Creating a Military Modelling Diorama E-Book

Terry Booker

• Herausgeber: The Crowood Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Creating a diorama offers modellers a chance to display their figures and vehicles in a realistic setting, often providing a 'snapshot' of a moment in history. This book provides step-by-step instructions on how to plan, design and build a diorama and is suitable for new and more experienced modellers. With over 270 colour photographs, it considers all scales from 1/87 (H0) to 1/32   and their implications for the diorama builder. The importance of research to ensure historical accuracy is emphasized. Advice is given on the creation of dioramas in different scales and sizes. It demonstrates the techniques required to achieve effective results for landscapes, terrain and vegetation. Finally, examples are included from the Napoleonic Wars, American Civil War, World War I and World War II.

Leseprobe

CREATING A

MILITARY MODELLING

DIORAMA

CREATING A

MILITARY MODELLING

DIORAMA

TERRY BOOKER

First published in 2021 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR

[email protected]

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2021

© Terry Booker 2021

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 905 1

Airfix Hobbies is a registered trademark of © Hornby Hobbies 2020.

Cover design by Blue Sunflower Creative

Contents

Introduction

1 The Diorama Concept

2 Scales, Sizes and Space

3 The Simple Diorama

4 Talking ‘Scenics’: Countryside

5 Talking ‘Scenics’: Townscapes

6 Variations on a Theme

7 The Picture Diorama

8 The Large Diorama

9 Building the Bulge

10 Creating the Models

11 ‘Panzers Marsche!’

Sources and Recommended Reading

Index

Introduction

The very word ‘diorama’ will inevitably mean different things to different people. Even within the more limited fields of military modelling, it will conjure up a whole variety of contrasting images. The aim of this book is to rationalize the subject in a way that will provide some assistance for new entrants to the hobby, while perhaps giving a fresh slant on things for the more practised modeller.

While it is certainly not a general rule, there are still many modellers who are involved in more than one field. I suspect that the basic drive is the same for all of us – the simple urge to ‘create’ – and it can, and does, become addictive. I was, and still am, primarily a railway modeller who happily played with Hornby 0-gauge clockwork and then with 00-gauge Hornby Dublo. But in those distant days the only real alternatives were Meccano, Dinky Toys and Britain’s farm and military models, all of which are now classed as ‘collectables’ and can fetch outrageous prices at auction! It was a world almost without plastic and certainly devoid of plastic kits.

The never-to-be-forgotten Ferguson. Without those first promotional models would we ever have had a lifetime’s pleasure of the Airfix brand? Here it is packaged as a 1/20th kit, released in 1955. JEREMY BROOK

The beginnings of a legend: Woolworth’s 2s (10p) kits of The Golden Hind from 1952/3, and the Spitfire ‘B-TK’ from 1955. JEREMY BROOK

The arrival on the scene of Airfix with its ‘two-bob’ kits from Woolies (F.W. Woolworth) changed the world for ever. It certainly changed mine, and I became addicted to making these affordable and satisfying little models from the outset. I built all the railway accessories, the locomotives and the rolling stock, many of my favourite aeroplanes, and several of the later warships. Then came the military range, and it was this which has led, down through all those intervening six decades, to the creation of that planned diorama and the preparation of this book.

I find it very hard to simply destroy or throw away models that have been carefully assembled and painstakingly finished, and which have provided many hours of enjoyable creativity. My scores of vehicles and hundreds of soldiers were doomed to life in cardboard boxes in the darkest recesses of the loft. Given that there are hundreds of thousands of military modellers world-wide and that the hobby has been developing for over a half-century, this must mean literally millions of items in various degrees of ‘careful storage’.

The first of the Airfix military vehicles was the 1961 PzKfw V ‘Panther’. It has never been out of production, and is currently available as part of the ‘Vintage Classics’ series. The PzKfw VI ‘Tiger’ would not join the range until 1964. It has received the occasional criticism, but that has never dented its undeniable popularity; like so many of the other early models, it is now part of their ‘Vintage Classics’. The original Woolworth’s artwork has been painstakingly recaptured.

This book will feature quite a few ‘rehabilitation and renovation’ projects, many of which will include fifty-year-old models that fit quite happily alongside contemporary offerings. There will be some guidance on the making and finishing of kits and figures, and considerable detail about the building of the actual dioramas. The materials, tools and techniques used will be, wherever possible, simple and low cost, and easily accessible. Every task that can be carried out on the workbench, desktop or kitchen table will be done exactly there. Some of the larger and more complicated projects will need more space.

One essential element for any successful historic modelling project is, unquestionably, research. It is equally important in the need to get the figures correct and appropriate to their roles in the diorama as it is to include all the details and authentic appearance on the tanks and vehicles. It becomes still more vital in the setting and composition of the larger ‘battlefield’ scenes. Research can be almost a hobby in itself. It is not just the challenge of finding all the relevant information, though that can certainly be an absorbing and rewarding pursuit: it is the stories behind the facts that can provide the inspiration that will drive the whole project. If our dioramas are to capture a moment in history, then the more we can learn about, and identify with that moment, the greater our engagement and the more fulfilling the end result.

And that’s about it. If just a few yesterday models escape their long entombment and feature in some imaginative new diorama, then I will be a very happy author.

Chapter One

The Diorama Concept

WHAT MAKES A MILITARY DIORAMA?

To start with we need to define and describe exactly what makes the ‘diorama’ into a specific branch of modelling. Looking through the library of definitions that abound on the internet, there are really just three salient points that need concern us. The main one is that the diorama must represent a scene or incident, and that it should tell a story; ideally the gist of the story should be obvious to even the most casual of viewers.

These four ‘dioramas’, although not built for exhibition or competition purposes, still illustrate the principles of this most common genre. Designed on irregular-shaped bases, they will become parts of an extensive World War I ‘Tracks to the Trenches’ gauge 1 (1/32nd-scale) model railway developed by my friend Peter Hollins. They are intended for viewing from different angles and thus lack any back-scenes – exactly the same as their model-show counterparts.

The second point is that the scene should be three-dimensional. In our case that means ‘real’ models of figures and vehicles set among ‘real’ models of trees or buildings and the appropriate general landscape. The third and final point is that the three-dimensional scene should be viewed against a painted backdrop. And here I would add a more sensible description in that the backdrop should be properly realistic; it could be photographic or painted, but above all it should be well executed, and should always complement the scene and never distract from it.

The common practice for most modellers – and which is perfectly acceptable at shows and within the competition rules of the International Plastic Modellers’ Society (IPMS) – is to completely dispense with the backdrop. Thus most dioramas you will encounter at shows and in the pages of the model press are scenes of varying size and complexity that can be viewed from all sides. Both approaches will be covered in the ensuing chapters.

WHAT IS ‘MILITARY’?

Defining the first part of the title, ‘military’, is as all-embracing as you want it to be. I suppose that a general definition might well include all things to do with the waging of war – or the maintenance of peace, depending on whose side you are on! However, for our purposes we will discount most things nautical and aeronautical, and will concentrate on the simple proposition that ‘military equals army’. Needless to say, if that is the rule, then it can be quite easily and quite properly broken with helicopter-borne troops or landing craft!

The mid-1970s saw the Airfix brand at its height. While its traditional kits offered something for modellers of every persuasion, its ‘ready-to-play’ models in both 1/76th and 1/32nd scales encouraged and catered for the younger enthusiast. As well as its popular battle-field accessory packs, it moved even further into the diorama concept with these attractive boxed sets. With careful painting and appropriate back-scenes, these ‘toys’ can be transformed into very presentable exhibits.

However, that sort of decision is still some way off. In any case, the world of ‘armies’ in model form is probably quite large enough to satisfy even the most niche-minded modeller. It is easy to understand how the casual observer or the new entrant to the hobby might well just assume it was all about World War II – with perhaps World War I as an afterthought. There would, no doubt, be a similar assumption that it was all about the ‘blood, muck ‘n bullets’ of the battlefield. Needless to say both assumptions are very wide of the mark. Even the most hurried glance through the model press or the quickest trawl across the web will reveal sets of plastic model soldiers spanning virtually every century from pre-biblical times to the present day.

Extending the search a little further into the metal items that are aimed at the wargames fraternity will show that the choice becomes even wider in terms of both the period and the specialist figures. To give just a brief indication of what is out there, take a look at the site run by Plastic Soldier Review: they list over fifty different periods, and several of the more popular ones will include scores, if not hundreds of the various arms and regiments.

WHAT ABOUT THE SIZE?

Many of the available kits will represent the armies of the opposing sides, and not surprisingly, these are usually modelled in distinctly belligerent attitudes. But the ‘military diorama’ certainly doesn’t mean solely battle scenes. Indeed, these are usually the least modelled options. Armies or the occasional few soldiers at rest are far more likely subjects, as are vehicles under repair or (very often) wrecked or damaged. Modern battlefields are large affairs frequently thousands of yards deep and along a front that may even extend to a hundred or more miles. Once you locate your period much beyond the mid-1800s – the Crimea or American Civil War – then toe-to-toe slogging matches are the rarity. Your Sherman tank being hit by the unseen Tiger’s ‘88’ from a distant hilltop is not really a ready-made scene for a diorama!

If they are honest, most railway modellers will acknowledge that their scenic layouts consist of a whole series of linked dioramas. My own East Ilsley modules are no exception and feature an extensive section devoted to the military scene in the 1950s. Any small segment is easily visualized as a ‘stand-alone’ diorama in its own right – just add the back-scenes and the sky.

And that brings us rather neatly to considering the sizes that might contain a reasonable diorama. At the smallest end of the options is the minimum area that you need to create a realistic portrayal of the scene or incident that has inspired you, and which can be modelled in the scale of your choice. There may be other limiting factors to its size (and shape), in that it might be intended for permanent display on a mantle-shelf or bookcase and can therefore be no wider than that. At the larger end of the possible options is the maximum area upon which you can achieve all the above within the inevitable constraints of what you can afford, and what you can realistically construct, store, transport or display. At either extreme, these dimensions are for you and you alone to determine.

THE ADVANTAGESAND DISADVANTAGESOF BACK-SCENES

There are three options for back-scenes: commercial pre-printed, hand-painted or the photo-collage. My preference, where possible, is always to use the latter. Modern cameras and mobile phones make it easy to capture scores of images to store for future use. Laptops and printers enable you to tweak and then produce simple A4 sheets to fix on mounting board and trim as necessary. This enables you to recreate the seasons effectively as well as the scene.

Dioramas without a back-scene:

• can be closely studied at eye level from 360 degrees

• can be viewed from above and from any angle

• the composition must stand scrutiny from all sides

• the scene may be being viewed against a distracting background

• attention to detail must be 100 per cent and more

• while the scene may be convincing it can still be difficult to portray ‘time and place’

• extreme care is needed in the positioning of the various elements, and in the handling/finishing of the piece

• the skill levels required may be beyond the new or average modeller

Dioramas with a back-scene:

• restrict the observer to front-on views only

• provide the natural ‘real world’ view

• the viewer cannot see beyond the back-scene so there is less chance of distraction

• the scene looks ‘finished’ and framed

• time can be saved by building scenic elements in low or half relief

• wraparound back-scenes work like stage sets to help fix time and place

• back-scenes need not be hand-painted

• modern mobile phones, laptops and printers can make the creation of back-scenes relatively quick, cheap and easy

These are just some of the points that can be considered when you contemplate your first – or next – diorama.

LOOKING AT POSSIBLE MATERIALS

The choice of materials upon which you create the diorama is equally varied. At the smaller end of bases there are any number of outlets selling ‘plinths’. These vary in cost not just by size, but also by the material from which they are made. A further cost influencer is their ornateness, and the amount of workmanship that has gone into the design. The cheaper versions are usually plastic or resin mouldings, quite often offered in black as if to simulate marble or ebony. The more expensive ones are generally skilfully carved wood, suitably polished and varnished. However, there is nothing to compel one to use these trade products, especially if you can live without the fancy mouldings. There are plenty of DIY alternatives that can prove to be less costly and also better able to be tailored to the optimum size to meet your own specification, rather than having to fit your ideas on to the fixed-size plinth.

WHAT MAKES A ‘DIORAMA’?

Having outlined the broadest of summaries and options for the key constituents of the ‘military diorama’, it is time to examine the concept of the diorama itself. The base, and what is put on to it, is just the beginning. For example, one or two well-finished figures posed on a suitable plinth is usually termed a ‘vignette’. The figures themselves are the sole subject, and there is nothing else either to complement them or distract from them.

However, when more figures and vehicles are added to a larger base and are appropriately arranged within a well-detailed setting, then we move from a snapshot into the realms of the ‘landscape painting’. Mask the sides and back with suitable artwork and we have the classic diorama – and the scene that has been created should be seen as an artwork in the fullest sense of the word. Its creator has used all the same skills and qualities as the painter: there will be ample evidence of inspiration and imagination, there will be technical and compositional skills, depth and balance, a sound grasp of colour, and if there is the all-enveloping back-scene, then the creator may well be a painter in his own right. The diorama really is a ‘work of art’.

The photo-collage is equally effective when it comes to the sky background. Once again it offers the opportunity – indeed the unique opportunity – to capture the appropriate weather, and even the time of day. Consulting your local print and signage company could lead to a seamless version on lightweight vinyl, the perfect wraparound backdrop for the larger dioramas.

Of course, life is full of contradictions, and the world of plastic modellers is no exception. Whether they are in the competition category, or are simply creations to satisfy the individual modeller, the majority of dioramas are constructed and presented without back-scenes. This approach certainly holds one attraction for most modellers in that there is no need to spend time and effort creating or sourcing that two-dimensional wraparound.

As the book unfolds, we’ll try to discuss most of the options open to us as potential builders. The two aspects that are virtually impossible to get down on paper, and which are probably the most important of all, are ‘inspiration’ and ‘imagination’. It is hard to see why anyone, modeller or not, would want to embark upon the diorama concept unless they were strongly motivated by some urge – or inspiration – to do so. Perhaps a trip to a show, or a casual glance at a magazine, may start something stirring. It is equally possible that some film or book contains a scene or situation that sparks the idea to recreate it in miniature. On an even more mundane level, it may start as nothing more than ‘somewhere to put my soldiers’ – but in that case there must have been something that inspired their purchase in the first place.

Chapter Two

Scales, Sizes and Space

THE CHOICE OF SCALE

In the simplest sense, scale is an expression of the ratio (or comparison) of one object to another – for example, a model to the real thing or a map to the real world. Think of it as a fraction, which is how it is often shown in modelling, where, for example, 1/72 simply means that the item is one-seventy-second the size of the original, or seventy-two times smaller. The larger the number, the smaller the scale, so that a model in 1/72 scale will be barely half the size of its 1/35 neighbour. A scale of 1/76 is equivalent to the 00 gauge in railway modelling.

‘The long, the short and the tall’: this rather disparate group of individuals includes most of the scales and sizes likely to be used by the builders of dioramas. There is clearly quite a difference between those to the left, the smaller scales of 1/76th–72nd and 20mm, and the larger 1/35th–32nd and 54mm. While the choice of scale is entirely up to you, it is worth doing some research to make sure that there are sufficient figures available in that scale to complete the project. In the larger scales this may present a problem. It is often the case that 54mm (usually metal) figures seem considerably larger than the plastic 1/35th–32nd. This is sometimes simply a question of their more flamboyant uniforms, but the nature of the moulds and materials shouldn’t be ignored.

THE SMALLER SCALES

The first aircraft kits were made to 1/72nd scale because this suited the available manufacturing and marketing constraints of the time; it was also influenced by the success of Frog and Skybird in the 1930s. Another factor may have been the myriad of aircraft-recognition models used throughout the war, which would have made the scale familiar to many. However, when the company decided to move into military vehicles and figures, it opted to align them with their existing models in the railway scene. This meant working to those same original 1/76th/00 scale parameters. This ‘twin-scale’ scenario has caused confusion (and probably consternation!), and was certainly not helped by Airfix labelling them as ‘1/72nd/00 scale’, which is clearly a contradiction in itself. But this need not be a problem, since the two scales can usually be quite successfully combined, at least in diorama terms.

Proof that, with care, figures from different sources can be combined. The Britain’s figure (left) is a good match for the plastic 1/35th (centre) and the metal figure in the same scale.

The smallest, but still the most popular scale world-wide, is characterized by its inherent simplicity: 1/72nd translates as ‘1in equals 6ft’ (2.5cm equals 1.8m), which is such an easy ratio. It’s just a very quick way of thinking between the model world and the real thing; for example, a potential diorama base that is 1sq ft (12 × 12in) (30 × 30cm) represents 72 × 72ft (24 × 24yd) (22 × 22m) in the real world.

THE LARGER OPTIONS

The 1/35th scale was created by Tamiya in 1962; this was the smallest ‘size’ into which they could fit a motor for their planned Panther tank. The models were a commercial success, and Tamiya was quick to realize that modellers were not interested in the idea of the motorized vehicles, preferring the accuracy within kits that were both challenging and satisfying to construct, and which included the wealth of details not possible in the smaller scale. Tamiya also delivered the very highest standards of moulding, with minimum ‘flash’ and well thought-out sprues. They weren’t cheap, but they did give value for money, and the end results, given a modicum of care in the build and finish, were large, attractive and realistic models.

The Airfix ‘play-ready’ 1/32nd Afrika Korps figure is not that much different from its 1/35th neighbours. However, the 54mm metal figures (equivalent to 1/34th scale) appear far too large, as the 54mm measurement is accepted as being the head-to-toe size of the 6ft male. It is imperative to exercise caution in these ‘mix-n-match’ situations.

These 1/35th models were virtually double the size of their 1/72nd counterparts, and this, together with all that extra detail and ‘character’, soon made them the scale of choice for the serious modeller. The figures were good subjects for vignettes, and when shown as supporting the tanks or other vehicles, led to an ever-increasing enthusiasm to combine them into small but very realistic scenes.

There are, of course, plastic kits in other scales. For those seeking a middle ground, there are a number of 1/48th-scale offerings available in the UK, and this size has an even larger following in Australia, Canada and the USA. It is close to the generally accepted 1/43rd scale of the gauge ‘0’ model railways, and as with models in the smaller scales, a train carrying a load of the ‘slightly-too-small’ tanks would still look quite effective. However, it is important to realize that the choice of periods and campaigns is more limited, as is the choice of items within the various ranges.

1/16th-scale models are most impressive. Indeed, if you lacked the space, the will or maybe the approval of the ‘domestic authorities’ to build a full diorama, then a 1/16th Challenger 2 would look quite cool on top of the bookcase.

SCENES AND SITUATIONS

It goes without saying that the choice of potential subjects for military dioramas is virtually infinite. However, it is equally certain that whichever period you favour, and whatever campaign you choose, you’ll need to shop around to obtain all the items that you might want to include. It is also quite probable that some of the items simply won’t exist, or will be out of stock when you want them. The bigger and more complex the scene, the more likely it is that this will be the case.

A selection of Airfix kits from the halcyon days of the early 1970s. The catalogue is packed with the enormous variety that was on offer, and whatever your interest or your age group, there would certainly have been something that would have appealed. Note that catch-all description of scale – ‘00/H0’: a pity there is a difference of around an eighth, or 12.5 per cent!

The difference between 1/76th (Airfix and Matchbox) and the more widely available 1/72nd is almost subtle rather than blindingly obvious. It’s actually a whisker over 5 per cent, and in most dioramas this would not be too apparent. The ‘Bulge’ scenes in the final chapter include panzer MkIVs, trucks, Panthers and King Tigers in both scales.

To some extent you can always mix figures and vehicles from different sets and different manufacturers within the same scale. But there is little doubt that many versions of the same ‘type’ of soldiers will inevitably be presented in very similar poses. (In my experience, even the World War II infantry sets will have far too many figures in very similar kit all standing or kneeling and firing their rifles; this may be fine for nineteenth-century battles, but it certainly looks rather out of place in Normandy or Stalingrad.) Military dioramas should, just like a traditional two-dimensional painting, try to freeze the action at a chosen moment in time, and not everyone will be doing the same thing at that same second – that is, unless your diorama is a segment of a march-past or of trooping the colour, in which case an element of precision is definitely acceptable!

It is possible that, with their usually ‘self-assembly’ format, the 1/35th ranges will offer at least some opportunity to vary the pose of an individual figure. I have even come across some of the smaller 1/72nd soldiers with these same ‘self-assembly’ options. But they aren’t easy to handle, and we’ll see some of them in action later.

SEARCH OUTSIDE THE BOX

So what happens when all the possible sources in the armoury of plastic soldiers have been exhausted? One possible solution is to move out of the pure military modelling field and cross over into the specialist field of the ‘wargamers’. The key difference in the figures themselves is that the wargamers use their own definitions for scale and size, and the models are usually made of what is commonly described as ‘white-metal’. The sizes are given in millimetres, and range from 9 to 28mm – those being the accepted heights of the average standing figure. None of the large international manufacturers serve this whole hobby sector: instead it is sourced by a whole range of smaller companies producing individual figures or smallish sets.

These smaller ranges can prove to be an invaluable asset to the military diorama modeller, being able to supply that individual driver or tank commander, or those inevitable casualties, the dead horses from the Civil War or World War II. Generally it appears that the 20mm metal figures are the ones closest to the popular 1/72nd scale, while any differences in height or stature are somewhat irrelevant and may even be seen as beneficial, as no army ever fielded troops that were identical.

For the modeller working in the larger 1/35th scale the wargames figures are unlikely to be of much help. But there are numerous white-metal manufacturers who offer a 54mm range, and these are certainly close to the roughly 52mm height of their plastic counterparts.

The key point to remember in this subject of scale and size is the basic relationship between the two most popular ranges: that 1/72nd is roughly half the size of 1/35th, or if you prefer, 1/35th is roughly twice the size of 1/72nd. In terms of the proposed diorama, twice as many of the smaller pieces will fit into the space needed for the bigger versions. Therefore on that hypothetical 12sq in board think three King Tigers refuelling under the trees as opposed to just one big, solitary King Tiger.