“Silent Sentinel”: M10 Tank Destroyer
Hi All,
This vignette, “Silent Sentinel”, my tribute to the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, portrays a U.S., M10 Tank Destroyer, somewhere deep in the Ardennes Forest, silently waiting to halt the oncoming German attack.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you like it.
KEEP IT FUN!
Brief History:
80 years ago, on December 16, 1944, the Germans kicked off their last Western Front offensive, code-named “Watch on the Rhine”, with a three pronged attack in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg. Their main objectives were to split the British and American forces and take the port at Antwerp.
The attack was a complete surprise to the Allies and became known as the Battle of the Bulge, due to the salient bulge created in the Allied lines as the Germans pushed to the west. Eventually, after several weeks of fierce battle, the Germans were stopped and eventually pushed backed eastwards.
The Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the United States during WW2.
Build:
Kit: Tamiya 1/48 U.S. Tank destroyer M10 (Mid Production), No. 32519
Vehicle stowage is a combination of gear from the spares box and scratch built.
Log armor was scratch built using Sculpey clay and saw dust, painted and weathered.
The base is made from wood, foam and floor patch/leveler. Base snow is a combination of Light Molding Paste and Woodland Scenics Snow.
Trees were made from wire and various Woodland Scenics static grasses.
Tree and vehicle snow is a combination of diluted white glue and Woodland Scenics Snow.
Great job! Love the logs and tarps on the M10's roof to give it some cover...
Thank you, Scott
I can almost feel the cold coming from the pics. Excellent build/dio.
Thanks, Dan. Brrrrrr!
This is so beautiful, Gary @gwskat.
Thanks, Felix!
Outstanding work, Gary, and most effective considering this smaller scale. Getting the ropes tight in any scale is a challenge, and your top-down snow coverage looks very good. Congratulations!
Thank you, Christopher.
Brrrrr...Absolutely outstanding, Gary @gwskat
Thanks, Eric
Gary @gwskat.
This looks incredible ! I can feel the cold from here... You always make some excellent dioramas, and this one is no exception. I am especially impressed with your snow effects and the use of scratched logs in the build. Making trees is another example that sets this one apart from the others.
As a former US Army tanker in real life, so I can vouch for how perfect your model is too. It looks spot on to me. Excellence is everywhere here. Each time I look at it, I notice something new...
The Battle of the Bulge has a big personal connection for me. I told you the story about how two of the four Gardner Brothers serving in the ETO at the same time who were there. One was severely wounded, once by mortar fragments, and he was also shot twice by a sniper. The other was killed while racing with Patton to Bastogne. Then my last Army unit I served with earned a battle streamer for their actions at Bastogne.
Now to finish my 1/35 Italeri Dodge WC-54 ambulance and the 1/35 Tamiya M-8 Greyhound. They are so close ... maybe in a day or so. I was not happy with how the Red Cross decal looked on the rear doors of the ambulance. It was cracked and not fitting down into the various hinges, lumps and bumps that are molded into the doors. So I pulled it off and have begun spraying it on.
Well done brother ! I definitely clicked on several of the various "like" buttons.
You nailed it !
Thank you, Bro, for all the kind words.
I do recall your family history in regards to the Bulge. Honorable for sure.
I'm sure your builds will be superb...as always.
Again, thanks, Louis!
@gwskat this is a wonderful diorama and a fitting tribute. Never understood why the M-10 had an open turret. The scratch-built pieces are spot on. It’s currently -5 here in MN, so this feels like a fitting post for today. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Matt.
Temperature dropped 10 degrees here looking at that, it's so realistic.
Thanks, Tom.
If I could, I send your area a lot of snow. Hope you are still safe.
Well done, Gary (@gwskat). Tank is really nice, and the snow is very convincing.
Thanks, George!
What a fantastic diorama, Gary!
Congratulations!
Thank you, Spiros
Wow, this is really a wonderful diorama, Gary @gwskat
Everything is so detailed and realistic, the trees, the tarp and rope on the tank, truly amazing.
Thank you for your kind remarks, John
Very atmospheric. Well done!
Thank you, Jay
Gary, probably similar weather outside your window in Pa. Very convincing vignette in this scale, literally feel the chill of winter in the forest late December in Europe. The attention to detail is museum quality. Excellent work and craftsmanship, and imagination. Thanks for sharing...
Thanks, Chuck. Thank you for watching it come together and, as always, your words of encouragement.
Gary @gwskat this is a beautifully done vignette, all of your work looks amazing! I really like how you made the trees show battle damage, they do look like they were in the battle.
Thanks, Bob.
I’m not the first one to use the word ‘beautiful’. Which is odd given the subject. You have achieved an atmosphere of quiet. We can almost hear the snow falling! Outstanding build and composition. The trees are phenomenal and the grass through the snow is completely convincing. Perfect!
Love this! Great job with the build and the diorama is fantastic!