Author Topic: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35  (Read 8449 times)

Offline Borsos

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3315
Hello friends,

more or less as a side Project I am working on this project for quite a while. I started glueing together the Mörser after having seen so beautifully built ones here on this site done by e. g. Edo. As I always wanted to build a gun, me and a fellow modeller decided to start a Kind of small Group build: I wanted to do a WW1 Version, he is going to build it in WW2 Service.
The 21cm Mörser 10 was introduced in the German army during 1915 and was widely used during the battle of Verdun and the Somme in 1916. As I have a Special interest in the battle of Verdun, of course I wanted to build my Mörser in that context. I planned to do a normal firing or loading Scene until i found a picture of a diorama on a russian Homepage when i browsed the Internet where a half buried Mörser got conquered by English troops during the Battle of Loos 1915. Although I never found that Picture again (I can't speak or read Russian...) I could not forget that pic and decided to create a similar scene.
Painting the subassemblies of the Mörser already was done when I painted my Albatros D. I:

As you can see I did not paint it in the multicoloured Buntfarbenanstrich of 1918, since I wanted a 1916 gun and the only Color then was Field Grey. To break up the monotony of a single Color I added some shading and highlighting and some extensive weathering as the guys building AVFs do it  :)
The Gun without its muddy ground pads:

Finished (because I wanted to add some battle damage I replaced the plastic shield with one I scratchbuilt out of Aluminium sheet, Evergreen strips and rivets made with a Punch and Die set. Then I could add some damage suased by counterartillery fire)

And I created some figures for this Scene:
1st one is a French officer from 1940 made by Dragon, brought to 1916 standarts using the fantastic Weapon and Equipment sets from ICM:

These two are heavily modified Japanese soldiers from ww2 out of a Masterbox-set


"Hein" is another slightly modified Masterbox figure

First layout on the Diorama:

Thank you!
Borsos
"Deux armées aux prises, c'est une grande armée qui se suicide."
Barbusse.
"Ein Berg in Deutschland kann doch einen Berg in Frankreich nicht beleidigen. Oder ein Fluß oder ein Wald oder ein Weizenfeld."
Remarque.

Offline lcarroll

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 8547
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2016, 12:07:09 AM »
Beautiful shading and highlighting, Borsos. The overall effect is simply spectacular, and your figures most impressive. I can't get over the amount of work you produce so quickly to an consistently high standard; your modelling talents are indeed exceptional. I'm looking forward to the completed version of this scene.
Cheers,
Lance

Offline Edo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 702
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2016, 01:24:19 AM »
Hey borsos!
your Morser is really spectacular! You did a great weathering!
Speaking of the gun, I think that the camo scheme you choose is better then the one I used infact, besides time inaccuracy (as you suggested), the camo scheme I used is great also in hiding wathering  :-\ and the overall effect is not as striking as I originally thougt it were.
Also the figures are great, I like the gas masks most!
Can't wait to see it finished!
ciao
edo

Offline Des

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 9325
    • ww1aircraftmodels.com
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2016, 07:47:23 AM »
You have done a spectacular job with the gun Borsos, the weathering and battle damage is excellent, and you have done a superb job modifying the figures and then painting them, you have a very incredible modeling talent.

Des.
Late Founder of ww1aircraftmodels.com and forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Offline Ernie

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3961
  • "Once more into the breach"
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2016, 07:58:22 AM »
You have done a spectacular job with the gun Borsos, the weathering and battle damage is excellent, and you have done a superb job modifying the figures and then painting them, you have a very incredible modeling talent.

Des.

I completely agree with Des.  Excellent work, Borsos, my friend.

Cheers,
Ernie :)
The new old guy, take two...

Offline Borsos

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3315
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2016, 03:46:46 AM »
Gentlemen, thank you very much for your kind, encouraging words!
Edo, I think your mörser looks awesome, I love that Buntfarben Camouflage!

I managed to add more plaster to the base



Meanwhile I went on with the groundwork. There's still much to do. Some details on the ground need to be painted as are the two French infantrymen. And some other details are still missing. But that's how it should look like in the end:


I'd like to add some words about the question of "taste" regarding this diorama. I neither will discuss 'Taste' in general nor getting political, but I know that many modellers avoid to portray death and atrocity in their works. Please think about that however you want, but do not think that I'd be respectless or I would  think showing these things on a diorama would be "cool" or so!
The sad truth is that death, suffer and pain are not only part of warfare but its very essence. And for me, I decided not to avoid portraying these things, just to the contrary. I am not here to glorify war, I want a world without any war. But I am interested in military history, WW1 in particular, and if I model these events I cannot exclude their very essence. That would be like just telling a little part of the whole story. Cheering, laughting soldiers playing with a kitty or playing cards are not my cup of tea, those things are not the true story of war.
The title for this diorama "Hein kaputt" (abbreviation of a typical German name + "out of order", dead) was a comment a French soldier gave when the French offensives stopped the German successes in 1916 and he had captured a German trench. It is the title of a chapter in German Werths book "Verdun. Die Schlacht und ihr Mythos" which was published in 1979 and is the first modern historical account in German language about the battle of Verdun. Since then many other (and better) books have been written, but this book was the first work I had read about Verdun 1916 over 20 years ago and it impressed me that much that the history of that battle still strikes me.
More pics of the dio will follow when it's finished.
Thank you!
Borsos
"Deux armées aux prises, c'est une grande armée qui se suicide."
Barbusse.
"Ein Berg in Deutschland kann doch einen Berg in Frankreich nicht beleidigen. Oder ein Fluß oder ein Wald oder ein Weizenfeld."
Remarque.

Offline Des

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 9325
    • ww1aircraftmodels.com
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2016, 07:53:34 AM »
What you have achieved so far is extremely realistic, the figures are very well done and the ground work is superb, I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Des.
Late Founder of ww1aircraftmodels.com and forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Offline Suffolk Lad

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 577
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2016, 08:06:28 AM »
Excellent, realistic workmanship all round there Borsos - a very dynamic and beautifully painted vignette for certain, and in such short time too. I just don't know how you guys produce such fine work in so quick a manner - I wish  ::)

Regards - Tug

Offline coyotemagic

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7710
  • "Here's to not buggering it up." -Winston Chuchill
    • My Models
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2016, 01:12:32 PM »
Truly remarkable work, Borsos!  Like others, I'm astonished at the speed of your progress while at the same time building world class aircraft models.  You're super human, my friend.
Cheers,
Bud
"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream in the dark recesses of the night awake in the day to find all was vanity. But the dreamers of day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, and make it possible." -T. E. Lawrence

Offline miecio52

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 219
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2016, 03:48:59 PM »
Exscellent.
Regards
 Mietek
 IPMS Poland / Silesia

Offline gbrivio

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1681
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2016, 03:58:03 PM »
Amazong work!

Offline Edo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 702
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2016, 05:24:03 PM »
Borsos! As other have already said you did a wonderful job!
I like the interaction among the figures that is very realistic and really gives the idea of the urgency of the assault.
I am among the ones that preferes not to show death in dioramas, but what you say is totally agreedable and understandable. Besides another aspect I like of your work is that it is, well, delicate. I don't know a better english world to describe that: realistic but respectful: delicate.
Well done indeed!
Can't wait to see it compete!
Ciao
Edo

Offline stefanbuss

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 976
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2016, 05:55:03 PM »
Quote
The sad truth is that death, suffer and pain are not only part of warfare but its very essence. And for me, I decided not to avoid portraying these things, just to the contrary. I am not here to glorify war, I want a world without any war. But I am interested in military history, WW1 in particular, and if I model these events I cannot exclude their very essence.

Well spoken, Borsos.

Offline Borsos

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3315
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2016, 06:54:06 AM »
Thank you all!

Finally I finished it. It took me longer than expected, because I tried another painting technique on the last two figures. This time I used Vallejo acrylics and painted in thin layers rather than using oils. I think, in the future I'll mix both techniques.

Thank you!
Borsos
"Deux armées aux prises, c'est une grande armée qui se suicide."
Barbusse.
"Ein Berg in Deutschland kann doch einen Berg in Frankreich nicht beleidigen. Oder ein Fluß oder ein Wald oder ein Weizenfeld."
Remarque.

Offline Ernie

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3961
  • "Once more into the breach"
Re: "Hein kaputt!" Verdun, Oktober 1916 Diorama (Takom Mörser) 1/35
« Reply #14 on: July 22, 2016, 07:36:58 AM »
Superb modeling, Borsos!  A really amazing work and a testament
to your talent, my friend!

Cheers,
Ernie :)
The new old guy, take two...