strawberry 9 Posted September 7, 2021 Share #1 Posted September 7, 2021 I usually stick with WWII models, but I always wanted to do a very large diorama in a period with "colorful" uniforms. I thought about the American Revolution, Civil War, even the Zulu wars. Then while watching the movie "The Alamo" I thought....perfect! At the moment I don't have enough space to actually complete/display a really big diorama. I figured I can go ahead and start on the figures though since there will be so many. I'm not quite sure how big yet, probably not as big as the diorama at the actual Alamo, but maybe the entire North wall. So I started the Mexican soldiers. I plan to do a few different uniform types such as tropical (white), and the ones pictured with variations in the color of pants (White, Gray, Blue) and also some Lancers, Engineers and Calvary. I know that there were variations depending on what was available. I thought I'd share the first lot that I've done so far. Of course, after finishing all of the Mexicans I'll have to get started on the Texans. After that, constructing the walls of the Alamo. This will definitely be a long term project. Having fun so far though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 7, 2021 Author Share #2 Posted September 7, 2021 Here are a couple from the next wave. I started out with figures in various colors...some blue some gray. These have been primed and are ready to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 7, 2021 Author Share #3 Posted September 7, 2021 These aren't models, but toy soldiers. The brands include Conte, Paragon and Toy Soldiers of San Diego. I tried to "dirty" them up a bit. The Alamo fell on day 3. These guys completed a very long march beforehand, so I'm sure there weren't a lot of bright whites by that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 7, 2021 Author Share #4 Posted September 7, 2021 Here are a few of the references I'm using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 7, 2021 Author Share #5 Posted September 7, 2021 Texans.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Marine Posted September 7, 2021 Share #6 Posted September 7, 2021 That is a terrific subject for a diorama. You’re off to a great start. I look forward to following your progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted September 8, 2021 Share #7 Posted September 8, 2021 I would Love to do an Alamo diorama ! Can’t wait to see it ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted September 8, 2021 Share #8 Posted September 8, 2021 If you visit downtown San Antonio, you will, not surprisingly, find a lot of references to the Alamo. There was a shopping mall within an easy walk of the historical site with a small diorama of the final battle. Some of the figures were placed a bit haphazardly, I suppose just to illustrate some of the uniforms that were there. But here are a couple of better vignettes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted September 8, 2021 Share #9 Posted September 8, 2021 Around the corner, near the entrance to the AMC theater, was this figure. This was one of the better ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 8, 2021 Author Share #10 Posted September 8, 2021 Thanks for the images GWB. I believe that diorama is on YouTube also or one very similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted September 8, 2021 Share #11 Posted September 8, 2021 "Let the old men tell the story, Let the legend grow and grow, Of the thirteen days of glory at the siege of Alamo" Great idea for a diorama! I assume the figures are plastic? How well does the paint adhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 8, 2021 Author Share #12 Posted September 8, 2021 So far so good. I primed them all first. I’m working with acrylics which I don’t usually do. Although I love the cleanup lack of smell, I think I still prefer enamel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proud Kraut Posted September 8, 2021 Share #13 Posted September 8, 2021 Wow, what a great modeling project! The figures you painted look awesome. Could you please post the size or scale of the figures. Looking forward to see the next steps of this dio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 8, 2021 Author Share #14 Posted September 8, 2021 Thanks Proud Kraut. These are 54-60mm figures or 1/32. The Conte ones are very nice with great detail. Same for the TSSD line. The Paragon figures have great poses but lack detail especially in the faces. For this diorama though they will be fine. There will be so many bodies in a small space that facial details won’t matter. I’ll post as I go. Like I said though….going to be a loooonnnggg project😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted September 9, 2021 Share #15 Posted September 9, 2021 Great project. I'll be interested in seeing your progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsaguy007 Posted September 9, 2021 Share #16 Posted September 9, 2021 Great work so far, can't wait to see the finished piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cagedfalcon Posted September 9, 2021 Share #17 Posted September 9, 2021 Better hands then mine. Wish I was able to do such detailed work. Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtyScout Posted September 10, 2021 Share #18 Posted September 10, 2021 This is an awesome project. The figures look great. Looking forward to seeing this project to its fruition. Semper Fi. Manny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share #19 Posted September 12, 2021 Still need to weather and dirty up this guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted September 13, 2021 Share #20 Posted September 13, 2021 Where are you finding your figures ? eBay ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 13, 2021 Author Share #21 Posted September 13, 2021 8 minutes ago, scottplen said: Where are you finding your figures ? eBay ? Yep. There are quite a few Mexican soldier figures out there, but not so much for Texans. The old Marx figures are a different size than the Conte so they don't really go well together. I don't need nearly as many Texans though so I should be able to put enough together. I can always kit bash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted September 13, 2021 Share #22 Posted September 13, 2021 How about confederate figures ? I am motivated to try my hand at a small Alamo diorama. Maybe with a cannon ? Seems 54mm confederates might work as defenders ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry 9 Posted September 13, 2021 Author Share #23 Posted September 13, 2021 I have looked at them. You could probably get by with a couple in there, but the figures I've seen do have some variation of uniform. You could alter them a bit and have them as New Orleans Greys too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrustyBosun Posted September 13, 2021 Share #24 Posted September 13, 2021 26 minutes ago, scottplen said: How about confederate figures ? I am motivated to try my hand at a small Alamo diorama. Maybe with a cannon ? Seems 54mm confederates might work as defenders ? Confederates might work unless they’re “uniformed”. The less uniform items, the better. William B. Travis was a uniformed defender there. Bowie, Crocket, and the Texians wore civilian attire. Keep an eye on the accoutrements as well. I love the idea of this diorama both as a history buff and especially a TEXAN!! Remember the Alamo, y’all !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proud Kraut Posted September 13, 2021 Share #25 Posted September 13, 2021 Excellent work on the flag bearer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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