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

D-Day Diorama - Part 3

Finally I have finished cleaning and painting 70 tiny soldiers (40 British and 30 German). It has to be the least pleasurable part of the whole project.  As I mentioned in posts of my first diorama, painting and weathering the tiny figures was a challenge in itself. As previously, I elected to remove each figure from its small rectangular base, though I didn't do that until the painting was finished. Each man was glued at the soles of his feet, and that proved challenging given the sand they were standing on. 

A couple of poor chaps had their legs amputated below the knee and were glued to the water to give the impression of them being shin deep in waves.

The Willys Jeep part of the kit contained an optional Supply Trailer as well as the Howitzer gun. Since I elected to use the Howitzer, the Supply trailer was redundant. 

I'd already constructed and painted it so I partially disassembled it and positioned it near the shell crater to make it look as if it had been 'hit'. It nicely disguises the 'perfect circle' of the crater which had always bothered me and also serves as a shield for the advancing troops.

Looking over the finished model I can see plenty of opportunities for tweaking, refining and enhancing, so I may well find myself doing more to this in the future, but for now I'm calling it done. 

It was around the 80th anniversary of D-Day that I decided I wanted to make this diorama, both as a tribute to the men and women that took part and in remembrance of my own fathers involvement. To be completing it at this time, around the 80th anniversary of VE-Day, seems very fitting and appropriate. We shall never forget.

Please read my previous posts about this diorama...

D-Day Diorama - Part 1

D-Day Diorama - Part 2

D-Day Diorama - Part 2

Having completed work on the base it was time to tackle the cliff and vehicles.

My first attempt at painting the cliff and front of the fortress didn't work very well as there was an ugly gap where the two parts of the model didn't fit together properly. To disguise this I used more of the silicone sealant to fill the gap. I emptied several tea bags and put the leaves in the oven to dry them. I mixed them in various dishes of paint - light green, dark green, brown and yellow and daubed them along the base of the fort. This created a fairly good likeness to Gorse bushes. 

Because of the way the sand would be well churned where the troops are scrambling over the beach, I added more sand and poked various divots and marks into the surface to rough it up. 

So with the landscape taking shape it is now back to the vehicles. Dilute washes of greys and browns soon made them look grubby and well used. 

The Bedford truck didn't have a driver supplied with it so I used a sharp knife to remodel one of the tiny soldiers. I suppose this could be called 'Plastic surgery'. Obviously this had been done before the cab had been constructed and I'm glad I made that extra effort at that stage.

The Willeys Jeep is towing a Howitzer canon and I've positioned it  disembarking from the Landing craft, so I've added sand to the front tyres but not the rear. 

I'm annoyed that the kit didn't include a driver but, because of the open nature of the cabin, I'm not confident that I could construct one. This is something I may come back to one day.

The Sherman tank was easy enough to paint as was sticking sand around it's tracks. 

One problem I had was trying to figure out how the tracks would disturb the sand as the tank turned. 

To solve this I filled a shallow tray with sand and manoeuvred the tank through it. I then took a photo and replicated the track patterns on the diorama using PVA and sand.

As a point of interest, Airfix, in their ultimate wisdom, chose to mix up the scales in this kit using 1/76 for the tanks and 1/72 for everything else. When I queried this in their support forum I was told the small difference wouldn't be obvious. I disagree.

With the vehicles painted and weathered it's time to work out their final positions in the scene. 

I had intended to make various beach defences like tank barricades, rolls of barbed wire and sundry obstacles designed to slow an invasion, however, the beach area is so small I'm concerned about over filling it. 

I'll review how it looks once all the troops are deployed .... and that is the next job.

Other posts about the construction of this diorama...

D-Day Diorama - Part 1

D-Day Diorama - Part 3

D-Day Diorama - Part 1

A year ago, on the run up to the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, I was reflecting on my fathers involvement Operation Overlord and felt the urge to create a scale model diorama as a tribute to the event and in remembrance of my father. Since I had never created such a thing before I decided I needed to do a practice piece and so created a smaller World War II diorama on which to learn some basic modelling skills. Now I am ready to tackle the larger diorama depicting the landings of the allied forces.

The model I bought is of the glue-together moulded plastic variety. I began by constructing each of the vehicles and giving them their first painting. They will all need further painting and weathering later but for now I want to start thinking about their positioning. 

It occurs to me that the Landing Craft will look pathetically unrealistic if I just follow the instructions and leave them sitting on top of the waves so I need to think of some way to set them into the water.

Next I constructed the fortress and painted it. I found photos online that I could use as reference and I decided to incorporate some weathering as I went along. 

Making these models look real and old is the main challenge here and it's something I'm not that skilled at yet. Sprinkles of brick dust onto the wet paint creates the illusion of muck and debris, and I'm sure there are zillions of other tricks and techniques I need to learn in the future.

Back to the Landing Craft, I decided to cut rectangular sections out of the plastic base for each of the two boats to sit in. I wrapped each boat in clingfilm, positioned them in the cut-out's and then used bathroom Silicon sealant to mould waves and splashes around each hull.

Once set, the clingfilm was removed and the jagged edge of the silicone was tidied up just a little with a scalpel. 

Now it was time to get the sea painted and break out my granddaughters tub of play sand to create that beach. The beach was simply a case of spreading PVA glue over the base, with plenty of random lumps and humps, and then sprinkling sand over it. 

Painting the sea was more of a challenge because of the need to use varying shades of blue, not forgetting to make it look sandy at it's shallowest. 

Painting the breakers on the waves, and the churning water along the hulls was great fun and the silicon sealant had done a great job.

Because of the way the Landing Craft had been set into the sea, they were easily removeable for painting. 

Each was given plenty of scrapes and scratches, dirty greasy patches and lots of rust. 

Trying to create realism like this is a real skill and I don't have the first idea. I stand in awe of those modellers that have mastered the art.

The next stage is to finish painting the fortress and the vehicles and to get them arranged in the scene.

Other posts about this diorama...

D-Day Diorama - Part 2

D-Day Diorama - Part 3

World War II Diorama - Part 4

The final stage of the diorama is to paint and position each of the tiny soldiers. What I hadn't anticipated is how fiddly this process is. Sanding each figure to remove plastic burs and spurs from the moulding process is something I found hugely difficult. Removing the excess plastic without losing the detail is a fine balancing act. 

Painting each figure requires the finest brushes I have, and my aging eye sight provided an extra challenge. In the end I resorted to using a head magnifier. 

As modellers will know, each of the tiny figures stands on it's own rectangular base. In order to make the scene as realistic as possible I've separated each figure from it's base. This means each figure will need to be glued into place. I know some modellers like to be able to move their figures around creating different scenario's, but that is something I'm prepared to forego.

Now the diorama is complete and I study the photographs, I wish I'd paid more attention to the moulding seams of the figures. The kneeling soldier (top photo) has a distinct line across his helmet, and the guy lying prone, bottom centre, has a pronounced line running the length of his body. 

One day I may come back to this model and refine some of its faults but for now, it's purpose as a practice piece and introduction to scale modelling, has been served. I'm keen to get started on the larger "Operation Overlord" diorama which is what sparked this journey in the first place. 

More posts about this diorama

World War II Diorama
Part 1

World War II Diorama
Part 2

World War II Diorama
Part 3

World War II Diorama - Part 3

So my efforts continue as I add more and more to the scene. More rubble, more debris, more tools and equipment ... and more paint. For any artist who has a tendency to 'fiddle' with an almost finished painting, this modelling is heaven sent. And if you're a watercolourist who dreads those times when the paint turns muddy, this is now pure joy.  I can splash a bit here, dab some there, daub something mucky and generally just have fun. 

Likewise with the texturing materials. A few dabs of PVA glue and a sprinkle of bricks, rocks and dirt here and there, all seem to add to the natural state of ruin that is the core of a war torn landscape.

Creating a realistic scene is however a very difficult thing to do, and my appreciation of the skills involved creating some of the models I've seen, has got up a hundred fold. Anyone looking at a photograph of my model would not be fooled into thinking it is anything other than a model. Not so in the world of a truly skilled technician. I have seen photographs of diorama's where you are completely unaware that you are looking at a scale representation. 

For reference I have been looking at photographs found online noting the dark charred areas around craters made by mortar shells and bombs, and the badly scratched and damaged Oil Drums, and supply crates. Nothing is pristine in an environment like this, and I suspect I am not being 'rough enough' or 'dirty enough' with my props.

All that is left to do now is paint the very tiny soldiers and glue them in place. I am hoping they will be the final touch that brings the scene alive.

More posts about this diorama

World War II Diorama
Part 1

World War II Diorama
Part 2

World War II Diorama
Part 4

World War II Diorama - Part 2

My disappointment in the realism of the two tanks in this diorama led me to do some more research. What I discovered was a wide range of specialist ageing and weathering products, specifically designed for this purpose. However, I have also seen some remarkable results created just with paint. So for this first model I decided not to use any weathering products and rely entirely on what I could achieve using acrylic paint. 

To begin with, having constructed the partially demolished cottage on the base, I have simply painted the scene to give the impression of grass, mud, stone, brick, etc.

I quickly saw that paint alone wasn't going  to be good enough so made myself some materials. Scale model rocks and stone can be bought but I decided to make my own. I collected a selection of stones and pebbles from my garden and crushed them. They made perfect 'rubble' for spreading around the demolished cottage. I simply daubed PVA glue where I wanted rubble, poured on the crushed stones, and then shook off the excess loose stuff.

After I'd put down a reasonable mix of rocks, stone, brick and rubble, I set to work painting some of the military equipment. Oil cans, Ammunition boxes, a bicycle, and my first infantryman - the radio operator.

For the first time I'm starting to believe that making a realistic scene is a possibility but my efforts are grossly inferior to models I've seen on the 'net. That doesn't detract from the fact that I'm enjoying this immensely.

More posts about this diorama

World War II Diorama
Part 1

World War II Diorama
Part 3

World War II Diorama
Part 4

World War II Diorama - Part 1

Recently I have seen some Diorama models made by a very skilled member of my forum, and found the realism he is able to create quite breath taking. In awe of his work I felt inspired to "have-a-go" for myself.

Around the same time, following last years 80th anniversary of D-Day, memories of my late father's war time service have been stirred, in particular his landing on the Normandy beaches during Operation Overlord. My thoughts aligned and the idea of building a D-Day diorama were born.

I discovered a scale model kit called "Operation Overlord" that depicts the D-Day beach landings, and that was perfect for what I wanted. After I'd bought it; studied what you get in the box; pondered where on earth to start; and reflected on how good (or bad) a job I might do, I decided I'd like to start with something smaller and less important - I wanted to make the "Operation Overlord" diorama as good as I could get it and didn't want to spoil it by using it as a practice piece.

Another smaller kit called "D-Day Battlefront" provided the perfect solution, not only because of it's smaller size and simpler construction but also because it wasn't as meaningful to me and it wouldn't matter so much if I messed it up.

I haven't made a plastic construction kit since I was about 13 years old and back then it was a case of slapping glue on everything and leaving it unpainted. This time I am attempting to create something more realistic. The kit comprises of a flimsy plastic base with all the components necessary to create a realistic landscape, a couple of tanks, sundry military equipment and a few dozen soldiers.

I decided to begin with the Allied Forces Sherman tank. Once constructed I painted it in the standard olive and added the decals. Next I made a deliberately messy job of adding brown and grey paints to create the illusion of rust and mud. I soon learnt that creating realism is much harder than I had expected. 

My version of the German Tiger tank looks as if it's just come out of the showroom - I certainly need to do a lot better than this.

Continue reading about this diorama

World War II Diorama
Part 2

World War II Diorama
Part 3

World War II Diorama
Part 4