In the beginning, it was just a few figures to paint as the Crew of my B-25 Mitchell R/C plane, which is about 54” wingspan, so maybe 1/35 scale figures, so off I go to buy men, glue and paint. Some background: I have built models all my life, from shitty to glorious, and one of my customers is the owner of the hobby shop I have shopped at for 35 years, Pegasus Hobbies. So I knew where to go and what to buy, then I got home…
I finished my guys and put them in my plane and brainstormed, “what if this plane did an emergency landing, and caught a Tiger on a field out of fuel, pinning it with its massive amount of .50 caliber guns? So I bought a 70$ Russian Tiger Tank model, I’m not cheap, and it was a sweet build, I ended up modding it several times as you will see.
I needed landscaping and looked around and found some cheap shapes at the 99 cent store, and papier-mâché of course, but coverage? It was right then I knew I needed a plan, this was going to grow, I wasn’t sure just how big, yet. After a bit of research I found Woodland Scenics, which makes all kinds of very cool things such as bare trees, shrubbery, loose grass, dirt, sand, just an abundance of ideas, and with that in mind I decided what to do.
The Bocage
Actually means little boxes in French, however, from the wiki, in English bocage refers to a terrain of mixed woodland and pasture, with fields and winding country lanes sunken between narrow low ridges and banks surmounted by tall thick hedgerows that break the wind but also limit visibility. It is the sort of landscape found in England in Devon.
“The 1934 Nouveau Petit Larousse defined bocage as ‘a bosquet, a little wood, an agreeably shady wood’ and a bosquet as a little wood, a clump of trees’. By 2006, the Petit Larousse definition had become ‘(Norman word) Region where the fields and meadows are enclosed by earth banks carrying hedges or rows of trees and where the habitation is generally dispersed in farms and hamlets.”
In WWII, The Bocage would play havoc with the Allied Advance, so I went with Operation Cobra, and an Allied advanced scout finding a full blown German repair base.
Caught unawares, they get shot up bad, and call for help, then it all unfolds…
My son got involved when he saw the decals, especially for the men themselves, and he did some fantastic work under lamps and magnifiers. He had a go at painting, but he fucked up so badly, I made him do a complete repaint, which he did flawlessly…and said, never again. Now it was my job.
The Bocage needed to be at least 15 feet scale in places, so I glued down some shapes and began gluing shrub pieces, it took an hour to finish an inch, granted, I added hidey holes and things, but it was 30 inches long. There was also the Bocage tunnels; they were fun because I needed to keep them open some just to see the guys running through them.
Details: At this point, it’s midsummer, so when I come home from work, I just want to cool off, and paint…really what I began to do is run several jobs at once, spray big pieces, paint men, assemble, landscape, repeat, for 6 months. And the farther we got in the project, the more detail was necessary. I did 240 men total, and I spent 2 hours on each one, and I could have done better (and lost my mind).
By this time we are done with this panel, 30”x 50”and stow it in the garage ’til next year.
We spent a lot of time watching historical docs on YouTube, focusing on what they really looked like, camo, lifestyle, all that we could find. I scoured the Internet looking for new figures for the next phase, and bought just about every German and American 1/35 scale figures you can, then set up the next section.
The Base: the following Spring, I started filling the section I had built over the winter, this needed a bit more thought being quite busy. So what does a Base need?
(click to enlarge images)
The Storyline: Nazi fanatic Commandant throws everything at the force attacking, simple, it’s a caught off guard scenario, kinda like reality. There are culverts, ditches, a prime mover, wounded men, a pig sty, and my son made sure that every piece was the right division for the time and area, including 240 helmet insignias! I painted my men in groups, and mixed up the uniform colors for each one, while staying accurate. I lost about 200 pictures when my W7 machine died, but there’s a lot of neat stuff to check out.
I had a great time doing this project, it took 2 years and about 1400 hours between my son and me, and I think $1500 or so, but spread out.
Armory: US
M3 Lee
M3 Stuart
Sherman
Jeep
Armory: Germany
3-Flak 36/37
2-20mm AA guns
3-75 mm guns
Tiger1
Panther
Hetzer
PZ4 H
2- 75mm AT guns
2- Hanomag troop carriers
1- 8 ton truck to move this shit
1- Rail mounted PZ 4 turret
As I thought I was finishing, several knowledgeable friends asked, “where’s the radio room, how about a shitter?” It just happens that there is a radio room with operators you can buy, and I found the most realistic copies of maps, and shrunk them down.
I wanted a nice, expropriated office for my Commandant, and I found some nice period pieces cast in resin, so I set him up. I found 1/35 scale Nazi propaganda posters on Ebay. Sweet! I built his entire room, fireplace, desk, library, map table (with accurate maps), and a fraulein, again, custom paint.
Paint: For all projects I use Testors, and Testors Model Master, and Tamiya Acrylics
Landscape: Woodland Scenics, hands down. Use a white glue/water mix, spray and spread.
Brands: Start with Tamiya, best bang for the buck, because quality counts, Ukraine has Szvezda, but there are many others. YMMV.
At the end, things were looking good enough to find an actual place in France, and I found it! My Name, Lozon, France, not 3 miles from my diorama! Maybe closer!
I made sure to setup street markers, etc but not Lozon sadly. Still cool, it’s a real place.
I ended up very happy with the results, and it kept me busy for 2 summers. I know it’s amateurish, but hey I’m an amateur!
View more photos:
Comments
103 responses to “Lozon, France: A WWII Diorama”
I would never have the patience for such a thing. I’m not artistically gifted, either. 🙁
More detail than art, it’s the only time I’m patient, and it’s relaxing to me.
Patient? I’m more like Calvin in spirit.
I’m looking forward to checking out the pics when I get back home, but that looks awesome!
The Galleries tell the tale well, Thanks
Have you ever seen Mark Hogancamps work? He does some incredible work, he blends fantasy and WWII. The level of detail in his work makes it life like.
http://marwencol.com/
Sorry, no. I have a life so i’m just an amateur, I’m certainly not close to the Big boys, I like to have fun
Whoops deleted the first section of my comment. Said your work looks great.
This is amazing Yusef. I bet this was a great project to do with your son.
a lot of arguments………… over accuracy, the best kind of argument IMO………….
OMG brain warp back to a few decades ago and my older brother’s collection of those little bottles of paint (he was into modeling cars).
That must have taken an impressive amount of dedication.
If you spread your tasks out, it’s not so bad, but trying to finish 10 men in one shot is folly, you will get bored and then sloppy. i will paint all the flesh tones first, then boots, then shirts, then Pants. Cut them off the tree, assemble and then second coat. finally a third touch up coat, in all colors, Two hours total per man
No kidding! /Stormy Daniels
*thunderous and prolonged ovation*
Yay for pix and thanks for sharing. Hobby posts are fun.
?
TY!
“It is my personal belief that if fewer people thought Donald Trump was good, the world would probably be better off. But it’s also my belief that I can’t—nor should I—feel responsible for changing the mind of every such person I encounter. As a black person, that strikes me as absurd. I didn’t create the mess of this country’s wild history with race and violence, so why should I be consigned to be running around trying to fix it for people? I have to pick and choose my spots.
However, I am assuming that you are a white person (call it a lucky guess), so the situation is different for you.”
https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/07/parenting-advice-about-maga-gear-bedtimes-and-playing-by-yourself.html
So you are saying you want to repeal the Reconstruction Amendments?
In WWII, they wanted to repeal Jews and Capitalism, so they made a big War, and people still talk about it, and build models…………………
Now that’s just being selfish. C’mon, lecture me. Lecture me!
OBEY!< OBEY! Better?
Needs more blacksplaining.
DOWN YOUR KNEES WHITE BITCH!
Like that? or too much HM?
Go on…
What should I do?
Pics would be a good start, twit.
Worked for me…………..
That’s so cool, Yusef! I was a model freak as a youth (cars, planes, ships) and have find memories of saving up enough money to buy my next project. I did a P38 Lightning and Spitfire that were pretty damn cool. As well as the Mayflower in like 4th grade, which earned me mad props from Stephanie Johnson (oh, yeah!).
But what you do? That is so over the top!
It’s important to have hobbies that chill you out. Sometimes I take parts off the old car just to clean and inspect them. I never find anything but my blood pressure drops to happy.
Great article!
Thanks Tundra!, same for me as a kid, So when I got older and had the money to do it right? what the hell, I’m still thinking the next Big Thing…………..
So what’s next? Omaha beach?
Down to squad level detail…
Very nice
different war and full size
Sober, if you haven’t had the chance to visit the War I museum in Kansas City, go see it. Well worth the trip.
That’s awesome Yusef. I have nowhere near the patience for such detailed work, but can appreciate it, especially the commitment to historical accuracy. Nice!
Thanks SSD! it was fun and very educational, and while I’m quite the WWII buff/scholar, it was still a big learning process, totally worth it.
Overlords, can you call up UCS? He gave me the idea to do this and he needs to see it………………..
Awesome Yusef! I’m glad you made this post. I’m outside playing with the dog and drinking beer. Will check out in more detail later. But I rememeber your first post about this and am really looking forward to digging into it.
Run the Galleries as slideshow and listen to tunes, I forgot all the Good/Bad pix til I wrote this,
Enjoy!
Just went through the first gallery. It is really, really cool. Kick ass, Yusef!
*clicks link for gallery 2*
Gonna have to look at the galleries later, but from the little I saw, well worth the viewing.
at SSD and others, I found a BBC produced Doc on the Great Patriot War, Written from the Soviet Perspective, very good and very instructive, not too much propaganda
start here, 16 parts total,
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6CerdjvePsg&list=PLwGzY25TNHPC_SsXFcIH-ba0nWuNbHOM6
Thanks for reminding me I couldn’t put the decals on straight on my model cars when I was kid.
Good stuff.
Totally cool, Yusef. I’ve always loved this sort of thing.
Thanks so much for sharing your work with us!
I made bank this week, I’m contributing to the cause, GLIBS!
As my profile says, I come here to learn, sometimes I can teach, and that’s cool enough for me
/little man slinks off in a corner
Next, a stand alone,
https://megahobby.com/products/28cm-k5-e-leopold-german-railway-gun-1-35-dragon.html
“The Storyline”
Why has no one done an entire WWII film using nothing but vintage ‘army men’ yet?
Or HAVE they? i mean like ‘Team America’, but just stop-motion animated plastic toys. With excellent voice acting, and a “Where Eagles Dare” sort of plot, where 1000s of nazis are killed in hilariously gratuitous ways by Gruff Army Ranger and some snooty and mysterious British OSS officer.
Someone get me hollywood on the phone, stat. Alice! oh, wait, i don’t have a secretary.
…and of course, a pair of slutty austrian twin sisters, one of whom is a double agent, and the other of whom sparks a bitter love-triangle rivalry between the….
god i’m giving away everything.
There is a Fraulein in Command 2, did you see her legs?
Are you sure you’re not just remembering a Hogan’s Heroes episode?
that too, I ‘member……..
I was trapped in hotel rooms during a couple business trips last month and discovered that MeTV shows it twice a night… I watched the shit out of that.
HooGAAAN….
I don’t think anyone has remade this:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046359/
(not that they should)
“Holy fucking shit she’s calling on co-eds to kill people they believe raped them (remember the definition of “rape” and “sexual assault” on campus has been vastly broadened to include touching of any kind.”
https://twitter.com/AsheSchow/status/1017501517501345792
Frankly, I’m surprised Wendy Murphy hasn’t been strangled by her own intestines.
Twitter is boring,
Whatever, Swiss.
If I was Swiss, you would have got a narrow gaze, Carry on, open thread, my posts usually are,
And that’s Fine…………..
Swiss is probably one of the most boring cheeses on the market.
American Swiss, yeah. Imported is better.
The Best kind!
America, Fuck Yeah!
*fiercely narrows gaze*
Wow. That’s some batshit crazy shit. And she’s a professor?
Possibly. You can’t believe anything she says.
http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2006/12/wendy-murphy-file.html
Authentic Gibberish, where’s the good stuff HM?
Way cool. Thanks for taking the time to share.
TY! slideshow the Galleries!
I wonder if all this Social Twitter Facebook thing has created a reactionary Society, even here, we all look at the latest Twitter, or someones reaction to someones Facebook post, talk about false news, and We even keep it going, WTF?
I’m allergic to Twitter and Facebook. I just can’t even with it.
^ this right here
Hey YUFUS!
Nice work and nice write-up.
Oddly, I see you as someone too hyper to sit and paint all that stuff tho.
Good call, But it actually is relaxing, don’t know why, OCD?
Tall Cans TRES!!!!
“Kids Today Are Actually More Patient Than Kids 50 Years Ago”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/kids-today-are-actually-more-patient-than-kids-50-years-ago-1531329924
BULLLSHIT, with 3 Ls
I dunno – we were all hyper little @#$%s when I was a kid. If someone said you would sit at a screen longer than it took a Bugs Bunny cartoon to run, I would nae ha’ believed ’em.
That’s amazing. Never thought of the storytelling aspect of the whole thing. Fucking cool.
How do you avoid the urge to get drunk, put on a Godzilla costume and start stomping buildings? The temptation is too much for me.
The way you think, I like it.
In the galleries is a picture of my Cat doing the Godzilla thing, I’ll see if I can dig it up,
wow! Having watched my son put together a small, not-very-accurate model of some small battle of the Civil War for his history class, with at least some of the same type of materials (Woodland Scenics for all your shrubbery needs!) and knowing how long that took him, I am really impressed! Beautiful work.
Thanks! a labor of love for sure,
“[i]dentify appropriate means of ensuring that total Federal employment is not reduced with the abolition of ICE.”
Bit of course. Gotta keep those public union to DNC coffers flowing.
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/07/12/nice-house-republicans-force-vote-abolishing-ice/
Life is 90% preparation,
10% execution, that’s how you succeed in your Field of expertise, IMO
Thanks for all you guys looking at my stuff, I’m on my 12/12 days work run, and I’m a Zombie right now, Cheers!
and enjoy my toys!
Awesome job! I’d die trying to do this, and I wargame WW2.
At 1:100 scale, at least painting a single guy takes less time, and I rarely bother weathering the vehicles. To do this in 1:35 or so – AAAAAAAAGH.
I had to paint 24 horse archers in slightly lesser scale (1:48) couple weekends ago and I wanted to scream.
But why a Lee? I didn’t know US had any in Normandy, given ineffective armor, ridiculous crew requirement and a badly-positioned 75mm gun (the 37 would have been useless). Unless it’s “because it looks cool”, which I understand – I have four T-35s in my collection after all!
Used to wargame with 1/72 scale. Never did get around to painting everything. Always too keen to start the game!
looks at unpainted pile of Soviet and Israeli infantry.
Yeah, I feel ya.
I max out at 1/50, and I only attempt wargaming standard – 1/35 for display takes balls. I mean, helmet decals? Sheee-it.
Some discussion of the Strzock hearing may have taken place earlier, but I felt compelled to come and bitch about this. CNN is, of course, selling this as yet another Republican witch hunt. They embarrassed themselves!
Meanwhile, shit like this came out:
Democrats spent the hearing protecting Strzok like he was Obama’s own son. But only the Republicans are partisan here.
All a big nothing burger, of course. Hillary was just sending all of her emails to an unnamed foreign entity on an unsecure server. And it wasn’t even fucking Russian, apparently. But the Russians are totally the masterminds behind everything working in tandem with Team Trump…
Yufus needs to put a Strzok figurine in his diorama. Show him fighting off a squad of Nazis, dancing on the bodies and retiring to a night of sweet love with Page.
That can be arranged,……….
at Pan, yes there were M3 Lees in Normandy,usually a scout role, hence the Scenario, Glad you liked it,
Perhaps they were going to Pakistan, courtesy of the Awan clan?
Yusef that is impressive. I don’t have the patience for it. Never did nap on models were my thing.
Snap together models were my thing. I ended up getting the glue all over me then high from it.
Nice work Yusef!
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/lead50.jpg?quality=85&strip=info&w=600&h=450&crop=1
http://nailspot.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/monday-mornings-mean-flbp-so-rejoice-i-say-48-photos.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a5/4a/c5/a54ac5fe6856f36d59135aa5fb86a8ee.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fc/02/46/fc02460b414253b23e9ede3da82b41b9.jpg
https://www.ls1gto.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=130960&stc=1&d=1290640043
perfect!
Incredible, Yusef. Really cool. I lack the patience and fine motor control to make one, but I love dioramas.
Sigh… no links, does anyone here even work?
I Always loved diaramas! Ive attempted several times, but can never stick with it. Amazing work Yusef.
Admit it, your favorite part was doing the tiny Hitler portrait.
Insert joke about “you know who else liked to paint in their spare time” joke here.