The Frozen Chosin - Revisited

[Cadman]

The Frozen Chosin - Revisited Part 1

 

Back in 2017, I decided to take a change from my usual white metal kit figures of Fantasy, Ancient Greek, Medieval and Samurai stuff, and have a go at a couple of dioramas depicting events from the 20th century.

First try was an imagined scenario set in the Hurtgen Forest, late-1944/early-1945, using 1:35 injection molded scale models plus a few resin figures from various manufacturers.

 

 

 

I reckoned that one came out okay, so now with increasing confidence in constructing 1:35 AFV’s and other related vehicles, I reckoned I’d have a go at something a bit more challenging – the epic withdrawal of the USMC from the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, October to December 1950.

The original diorama was finished on 13-June-2017 and I was pretty pleased with the final result, so here's a few sample photos.

 

 

 

However, I recently managed to get my hands on half-a-dozen additional figures from DEF Models that I wanted to include in the scene.

 

I was unsure what DEF Models meant by describing the third set as "USMC ANGLICO Team". I initially thought it was an acronym for the hand-cranked generator the guy on the right is operating and had assumed the generator is connected to an inverter that trickle-charges the radio battery? But anyway, there are times when internet search engines are awful handy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Naval_Gunfire_Liaison_Company_(ANGLICO)

 

The ANGLICO team are obviously calling in an air strike. I guess no-one told them William Holden is still on R&R in Tokyo with Grace and the kids...😉...🙄

I also included a British Royal Marine as I was pretty certain I read that a few of our lads were present at Chosin - using US equipment and uniforms. He's actually meant to be the Convoy Manager and has picked up an AK47 to play with. 

See this link;
https://worldhistory.us/military-history/royal-marine-commandos-in-the-korean-war.php

 

Anyhoo, looks like one of the dead N. Koreans was faking it while trying to remain hidden behind Frosty The Snowman and is about to get his. However Nurse Karen, backed up by Margaret "Hot Hips" O'Hooligan, starts spouting off about the Geneva Convention and demands to see the Manager of this show.
So Captain Gulliver Troy, or "Captain Blighty" as the Yanks call him, takes a wander over to sort this latest problem out-- while wondering how come a MASH Unit ended up this far north -- and in HIS convoy?
It's a mystery.
But it's also a show that's so photo-heavy that I'm going to split it into two parts. So here's Part 1 of The Frozen Chosin - Revisited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Cadman

[Cadman]

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST

 

The Frozen Chosin - Revisited Part 2

Here's the rest of the photos. Hope you guys enjoy the scenes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Cadman

[MRMRL]

 

That is out of this world. There's so much to see, so many little details I can look at these over and again and keep seeing something else. I don't know if I've seen better figures in 1/35, they look so alive, usually figures are the give-away that I'm looking at a model (part of why I don't add them, that and I'm rubbish at painting them), but you can zoom into so many pictures here and think it's a photo. One of the best dioramas I've ever seen.

[Cadman]

4 minutes ago, MRMRL said:

 

That is out of this world. There's so much to see, so many little details I can look at these over and again and keep seeing something else. I don't know if I've seen better figures in 1/35, they look so alive, usually figures are the give-away that I'm looking at a model (part of why I don't add them, that and I'm rubbish at painting them), but you can zoom into so many pictures here and think it's a photo. One of the best dioramas I've ever seen.

 

Wow, thanks very much for the vote of confidence.

I'm not sure why the photos are coming up as thumbnails on my PC instead of full size.

Either Photo Image or my ISP must be doing it -- but it sounds like you can see the full size images.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Cadman

[sanfrandragon]

Brilliant diorama, just looks so cold.  The frozen pond is superb, but the quality of the figures really makes it, both your painting but also their poses just look so life like.

[Cadman]

1 minute ago, sanfrandragon said:

Brilliant diorama, just looks so cold.  The frozen pond is superb, but the quality of the figures really makes it, bite your painting but also their poses just look so life like.

Thanks for that.

Are you seeing the photos as thumbnails, or full size. If you're seeing thumbnails, then do the full size images come up when you click on them?

[stevehnz]

Full size photos here, or at least quite big, 1100-1200 pixels across, but postimages does give bigger ones again & wow, what detail, this really is a bit good.

Steve.

[MRMRL]

I'm on my phone, full size pictures here it seems, no need to click on them

[Cadman]

4 minutes ago, MRMRL said:

I'm on my phone, full size pictures here it seems, no need to click on them

 

Thanks for the response.

I...umm..."did something" with my internet connection and can see the full size photos on my PC now.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Cadman

[Cadman]

41 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

Full size photos here, or at least quite big, 1100-1200 pixels across, but postimages does give bigger ones again & wow, what detail, this really is a bit good.

Steve.

 

Glad you like the show Steve.

I had a problem with my connection which meant I could only see thumbnails of the photos...but it's fixed now...😉...😊

[MRMRL]

1 minute ago, Cadman said:

 

Thanks for the response.

I...umm..."did something" with my internet connection and can see the full size photos on my PC now.

 

At a guess, I'll say whatever you did flushed the cache on your browser, so you could see what the rest of us were. Pressing CTRL+F5 usually does the same thing.

[Cadman]

2 minutes ago, MRMRL said:

 

At a guess, I'll say whatever you did flushed the cache on your browser, so you could see what the rest of us were. Pressing CTRL+F5 usually does the same thing.

 

Umm, no. I had to do something more involved, but thanks for the tip. I'll try CTRL+F5 next time there's a similar problem.

[Cadman]

On 1/7/2023 at 3:41 PM, sanfrandragon said:

Brilliant diorama, just looks so cold.  The frozen pond is superb, but the quality of the figures really makes it, both your painting but also their poses just look so life like.

 

Sorry guys. I forgot to mention that at least 50% of the figures are converted from the originals -- some were real simple and some were built up from spare bodies, arms and legs from my spares box.

I also used hornet heads on a few of them. These make a tremendous difference to the end results and help make the characters "come alive".

Cheers

Edited January 8, 2023 by Cadman

[Cadman]

While I'm at it, 1:35 is really not my preferred scale for painting figures. I much prefer 1:24 (75mm).

Having said that, sometimes it all just seems to come together.

This is my personal favourite 1:35 figure that I've ever done...although it helps that she's such a wee beauty...☺️

[Muchmirth]

Absolutely outstanding! Just terrific. I love this and how busy it is. It Isn’t just a straight up dio it actually tells a story and in detail and the story of choice is really interesting (haven’t seen a diorama about Korea or Chosin before but had heard a little about the situation.) Brilliant to include the royal marine, adds to the variety and story. All your figure work is great especially the frozen guys. I like the little things such as the dog and snowman… I’m going to keep looking at this one for a while. Also I’ll just add the ground work looks…. Well just fantastic some of the best frozen landscape I’ve seen.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Muchmirth
Spelling

[Cadman]

1 hour ago, Muchmirth said:

Absolutely outstanding! Just terrific. I love this and how busy it is. It Isn’t just a straight up dio it actually tells a story and in detail and the story of choice is really interesting (haven’t seen a diorama about Korea or Chosin before but had heard a little about the situation.) Brilliant to include the royal marine, adds to the variety and story. All your figure work is great especially the frozen guys. I like the little things such as the dog and snowman… I’m going to keep looking at this one for a while. Also I’ll just add the ground work looks…. Well just fantastic some of the best frozen landscape I’ve seen.

 

I believe that a diorama should tell a story, although mine are usually so busy that I do tend to add some text just to help things along.

Cheers

[Bertie McBoatface]

Wow.

 

 

While I have always enjoyed Flashman and his friends and your other recent work, I find these historical dioramas spellbinding in the extreme. What made you change your artistic direction? (This is art, in my view.)

[Ratch]

Cool  in more ways than one 

[Cadman]

On 1/8/2023 at 5:35 AM, Bertie McBoatface said:

Wow.

While I have always enjoyed Flashman and his friends and your other recent work, I find these historical dioramas spellbinding in the extreme. What made you change your artistic direction? (This is art, in my view.)

 

Well, nothing has changed to be honest. After all, I did the Hurtgen and the Chosin dioramas a little over five years ago.

As I mentioned in my Road to Messina thread, it was done with a "Kelly's Heroes" vibe for my own amusement over November/December 2022; and I only posted it after editing down the original text I had dreamed up. The idea occurred after I bought that magnificent Marilyn Munroe resin kit figure, (the sculpt itself is breath-taking), but doing a Korean setting in this case would've been too obvious. Besides, I've always wanted to come up with something depicting the Sicily invasion.

 

I'd like to revisit the Hurtgen Forest diorama again and expand it on a larger base, but run the very-high risk of damaging the Easy-Eight and the Jeeps as they're fixed solidly into the landscape. I'll find some way of doing it though. Come to think of it, the easiest option would be to replace the M5A1 Stuart tank with another Jeep as that would free up enough space to add some more figures -- and move Pistol-Packing Princess Elizabeth into a more prominent location on the diorama base...😊

 

 

I do have a few somewhat more conventional scale model dioramas planned for this year;

Three 1:35 scenes set in the Ardennes 1944/1945. Two American and one British. Might do the Brit one for the Rhine crossing instead, haven't made up my mind yet.

Another Korean War scenario, with Brits and/or Aussies this time.

This'll be in addition to my more usual fantasy stuff with 54mm/75mm white metal kits -- although these have been difficult to import these past couple of years, for obvious reasons.

Cheers

 

Edited January 9, 2023 by Cadman

[Cadman]

11 hours ago, Ratch said:

Cool  in more ways than one 

Cheers Ratch.

Always good to see you commenting on my stuff.

[Muchmirth]

Would like to see the British Rhine crossing (just don’t normally see this).👍

[Cadman]

12 minutes ago, Muchmirth said:

Would like to see the British Rhine crossing (just don’t normally see this).👍

 

I'm still just bouncing ideas around, but yeah, I do prefer doing scenes that are, relatively-speaking, less commonly done. 

[Cadman]

There's a great old movie that covers the USMC during the Inchon landings and the retreat from the Chosin Reservoir.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045082/

 

Sure, it was released in 1952 and it is of it's time, but does give a good overview of the US Marines contribution to the Korean War.

Even features some Brits -- which was highly unusual for such a movie.

I think it's available on both DVD and BR.

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Really something special!

I like the frozen feel that is apparent in the pics.. my hands feel cold!

Outstanding!

Regards, Andy

 

 

[Cadman]

1 hour ago, Col Walter E Kurtz said:

Really something special!

I like the frozen feel that is apparent in the pics.. my hands feel cold!

Outstanding!

Regards, Andy

 

 

Thanks for that Col Andy.

I started work on another Winter scene today -- featuring Brits this time.

All will be revealed in due course...😃