Rommel 1/16 Mini-Diorama

[Mike999]

I wanted to try building/painting a 1/16 scale figure, something I haven't done in a long time.  I also thought I'd put the figure in a mini-diorama.  On-topic: I do have a couple of car kits nearing completion. I hope.

And yes, I do know my photography skills are non-existent.  I'm working on it...

FIGURE:
This is the excellent TAMIYA 1/16 scale figure of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.  It comes with optional arms, either holding binoculars or folded behind the back.  Some very nice touches are the separate shoulder epaulets, Iron Cross and Pour le Merite medals.  As separate parts these tiny items are much easier to paint than if they were molded onto the figure. 

Here's a weird thing: nobody seems to know if Rommel had blue or brown eyes.  Online photos of him are often colorized and show both colors. I went with blue because of something Rommel himself wrote: as a little kid he had platinum blond hair, which darkened to reddish-brown as he aged.  So blue seemed a safe bet.

Rommel wore almost as many different uniforms as his nemesis, Gen. George Patton. The kit shows him in either a khaki field coat, or a white coat that looked too much like a dinner jacket for me.  I painted him in a "working" uniform: faded khaki coat with Reed Green shirt and trousers.  The red Field Marshal stripes on the trousers were done with decal strips (from an airplane kit!).  The Afrika Korps cuff title is from an ancient Verlinden 1/16 scale decal sheet.

The skin was painted with a base of Tamiya Flesh, overlaid with mixed/blended oil paints.  The hair stubble and "five o'clock shadow" were done with pigment powders. The uniform was painted with a mix of different Tamiya acrylics, with Lifecolor Dirty Black for the boots.
 
DIORAMA STUFF:
The 1/16 scale fuel drums and jerry can are from the Chinese company Classy Hobby. The set includes four 200-liter fuel drums and eight 20-liter jerry cans.  The jerry cans have a separate photo-etched metal seam for the middle.

Unfortunately the fuel drums repeat a mistake made by almost every company in every scale:  WWII German fuel drums only had 1 cap, in the center.  There was no cap on the end.  Easily taken care of, just put the "capped" side on the bottom.  The jerry cans are neatly engraved with the correct "Kraftstoff" (fuel) and Wehrmacht stampings.

I heavily weathered one fuel drum with dents, bullet holes etc. The other is still useable but chalked with the word "Leer"  (empty).  The jerry can is painted with a white cross, indicating it's used for water.

The 1/16 scale North Africa WWII maps are from Peddinghaus.  The ones in the diorama are scans because I wanted to age them (with coffee) and beat them up. And I wanted dupes in case I goofed.

The "field desk" is just 3 well-weathered planks of thin scrap wood.  In real life, they would have probably come from an ammo crate.  The map case is from the old Dragon 1/16 scale WWII German Accessories set, with straps added from paper.

 

 

Edited April 14, 2018 by Mike999

[Marcin M.]

Very nice! I like the weathering!

[Jim B]

Very nice job on Generalfeldmarschall Rommel.  When I saw "1/16 Mini-Diorama", I was wondering how anything in 1/16 could be "mini".  Well done vignette.

[cobraman]

Excellent work !

[vintagedragcrazy]

Really nice job!!,

vince