or can I???

Hello Gents and Panzergirl,
I decided to give the voyager PE set the green light for my first PE set attempts. It looks scary having so many parts, but I'm going the max with putting on the zimmerit. I figure a simple street diorama with the Plus model Berlin 45' with a Dioart German recruitment poster stuck on the wall, and the IV J and some figs looking down the street. No lichen, no grass, no excess mud, no problem. All I'll need is to make rubble and bricks. Any pointers, suggestions, or comments are all welcome. Greg

Either plan on...or leave room to...add details. An overturned cart, or wagon(I think ICM is coming out with one?). Go easy, do what you are comfortable with....but think about "adding" things as you go, or find them. Any Dollhouse stores near you? Some of them do 1/4" dollhouses and carry stuff for them. Some company(I think Model Power) makes very simplified room settings and a toy set. An overturned three wheel bike....a doll in in rubble....furniture inside the building..wallpaper ripped and streaked and stained...a toilet or sink still hanging by it's plimbing, even though the floor has collapsed. All simple things that add to the character....and maybe pathos of the scene. Don't be afraid to try!! If you don't like it- rip it out!! Hey, it was blowded up anyhow!!Blowded up be gud for dioramas!!
And ONE Dioart poster?? Heresy, I say!! Throw some movie posters, or street signs on the building, too.
And, Yes, I have a vested interest in Dioart....AND, I'm a satisfied customer )
HTH, Dave

How about some bullet impacts on the side of the building? A dog running away? Auto hubcap? The list goes on!

Ken

Greg,

I like the components you are using. Where is that base from? Is that just the Plastruct? Cool idea. Some kind of knocked over street lamp would be cool. I would think about some manhole cover, sewer drain grating in the curb, etc. Like Dave said there are so many things you could do? A Bandai BMW cycle?

Look forward to seeing the progress.

Phil

Hi Greg -

I like your idea, and you definitely need to throw in some elements of every-day life in times of destruction. Human touches, and I like Phillip's suggestion of a manhole cover, that's good. Another infrastructure touch would be downed power/phone cables, maybe.

A Panzer IV with zimmerit in Berlin '45 would have been around a while, so a beat up vehicle would be much more convincing than a fresh, clean looking one. That zimmerit does look a bit intense to do. Can you glue it on then lay into some wear and tear on it? Brass is daunting as far as grinding on it much.

Have fun with this, above all!

Cheers -

Malcolm

PS: There's a very cool total eclipse of the moon going down right now in the eastern US, it's a real show here.

Looks promising Greg! Verlinden sells 1/48 Cobblestones, they could make great brick rubble if ya chunk em up alittle, Kitty Litter works good, too (preferably used, the brown chunks add to the scale effect and stuff sticks to it better.). But seriously, don't let the photo-etch intimidate you. Just take yer time, in the famous words of Clint Eastwood,"Improvise and overcome". Gung Ho!

Bob

Bob and Steve
Top Gun Military/IRON DIVISON Resins
www.topgunmilitary.com

Thank you, thank you. Those are all great ideas I can use. It's true, a panzer IV in 1945 would be hard to find pulling out of Hitler's garage in mint condition. I started the turret first, so I can still beat up fenders, skirts, and remove parts of the PE zimmerit(?). Can the PE be cut with scissors or punctured effectively? I just started some of the tiny, tiny clasps and wondered if I was crazy (like Pat mentioned happened to him), but it is very addictive to see how far the detail goes. At my current rate, I'll be done by the next eclipse. Cheers to Beers!
Greg

Oh forgot, that is Plastruct.

I am just looking at the height of that curb, vs. the Panzer IV next to it. Doesn't that curb look awfully high? In other words, is it really 1/48th scale, even though checking their web site, Plus state it to be 48th scale. It just looks to me to be many scale feet high, rather than something one would step down to the street from??

Anyway, when you are done, perhaps it will look different, but I am just curious, have you measured the height from the sidewalk to the street, in terms of 48th scale?

Just wondering.
Cheers,
Andrew

It is too high and too wide I think. It does seem a bit closer to 1/35th. The Tamiya guy can stand up in the window and the AOW headless guys have the curbs to the top of their boots. Were sidewalks in Germany as wide as ones in New York? The road can easily be brought up to minimize the curb height, but now I wonder if the width is way far off?

Are they Resin or plaster?? Either way, I would sand down the sidewalk pieces to about half that height...6-8" in scale. The width looks okay....appears to be about 6'....and that's okay. P/E Zimmie can't be chipped, that I know of....any anything that penetrated it and bent it in would knock off the zimmie. If you do try some bullet holes, punch through the P/e with a nail or nailset while it is lying on something semisoft....piece of innertube rubber.....something to allow it to give. Maybe fill the zimmerit in irregular patcges around the hole...to simulate the bare metal exposed. In this scale you probably won't notice the "reverse" prospective.
I apologize for any typos...I type with one hand...and there is a verl lovey cat lying in my lap....pushing UP on my hand....to get attention. So it's type...pet...type...pet....and so on.
HTH, Dave...and Lizzie (sorta)....She suggests NOT using the clumping kittylitter! Good call, Liz.....

The 5 pieces of sidewalk/building are made of CERAMIC. The pipe that comes down in 2 pieces is resin. I didn't realize the kit was ceramic until I opened it, but I think it could be carefully sanded down as you suggest. If it cracks, then all the more rubble. Thanks again for the tips for this beginner. Greg

Greg, Get some really course CZOATED sandpaper....mine looked like it was spray painted white. This keeps the dust from sticking to the sandpaper so badly. Rubber cement-or photo spray glue it to a piece of masonite or something like that....smooth and hard. After hte sandpaper is attached.....sand in circles....checking to keep the height uniform all around. As the sandpaper clogs up...either, ONE- take it out side...and bang it on something you don't care about...a tree perhaps- and be sure you are UPWIND...or no wind....Swirling wind....you look like the Pillsbury Doughboy. Another "don't ask how I know story, George" episode.....Or, TWO use a shop vac or spare vacuum cleaner to suck off the dust. It trashes the bag pretty quick, but if you can change the bag easily(I have a Panasonic), just keep a RESIN DUST/PLASTER DUST bag for this....
Ummmmm, I have adopted TWO as my preferred method....But ONE creeps in when I am in hurry.....usually bang it on the SIDE of my concrete porch and Yell, "Be FREE little friends".....Yes, I DO live alone.....
HTH, Dave
Man, I'm sucking on brain cells to beat the band this morning, huh??

Greg, is the piece you are using for the street also ceramic, or is it vacuformed or resin? If it's vacuformed or resin, you could try to cut out the shape of the sidewalk to allow the street piece to be blocked up to about halfway up the height of the ceramic curb. That would get the curb down to a more realistic height. With wrecked buildings around, there'd be more than enough rubble to fill the gutter area to cover up any seams that might be left over. Good luck....

Your 'cobblestone' base is a little unconvincing as the stone pattern is too large and random and would be more suitable for some kinds of walls. I would suggest a product from Kancali - '0' scale cobblestone street section. It's molded from latex and is very pliable (the sheet comes rolled up), is easy to cut, has better definition and depth than the styrene sheet you are using, and comes in a sheet large enough for two dioramas. It is also not too expensive. I've used this stuff and highly reccomend it.

One last question. Other than the sidewalk height, is the building itself 1/48 scale? I guess windows and cellar windows can come in various sizes?
Thanks everyone