Diorama of the castle's fortified gate, featuring a portcullis, statues, a German insignia, and a dry moat "We surrender!" Model of a fortified castle painted with white primer on a foam base; scenery currently being added The idea for this three-tiered diorama came about after I acquired some plastic castle pieces used for 25mm role-playing games from a friend—some of which were already assembled...

Medieval castle being assembled on a rough base, with sculpted, unpainted terrain

The base in the foreground has been widened to allow for the addition of elements...

Model of a castle currently under construction, with unpainted tanks positioned in front of the walls

Other parts of the castle are attached to the back to enhance the imposing effect...

A castle structure made of foam board, painted gray and mounted on a green base that is still under construction

Now that the castle is finished, the back is closed and wrapped in plastic...

Model of the castle under construction, with tanks and vehicles positioned for a layout test The diorama is meant to depict the U.S. Army's capture in 1945 of a castle that had been occupied by the German high command during the war...

Medieval castle under construction on a base, with unpainted German vehicles and armored vehicles in the foreground The challenge—to avoid creating a set that was too imposing—was to achieve continuity across three different scales—1/35, 1/48, and 1/72—without disrupting the visual effect...

Gray model in progress: tank, jeep, and truck in a fortified alley

Placing the 1/72-scale vehicles in the inner courtyard for a first look...

Medieval castle under construction, with gray-painted walls and towers, and unfinished sandy ground

Remnants of the drawbridge—beams and a chain—have been added, while a section of road spans the dry moat...

Medieval castle carved from polystyrene; towers and ramparts currently being painted; bare base

A view of the finished model...

Fortified castle being assembled on a rough base, unpainted sandy terrain

The foreground area is defined (background, road, curb)...

Painting of the castle

Bulk acrylic paint tubes in a wooden crate, painting supplies

The entire piece will be painted with acrylic paint from tubes using various brushes...

Model of the castle, assembled from foam board on its terrain base, before painting

The rear part of the building is being coated with a layer of acrylic, which will serve as a primer for the future paint job...

Fortified castle under construction, painted walls, and terrain being landscaped

An initial sanding of the floor is performed on a layer of wood glue around the edges of the castle...

Fortified gate of the castle under construction, drawbridge with chains, and moat

Two 1/35-scale statues adorn the main entrance...

Fortified porch from the "Die Burg 1945" diorama, featuring a portcullis, statues, and a bridge spanning the moat The point here isn't to paint a stone-colored castle as mere scenery, but to treat it like a painting—as if you'd sketched it out—and, above all, to emphasize the light to create interesting effects and depth that highlight the foreground of the diorama...

Painted crenellated wall and vaulted castle entrance, gravel floor under construction We're assuming the scene takes place at sunset. So there will be three distinct color ranges, progressing from light to dark. The facade is painted in shades of beige and ochre, with orange, sienna, and yellow highlights on the brightly lit stones, and shades of brown, green, and dark blue in the shadowed corners (as night falls, the colors change)...

A carved statue of a monk leaning against the weathered stone walls of an inner courtyard

The nooks and shaded areas are accentuated with muted blues and greens...

Medieval castle currently being painted on a base, with sculpted terrain and an access path The scenery of the moat in front of the castle hasn't been overlooked, with blue/green effects in the moat (the closer you get to the foreground, the more normal the colors become)...

Fortified castle being painted, with an unfinished base, a moat, and rubble

The second set of ramparts is painted in shades of dark blue, red, and green. The last set of ramparts is painted in shades of midnight blue, purple, and black...

Model of a castle under construction, with painted towers and ramparts on an unfinished base

Side view: on the left, the brown tones are accentuated by lighting—the tower’s facade; on the right, yellow, orange, and red hues illuminate the interior walls of the courtyard with warm colors, while the upper part remains in shadow...

A fortified castle being painted, with crenellated towers and a rampart on an unfinished base

Another view...

Painted stone fortress walls and a crenellated tower; the decoration is not yet complete

The sun shines on the top of the tower, which takes on natural colors...

Model of a fortress currently being painted, with crenellated towers and blue-green ramparts

Overview...

A fortified castle currently being painted, with bluish walls, a drawbridge, and a still-unfinished base

Fortified gate of the castle with a portcullis, chains, and stone statues of guards The edges of the facade's stone slabs are highlighted in white to add dimension. Through the entrance gate, one can see the bluish twilight of the distant landscape, which lends depth to the scene...

Diorama of a fortified castle under construction, with a vaulted porch, a jeep, and rugged terrain Model of a fortified castle with painted ramparts; sculpted terrain currently under construction

Painted crenellated ramparts and the castle's fortified gate, set on light-colored sandy ground

A look at the shades of the facade in the three photos above ...

A bronze eagle and two unpainted knight figurines sitting on the workbench Ornaments from the castle's second entrance... The lead knights are bought at newsstands or come from garage sales. After sanding the seams, they are given a coat of primer...

Entrance porch of the castle featuring a carved eagle and two sentinels, with a bluish glaze applied

The painted figurines placed within the scene...

Diorama of the fortified gate of Die Burg in 1945, featuring a drawbridge, statues, and a dry moat The plaque with the swastika is made of extruded polystyrene and glued in place with wood glue. Weathered effects are added along the beams, and the chains are painted and rusted...

Diorama of the castle's fortified entrance, crenellated ramparts, access ramp, and rubble

At first, a pennant was used in place of the marble plaque, which will ultimately create a more impressive effect...

The Setting

Set construction stage: textured ground and rubble at the base of the brick ruins Cat litter will be used for the larger rocks. We'll add some fine dust on top to even it out...

The floor of the set is being textured; rubble and broken slabs lie at the base of the wall Close-up of the rubble and plaster dust scattered across the floor of the set Close-up of the ground, covered in dirt, rubble, and pebbles at the base of a brick wall Close-up of the floor made of plaster rubble with a crumbling curb

The floor after painting...

An 88-mm cannon and other equipment abandoned on a sandy embankment; the setting for the diorama under construction The 88mm gun and various accessories are also part of the scene and are given a coat of acrylic primer before being glued into the ground, which we continue to smooth out...

Diorama in progress: gray anti-aircraft gun on sandy ground in front of the castle ramparts Unpainted shipwrecks and military equipment arranged on the diorama backdrop currently under construction

Diorama in progress: cannon in pieces in front of the ramparts, painted sandy terrain

Overview of the finished floor with its accessories...

Glass palette loaded with mixed oil paints, with a used flat brush

The acrylic paints used to finish the set...

A pile of rusty cannons and artillery pieces abandoned on ravaged ground, "Die Burg 1945" diorama

In front of the castle, the lighting also changes (these elements are part of the set)...

Diorama of a German anti-aircraft gun in the process of being set up in front of the ruins of a medieval castle

The barrel isn't rusty, but its color changes depending on the ambient lighting...

Diorama in primer: sidecar, motorcycles, fuel cans, and debris in front of a ruined wall Diorama depicting a pile of rusty vehicles and a cannon, a motorcycle, and war debris Diorama of rusty anti-aircraft guns abandoned amid rubble and ruins, on sandy ground

Diorama under construction: 88 mm gun and scattered parts on sandy ground

More views...

Diorama in progress: fortified castle, sandy road, and wrecked military vehicles Piles of scrap metal and rusty debris on the set of the "Die Burg 1945" diorama, currently under construction We'll finish up with the dirt marks on the road. Here, there are no tracks in the ground from the tracks; the road is dry and dusty...

The figurines

A row of soldier miniatures currently being painted, with gray and green base coats 1/35-scale figurines. The five on the bottom left are from the Masterbox brand—made of high-quality plastic with natural and original poses, reasonably priced; some have been modified...

Soldier figurines primed in gray, glued to temporary painting bases

Humbrol Sand Yellow 94 base for skin tones...

Six soldier figurines currently being painted, primed gray, mounted on workshop boards Five figurines in the process of being sculpted, placed on a makeshift work surface

The four civilians on the right are also from Masterbox...

Miniatures being painted on paint strips, surrounded by military reference books

Documentation is always valuable for painting when you're working on historical subjects...

Set of painted figurines of civilian soldiers and children on sticks, holding weapons The parts are painted entirely with Winsor & Newton oil paints, except for the metal parts. The 1/48-scale and 1/72-scale figures will also be treated separately...

Testing the placement of the main figures...

U.S. vehicles

Model of a Willys Jeep painted olive green, without decals, three-quarter rear view

The Tamiya Jeep in 1/35 scale...

American Willys Jeep painted with three helmeted soldier figurines, neutral background

Excellent kit, very precise...

American Willys Jeep painted with three figurines of soldiers wearing helmets, rear view

It was nevertheless enhanced with a photo-etched kit...

An American Jeep with three soldiers on a dusty trail, Die Burg diorama, 1945 Like all the American vehicles in the diorama, it will be given an acrylic base coat of Hobby Color 309 Green + Hobby Color 58 Interior Green. The dry-brushing will be done using Green 179 + Sand 94 + White.

Here, the dusting and juicing haven't been done yet...

Three olive-green Willys Jeep models at different scales, compared against a neutral background

The entire Jeep family, each with its base color airbrushed on...

Diorama of Die Burg Castle in 1945, featuring a fortified gate with a drawbridge and a German vehicle

The 1/48-scale Jeep will be positioned on the drawbridge, waiting to move forward...

Sherman tank and military truck painted olive green, without decals, on a neutral background

The Sherman and the GMC...

An American Sherman tank painted olive green, with its gun pointed forward, positioned in front of an urban backdrop The Sherman tank before it was dirtied up and dusted... It wasn't refined or reworked during assembly because it, too, serves as part of the castle's interior decor...

German vehicles

Model of the Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer, No. 201, in sand color, on a neutral background The Jagdpanzer IV. It has been repainted in Humbrol brown after adding a hatch and various accessories. Once dry, the markings are applied...

Top view of the tank destroyer under construction; the hull is painted but has no decals

... Then it is painted with a coat of Humbrol 113...

German tank destroyer under construction, with a beige base coat and loose parts Then a coat of Hobby Color Tan 27 acrylic paint. It is immediately treated with hairspray (see the tutorial on the Catalina)...

German Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer undergoing weathering on a rubble base

We'll finish with a coat of Hobby Color 79 Sandy Yellow + White for the dust effect...

The Jagdpanzer positioned in its spot. The tracks' imprints on the loose ground were created when the ground was laid out to position it precisely...

Model of a German staff car being assembled, unpainted, on a white background The Mercedes 170. It, too, came from the surplus bin and had to be refurbished. The roof tarp was remade using paper soaked in very runny wood glue...

A weathered German staff car with a detached spare tire, currently being assembled It is painted like the other German vehicles—except for the gray Zundapp—using Tamiya 68 (chocolate) + black and Hobby Color 27 tan. The light camouflage patterns are painted in green and rust-brown...

Abandoned German staff car amid the rubble, "Die Burg" diorama, 1945

It is placed on the set...

German Kübelwagen, painted and weathered, with open doors; the soft top and windshield are still separate

The Kubelwagen follows the same process...

A dusty Kübelwagen on a dirt road in front of the porch of the "Die Burg 1945" diorama Two German vehicles with their doors open in a diorama of ruins, rubble, and scrap metal Three painted models of German military motorcycles, including one with a sidecar, on a white background

And finally, the motorcycles and the ammunition trailer...

The Background

Hand-painted background panel featuring a dark blue, cloudy sky for a diorama A background was needed to highlight and set off the castle’s bluish colors. It will be made from a sheet of Isorel and will measure 0.70 cm x 0.90 cm...

Pencil sketch and portrait of an officer painted on the backdrop in progress A portrait of a German officer will be added to decorate the piece and evoke that era. The sketch is drawn on tracing paper, transferred to the surface, and painted...