FLERS-COURCELETTE SEPT. 1916. A 1/72 mini Diorama....

[spanner570]

I have often thought about a WW1 diorama so I bought this 1/72 Airfix Mk. 1 tank from thingybay.

I am going to have a go at trying to depict the first use of tanks in combat during WW1.

Here is the tank in question, minus tracks, primed and ready for the top coat. Then I will start to build the diorama.

I hope you enjoy the progress and any comments / suggestions are more than welcome.

:beer:

Ron

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[Guest]

Ooooo, this is going to be good, I just know it is. Cracking idea Ron.

[yak face]

great project ron! Ill check in on this in a week when i get back off holiday, cant wait to see your treatment for 1/72 scale barbed wire. This is the 2nd 1/72 model in a row, do i see a theme developing here!!?Come on the tiddlers!!!! Hope you enjoyed your wales break, see you in a week , cheers tony

[Guest]

sounds like a quality idea Ron looking forward to seeing it come to fruition.

scott

[tr1ckey66]

Hi Ron

That's a great idea for a diorama. Will you be doing trench systems then?

The tank looks good quality - I haven't built an Airfix kit since I was a kid and really don't know how they stand up next to other brands, but that looks a real beauty.

Good luck with the dio I'll keep a look out.

Cheers

P

[spanner570]

Hi Paul, I don't know what I'm going to do yet, all I have is this tank and a bucket full of mud!!!!

As usual with me I start off and ideas start to come as I progress but I think trenches will come in to it somewhere.

The kit itself is excellent with plenty of detail, loads of raised rivets and it went together with no 'fit' issues.

Like you, this is my first Airfix for more years than I dare to remember!

Ron

[spanner570]

Bit of an update.....

Here is the Mk 1 tank all but finished. For a 1/72 kit the rivet detail is very impressive. Not much in the way of weathering 'cos as you will appreciate, it will be well plastered in mud in the diorama.

The next stage will be the dio, same bat channel!!

Thanks for looking,

Ron

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[Guest]

That is a nice looking kit Ron. have they re tooled it or is it the original from when I was a lad?

[spanner570]

That is a nice looking kit Ron. have they re tooled it or is it the original from when I was a lad?

Don't know mate, but it is a cracking little kit.

Might be summat on 'tinternet about it's retooling?

Ron

[Guest]

Just been looking Ron. It would appear, from an article in Military Modelling, that it has been re released but not re tolled. The reviewer does say though that it looks as the the moulds have been 'cleaned up' as it no longer shows the heavy flash it used to. original released in the 60s making it 50 odd years old. What a testament to the old Airfix kits that 50 years later, you can still make a great model from their original tooling.

[spanner570]

Graham, thanks for taking the trouble to go hunting..

Interesting info. I can certainly testify to the quality of the kit and no flashing.

Thanks again,

Ron

[spanner570]

As I'll be off the planet for a spell pretty soon, I had better push on to the next stage with this 1/72 mini dio. as I had not even started it apart from the tank, so here is the progress done this morning out in the currant bun!!! :-

The chipboard base is around 350mm square.

I have done the trench system with 10mm polystyrene sheet from box packing and contoured this to suit. It shows the front line trench and a communication trench.

Next I hacked out some shell holes with an old wood chisel.

The next step was to cover the whole thing with my usual floor tile adhesive and shape it with a pointing trowel.( if you wish for further info. see my building a 1/35 diorama)

Whilst it was soft I pushed the tank into the mixture, it 'aint coming out again! Also I formed the trench fire steps and crater rims.

It was then that I had another of my 'Happy Accidents'.....I was scraping the cement away here and there to simulate small craters, when I revealed the white polystyrene. I then remembered reading that the subsurface on the Somme battlefield was chalk, so by magic I have chalk popping through!

This is only the 'first coat' so to speak. I will sit back later and with a can of Boddingtons I will sluudie de dyo agen!!

Still to do are the water filled craters, barbed wire, dug outs, rubble, tree stumps(not many!) and odds and sods of trench warfare....I will not be adding any corpses, as I don't want to!

Hope you are enjoying the progress so far and sorry for the delay!

:beer2:

Cheers,

Ron

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[Guest]

Ron this is coming together a treat...love it mate, well done and regards Martin :-)

[Gern]

That's looking good so far matey!

If you're going off planet - could you call in at Betelgeuse while you're off and say hello to Ford if he's there?

And if you're taking your bouncy nurse with you, don't let her take advantage of you in the lonely reaches of outer space!

Gern

[spanner570]

Thanks for the comments Martin, glad you like it.

Dave, picture this:- Me, my bouncy nurse and a can or two of Boddintons in a space capsule, on our own in ZERO GRAVITY!!

The man from DelMonte he say 'yeees'

Ron