A Small German Army
August 22, 2006 8:52 AM Subscribe
One small german army and a train. (large pageload of photographs). Also: a flash slideshow of the same army (parent site) [via]
the photog has gotten really good at framing the shots of the dioramas to look full-size. there are few elements to deceive the trick. seems like there was an equipment upgrade in the past year and it was an excellent choice (d70?).
posted by pokermonk at 9:19 AM on August 22, 2006
posted by pokermonk at 9:19 AM on August 22, 2006
They look pretty bummed about getting of that train. Germans love trains!
posted by CynicalKnight at 9:28 AM on August 22, 2006
posted by CynicalKnight at 9:28 AM on August 22, 2006
some of the best diorama photography I've seen in a long time. It seems that items like Lensbaby and off-center photography are finally making an impact in this sector. Enjoyable links. Would be good if we could find some examples of some really just ok and bad diorama styling to show the difference.
posted by parmanparman at 9:36 AM on August 22, 2006
posted by parmanparman at 9:36 AM on August 22, 2006
The natural lighting and 1/6th scale make a big difference. Obviously this is someone with a lot of money, time, skill and obsession. It's really remarkable.
posted by stbalbach at 9:57 AM on August 22, 2006
posted by stbalbach at 9:57 AM on August 22, 2006
Reading the FPP the first thing that came to mind was Von Ryan's Express. This is awesome, a friend's dad used to make incredible military dioramas and I been hooked ever since (not that I have any skills but I enjoy the work of others).
posted by MikeMc at 10:38 AM on August 22, 2006
posted by MikeMc at 10:38 AM on August 22, 2006
That is stunningly good modelling and photography. For the first few shots, I thought one of the Nazi/Waffen SS re-enactment groups in the UK had got hold of a full-size steam train and redecorated it for one of their jamborees.
posted by Hogshead at 10:40 AM on August 22, 2006
posted by Hogshead at 10:40 AM on August 22, 2006
Very cool. The first shot I thought was at 1:1, with full size mannequins. Then I saw the rest.
What an expensive hobby. I just collect rocks.
posted by yeti at 10:51 AM on August 22, 2006
What an expensive hobby. I just collect rocks.
posted by yeti at 10:51 AM on August 22, 2006
Nice attention to detail with the unforms and equipment. I could almost guess when and where this diorama was set.
As a kid, my favorite part of building 2nd-World-War armor models was applying "weathering" to them. I'd've dirtied everything up at least a little, maybe given the troops some "five o'clock shadow" (beard stubble) and the odd bit of obviously repaired or modified field equipment. People, uniforms, weapons and equipment got banged up, abused, and hastily fixed. Even with well-cared-for troops, everything was often worn, stained and patched. If this was the Ostfront any later than autumn 1941, for example, I'd've given one random Obergefreiter a captured Mosin-Nagant or a PPSh-41. And that locomotive ought to be a little grimy and sooty in spots.
posted by pax digita at 11:52 AM on August 22, 2006
As a kid, my favorite part of building 2nd-World-War armor models was applying "weathering" to them. I'd've dirtied everything up at least a little, maybe given the troops some "five o'clock shadow" (beard stubble) and the odd bit of obviously repaired or modified field equipment. People, uniforms, weapons and equipment got banged up, abused, and hastily fixed. Even with well-cared-for troops, everything was often worn, stained and patched. If this was the Ostfront any later than autumn 1941, for example, I'd've given one random Obergefreiter a captured Mosin-Nagant or a PPSh-41. And that locomotive ought to be a little grimy and sooty in spots.
posted by pax digita at 11:52 AM on August 22, 2006
Somehow I can't think of German trains without thinking about this one.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:37 PM on August 22, 2006
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:37 PM on August 22, 2006
That is absolutely incredible photography. Too bad the subject matter is so bland. I'd love to see this guy try a bit of the darker side off WWII-- a battle, a field hospital, a concentration camp.
posted by empath at 1:05 PM on August 22, 2006
posted by empath at 1:05 PM on August 22, 2006
Amazing. I used to build the WWII dioramas when I was a kid, but they never turned out like this...
posted by MarshallPoe at 1:38 PM on August 22, 2006
posted by MarshallPoe at 1:38 PM on August 22, 2006
Man, those germans are a wooden, lifeless bunch. And I thought their coldness was just a stereotype.
posted by craniac at 7:42 PM on August 22, 2006
posted by craniac at 7:42 PM on August 22, 2006
"We're not toys, we're action figures!"
posted by kirkaracha at 10:12 PM on August 22, 2006
posted by kirkaracha at 10:12 PM on August 22, 2006
I saw a diorama of a Civil War field hospital (might've been the Dunker church at Antietam) once. I recall the guy who made it saying he ran out of red paint and had to buy more. "Grim" barely begins to describe it; it was the kind of thing you don't want to let little kids see. Or maybe you do -- you never know who might grow up to be President.
Action is hard to depict in dioramas, but "aftermath" ones that tell a story are good. One of my faves was depicted in a how-to brochure on "weathering" combat aircraft that was included in the initial release of Monagram's 1/48th scale B-17G back in 1976; it showed a bunch of guys who'd just gotten out of a thoroughly shot-up Flying Fort that had made a wheels-up landing at the airfield. I distinctly remember this one crewman who's holding and regarding with amazement his flak helmet, which was torn (it's steel) but had saved hm.
posted by pax digita at 9:10 AM on August 23, 2006
Action is hard to depict in dioramas, but "aftermath" ones that tell a story are good. One of my faves was depicted in a how-to brochure on "weathering" combat aircraft that was included in the initial release of Monagram's 1/48th scale B-17G back in 1976; it showed a bunch of guys who'd just gotten out of a thoroughly shot-up Flying Fort that had made a wheels-up landing at the airfield. I distinctly remember this one crewman who's holding and regarding with amazement his flak helmet, which was torn (it's steel) but had saved hm.
posted by pax digita at 9:10 AM on August 23, 2006
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posted by jonson at 9:07 AM on August 22, 2006