Ruggedized Mazda K360

[Daryl J.]

What a riot!  It's great.



Daryl J.

[frank2056]

I really appreciate all the comments!

On this build, I'm most proud of this PKM machine gun. I think it came from a DML kit (I found the sprue in a box of armor parts)
My version:



Wikipedia picture:


I still have to de-gloss it and the K360.

Frank

[John Howling Mouse]

Your weathering skills are uncanny...you could give a seminar on that subject.  Wow.   

Will you be dusting the tire treads with the color of whatever final roadway you use on your diorama? 

[frank2056]

Barry - the tires are just "dusty" now - I need to put some old dirt in the treads. That's easier to do with a brush.

I'm laying out the figures for a diorama. The guys have stopped for some water from a well in a not very friendly area. While the driver fetches the water, the PKM gunner keeps watch in the direction of the enemy, while the officer watches in the opposite direction - while conferring with the gunner.

Overview:



Top view:


My wife thinks that the scene in general seems "tense", which is what I'm looking for, but she thinks that the officer looks too relaxed:



I think that'll change once I put a weapon in his hand.

I probably won't use this base (which came with the kit, as well as the pump). I "borrowed" some clean, unused kitty litter for the eventual groundwork. I think the general layout is OK, although I'm open to suggestions.

Frank

[Mossie]

Looks good, some kind of mercenary unit?  Or just a squad that's got themselves in a pickle & had to 'borrow' local transport.

Passed a little Piaggio Ape yesterday, not very common in Blighty, made me think of this build.

[nev]

This is some awesome work - original concept and brilliantly executed.

[philp]

Looks good, some kind of mercenary unit?  Or just a squad that's got themselves in a pickle & had to 'borrow' local transport.

It is obviously a clown car, how else did those 3 guys fit in it

Dio idea is looking good, only suggestion is that the gunner looks really concentrated like he is putting rounds on target where the others are not so concerned.  Maybe something as simple as having the gunner with his head raised just a little and possibly slightly turned one way or the other as if scanning for threats. 

Course, I am always great at offering suggestions that cause more work instead of actually getting one done myself

[tinlail]

My wife thinks that the scene in general seems "tense", which is what I'm looking for, but she thinks that the officer looks too relaxed:

You officer has his back to the "enemy", I would say he is relaxed. If he is nervous at least put the door behind his back.

[frank2056]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Mossie - I'm thinking along the mercenary/"contractor" line. Doing a dirty job on a budget. Or some sort of SAS/Special forces team using local equipment to move around. I may add some non Russian weaponry as well, although then there's the logistics problem of carrying three or four types of ammo...

Philip - In real life, I think these guys would have a tough time getting out of the vehicle in a hurry if they're over 5'5 and weighed more than 120lbs.
The PKM gunner is from the DML LSSC kit (which Jeffry Fontaine has now). I modified him slightly so that he's not bending over the gun. The intention is to have him as you described - hand on weapon but looking over and down at the officer. I have to modify the figure's head and neck area some more to make it more obvious. The heads and arms on all the figures are held together with plastic rods, so that I can position them properly.  The officer's torso is taped on to the lower body.

tinlail - you're right; the officer is making a damned good target. I'll move him somewhere else (maybe to the passenger side)

Frank

[Mossie]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Mossie - I'm thinking along the mercenary/"contractor" line. Doing a dirty job on a budget. Or some sort of SAS/Special forces team using local equipment to move around. I may add some non Russian weaponry as well, although then there's the logistics problem of carrying three or four types of ammo...

That's not unknown for Special Forces & deniable ops, they just tend to carry their own ammo with them.

[frank2056]

I suck badly at dioramas, especially groundwork. What can I do to make this crap better?
The basic surface is acrylic spackle on posterboard. I added some ballast rocks and some kitty litter for the rocks/pebbles.
I know that the dark gray should be toned down, mixed with tan or something...
The road surface is sandpaper. It really doesn't go well. I should blend in the edges, but I'm not sure that that'll help.

Here's a top view:



Other views:





The PK gunner is from the DML Mechanical Mule set, with some mods. I also modified teh well; it now had a wooden lid made from balsa wood.

I appreciate any suggestions on how to make the groundwork better.

Frank

[puddingwrestler]

Your ground is flat; this is un-natural. Build up some contours using plaster or modeling clay, then lay more kitty liter on top. Porvbably want to add some sand to the mix as well so you have a greater mix of sizes. Do not use the natural colour of the kitty litter, it does not work in scale. INstead, spray it all black, then either dry brush various grey shades, or various brown shades, or a mix of both. DO NOT use the same colour all over, blend several together. You might want to try sponging for this effect.
Ditch the lichen bushes, lichen never looks that great anyway - try replacing with some course turf or clump folliage (both from Model Rail dealers). Add some static grass around the area to be en-bushed, then the bush on top so you have some ground cover around it as well. I like to use sisal twine to produce standing weeds - it's usually sold in a great green colour from garden suppliers and hardly needs painting (unless it's dead!)

Roads I have not got much experience with (I mostly do wargames terrain, not dios), however they are also never dead flat. You need some wheel ruts or something. The way I have done this in the past is to put down a layer of plaster, then roll wheels across it. You can then add fine sand sor texture and paint it up. The road needs to be blended into the ground work. Lay the road first, then add ground work and have it spread a little onto the road. Also, you might want to have wheel ruts leading up to the vehicle. Don't just sit the vehicle on top, sink it in a little. Even an itty bitty think like the K360 has weight and will sink into the ground a bit - this effect must be visible or things look un-natural.

Hope this helps.

[frank2056]

Thanks PW. I followed your suggestions. I stripped the sandpaper road and painted the whole surface, added sand (from the Kelso sand dunes - pink granite) and mid sized rocks (from Dish Hill, in the Mojave, ancient magma from the mantle that contains peridot). I added a few bits of static grass and made some tracks for the K360 (they're not clear in these pictures). Some of the greenery is lichen, but I've picked it clean so it doesn't look too much like lichen:

Overhead view:


Side view:


Eventually I want the groundwork to look similar to this picture that I took in the Mojave (although this won't be as arid):



I still need to tone down some of the colors and add some depth, but I think it's an improvement.

Frank

[puddingwrestler]

Its usually worth painting the ground work before adding vegetation since you don't always need to paint the vegetation. Should have mentioned that before, sorry.

Things are looking better. Remember CHAOS. Nature is not nicely ordered so stick things on at random, but without destroying the balance of the visuals.