WIP Stalingrad Winter 1943, Street By Street

[housecarl]

Hi Carl

Thanks for your help.

It's not going to be complete in time for Hinkley, I'm ready to start painting again but I want to take my time and get it to a decent quality and I am also not sure if its of the standards to show, but I will aspire to enter/show stuff as I improve.

Looking forward to meeting you all.
Dave

I can appreciate that Dave, it still would have been nice to have a look. Although I know what a pain it is to take stuff to shows,
Carl.

 

[Dr Force]

A bit more weekend progres.

Ready to start the belts and ammo pouches now on figure 2, you can see I upgraded the helmet with makeshift vent holes and a helmet strap (yet to paint) and gave the smock one last tidy up.

I have the end of March as a completion date so right on track now:-

 

[Dr Force]

Hi All

Not far away now, I just need to finish the painting on the figure by the wall add the snow to the whole scene and then finish with a nice aluminium title plate.

This has so far taken 3 months to get this far, so although I have indicated a scratch build Pak, I am going to start something a little less labour intensive in the interim.

Once it is 100% complete I will get better photo's:-

 

[unknown01]

Indeed the wonderful scene!
A very dramatic expression is successful.
Indeed there is a field to the top in your base.
I was moved.
I congratulate it in completion truth.

Mitsutaka.

 

[Dr Force]

Thank you Misutaka your comments and encouragement mean alot.

 

[gordy]

I like the first picture with the lighting looks really atmospheric

 

[JasonB]

I think the top right picture, where you can see the closeup of the grenade guys face, and the other guy shouting in the background, is really cool.
One minor point( I alway have something, eh?) for future work. The guy looking around the corner, I would have his eyes looking to his right a bit more, and not straight ahead. When there is something far enough out of our lateral vision that we have to turn our heads to see it, our eyes generally go in that direction as well.
Nice to see the update, looking forward to the grand finale.
Cheers
Jason

 

[sam b]

I like this a lot ! Your hard work has paid off

 

[1969]

Looks like you are steaming along with this project now mate, I like what you have done so far mate, looking very good.

All the best mate

Steve

 

[Dr Force]

Hi all

First and foremost I would like to thank you all for your comments, encouragement and guidance from inception to the final hurdles. I am not a seasoned model maker or painter and this has been a big challenge but also great fun.

It's by no means perfect and there are always things to improve, however by striving for it to be as good as I can get it, I feelihave actually created something that provides the viewer with a glimpse of the circumstances faced by the German army in those dark cold days in the battle of Stalingrad.

The sprinkling of snow will help to convey the bitter atmosphere experienced in the winter.

Jay
Many thanks for your critical input in this project, I have appreciated your guidance and taken everything on board........you have been a great help.
As for the eyes, well I considered the direction of the eyes but thought ( rightly or wrongly) to have him give the impression of something else catching his eye as he is about to chuck said grenade.

Anyway the sprinkling of snow and final painting will be done by Sunday and I can finally move on to the next project which as a clue is a youngs miniature conversion.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Dr Force]

Phew.............all done

I have had great fun building it, painting it and finishing it, I hope you like it and see you shortly for my next project.

Dave

 

[Ferris]

Turned out great David, congrats.
The dead guy looks really...well...dead. Scary.

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[Dr Force]

Hi Adrian

thanks for your comments.

I am glad the dead guy gives the right feeling/impression as it's the key to the whole scene.
I wanted to avoid deep snow so a frosty sprinkling was my intention. The second figure has ended up holding the cable from the reel as this heled bring the "laying demolition cable" a bit more in to the story.

Thanks
Dave

 

[1969]

Cracking job mate, I think you have done well to accomplish such a project without being a seasoned model builder, plenty would have started it but not managed to get to the final finish.

Looking forward to seeing more of your projects mate

Steve

 

[JasonB]

Yeah, man, thats about the deadest looking dead dude I have seen in miniature. He is D-E-A-D, dead! I think the one eye open and one closed is just perfect. Well done!
Cheers
Jason

 

[pmfs]

Great job all around David.
The KIA German his very impressive.

 

[BarrieHynd]

David, have been following your progress from day one and enjoyed your updates when you posted. This project of yours has turned out brilliantly and you have certainly captured the feeling of the cold weather and sense of urgency of the situation the troops have found themselves in. The dead figure works really well and the whole piece tells the story of what has just happened. Look forward to your next work.

Barrie.

 

[JasonB]

Hi Dave,
One last thing you might want to add, and it won't require you change anything you've already done. Neither Mr. Dead or Yelling Guy is armed... give the poor chaps a rifle or something, eh???

 

[Dr Force]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond and Iamvery grateful for your appreciation and encouragement.

This has been very challenging as it took so much preperartion and patience but Iwould never be able to start a new project knowing this would have been incomplete.

Unfortunately (for me) I'm not in to the single figures, I want to capture a moment in time, add a sense if drama, urgency and feeling for a moment in the heat of battle, most my work will be around story telling which will involve more than 1 figure.

This is a great challenge for me because so much will be around scratch building which = greater satisfaction and increase in variable skills.

Project no 2 is due to start very shortly and will, once again, take months to complete, however I can only imagine improvements from the recent experience, therefore I can only get better from here on in and Ill benefit from all your experience and expertise along the way.

Special thanks to Jay for a massive input and invaluable guidance from day 1.

Going to take a 2 week break designing the next 120mm project and will start a new VBench then.

Thanks guys
Dave