Ok i'll join the dio brigade

[AlanG]

Started this dio a few weeks back. Been at it on and off. Not much to see really apart from the track, headgerow base and field behind it.

Have a Jagdpanther built and some German troops to follow it down the track whilst some American infantry hide behind the hedgerow waiting for them to pass. It's a sort of bocage type thing i'm thinking of.

The first one is my just trying out some looks with bushes and wire trees

The second is without the bushes and trees and me just finishing off the base

Any advice for a dio noob like me?

 

[Sky Raider]

Looks good Allyne. The Mrs doesnt look too impressed though lol

Andy

 

[AlanG]

She wasn't when she saw the mess of the back room lol

 

[mobear]

awwww look a little tank commander,and i`m glad i`m not in your shoes lol,on the plus side looks good the dio

mobear

 

[mossiepilot]

A great dio base Allyne, and don't worry about the mess, it'll get sorted.:grinball2:

Tony.

 

[CDW]

I think the first tip i could offer for any diorama would be to have variation in the ground covering, i have a few coffee jars of sweepings up from when we did our kitchen so there's plaster, breezeblock dust, brick dust etc, all of it is differing grades so gives an more realistic "ground" when mixed with sand / bird grit etc. ... Ron (spanner) uses sweepings from his drive i believe giving the same effect.

Secondly grass really need to be different tones across the diorama, i have four shades of static grass that i mix and i use other stuff like Dill (the herb) and finely cut up garden twine (green and beige) to give an "uneven effect"

Trees look better for some reason in odd numbers.

Bushes look better if theres variation in colour and texture

when painting rocks, they always look more realistic if you dry brush some mid-dark brown over the edges (hardly noticable when dry but you can tell the difference.

non of the above are a critisism of your dio though, just some things i've picked up along the way.

I quite like the layout of what you've done and it's only just the basics at the mo, it'll build up nicely when you add all your other bits.

I'm sure others have other hints tips and tricks that we could all use

 

[Saber]

looks great to me and no harm in trying out new things thats half the fun

Sent from my GT-S5670 using Tapatalk 2

 

[AlanG]

Cheers guys.

Colin. I was going to add some diferent shades of grass anyway as i know it all looked a little 'bland'. Also the track does actually have different 'grades' to it but my camera phone hasn't picked them up in the pics.

 

[spanner570]

It's looking good Allyne, and good tips too....

A couple more to add. When you place the Jagdpanther on the track, don't forget that although it looks like a hard track, there will be some surface displacement where vehicles have passed. So, if other tanks and stuff have gone before and using the model tank tracks as a guide, brush on two parallel strips of diluted PVA along the road, throw on some 'Dust' then run your fingers along them....This will displace some stuff and it will look like the tracks have thrown stones ect. to either side.

If you are adding rocks or boulders, keep in mind most are not just plonked on, but will have a portion of them buried, rather like an iceberg, but not as much. So often these things are just placed on the base and don't - to my mind - look natural.

Keep in mind the golden Rule...Don't fiddle....Sling stuff at the model. Don't get all precise and uniform...Nature isn't like that.lol!

Finally, as Mark writes "Try out new things, that's half the fun"

Cheers,

Ron

 

[AlanG]

Cheers Ron. The tank is either going to be following the troops or in the lead. Not sure yet. So if it is leading then i'll add 'damage' to the track.

 

[spanner570]

If the troops have any sense of survival, they will be nicely tucked in behind the brute!!!!!

 

[Dustbin]

Thats a great start, and the next phase will be the difficult one. I would start with a layer of dead foliage (used T leaves) along the top of the bank plus some patches of long grass, before putting any bushes or trees in place. Personally I would think about putting a gate across your field entrance or the remains of one ! A gate post at least. Vary the length of your grass areas with some longer tufts down the centre and sides of the track and add longer grass to the bank, working it up once you have your bushes etc in place. Add some long tufts in a few places in the ditch as well ! I have googled a picture of the bocage and added it here for inspiration for you :poster_kewlpics:. I hope this helps and look forward to seeing your progress

Paul

View attachment 56112

View attachment 58215

 

[aaron]

Great job so far Allyne,

I can see the different tones in both the soil and grass as well as the different lengths of grass and for a 1st attempt this is fricken awesome.

Your trees have a great frame. Im interested in the lavender looking flower in the 2nd pic...what have you used for this?

I use a lego wheel for track and tyre marks.

 

[AlanG]

Paul. I already have a gate made up out of lollipop sticks. For dead foliage I have dried out and crushed down some heather. It looks quite effective.

Aaron. The lavender/weed plant is made out of copper wire covered in green scatter with cherry scatter from John's shop

Thanks for the replies though. Keep them coming as it helps me improve things and gain experience

 

[mobear]

there will be one gorgeous smell off your dio lol

mobear

 

[spanner570]

I have googled a picture of the bocage and added it here for inspiration for you :poster_kewlpics:. I hope this helps and look forward to seeing your progress

Paul

View attachment 56112

Paul, have you been down the lane where I live?......This picture is a dead ringer for it, and in Nth. Wales not France!lol

Cheers,

Ron

 

[AlanG]

Ron that settles it. They are following the Jagdpanther lol

 

[rickoshea52]

Al, I use Woodland Scenics to model the lineside scenery on my layout with excellent results, at least I think so, but I still have a way to go. It takes a bit of experimentation and technique but you'd be surprised at what you can achieve by just following the instructions - to the letter. WS also have video tutorials on their website to demo trees, rocks (see my blog for my results), water features and scatter material. I have a muddy bit of trackside space that I textured with Tamiya products and tyre tracks formed while it was still wet. When dry I painted it with various different shades of cheap brown acrylic artists paint from Hobbycraft thinned down and washed over. In the tyre track depressions I used a slightly darker shade to the undisturbed area to replicate that dampness to sub soil you find in ruts etc. and I also used Mig productions wet effects wash dabbed here and there. This isn't clear on my blog pictures but I'll try a take some and email or post them for you to have a look.

For the vegetation I used WS scatters in different grades and shades with tufted grass fixed down with PVA, I can't recall the brand but they were from some kind of wargame accessory provider.

I have a load of trees to fit at some point in the future. I bought ready to plant trees from the Bachmann Scenecraft range for model railways. As ready made trees go I think they are the most realistic but if making your own is your preferred thing then go for it. The place to get Scenecraft trees cheaply would most likely be Hattons in Liverpool. They do mail order but from memory I used to get stung with a surcharge because of living in an IV post code so Junners might as well be your best option.

From the photo's you have posted so far I think you have got the track and grass nailed. It has that look of a country lane in the summertime.

 

[Dustbin]

tufted grass fixed down with PVA, I can't recall the brand but they were from some kind of wargame accessory provider

Is this Army Painter by chance. Their stuff is pretty good, I've used it a few times. Ron, Nth Wales, France ,Western Scotland all share a common theme RAIL lol

Allyne, If you are adding the passage of the Jagdpanther to the track, to quote Ron ,

brush on two parallel strips of diluted PVA along the road, throw on some 'Dust'

cover with cling film and use the Jagd's own tracks to make the imprints. Allow to dry peel off clingfilm slowly and then paint.Paul

 

[rickoshea52]

Is this Army Painter by chance. Their stuff is pretty good, I've used it a few times. Ron, Nth Wales, France ,Western Scotland all share a common theme RAIL lol

Allyne, If you are adding the passage of the Jagdpanther to the track, to quote Ron , cover with cling film and use the Jagd's own tracks to make the imprints. Allow to dry peel off clingfilm slowly and then paint.

Paul

Yes, Paul. Army painter is the brand, I checked this morning. I found it very effective on a rock face that I made recently to break up the surface and hide the joins. It can just as easily be used , as I have done, at ground level to add variety to country tracks or blend a join between scatter material and ballast for example.