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It is moving and aesthetically pleasing.

It certainly showcases your artistic talent.

Besides I think that the fluff can be worked for it.

The space marines in this battle were wiped out to a man. No one survived, and the Xenos threat took over the planet. The Xenos held the planet for 500 years or so (you make the time fit the weathering effects on the Dread). After that period of time, the Imperium turned the tide of the war and began taking back planets. After advancing past this planet, the Guard who were left in charge of holding this world come across this Dread in the ruins from the battles fought 500 years ago. The diorama is a snapshot at the time of its finding, but before the recovery effort was made by the Space Marine chapter.

That is bad-ass! It's great how you really captured a mood so well in such a small piece. Well done my friend.

Just splitting hairs now but...
I've finally looked at this enough to spot another mistake/improvement that could be made. I think you can take it !
The sensor arrays, lenses and glass bits could do with being broken.
Otherwise still amazing!

The tragedies of defeat and the false glories of war... It is a remarcable piece of art as it evokes feelings of sadeness, perseverance, continuity and the idea of pointless heroism. I 'm stunned by its beauty!
Oh, and technicaly flawless as well. Although the bird nest is a good idea, in a savanna like the one you have modelled the lofty perch of the top of the dreadnought would be a prime position for a bird to build a nest.

The wind moved the veritable sea of tall grass as if it were a living, breathing thing. Small winged insects buzzed and clicked through the swaying grass. Gray overcast took some of the stifling heat out of the air that usually buffeted the grassland, and Trooper Bardin was staring at a murdered God.
The great bipedal machine was listing to the left. The faceplate was peeled open at a corner, and the chirping sounds of small birds who had made their nest in the former housing of the warrior could be heard. Long years of weather erosion had washed away all superficial markings or seals that could have told what chapter it had belonged too, and was replaced by the rusted bare metal that covered it today.
Sergeant Pluskin circled its left side, sucking deeply from his fat cigar, and tapped the rusted open claw that had once tore open other great machines in the name of the emperor. The rest of the squad rested in the shade of their Chimera only 50 meters away. The site of such a mighty warriors pathetic final resting place weighed heavy on the soldiers minds.
Breaking the silence of the rustling grass and ticking insects, Sergeant Pluskin sucked in on his stogie, and breathed out " I had heard stories, rumors, but I never knew any of it to be true..." He knelled down and observed the hole left by the killing blow that blew through its arm ",a whole chapter gone."
Bardin knelled down in the tall grass and started praying for the spirits of the machine and Warrior both. Pluskin walked over to him, and placed his cigar holding hand on Bardins head, mumbling "Ain't gonna do any good soldier," He swung his chainsword lazily at the War Machine in front of them "any spirit left in this one is gone and done found its way to wherever it was going a long time ago."
Pluskin patted Bardin on his head and helped him to his feet. "Call up our front line trace and let's roll out, and leave this beast in peace." As Pluskin marched off barking orders to start the Chimera back up, Bardin walked up to the silent machine and placed his hand on the dirty, cold metal. "Thank you, for everything you and your Battle Brothers gave up for us, for it will not go unremembered." And with that Trooper Bardin walked back to his squad leaving the silent Sentinel in peace, with nothing but the wind to disturb it.

Fantastic work, very powerful imagery!

Only one gripe though... There is no apparent damage to indicate the demise of the dreadnought's pilot, other then the front of the sarcophagus is a bit bent...

This modell is great! with Devotchka - How it ends playing in the background makes it even better...

nice

Typhoon wrote:Great work but i've seen something like this before.
I think it was on another forum?
Can't recall, maybe same model, have you posted this one some were else before?

Second thing, Dreadnought is sacred to Chapter.
NO WAY they will leave that behind, they are the old en honor veterans of the Chapter.
It also has the genseed of the chapter so thell do everything to retrieve it
Fluff why' s BIG NONO my friend.

Other hand great work on paintjob and scene allround


greetz typhoon

I was thinking the same thing but then I figured we'll assume the whole force was wiped out completely, which also plays well into my thought that it must've been tyranids. That's really the only way you can explain the torn open sarcophagus. A hungry genestealer tore out the tender marine meats.

To the OP beautiful work sir!

beautiful, I love it.
sad, and powerful.

Damn it!! It's so beautiful and sad (just like those beautiful war movies)!! I think slaaenesh is getting to me...

sorry if this joke is in poor taste but.....
the dreadnought reminds me of the Tin Man in OZ, and it's talking to the IG to hand him the can of anti rust.

keezus wrote:Connann: I feel borderline rude making the following suggestions, as you've done a fantastic job - however - instead of vegetative growth on the dread, it would be a nice touch to throw an abandoned birds nest on to it somewhere - possibly in the damaged sarcophagus. It would be an understated way of indicating that it hasn't moved in a long time.

I think that would make it slightly comical, actually.

well done

Got goosebumps looking at it.

Wow amazing man that dread looks so sad, battered and brusing also them guardsmen are so well camoflaged i missed them the first time i look

The diaorama fits the scene you described perfectly, great work man

Great rust colouring. A little too much grass for me, but each to their own. Superb work!

Very well done diorama, very thought provoking. It's almost on part with that image out there of the children playing around the abandoned titan.

However, and this is entirely my opinion and is not intended to diminish the quality of your work in any way, but apart from the rust and the slightly peeled open sarcophagus, the dreadnaught looks too... intact? It doesn't look as it it's died in a battle, and like someone else said, it would be a big nono to leave Venerable Brother Darius out in the rain like that, cranky as he might be to the scouts.

I've seen several other dioramas with a similar theme to yours (broken war machines) and they *usually* have some indication of how the machine met its end, typically a gaping hole somewhere. That is my only nitpick for your otherwise excellent piece of work, the Dread looks like it just...died in it's sleep.

Keep up the good work!

Very nice, so many other posters already said what I was thinking. Really great diorama!

Fattimus_maximus wrote:

Typhoon wrote:
...Second thing, Dreadnought is sacred to Chapter.
NO WAY they will leave that behind, they are the old en honor veterans of the Chapter.
It also has the genseed of the chapter so thell do everything to retrieve it
Fluff why' s BIG NONO my friend...
greetz typhoon

I don't Rightly think that matters in this case my friend, and you could always imagine that perhaps this was a Chapter's last stand, them marines lose things for good all the time

Captain Shrike wrote:almost makes me wanna sing "The Unforgiven" by Metallica

there are plenty of chapters/leigons (whatever) that have died out could easily be one of them, and maybe if they did retrieve it thats why the sarcophagus is bent open??

plus @ captain shrike, what about 'nothing else matters'?? that would suit it amazingly

It looks amazing, and its very moving, it gives the message of the forgotten heroes of the imperium. Like the marine inside was meant to be laid to rest in a place of honor to the chapter, and instead he was left to rot after his demise. Like finding the corpse of a god in a place you never thought anything happened.

The argument about it not making sense for how it died doesnt matter, fluff says its a giant life support system, if it loses power the marine really does just "go to sleep" and never wakes up again, and who's to say that the chapter didnt send a small group out with the dreadnaught that was completely wiped out, patrol routes can be forgotten, or they could have been following signs of an enemy into an ambush miles away from where they should have been.

That's just beautiful!

Amazing work man, as always. . .

touching and sad.

Reminds me of a whirlwind that was abandoned and a tree grew threw it (I think it was in a WD a while back). Looks great and it's better than anything I could do. However, after saying that, I do have some issues. It looks like the entire dread was the same metal to rust all the same. Like it was originally a statue instead of a real war machine. The different parts of the dread would age at different rates and with different results. I love it, but I think it just falls short of being incredible.

As a fluff aside; It's not very realistic that a Dread would be left behind like that. I can't imagine the situation in which that could happen. But I love the concept, seems like there are a few war movies with scenes like that, where the current conflict participants are walking by the burntout remains of prior conflicts in an ironic tragedy of the cyclical nature of war.

My hat is off to you my friend, that is an awesome piece of work. If you havnt already you should really think about entering some painting compititions. I love how the emotion just bleeds from your work. Once again great job!