Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So my FLGS is holding a diarama competition, hence this blog.

I started work on it about 2-3 weeks ago and i only got as far as basing it =S so i thought as some sort of motivation to continue work on it I'll start a blog.

I've got until Queens Birthday (14th of June for those who dont know) to finish it all so thats what, 2 and a bit months? Pleanty of time for a slow painter like myself to finish.

Now, first thing i did when i heard about the competition was search franticly through what models i had at home and brainstorm ideas. I came up with zip until a mate came over. First thing he did after i told him was pick up an IG and say Iwo Jima. So thats what i did.

Only Rule for the diaramas is it cant be bigger then 1 A4 piece of paper. I opted for something much smaller since i didnt really wanna spend a lot of money on this (Cheap i no but such is the life of a uni student)

So here it is, my section of Mount Suribachi -







What im up to now is searching through my (limited) IG pieces and waiting for a friend to return my SM bits botz. I did however take the liberty to purchase a 2nd IG Command box so i have pleanty of cool little bits.

Looking at other photos and other peoples work there is 6 soldiers raising the flag (?). I think it'll end up with 2 kneeling, 3 holding onto the flag pole and the 6th at the back not holding onto anything (the pole has been be raised to high for him to reach)

And now i need a little help for you Dakka Community =) Im stuck on what uniform to give these boys =S Id rather not go all 'historic' and paint them as marines as it just wouldnt look right with IG armour (pfft... armour, what was i thinking). Also im yet to decide on sort of condition the ground is it... I know i dont really want desert, even though its really easy to paint =P Ive just been tossing up between a snowny/ice or a muudy/dirt sort of theme.

Thoughts?

Cheers
Jake Bake A Cake

that looks tops right now, man. legos ftw!

I'll keep an eye on this. Keep it UP.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I say snow. maybe some razor wire and/or broken fence bits?

Yeh lego =D

Only thing i could think of to create a decent square base.

Yeh i was leaning abit more towards snow but have never really done anything done much with it.

Like the razor wire idea. Cant have too much on the base though, its only 4" x 4" and i dont wanna crowd it.

If i super mega cool idea comes up that i just HAVE to do, i will do what i can to extend the base size =P

I would have to say go for a mud/dirty base, because when i think of guard i either imagine them as desert raiders (my own regiment) or guys stuck on muddy battlefield for years with trenches and stuff a bit like world war 1 or the novel 15 hours which is a good 40k book.

but i wouldn't use trenches because of threat of over crowding and restrictions on size that the comp and you have set, so yeah go with razor wire, maybe have a wall of sandbags with like a HB and some dead bad guys but then it depends on what the enermy is, tratior guard maybe?

For a uniform, cadian 8th its proabaly one of the most iconic guard regiments out there IMHO.
im going to follow this with interest

if you go for the cadian 8th have CREEEEEEEEEEEED (sorry had to say it) or some other officer overseeing the planting of the flag.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
here is Ruglud's guard diarama for some inspiration of a muddy battlefield and trenches.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/277215.page

hmmm muddy.... would let me experiment with some water effects =D

Well there definetly wouldve been no trenches mainly because they are on some sort hill or mountain. A tall strategy point of sorts i guess.

I might have to make the base a tad bigger and include a dug out for some sort of heavy weapon.

As for enemy models i dont think ill really focus on it too much. If i had time and money i would do a much larger base an include alot more things like some CC fights as well as wounded dead troopers, a medic running round etc etc.

Ill start looking through my bits over the next couple of days and see what i cant come up with

If you can bear to do it, have some bodies trapped in the mud below the top layer - dead marine, tyranid skull maybe?

I like the snowy hilltop idea, this is something I'm thinking of tackling on my next diorama... Alternatively how about going for a rocky base?

Have you seen this version of the Iwo Jima scene from The Assault Group? Might be helpful with how to pose the figures and the base?

http://www.theassaultgroup.co.uk/pages/page.php?World-War-II-13

http://www.theassaultgroup.co.uk/store/product.php?productid=767&cat=15&page=1&featured

http://ph.warpathgames.com/products/product_32194_thm.jpg

This site also has some great examples of battle scenes from the various GD competitions over the years, some inspirational stuff here...

http://demonwinner.free.fr/

Good luck, I'll keep an eye on your progress...

Oh and cheers for the plug Commissar Agro!

I'd definitely go with mud, do some deep tank tracks, with nice muddy water effect puddles. Also cadians would be my first choice, just because they're most like 'real' soldiers.

This has potential to be great, I'll be following!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/dkkd.htm

Check this out for a great bit of mud

Cheers Million, Seen that one before, beautiful work.

When i get home tonight ill flick through my bits and see what i cant come up with in terms of the flag bearers and flag for that fact and post what i come up with.

As for mud, does anyone have any good tutorials on how to um, make mud? Ive never really done any sort of water effects on a miniature.

Is that 'real' soldiers as in our reality or the other imperial guards are, for lack of a better word, pussys?


Jake Shake N Bake

For mud effects take a look at just about any of Gundam_Mecha's real world stuff. He hits the nail on the head. Have you considered making it a sunset light effect and maybe having a bugler play?

Well ive finally had time to mess around with what ive got.

Ive come up with these two guys so far. Just a bit of a warning. YES i still need to cut bits n pieces off of em and YES ill need to model parts onto them.

Just kinda going on poses at the moment and what pieces im going to go off

FYI... photos taken from my desk so not exactly top notch







opinions?

WOW, looks good for a WIP

Cheers Argo.

Ive just finished mocking up the 6 man team though 4 of them i havent decided on heads yet.

will get them up in a couple of min, net seems to have slowed down >.<


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Again, HUGE wip.

Just blu tacked together with most uh messing heads. Not sure if im going to ajust the angle of the line or not yet. Might also put a couple of puddles over in that big blank area. We'll have to ait n see

wow, looks good.
is that a cadian command spure i see in the background...hehehe
is that helmeted guard elbowing the other in the face?
why is some guy randomly holding a mortar shell?

i like the discarded helmet and vox.

well...

Im only using those arms for poses. most will have hands redone so it can hold the flag pole.

No he is not elbowing him in the head, his head is falling off =S

And yeh that is a CS spure in the backgroung lol

The vox is definetly staying, one of the guys is going to be equiped like a vox operator but whilst putting up the flag he has put it down.

Thinking i might have one of them as a medic but if the flag is being put up after a battle i think the medic might have something more important to do...