Luson island 1945

[Raw_Shooter]

 Hello my friends 
here's is a diorama that I have started last July and I'm still working it....It's about the disparate Japanese defense at Luson Island during 1945 few months before the nuclear bombs.
Luson island is a natural fortification due the rock mountains full of caves but there is a huge jungle in the middle of island. There into the jungle Japaneses were fighting for weeks using heavy artillery and self propelled anti-tank guns.
First of all I started with diorama's base

I covered the edges to don't destroy them by paintings or mud
First I glued a piece of polyfoam on the base and shaped it by a lighter's flame (from distance). This helped also to make a thick and strong surface to glue all the other things over. Then I used pieces of wood (balsa) to make a small ruined house (typical of Polynesia)

These houses have a bamboo's rattan for walls...so I used a piece of natural bamboo's rattan from a summer car's seat cover

After these steps I applied all over around the base a thick mixture of MIG pigment + White glue + cats' sand + just few drops of water + putty

t.b.c.


   

[Raw_Shooter]

Next step was the jungle's fallen down foliage. I used a mixture of aromatic species like oregano + basil + thyme +  rose marine

After 2-3 days I started putting the jungle's lower plants

next were the mid size plants and the tall palm trees






t.b.c.

[Hawkeye]

Exelent work man  !

[Raw_Shooter]

and the last photos before next stage....



.....which is the tank  
I decided to use the old Tamiya's "Ho-Ni" kit as the most used self propelled guns at Luson were this type
first I was sanding for hours the plastic

Slowly the tank became Ok

but some parts were needed a little more work




t.b.c.

[Hawkeye]

What is the name of this Jap tank,what typ it is?

[Messerschmitt]

Wow is it real???

[Raw_Shooter]

Thank you Hawkeye my friend  
........"Ho-Ni" isn't ready yet....I must change the trucks by new from Friullmodel + paint the exhausts' meshes e.t.c.

so as I'm still waiting the new metal trucks I bought some Japanese's figures from Fine Molds + Warriors

and this is the situation right now.....

figures + tank aren't glued yet  

[Raw_Shooter]

"Hawkeye" my friend it's Tamiya's "Type 97 Ho-Ni S.P.G." 
"Messerschmitt" my friend I try to make it like real  Thank you 

[hayabusa]

Looking great so far!
My favourite theatre of operations.

Little suggestion: maybe you could bend a little one of these palmes? They looks too parallel to me.
Hope you understand what I mean..

Anyway, to add some dramatic and get extra inspiration, listen this thing during the work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y3FlAfSSUs&feature=related


Best regards!

[Hawkeye]

Ah i see now that it is an SPG,thanks for the info pal.Have you ever seen the jap armor in 1/72 scale?

[Boki]

Generally speaking, I don't see japanese ww2 armor very often so it's really refreshing to see something like this.
As usualy, amazing work RS. I unpatiently wait to see the final result.

[Raw_Shooter]

Thank you again my friends 
"hayabusa" my friend I understand what you mean and you are right  This effect you can see it very often close to the beaches due the fresh air from the sea 
"Hawkeye" hmmm japan armor in 1/72    I am sure that there are 1-2 early japanese tanks (based on french FT-17) in 1/72 by R.P.M. but other type of tanks    in plastic  Made by resin there are hundreds from ALBY + MMS but it's very difficult to find them...only through e-shops from England
"Boki" my friend I agree that japanese items are rare because model companies doesn't produced them. Here in Greece all modelers say that the market is full of German W.W. II + Vietnam era models (at least in 1/35 scale). Even U.S.A. army W.W. II items you can't find....thanks to Dragon now someone can find U.S.A. solders and thanks to Fine Molds japanese armor + figures.....Now with the new items by Dragon + Mini Art like italian solders (El Alamein era) we hope to see new gamma figures 

[Hawkeye]

Thanks friend for that info  !