WW2 diorama from scratch

Following the creation of my two World War II Dioramas, I felt the urge to do another. One thing that I particularly liked when making the diorama's was making things from scratch. Adding things that didn't come in the box. 

I found I had a number of pieces left over from my previous diorama's, especially a Willys MB Jeep, a 75mm Pack Howitzer M1 and a random selection of miniature soldiers. As my previous models didn't include much by way of foliage I thought a small countryside scene would give me an opportunity to try some new making skills.

In my minds eye I conjured up a corner of a field in Normandy in the summer of 1944 and set to work building from scratch. 

For trees I used some bent and twisted copper wire (old electrical cable, stripped of its covering), a well shredded kitchen sponge and dried used Tea Leaves painted in various colours. 

Grasses were made from short lengths of rope, untwisted to reveal the individual strands. A dry stone wall was constructed from tiny pieces of grit and the ground was from dried soil, both collected from my garden. 

All of the elements of this diorama could be bought from model shops but for me, making everything from scratch was the real challenge - and that's where the fun came from.

My previous WW2 Diorama's

World War II Battlefront

D-Day Operation Overlord