I have finally began the figures that will populate the diorama "Logistics". A few of these are stock, out of the box. Most are converted to one degree or another. There will be somewhere in the area of 330 figures altogether. I will be using a few that I painted as box art over years past. These were mostly from the Custom Dioramics line, but a few others as well. I will be using Warriors, Custom Dioramics, New World Miniatures, Verlinden, Dragon, Alpine, Junior Town, Nemrod, Tamiya, Albertus, Preiser, Masterbox, Plus Models, Sol, Model Victoria, Legend and Hornet products. The majority of course will be Warriors, Custom Dio and Dragon.
So far, I have nearly 200 built, posed, converted and detailed, and now ready to paint. Each figure has a specific purpose and a specific place to go. Composition has always been very important to me. Some of these are radical conversions and some will have sculpted parts. As I go through them I also scratch various equipment that doesn't exist on the market.
This is the first 170. I have another 50 in stages of completion that I will post later. Once I have them all built, I will begin painting them assembly line style as I have all the large dioramas I have built in the past.
I'll start with some overall shots!
The overall shots above reflect a large cross section of the figures, US tank crews, truck crews, headquarters staff, German P.O.W.s, workers clearing the streets, refugees, German city dwellers, G.I.s walking on either side of the tank and truck columns, tank riders and a huge number of vehicle crews just to man the 48 vehicles in the diorama.
The story centers on Gen. Patton, pausing to stop the XYZ Express supply column of GMCs to allow the Combat command B of the 4th Armored Division to move ahead after a massive traffic jam developed. The commander is Col. Creighton Abrams in his M4A3E8 Sherman, Thunderbolt 7, who is snapping a salute to General Patton, the commander of Third Army, as he passes! Many subplots are happening throughout. Camera crews are filming the event, staff officers are getting information from two captured German officers from a map on the hood of a jeep.
Other officers are having a quick lunch, US soldiers are feeding the refugees from the back of a mess truck. The refugees are filling the street to the rear of the dio, P.O.W.s are being marched to the rear by M.P.s and the wounded G.I.s as well as wounded German P.O.W.s are also being taken to the rear. G.I.s will be inspecting the powerful K5E railway gun disabled by bombing from a prior air raid in the cutaway rail station in the front of the diorama.
Three destroyed German vehicles are in various locations and a US Diamond T wrecker has been assigned to clear the streets. A converted GMC deuce and a half dump truck and the US D7 dozer are helping to clear the massive amounts of rubble that will be on the finished diorama. Many other vignettes will be telling other stories!
Here is the Patton figure. It is composed of four kits from two companies Warriors, Custom Dioramics, and the parts box.
Then, this is the Creighton Abrams figure. He still has a shoulder holster to be added.
One of the cameramen filming history in progress. The figure is a conversion and a scratch hand held movie camera.
One of the motorcycle M.P.s in Patton's entourage.
The scratchbuilt WW II 16mm motion picture camera on a tripod.
Various refugees.
Some of the staff officers.
ditto
I had bought a German soldier kissing a girl goodbye. A lot of work, but I turned him into a G.I. who jumped off a Sherman and gives a pretty girl a kiss.
Finally, a wounded marine converted to a G.I. which will be on the back of a Jeep ambulance.
As in the other four Logistics threads, I will continue posting progress steps, including some detailed SBS on various methods I use in painting.
Bob
So far, I have nearly 200 built, posed, converted and detailed, and now ready to paint. Each figure has a specific purpose and a specific place to go. Composition has always been very important to me. Some of these are radical conversions and some will have sculpted parts. As I go through them I also scratch various equipment that doesn't exist on the market.
This is the first 170. I have another 50 in stages of completion that I will post later. Once I have them all built, I will begin painting them assembly line style as I have all the large dioramas I have built in the past.
I'll start with some overall shots!
The overall shots above reflect a large cross section of the figures, US tank crews, truck crews, headquarters staff, German P.O.W.s, workers clearing the streets, refugees, German city dwellers, G.I.s walking on either side of the tank and truck columns, tank riders and a huge number of vehicle crews just to man the 48 vehicles in the diorama.
The story centers on Gen. Patton, pausing to stop the XYZ Express supply column of GMCs to allow the Combat command B of the 4th Armored Division to move ahead after a massive traffic jam developed. The commander is Col. Creighton Abrams in his M4A3E8 Sherman, Thunderbolt 7, who is snapping a salute to General Patton, the commander of Third Army, as he passes! Many subplots are happening throughout. Camera crews are filming the event, staff officers are getting information from two captured German officers from a map on the hood of a jeep.
Other officers are having a quick lunch, US soldiers are feeding the refugees from the back of a mess truck. The refugees are filling the street to the rear of the dio, P.O.W.s are being marched to the rear by M.P.s and the wounded G.I.s as well as wounded German P.O.W.s are also being taken to the rear. G.I.s will be inspecting the powerful K5E railway gun disabled by bombing from a prior air raid in the cutaway rail station in the front of the diorama.
Three destroyed German vehicles are in various locations and a US Diamond T wrecker has been assigned to clear the streets. A converted GMC deuce and a half dump truck and the US D7 dozer are helping to clear the massive amounts of rubble that will be on the finished diorama. Many other vignettes will be telling other stories!
Here is the Patton figure. It is composed of four kits from two companies Warriors, Custom Dioramics, and the parts box.
Then, this is the Creighton Abrams figure. He still has a shoulder holster to be added.
One of the cameramen filming history in progress. The figure is a conversion and a scratch hand held movie camera.
One of the motorcycle M.P.s in Patton's entourage.
The scratchbuilt WW II 16mm motion picture camera on a tripod.
Various refugees.
Some of the staff officers.
ditto
I had bought a German soldier kissing a girl goodbye. A lot of work, but I turned him into a G.I. who jumped off a Sherman and gives a pretty girl a kiss.
Finally, a wounded marine converted to a G.I. which will be on the back of a Jeep ambulance.
As in the other four Logistics threads, I will continue posting progress steps, including some detailed SBS on various methods I use in painting.
Bob
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