Cowboys

Photos of the completed diorama

Finishing

Soldiers painted with Vallejo acrylics and Lifecolor combinations in a worn pacific outfit showing the difficulties they have to stand through out luck of supplies and extreme weather conditions.White cow modified to match the Indian cows and the running one painted in combination of airbrush and brush painting.
Some vegetation, posters and a bicycle added and another project finished.

Buildings

The painting process for the buildings is based in lack technique with a lot of scraped paint in the wall. Some ornament drawing was the start to build the major entrance gate in full color with excessive painting ornaments based in real gates decoration.The painting of the arch was a very demanding project but when it finished I was really excited with the result.

Base is from plywood sparkled with real soil and painted in brown and dust colors.

Cowboys inspiration

This is my latest diorama called 'Cowboys' finished about two weeks ago. It shows the US forces in India in their effort  to pass through a hostile area to Burma front during WWII.
The size of it is about 35x35cm and represent a movement through a small city in north east India.
M 20 armored car is from Italery with an Aber aftermarket set. Figures came from Dragon and Tamiya reworked with Hornet heads and major conversion with epoxy putty.Running cow is a Douglas Lee product and the other one comes from Masterbox. All buildings came from scratch with the main material been cardboard in different size.
The basic drawings design in a piece of cardboard and the frame cutted  for windows and doors.The inspiration for the design came from internet architecture photos of the area

 

I have to study the architecture differences between  the European (common for me) and the Indian one which are completely different in design.

After some tests the shape of the buildings has been completed and the construction began. Cardboard dressed in plaster for a more realistic texture and plastic beams, rods and other shapes  help me achieve a nice look for my Indian facades.Thick aluminum foil give me the tiles, and straws with soldering iron and plastic details help me construct the double arch.

  The last photo shows the diorama planning.

M 84

Unfortunately the Maus project never finished. A lack of inspiration for the theme  make my choice of leaving it aside for now
One of my latest builds is this Yugoslavian M84A converted from Tamiya kit with a  conversion set of Terre models for the turrent. Some minor details added from wiring  and the painting done with acrylics

 And after the painting finished

After some weeks now away from my modelling bench I found the opportunity this weekend to construct the bidder part of the roof section
Evergreen beams and cardboard pieces help me built the upper part

Keep modelling...
The bridge crane almost finished and tank glued in his final position. Some more details ad figures coming along with the roof.

Bridge Crane

I wanted to add a bridge crane in my diorama and this is the way I contracted it.
In a piece of a cardboard I draw the basic scheme of the iron bars and glue some balsa beams.

 

  Then I glue L shaped plastic stripes around the balsa beams with minimum cyanoacrylate glue

Vertical and diagonal stripes added and the main frame it's ready

the iron contraction

and the crane winch and motor from scrap box(italeri's bergepanther, tamiya and some plastic stripes)

 

The whole project in a dry fit

I would like to thank my good friend and great modeller Ioanni Lekka for teaching me the construction of iron frames with balsa guides

A little more progress... Maus still missing :)

Italeri's field tool set with scratch bench and shelfs. Some stock spare parts and a lot of painting

Maus facilities

Some more progress at last (after almost two months).
Iron construction from evergreen and plastic sheet. Painting in acrylics with sponge technic for chipping