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Perhaps it is difficult for us to even imagine what really went
on in the battle fields of the ever so hostile Eastern Front
back then. Undoubtedly, soldiers had to live in severe conditions
like spending hours in a mud covered trench just waiting for
the enemy to attack them, or hanging on for dear life under never
ending bombardment. However, there must have been at least a
few moments when they were able to relieve the tension a little
and feel that they were actually still living.
Diorama :
was rather large and
could result in an overall dull look considering there weren't
any tanks or large structures to fill up the spaces. If as much
attention was given to detailing every inch of the ground as
one would give to the vehicles and figures, the work would have
the same consistency throughout and would make a favorable overall
impression despite its large size. For this reason, I spent a
great amount of time making the grove and the rest of the base
look realistic. The fallen leaves were painted and cut into small
pieces and placed almost individually. About six different types
of dried flowers, dried roots, small tree branches and some static
grass were used to achieve the natural look of the local terrain.
A low hedge, some puddles and a dirt road were added to the scene
for accent. For the final touch, I carefully applied a light
layer of gloss coating to some parts of the ground, where it
should look moist, and to all the plants including the fallen
leaves. By doing so, they look alive rather than just a bunch
of planted dried flowers.
Field kitchen :
Surprisingly, no photo etched parts were available for the field
kitchen. Therefore, some thin metal wires, rods and Evergreen
plastic strips were mainly used to detail up the kit. The stew
in the pot was made out of epoxy putty. After using several different
colors to paint the chunks of meat and vegetables, I painted
it with clear orange and red. The wheels and fenders were taken
from the Italeri 20mm Flak to give it a later model look.
Figures :
All figures wore different types of clothing and the equipment
that they carried varied slightly. For each camouflage uniform,
I tried to use different patterns and colors as much as possible
to give them more character. Hopefully, by having the grove in
the background with colored leaves, one can see the effect of
their camouflage uniform compared to the regular field gray combat
uniform worn by the soldiers lining up for the meal.
Horch :
For financial reasons (?), I decided not to use photo-etched
parts for the vehicle. Generous amounts of plastic sheets and
Evergreen plastic strips were used to make the bed of the truck
and the racks on the sides. I added some wires for the lights
and replaced some parts that did not look sharp enough. |
