 3 tiomes that for omaha.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Clear-Casting-Resin-Polyester/dp/B06XPSL1MW/ref=pd_aw_sbs_201_1/259-8129321-9828534?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06XPSL1MW&pd_rd_r=d6efc2fc-d5a2-44bc-b102-92f7d0762b8b&pd_rd_w=RaSNO&pd_rd_wg=fSxYc&pf_rd_p=15216146-4434-47f5-99d9-56240c85bf4d&pf_rd_r=PMFRV3303K702HZF5HHY&psc=1&refRID=PMFRV3303K702HZF5HHY

 

Get a good respirator and do it in a garage or a shed and l;eave it in there for a good few days. It will go off after about 12 hours so you can then remove the dam's etc but it takes a good while for the smell to go. It hangs on clothes too so wear something old.

Edited by Red Five
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great dio! 

Ditch and grass work really well. What did you use for the grass? I've tried looking up Tremendous raw grass but can find now't, alas.

 

Haven't tried any ground work/ base to mount models on before but determined to give it a go, yours looks really good and just the sort of thing I had in mind.

 

Thanks 

Darryl 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Red Five said:

I used this stuff. Use about1/2 to 2/3 of one of the 1kg from my river crossing dio. Ussed about 3 tiomes that for omaha.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Clear-Casting-Resin-Polyester/dp/B06XPSL1MW/ref=pd_aw_sbs_201_1/259-8129321-9828534?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06XPSL1MW&pd_rd_r=d6efc2fc-d5a2-44bc-b102-92f7d0762b8b&pd_rd_w=RaSNO&pd_rd_wg=fSxYc&pf_rd_p=15216146-4434-47f5-99d9-56240c85bf4d&pf_rd_r=PMFRV3303K702HZF5HHY&psc=1&refRID=PMFRV3303K702HZF5HHY

 

Get a good respirator and do it in a garage or a shed and l;eave it in there for a good few days. It will go off after about 12 hours so you can then remove the dam's etc but it takes a good while for the smell to go. It hangs on clothes too so wear something old.

Edited 4 hours ago by Red Five

Thank you very much Simon. I've saved the link and thanks for the helpful tips, especially about the smell!

 

12 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

What did you use for the grass? I've tried looking up Tremendous raw grass but can find now't, alas.

Thanks Darryl- the raw grass link is here https://www.treemendus-scenics.co.uk/scatters-etc/   it was my spelling of the treemendus that would have stopped your search from working

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, DAG058 said:

Excellent work, I really like this! Is the base a photo frame?

Thanks, glad you like it. Yes I've just used a deep photo frame and used a combination of insulation foam board and ready mixed filler to build up the groundwork. The soil was made from claycrete (an instant papier mache) which I find great for earth- add the paint in when you first mix it as its difficult to paint it after its dry- lots of cracks and fissures to get into. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 18/02/2020 at 20:06, GRK said:

 

Thanks Darryl- the raw grass link is here https://www.treemendus-scenics.co.uk/scatters-etc/   it was my spelling of the treemendus that would have stopped your search from working

Cheers, found it. And you just bought a sheet, cut to size and shape and painted? Airbrushed or "dabbed" on by brush?

 

They have all sorts of stuff dont they!

 

Apologies for all the questions, this groundwork will be a first for me.

 

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Jasper dog said:

And you just bought a sheet, cut to size and shape and painted?

Yes I got a whole sheet. It comes with instructions but basically you cut out a section you need, dab diluted acrylic across it and rub

it in. You then get an old combe and brush it to separate all the strands and to shape. You can then either cut the strands off the backing material and glue into place for clumps, or if you’re covering larger areas, glue the whole strip down still attached to the backing material. I didn’t try it but could use the airbrush at the end to top coat different tones. 
 

They were at the Bolton ipms show and he demonstrated a few things to me, one was if you cut the hair into very fine pieces, you can then just brush it into the groundwork around the edges of your grass and it really helps it transition smoothly. 
 

good luck with it, feel free to ask if you’ve got any questions and looking forward to seeing the result! 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, GRK said:

They were at the Bolton ipms show and he demonstrated a few things to me, one was if you cut the hair into very fine pieces, you can then just brush it into the groundwork around the edges of your grass and it really helps it transition smoothly. 
 

He was, I remember him now, i was rushing at the time so unfortunately didn't get much chance to have a proper look.

 

Thanks again, I'll try and give it a shot, I've a Firefly in need of a base.

 

Cheers

Darryl 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Really nice diorama and particularly like the 'scenics', grass etc.

 

One constructive comment about the figures. Try not to make the eyes too 'stary'. For 1/35 scale often just a slit of black/dark brown will suffice rather than trying to put in the pupil on a white background.  If you do want more detail then try to paint the eyes so they are looking to the side rather than staring straight ahead.

 

David Parker's new book 'Crew School' has some excellent advice for painting figures to go with AFV dioramas, and also includes more advanced figure sculpting techniques too.  Quite pricey at £25 for a softback book but overall I think worth it and has definitely given me a few tips :) 

 

 

Edited by Matt P
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 06/03/2020 at 23:42, Nev said:

Thats a cracking little diorama and goes to show that sometimes "less is more".

Thanks, I'm building up in diorama complexity. I've got a river crossing scene in mind, possibly the River Bug, with a Panzer III which i'll challenge myself with!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 07/03/2020 at 13:16, Matt P said:

Really nice diorama and particularly like the 'scenics', grass etc.

 

One constructive comment about the figures. Try not to make the eyes too 'stary'. For 1/35 scale often just a slit of black/dark brown will suffice rather than trying to put in the pupil on a white background.  If you do want more detail then try to paint the eyes so they are looking to the side rather than staring straight ahead.

 

David Parker's new book 'Crew School' has some excellent advice for painting figures to go with AFV dioramas, and also includes more advanced figure sculpting techniques too.  Quite pricey at £25 for a softback book but overall I think worth it and has definitely given me a few tips :) 

 

 

Thanks for the tip on the eyes, I was a bit to heavy. I've done a quick google on the book and its does look helpful-I was just asking about sculpting figures at my IPMS club the other day and I'm keen to give it a go

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi GRK,

That's a great little diorama.  As someone said, 'sometimes less is more.' The layout is perfect for such a small base, with a tank, 2 well posed figures, a nice ditch and roadside grasses, all balanced out for height with that nice telegraph pole.

 

There are a few tiny issues which have been mentioned and I won't repeat, but I shall mention two, and here I'm being ultra-fussy!!!

 

Firstly, your reedmace (often mistakenly called 'bullrushes) are a bit too chubby in the seed-head department and could do with thinning down to that more usual 'cigar' shape. As I said, I'm being ultra-fussy, but having made my own reedmace in the margins of a stream, if your water is 'rubbery' and your reedmace stems stiff, like wire,  it's a simple job to pull them out, re-model them and poke them back in again, or snip the tops off the old ones (leaving the stems in place) make new reedmace and insert them. If your water is more solid, you can use a very fine drill bit, or a heated pin to  make new holes in the water and then insert your improved reedmace. 

 

And secondly, and lastly, your telegraph pole. Whilst I understand your logic for suggesting that the wires are intact and continue on their way to the adjacent poles 'outside' the limits of the base, it does look very odd. Far better, and in fact more interesting to the eye, is to have the wires hanging down and trailing along the ground, suggestng that the poles either side have been knocked down, and the wires have snapped, or that they have been deliberately cut.,

 

Tiny and fussy details, but when less is more, those little things can make a big difference.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

BTW, I use Woodland Scenics' Realistic Water. Yes, it's a pain having to pour it in multiple, thin layers and you have to be very fussy ensuring that all possible means of its escape are well sealed and your 'dams' well made, and it DOES take ages to cure (certainly 24hrs per pour) but it doesn't smell at all, there's little in the way of shrinkage and no cracking. You can also mix colours into it before or after the pour. Having said all of that, Simon (Red Five) gets some truly excellent results with the stuff he uses, as you are aware, but I thought I'd add my preference for a simpler method when the water isn't going to be a major and eye-catching feature of the diorama.

Edited by Badder
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

 Thanks Badder

On 11/03/2020 at 23:28, Badder said:

That's a great little diorama.  As someone said, 'sometimes less is more.'

 

Yes I wasn't entirely happy with the reeds but in the end I got a bit impatient, always seem to get to a point where I want it finished even though I'm enjoying the process-very odd. Need more patience in my next scene!

 

With the wires I know what you mean about them looking a bit odd but it seems that everyone always shows them being cut and draping down and just wanted to try something a bit different. I wonder if making the wires longer would make a difference as I'm still keen to have them tight? 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

GRK,

 

ive just got some Tremendous raw grass, could you give me a bit of a steer on how you created your wonderful looking grass.

 

regards 

 

oz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ozzy said:

ive just got some Tremendous raw grass, could you give me a bit of a steer on how you created your wonderful looking grass.

Hi Oz

 

Sorry for being lazy but I'm just going to quote a little discussion earlier:

On 20/02/2020 at 08:41, GRK said:

Yes I got a whole sheet. It comes with instructions but basically you cut out a section you need, dab diluted acrylic across it and rub

it in. You then get an old combe and brush it to separate all the strands and to shape. You can then either cut the strands off the backing material and glue into place for clumps, or if you’re covering larger areas, glue the whole strip down still attached to the backing material. I didn’t try it but could use the airbrush at the end to top coat different tones. 

Its good stuff and this was the first time i'd used it so i'm no expert! :) Once I was happy with the tremendous in the scene I scattered various bits of flock on top to simulate flowers and seed heads. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

GRK, 

 

Thanks for the talk though of what to do, I'll check my box as I don't recall any instructions. I'm off to fine a comb.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, GRK said:

 Thanks Badder

 

Yes I wasn't entirely happy with the reeds but in the end I got a bit impatient, always seem to get to a point where I want it finished even though I'm enjoying the process-very odd. Need more patience in my next scene!

 

With the wires I know what you mean about them looking a bit odd but it seems that everyone always shows them being cut and draping down and just wanted to try something a bit different. I wonder if making the wires longer would make a difference as I'm still keen to have them tight? 

Hi, sorry for late response, busy elsewhere.....

If I absolutely wanted to show the wires taut,  I think I'd have to go for adding another pole and stretching the wires from one to the other.  I know telegraph poles are usually spaced more widely, but you sometimes find that poles have to be replaced or moved and in the meantime they will put in a new pole and hang the wires on that  before disconnecting the wires from the original pole and getting rid of it. So.you could have a pole in the other corner, or the corner diagonally opposite, having the wires hang across the road?

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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...