1/48th Tamiya Bf-109E-4, Making a Sheep Rancher Angry
I have posted this elsewhere previously but in the spirit of 109 madness occuring on this site I thought I would post here. This is again the wonderful and enjoyable Tamiya kit. The markings are purely fictional, I just really liked the weeping raven emblem and wanted to use it.
The display is loosely based on a picture I saw on the internet of a crashed 109 with that emblem and some British soldiers looking at it. I decided though, that it might be fun to have him crash on some farmers land and he would intercept the pilot before the soldiers did. Being my first attempt at some kind of vignette I learned alot about what I need to do to make it better, unfortunately my limited figure painting skills make new attempts difficult.
I made the fence by taking fine wire and tieing it in knots at relatively even intervals. The sheep are from Pegasus' Farm Animal Set, the bird on the post is also from that same set. I made the bush by twisting a bundle of wire and branching it out and then covering it with what I think is lichen. The farmer is a Verlinden figure that was supposed to be cleaning a gun, I modified his pose and made him a pitch fork. All in all I was happy with the results even if it not close to some of the stunning displays I have seen by others.
Hope you find something you like in my contribution to the parade of 109's.
Figure painting skills can be learned, Walt, like anything else in the hobby. You have the one thing that's hard to do, and mostly comes from having the skill to begin with - the ability to tell a story: a diorama is a story, with a beginning, middle and end. All of which are present in your diorama. A crash (act 1), he climbs out (act 2) and is captured (act 3). Perfect. I say that as a professional storyteller.
The one thing with a diorama, which you obviously understand from your comments, is that all elements have to be to the same level. The figures have to be as good as the model, and the backdrop has to be as good as the first two, and it has to be historically accurate.
From probably a foot away, this diorama is just fine. Others may say I am being generous with a "10" but I give it for intention, and for encouragement. You will create some great dioramas. You know how.
Walt... I really like it, right down to the small bird on the fence post. Looks like a pretty good crash landing as the plane isn't too torn up.
I like the diorama, it tells a good story and makes who think about what happens next. I want to see who wins the battle, the farmer with the pitchfork or the pilot with the pistol in his survival pack. 🙂
Bill... You don't want to bring a pitch fork to a gun fight...(LOL)
Lots to like about this little scene, very well excecuted and a great story.
The dropped elevators may be a minor detail but really adds to the model's appearance.
Fantastic job, Walt...one of the better dioramas I've seen...nice work.
I really like this. Having the 109 stopped against the fence gives it that little bit extra to the story and adds a nice finishing touch. I'm not sure what the figure painting issues are here? - they look good to me!