Hi,
The diorama police will arrest me for starting too many works! I just say: try to get me 
For a couple of weeks now, I have worked with 2-3 projects in 1/72. I really love that scale, but after a while I need to do something in 1/35 because of the lack/difficulties of many details in 1/72.
So, what to do? A speedy quick fix! I have decided to finish this one in 4 weeks.
I started yesterday…
Scenario: Somewhere in France after D-Day. A group of British paras have barricaded themselves in Hotel Moderne in a village. The Germans have attacked the hotel for a couple of hours. The building is badly damaged but still intact after the fighting. Reinforcements arrived and the Germans are all killed. The group defending the building is therefore “checking out” of the hotel.
I would like some help for the title.
As you know my English is crap. I want to name it “The Checkout”, is that okay in English?
Anyway, I use a vignette base made by Verlinden, but I only use the base, not the figures or ruin. I will make a building my self that is a little bigger than Verlindens original. I also expand the base a little to match the new building.
The base:
First set up from yesterday:
(I started to build and paint the two figures a couple of years ago)
Today I did some painting on the dead German and the ground. Added some flesh to the paras. Nothing is ready! The German soldier will have camouflage pattern on the trousers.
I will probably use some Verlinden parts for the hotel, I will add a lot of bullet holes etc. The rest of the building I do myself.
I will make a background, it means that the door opening will have a black background ca 20 mm behinds it. A viewer will not be able to see straight through the door. (Extra detail for viewers on a model show).
More to come, over and out. /Erik
16 Likes
Another mini masterpiece Erik. Very nice idea and plan for it … And you build quick !!!
I am not 100% but I think the correct way would be Check out or Checking out…I am more than happy to be corrected grammatically 
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John, thanks for your frequent support my friend!
“Checking out” is a very cool title I think:) I have changed the title of this thread and the picture.
I was a little optimistic yesterday, I changed the deadline from 4 to 8 weeks.
I still have to finish the GB “Enemy in sight” build before the end of February.
/Erik
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An extra 4 weeks … At your output you should be able to get another 3 Dio’s started in that time 
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will be incredibly good I hope you do not have too many built in work / keep on the good work
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Thanks John and Micke!
Well, I have so many figure kits that I could stop making dioramas and start to just make mock-ups.
I have started (yesterday) to give my self some sort of deadline for a build.
But some evenings sitting at the work bench, I just look at a figure kit and think: hey guys, what scenario could I give you? One hour later I have made a simple mockup, I just do it for fun and for training my brain.
One detail I hope to work out is to get the soldiers left hand to interact with the broken door, or what’s left of it. I will check all left hands I have in stock and see if I find one that’s workable.
/Erik
5 Likes
Looks great. Where is the door, door frame and street light from?
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Vignettes are my personal favorite kind of modeling, really digging this one.
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Thanks guys!
@Tank_1812 The yellow parts are all Verlinden, I bought a kit with window frames and 2 door sets a couple of years ago. Sorry don’t have the part number. The street light must be Miniart (I think…)
@Armorfarm I agree, a large diorama if fantastic, but a small well made vignette in 1/35 is nice to build and great to watch:)
Ps the hotel sign is also Verlinden.
Cheers, Erik
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Looks great. My only comment is your dead body looks too fresh. Unless he was just killed, he should be paler, maybe with a slightly (very slight!) blue-ish tint. If he represents a person who has just been shot, then he is okay.
Jesse
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Thanks Jesse,
Don’t worry 
painting is not ready. I guess he was killed about 2 hours ago. The plan is to paint him a little paler than the two who’s still alive 
/Erik
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Tonight’s update.
I glued the black background on the new base plate. Made 4 distances to have between the background and the wall. The Verlinden base and the wall is not glued yet of course.
I found some parts that maybe could be useful.
Next step is to figure out how to design the wall. I will google pictures of French buildings.
Cheers, Erik
4 Likes
Looks great Erik and the wall spacing works. I thought of one possible thing.as you have depth now behind the door… Would it be possible to get a to scale picture ( and try to fade it so it doesn’t look to sharp ) of a 40s style hotel foyer so it not just a black wall ? Just a thought like I said.
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Thanks John:) That would be far to complicate for me. If you don’t manage to do that detail 100% then you ruin the hole vignette. “Nice vignette, but that background picture ruined it”
The reason to have the black background is so that the viewers don’t se through the open door.
Like in this picture:
In my works the black areas tell the viewers: “this do not belong to the scenario”, it’s a neutral zone. Hope you understand what I mean?
I will now hold the build and give myself time to find really good reference pictures for the building.
I think there will be space for a window above the door, maybe even a balcony? Time will tell:)
Cheers
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Nice idea but before it’s too late…would those doors open out into the street? I don’t think so…which is what confuses me, the Brits look like they’re entering the hotel Reception area rather than exiting. 
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Yeap, fully understand what you mean with that and that does make sense Erik 
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Hmmm, How come you are so sure of this? In Sweden there is a 50/50 chance which way a door opens.
I like the way it is just because it looks like “they are entering the scene”. Remember the title “Checking out” They are leaving the hotel and entering a new place. It should look like an entrance, I hope you understand what I mean 
But of course, as I do research for buildings I will also do research for in which way doors opens in France 1944.
“It’s all about the details, isn’t it” 
/Erik
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I think I have solved the issue with the doors @Dioramartin
Of course I found doors that “opens out to the street”, sorry about my English, most common is for sure that you push the door inside.
I will keep the exterior doors, they are for protection at night, at daytime these are open, inside there is interior doors, they are nicely made with glass etc.
A piece of paper to illustrates this:
(The exterior doors have been closed during the 2 hour battle, the paras have just opened them as they are leaving/checking out of the hotel)
Probably I will add a small balcony as you see in the pictures below. (This is just a test)
Hopefully everyone is satisfied with this setup 
as you know, just hit he with feedback. I always want the best solution for every viewer. Cheers, Erik
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Oh, about the design of the outside of the building.
Two different option is as these two Miniart box arts:
Any comment on that?
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I think you little adjustments have now ticked all the boxes . Balcony looks great as well… Nice touch.
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