Hi Steffen!

The link is working but I can't see the pics... Now you made me curious!

Jean-Luc

I all!

This is the week-end update.

I've finished the aircraft... or what's left of it! :-)







Now I have to do the figures and add some details to the diorama base. I think it will be finished next week-end...

Jean-Luc

Awesome work young Master Jean-Luc! I feel that I have to give it............

out of

What will you have 1664 Kronenbourg.....
:-) :-)

Hi Jan!

Thanks for the Kronenbourg... but I don't drink alcohol I know I'm gonna loose some friends here but it's a fact: no Beer, no Wine, no Champagne, no Schnapps... Sometimes I wonder if I'm a real French! I almost only drink Coca-Cola! :-)

Anyway, here are some more pictures...







Jean-Luc

That's perfectly alright with me young Master Jean-Luc....have a coffee instead......

Hmmm, seem to be gone ... he sent me only one of his pix:



I will leave it here for a few days and remove it then. The detail pix were awesome!! As someone wrote .. he would have got away saying it was 1/16 (the figure too)




Shame on you, at least you could drink something more ... European ... now the french fries are called freedom fries :-) :-) :-) OTOH pommes frites are a Belgian invention

hmmm .... I think I get hungry

BTW nice finish on your Me

cheers

Steffen

Hi all!

Here the last Week-End update... doh! But this also means I'm finished!











I'm not a figure specialist like the modeler Steffen mentionned above... in fact figure painting is not what I like most, but I think mine are acceptable if you don't look too closely. But I enjoyed working on the diorama base and I think I will do larger ones in the future. I hope to get more Mark58 products as they are real "idea starters".

If you have any suggestions or questions just tell me. The components of the dio are not glued to the base so I can still change their positions if something looks wrong.

Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc

great work, as always!

I have one nitpick though ..

hmm how to explain ... the wooden "plate" on the ground looks as if it is not part of the groundwork but layed upon uneven surface ... also it looks a little too geometrical ... does that make sense?

as I said, a minor "complaint", but I would like to generate input on how to work such items into the ground and make it one diorama and not just items put together

best wishes

Steffen

Very nice Jean-Luc. I like how you have a "civilian" in there with the officers. The weathering looks great , how did you go about the paint chipping?[Did I miss that in the article?] What and where did you get the leaves, they add a nice touch, good job, Wingman out.

Looks great Jean-Luc. the composition looks spot on, and the leaves really add to it. I really like the chipping on the plane, how did you do that ?
About the wooden plate (is the plate glued down yet) if you are aiming for one that's just been laid then it looks fine, as it won't be sitting level and there would be a gap round the edge, where its been dug in. If you are portraying it as an older base then scatter some grass and mud around the edge to blend the base and the groundwork in.
Still looks great though, will this be next months MOM entry then .
Andy

It's truly beautiful. I can't find anything that I don't like except that you are finished with it and there will be no more updates.
Great job and thanks for the post.

It looks awesome. I really like the Fall effect of the diorama. Very good work....

Fantastic work as always young Master Jean-Luc! Now you need to find something build so we have something to enjoy.... :-) :-)

Hi all!

Since Steffen said this...




... I returned to the workbench and followed Andy's advice...






I don't think I can break the "too geometrical" thing though. Let's say the Germans were good carpenters at that time...






The leaves are 1/48 scale items produced by Plus Model. Taken from the box I didn't found them realistic even if they are very well done. So I added real leaves (It's Fall in europe) that I shredded to pieces. The mix looks better in my opinion.
The paint chipping was done with the following method (it's a "classic" now): I first sprayed the model aluminium and camo paint was then removed using tape.








It's made on purpose, I will call this diorama: "The Fall of a prototype"





Thanks a lot for your comments and constructive comments!

Jean-Luc

Yess! You did it ... outstanding

as for the geometric thing. Just to explain my point, I do not want you to change anything .. it is perfect!

I believe the planks were layed out in a intersecting pattern to "spread the weight". The pattern you have will result in depressions where the boards meet ... let's assume here they were nailed upon a frame ... which IMO was only the case in Norway and Finland.

And if that is the case you would need to have a "ramp" to get on the stand - 2 or 3 longer planks laying in front of the wooden area . .... as I said just to explain things

best wishes

Steffen

Hi Jean Luc!
Its been really interesting watching this all come together and the finished result looks fantastic. Im a fan of your little dioramas and very tempted to start doing something similar myself. Just a small plain base really sets a model apart from others and bring it to life.
The grass growing through the gaps in the planks has made all the difference to the planking base, and blends it in with the rest of the groundwork very well.
Just to clarify your paint chipping technique. As I understand it you paint the base colour and after the top camo colour has cured just rip some away with masking tape? Do you protect the bare metal paint with a coat of Klear before you spray the camouflage over the top?
These Mark58 diorama accessories really are something else.Im looking forward to them being made available.Any idea how this is progressing?
Nige

Hi all!

Again thanks for your comments!

Steffen (alpha_tango) sent me a nice PM in wich he almost apologized for making interesting comments about my dio! :-) I'm not thin skinned about my work and can take critiques. The ones about the planking were right and the additional work I did improved the final result... so thank you!

I think I just have to share the following comments by Steffen about the dio as I have another interpretation of the aircraft's situation and I would like to have as many feedback as possible... including from you Steffen! I know you have many more knowledge about WW2 planes than I have.

Here's what Steffen wrote:





Based on the first picture, I probably would have followed Steffen's advices and "camouflaged" the aircraft. My first idea was to add some sort of netting over the Me 309.
However, based on the second picture (wich inspired the dio), I have another theory: Basically I think that the airframe was precisely used as lure (decoy).

A lot of things are strange in the reference picture. The first thing I noticed are the very dark exhaust stains and weathering on the sides. In fact it looks as if the engine caught fire (on the ground or in the air is not important) and heated the paint so much that it peeled off pretty heavily. The whole Me 309 project being about to be cancelled (or was already), it wasn't necessary to repair the plane. So I guess it was simply stripped of of it's engine, instruments, radio etc...
Now there are two possibilities: scrapping the plane to use the metal, or left it as it is, in a corner of an airfield... maybe to be a nice target for Allied pilots. I think the second option is probable/possible. When you look at the second picture again, you will notice another strange thing: the fuselage cross is nice and clean. Why? It should have the same weathering as the letters. I believe that the crosses have been repainted to be even more visible from the air.

I don't know if this is "over interpreting" a picture and maybe Steffen, based on more serious refs, will "destroy" all my story... but it's the way I will present the Me 309 in my diorama: the most expensive decoy of the Luftwaffe! :-)

Comments and, of course, different theories welcome...

Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc

Your viewpoint totally plausible.

As I wrote you (maybe I was not clear enough) in the PM : I was not after some historical failure but I was trying to add details to the dio .... and I also wrote several times : It is great!

best wishes

Steffen

Looks even better now Jean-Luc. Glad i have finally been of some use around here :-) .
I also notice that on the second photo the swastika has also been repainted on the tail. My theory for the repainted markings is just German vanity concerning the Fatherlands insignia, and maybe also, as in look what we built .
Andy

Hi again Steffen!

I'm really not an historian, so everything I wrote was only speculation. I would love to hear the true fate of the Me 309 prototype though. Does someone know a good source of information about the plane? Maybe a book was written about it?

Anyway, I appreciate your comments Steffen because I think they are always relevant and interesting. I didn't felt you were after some historical failure at all! On the contrary, I know you wanted to help me and I hope you will do in the future...

Jean-Luc

Hi Nigel!

I think I will make another visit to Marc Toillié (owner of Mark 58) to see how he is doing and maybe to see new products. I will also show him the diorama and point him to this thread. I think his products can benefit from the remarks of Steffen in particular. Marc Toillié really tries to make accurate products and he is open to any suggestions about airfield structures. If you have interesting pictures he will likely use them to design even more references... for the benefit of all!

As for the availability, unfortunately I think we will have to wait for the beginning of next year (see Mark58 News )




Andy, that's the power of Aeroscale! Everyone can help someone...

Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc

still looking, I do not have a book about the 309, maybe i find something in my 109 books.

Govorite po Russki? http://www.airpages.ru/cgi-bin/pg.pl?nav=lw70&page=me309 seems there is a history of the 4 prototypes. (maybe try Babelfish)

cheers

Steffen

Jean-Luc,

Your Me 309 dio turned out great, I really like the weathering on the plane...top notch!

Matrixone

Jean-luc,

a truly astonishing piece of work!!!!!
Congrats!!!!!

It as been a pleasure tofolow up your work!

josé Pedro

Thanks Les and José!

Jean-Luc