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Dalmation Marijn van Gils Medal winning diorama 24
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During WW2, America employed
hobby is always subdivided into armour
evolution of styles within this group has
cameramen in all of their main actions. In
modelling, figure modelling, aeroplane
been wonderful over the last five years, I
reporting the battles, they provided both
modelling, etc. Consequently, dioramas
feel that we are often backward looking.
propaganda material and historical
are also separated into groups. Because
We see a lack of
documents. The camera-team in this
the modellers in each of these groups tend
attention in the
diorama consists of a cameraman, a stills
to stick together and become fairly
finishing of
photographer, and an officer who acts as
isolated, their ideas, techniques and styles
groundwork
director. They are guided by an MP on his
start to stagnate. We can see that armour
and figures
Harley Davidson while they follow
dioramas often have a very different style
and the same
paratroopers of the 101st Airbourne.
to aeroplane, car or figure dioramas. The
type of
Always on the lookout for interesting or
importance that is given to certain
composition
exiting images, the director sees potential
elements of the diorama, and the amount
repeated time
when he spots this panther, blown upside
of effort invested in them, seems to
after time
down by an airstrike and in order to get a
change from subject to subject.
because we are
good shot, he asks the paratroopers to go
I don’t like this! It is restricting the evolution
always inspired
down and take their pet Dalmatian dog
of new techniques and styles. In dioramas,
by our
with them. While the cameraman and
where many different items are combined
predecessors
photographer follow them, the “director”
to create one 3D-image, I feel it is very
without looking
shouts at his crew where to take positions.
important to look around as much as
at other areas of
The MP hangs back against his bike,
possible and learn from the best. Every
modelling
relaxes, and enjoys the first filming of the
element of a diorama needs equal
enough. Figures
101st Dalmatian.
attention and care if we want the final
for example, are
image to be convincing.
too often finished
When looking around in magazines and at
As a member of an armour modelling
using techniques
competitions, it is very noticeable that our
group I have to admit that while the
used by
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Sculpting
other armour modellers, instead of learning
diagonal line. The paratrooper at the
from the current specialist figure
bottom right completes this line.
modellers. This diorama is another attempt
All that was needed now, was something
Sculpting your own figures might sound
to break out of these limitations, and show
at the right top corner to balance this main
very daunting to most armour modellers,
that it is not impossible to cross the
line, in the shape of the Director and MP
but it is not nearly as difficult as it seems. It
borders of two of these groups. The main
with his bike. The interaction between the
takes also far less time than you might
effort went into figures,but the composition
Director and the paratrooper holding the
expect, less time than I need to paint
is more typically an armour diorama
dog connects two parts gives a
them, and you can easily avoid the tricky
centered around a vehicle although less
counterbalance. The corrugated sheets
parts by using commercially available
tight with more space for scenery. The
provide a background for these two figures
heads, hands and accessories. The big
presence of the panther (which is barely
and the telephone pole adds more height
advantage is that your figures will be
more than part of the groundwork) and the
to the scene. Its wires also visually connect
adapted perfectly your story and you won’t
Harley Davidson make it look like an
with the tank and the main diagonal line.
have to change a project because there is
armour diorama, but a lot of the
Colours were used to emphasise the focus
no figure available with the pose or uniform
techniques employed are ‘borrowed’ from
of the scene. The bright white of the
you need. Don’t be daunted by the quality
figure modellers. An armour diorama with
Dalmatian dog and the red crosses of the
of the resin figures out there. It is quite
figurine techniques or a figure diorama
paratrooper holding the dog amidst the
easy to achieve the same level or even do
with an armour diorama composition?
drab coloured environment attract the
better, just believe in yourself!
eyes of the viewer to them. The muddy
Composition
slope gives an opportunity to play with
I used the traditional technique of
darker and lighter tones. Because of the
constructing a skeleton with brass wire, a
The basic idea came from a photograph
thin layer of mud on the tank, it dries more
resin torso and pelvis and commercial
found on the Internet which showed an
quickly and gets much lighter, almost
head, hands and feet. The torso and pelvis
upturned Panther on a slope being
white. The groundwork around stays wet
can be carved from a scrap piece of resin
examined by American troops. The
and thus dark. The outside edges of the
or quickly sculpted with epoxy putty. For
diagonal position of this panther formed an
diorama were kept very dark, while
head and hands, it is best to use only top
excellent composition. I just needed the
towards the focal point (paratrooper with
quality. I use almost exclusively Hornet
figures to emphasise it, so three figures
dog), the mud would gradually get lighter,
heads and a mix of Hornet and Historex
are positioned on the tank, climbing down
putting the focus on the centre of the
hands. Don’t pay attention to the headgear
over the suspension, enhancing this main
scene.
or hair, this can be easily sculpted later
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and is far less important than the facial
The folds can be feathered out easily with
expression. Commercial feet will often
the rubber-tipped brushes and deepened
need reworking with new details but they
using a needle. At the end of the sculpting
can form an easy base to work on.
session, a moistened brush (with water, or
Posing the skeleton is probably the single
in my case mostly saliva!) can be used to
most important step in the entire sculpting
smooth the surface. Use a needle to gently
process. The greatest challenge lies in
press in any seems or stitching details. If
getting the pose and the anatomy correct.
you are not sure where to create folds,
Take your time, study your own body and
look at the draping of real clothes and
that of others and ask a friend to stand in
photographs of the uniforms you are trying
the pose you need for your figure.
to depict and study the sculpting style of
Comments from other people about the
the top quality figure sculptors.
realism of the pose and the body proportions can be very useful as they will
Cutting and sanding Magic Sculpt is very
have a fresh view on your figure. A good
easy once it has hardened so small flaws
anatomy-book from the local library can
or surface irregularities can be quickly
help also. Don’t rush this stage, even after
taken care of. It is always possible to carve
having a good image in my mind about the
away areas that you are not entirely happy
pose that I want, it can still takes me
with, and simply have a second go, any
several hours to transfer this to the
mistake can always be fixed.
skeleton. Only four figures were created this way: With the pose complete, the time has
The paratrooper with the Dalmatian dog,
come to start sculpting. Any good epoxy-
the cameraman, the director and the MP.
putty can be used for sculpting, but after
The stills photographer is a mild
trying most of the current brands, my
conversion (reposing the right foot and
personal preferenceis for Magic Sculpt For
different right hand with camera, Hornet
the addition of small details I like to use
head with Dragon helmet of an excellent
Duro putty because of its stickiness.
Nemrod figure sculpted by Christophe
First I “flesh out” the skeletonby adding
Camillotte. A beautiful Hornet paratrooper
putty to the skeleton until the limbs and
was lightly converted to become the
torso have the volumes and shape of a
second paratrooper (different Hornet head
naked human body. This doesn’t need a lot
and scarf, new right arm and a detailed
of precision or detail. The aim is just to get
Dragon helmet in the left hand).
a good first idea of the volumes that your figure will have, and to prevent later
Cameras
sculpting work having unrealistic deep folds by cutting into the body. I usually
While figure sculpting usually scares
work limb by limb to avoid ruining a
armour modellers, figure modellers seem
previously sculpted soft area. It usually
to be afraid of scratchbuilding items like
takes me less than ten minutes to do one
these. Armour modellers are usually
leg or arm. Sometimes it can be a good
experienced in extra-detailing and
idea to first add a little bit of putty around
scratchbuilding details of their vehicles.
the metal wire of the skeleton and let this
There is only one basic rule: never try to
harden before continuing to the fleshing-
glue small details to small details! Always
out step. This provides a much better key
make things as easy as possible: start with
for the putty.
a big basic element and glue all the small bits to that. In case of the Mitchell movie
The time has come to dress the figure. For
camera, the big basic element consists of
this step, we first cover the appropriate
the square camera body, constructed from
areas with putty until the volumes look
6 pieces of plastic sheet. The rest of the
right and smooth it using rubber-tipped
constructing involved simply the gluing of
brushes in a rolling motion. Next I press in
small plastic sheet, brass wire and scrap
all the folds with a toothpick which has
photo-etch details on top of this. It may still
been sanded and sealed with superglue.
seem complex and fiddly, but the
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continuous study of the reference photos
subjects. Although I am currently switching
creates a clear mental layout and makes it
to Humbroll enamels for my skin-tones, I
possible to plan the entire building process
still used artist oils for all the figures in
completely before starting it.
this diorama. On a basecoat of Tamiya
The Speed-Graphic photographic camera
acrylic flesh, a thin basecoat (Winsor
started life as an open box in which the
and Newton
protruding lens body made with a bit of
Permanent Alizarin
Magic Sculp was glued. All the other
Crimson, Yellow
details were attached to this: The strap
Ochre
was sculpted with Duro putty after it had
and
been attached to the figures hand.
Face painting It is important it is for armour-modellers to study the work of the best of the specialist figure-painters. Don’t get stuck in your own chosen period because the same techniques can be used for different
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Titanium White) and the shadows (first Rembrandt Burnt Sienna, afterwards Winsor and Newton Burnt Umber and Black) were painted in a first session. After drying for at least 24 hours,
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the highlights follow (Winsor and Newton
new basecoat is touch-dry (almost
light, paint the upper half of the fold dark
Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Yellow Ochre
immediately). The paint is kept thick, not
and the lower half light.
and gradually more Titanium White).
thinned down, and brushed on in a quick
Keep colours toned down which was not
Another 24 hours later, the last highlights
and bold way. As soon as this paint is also
very difficult with the American drab
(Titanium white and Zinc Yellow) finish the
touch-dry, blending can start using a fine
uniforms. I try to make the tones more
face.
brush, slightly moistened with white spirit,
vivid as they get lighter although the last
the edges of the two colours are carefully
highlights can also have a more bleached
Working in three different painting sessions
feathered together. This is repeated three
appearance by using more bright colours.
allows me to put more time into one face
or for times with successively lighter
The shadows can then be toned down a
without losing concentration, but is
highlights colours. Afterwards, the figure is
lot by using mainly dark browns and black.
important to prevent over blending of the
set aside to dry for another 4 hours.
This helps a lot in blending the colours of
shadows and highlights.
Shading takes a little more time than
the figures with the rest of the scene.
A five-o’clock-shadow is added with a
highlighting. Instead of the thick, strait-
Weathering should not be just an
controlled wash of black, and details like
from-the-jar paint, I prefer to use thin
afterthought but incorporated in the
eyes and sometimes teeth are added
layers of very much diluted Humbrols.
painting process from the start onwards.
afterwards with Humbrol enamels. Hair is
Blending is avoided as much as possible
The bottom of the trousers and the shoes
painted with the same technique as the
and gradations are mostly achieved by
received their dark and muddy tones from
clothes.
superposing transparent layers. This gives
the start and were shaded and highlighted
me more time to experiment.
as such. For every piece of clothing, a
Painting the uniforms
different colour mix was used to vary the Some important notes for the less
tones and add interest.
I use almost exclusively Humbrol enamels.
experienced figure painter, don’t blend just
The procedure starts with a solid basecoat,
every edge and remember that the light
usually applied in two or three thin layers.
comes from above. Observe where
This is left to dry for at least 6 hours.
transitions are soft and were they are
I have a tendency to emphasise how easy
Next the highlighting begins. A small but
sharp, only blend the soft ones to create
different techniques are and that it only
clearly defined area receives a new thin
contrast. As the light comes from above,
takes a little practice and experience to
layer of the base colour. This is necessary
the shading and highlighting is most
combine them in a way that works. I
for the blending of the highlight colours.
successful if it mimics this. Instead of
cannot say the same about the
The first highlight is applied as soon as the
painting the folds dark and the higher parts
construction of the motorcycle. It was
Harley Davidson
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probably the most difficult detailing project
plaster/enamel paint-sludge was created,
I have ever embarked upon!
and the dried “lumps” mixed up with it. I
The Tamiya kit is, although basically sound,
then spread this thick sludge full of
showing it’s age. Many parts are too thick
irregular lumps all over the layout of the
and most of the structural connections are
scene (made in Styrofoam) and pressed in
simplified. The wheels are cast integrally
footprints, also embedding many
with the fenders, which even cannot be
accessories into the still wet mud. A lot of
disguised with a thick layer of mud. So the
attention went to getting as much variation
wheels were cut loose, the fenders
as possible in the textures. As well as the
hollowed out and the spokes replaced by
commercial accessories, plastic and brass
some (modified) photo-etched spokes from
profiles, pieces of wood, lead wire, metal
the Aber set for the Tamiya DKW.
cable and chain, and home-made
Many structural parts were replaced by
corrugated sheets (made with pewter
brass rod and plastic sheet, creating more
sheet) were added. The telephone pole
realistic joints in the process. For a small
came from an Ironside railroad-track-set,
and complex model like this, getting
with added texture, damage and detailing.
everything to the correct size, straight and
Some more applications of the mud
symmetrical, and at the same time getting
mixture were made to get everything nicely
the shapes accurate and everything sturdy
sunk into the dirt and to get some different
enough to withstand painting, was at times
textures, talcum powder was mixed with
quite hard and certainly very time
Humbroll enamels, spread over small
consuming. The fact that various small
areas, and stippled with a stiff brush.
details had to be added very early in the
The entire scene was handpainted with
construction made handling more difficult,
Humbrol enamels, using about every
and this little motorcycle became a true
brown, green, beige and grey tone that I
test of my patience. After airbrushing a
could get my hands on, even using almost
basecoat with Tamiya acrylics, painting
pure white. Coats of paint with a normal
followed the techniques described for the
consistency, washes, different degrees of
figures.
drybrushing were all used throughout until I felt happy with the effect. The tank and the accessories were simply painted in the
Panther and groundwork
same tones, only using more rusty tones for areas with metal components. Satin,
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As the Panther is actually part of the
gloss and high-gloss varnishes were next
groundwork and the Tamiya kit was
applied. Don’t overdo this! It is far more
detailed with Aber photo-etched fenders,
effective to get a wet-mud-effect by
Modelkasten tracks and some Magic Sculp
darkening the tone, than by using lots of
weldseams. The turret was of course not
varnish. Finally, a limited amount of Mig
used, as was most of the upper hull detail.
Powders were added to dryer spots of
Painting was done together with the rest of
earth, rusty I-beams and corrugated
the groundwork.
sheets to enhance the difference texture.
I made the mud in two steps, firstly some
I used polyester resin for the water, mixing
‘lumps’ were created, and then these were
the first layers with beige Tamiya Acrylics
added to the final mix. The ‘lumps’ are a
for a muddy effect. I am not particularly
mixture of ceramic plaster and enamel
happy with the fact that the surface stays
paint. The colour of the paint is not
sticky for several weeks, so that
important as everything will be repainted
accumulating dust can ruin the effect. I
later, but the proportion is. First a wet mix
solved this by adding a coat of
was made, to which slowly more and more
polyurethane high-gloss varnish the day
plaster was added, mixing it up until the
after the water was poured. Until now, no
mix got so dry that the mixing movement
problems have occurred with this
made it break up into big and small lumps
combination, but I cannot guarantee that
of coloured plaster. These were then left to
no cracks will appear during the next
dry. The next day, a new ceramic
years. My search for a transparent resin of
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which the surface dries glass-hard within
the effort invested in the diorama itself.
because of the many new challenges. I
24 hours continues…
Needless to say, an ugly or ill-fitting base
had only very limited experience in figure-
To create even more variation in texture
will detract from your model, while an
sculpting before starting this dio, and
and depth in the groundwork, I glued straw
excellent base can make it really stand
getting such an amount of mud look
that was flying around and collected in the
out. It is very important to remember that
interesting certainly kept my interest alive
corners, newspapers, posters, small
any base needs a certain amount of mass
until the end. It really worked for me to try
leaves, small scraps of paper and a dirty
to make the groundwork on top look
and do something a little different, and I
cardboard box to the groundwork, and
realistic. A thin wooden board just doesn’t
suspect it might also for you. And
worked it into the mud.
work. So, make sure to select a base high
remember: don’t get stuck in your own
Finally, the pins of the figures were inserted
enough and finish it to the highest
little field of modelling, but open up and
into the groundwork, fixed with two-part
standard. If you can make your base fit
look around!
epoxy glue, and some more mud was
visually with the story that is told in the
added around the feet. Finished!
diorama, even better. This time, I tried this by mimicking the texture of the mud on the bottom of the base, creating a rhythm of
Finishing
heavy texture (bottom of base)-smooth wood (vertical sides of base)-heavy texture
Or not completely finished yet? At
(groundwork).
competitions, I notice often that with the exception of most figure-modellers we fail
Conclusion
to put the amount of care and thought into the bases of our dioramas that is worthy of
This really was a fun project for me, mainly
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‘Spike’
