Hi folks. Here’s something else for you to look at.
Blame this posting on a comment from Ken about my last submission (The Predators).
A few years ago, I decided to take on a project that I’d always wanted to try – a diorama in a shoebox that used forced perspective to depict a battle scene that included both sides of the event. Generally, that’s almost impossible as modern war just isn’t fought that way.
So, here’s what I came up with, and how I did it. (I actually kept a photographic build log.)
“Here comes another one” depicts an engagement between an LGOP (L-gop) and some German armor. They already took out a Stug with a bazooka, and are now faced with an approaching Panther.
Ultimately, the whole thing was donated to a local High School, where both the history and the art departments reportedly loved it.
I used a 1/16 figure, a 1/35 figure, a 1/48 Stug and a 1/87 Panther, arranged in sequence front to back. I tried a 1/72 Panther, but it was too big.
I built the box, and included LED lighting to light the inside, for dramatic effect. (LOL)
The buildings along each side of the road shrink in their dimensions from near to far, and the roadbed raises, slightly to match.
For ease of construction, I built the foreground room as a separate, slide-in, component. It helps that my other hobby is woodworking…
One of the LEDs was a ‘fire light’, mounted inside the wrecked Stug. The wiring passes beneath the woodwork to a couple of battery packs hidden behind the building façade. A switch on the back turns them on/off.
The whole box is sealed closed to black-out the interior.
Even the 35mm camera had trouble focusing on the various elements ‘down the tunnel’. (And, I’m not that good a photographer.)
In any case, it was a fun and very challenging project, but certainly a lot of fun to dream up and build. If some one of you ever want to give something like this a try, contact me, I’ll be happy to discuss the mechanics with you.
Historical Note: “LGOP” stands for “Little Groups of Paratroops” and was a legitimate tactical description (as taught at Ft Benning) of the US Airborne troopers who, scattered randomly by the night drop over Normandie, banded together and fought in small teams against any enemy they could find. Airborne!
Enjoy
I am mostly writing in my phone and the spell check is sometimes tricky if you don’t double check.
cheers! Erik