Dioramica in Heilbad Heiligenstadt 28. - 29.9.2024

My third visit to the Dioramica (www.dioramica.de) and the usual long journey from my hometown to the  location in Heilbad Heiligenstadt in Germany (over 800 km). The event is a presentation of the local museum "Geschichte in Miniaturen" (www.geschichte-in-miniaturen.de) with it's perfect dioramas combined with a meeting place for 1/72 figure enthusiasts (as well as a small second hand fair for figures and dioramas in this scale). People who knew each other mostly from forums or see each other very seldom met here and talked about their hobby, showed their latest work or tried to get some inspiration.

As its predecessors it was a great event with the cream of the cream of 1/72 diorama builders (unfortunately not all could come) of middle Europe. Again I took some of my dioramas along and presented it to the public for the very first time. Some visitors already knew me from this blog or my YouTube-channel and long talkings and questions/answers followed - others only enjoyed watching. 

There was also a competition in which I took part with two of my dioramas - as usual: no risk, no fun.

And I started some new friendships with some of the other builders / exhibitors and met some friends which I haven't seen for a long time - all crazy people like me (and we are proud of this fact!!!)

The long trip was a complete success, even more as I finally was able to sell some of my dioramas and therefore have now space for the next projects.

Last but not least: A great compliment to the organisation and to all who took part in making this happen.

Photos (click to enlarge)

Only a very small overview - really!

Hurray!!! I won again two medals!!!

(Bronze for Chakirmaut 1204 and Bosworth 1485)

Waterloo 1815 - Blood in the evening

Historical background

After escaping from his exile on Elba Napoleon returned to France and again gained imperial power. Most of his former enemies as Austria, Prussia, Russia and Great Britain declared war on him personally (not on France!), but Napoleon made the first move and pushed his army northwards to confront the opposing armies nearest to the French border - a British/allied force under the so far undefeated Duke of Wellington and a Prussian force under the old Fürst Blücher, both in Belgium. Napoleon succeeded in driving both armies away from each other and defeated the Prussians in battle at Ligny while Marechal Ney hold the British at bay at Quatre Bras. Two days later at Waterloo (or better said Mont St. Jean) Napoleon wanted to strike the decisive hammerblow to Wellington's multinational army (British, Dutch/Belgians, Nassauers, Brunswickers, Hanoverians). It was a hard struggle with the odds changing several times. By early evening it looked bad for Wellington, but than the remnants of the Prussian army arrived after forced marches on the battlefield after escaping the French persuing troops under Marechal Grouchy and the battle was finally decided. The French had to retreat and Napoleon had again to go to exile, this time to the isolated island of St. Helena in the Atlantic ocean where he died in 1821.

The moment depicted is the aftermath of the battle - wounded and dead French guard artillerymen around their destroyed gun and some retreating French guard foot chasseurs, 


The diorama

The figures and the gun are from Esci, the dead horse from Airfix. The figures are all in very static and not very lifelike poses, so much conversions had to be done. As the gun is very simplified (a problem with most soft plastic artillery) a lot of details had to be added to achieve a more realistic look. 

Groundwork consists of plaster, MIG light earth ground, some colour variations, Faller grass, puddles are made with Vallejo still water with a little colour added. After a very hot day the ground was much dryer than in the morning, but there were still some puddles.

The cornfield is made of reed (H0-scale from an unknown manufacturer), spice, Faller grass, glue and paint. The height of wheat was about 1,6 metres, much higher than today. Contrary to many paintings the wheat was still green, becoming fully bright yellow only one month after the battle.

Photos (click to enlarge)

Video (YouTube)

Sources

David Chandler - Waterloo, the hundred Days

Geoffrey Wootten - Waterloo 1815 (Osprey Campaign 15)

John Franklin - Waterloo 1815 (3) (Osprey Campaign 280)

Frank Bauer - Waterloo 18. Juni 1815

Mark Adkin - The Waterloo companion

William Siborne - History of the Waterloo compaign

Andrew Uffindell, Michael Corum - On the Fields of Glory

Ugo Pericoli - Uniformes des Armeés de Waterloo 1815

Philip Haythornthwaite - Unfiorms of Waterloo in color

Stephen E. Maughan - Neopleon's imperial guard (Recreated in colour photographs)

Stephen E. Maughan - Napoleon's line infantry and artillery (Recreated in colour photographs)

Andre Jouineau - Officers and soldiers of the French Imperial guard (1)

Ludovic Letrun - Artillery and the Gribeauval system (1)
Robert Wilkinson-Latham - Napoleon's artillery (Osprey Men-at-Arms 54)
Philip Haythornthwaite - Napoleon's specialist troops (Osprey Men-at-Arms 199)
Terence Wise - Artillery Equipments of the Napoleonic wars (Osprey Men-at-Arms 96)
Rene Chartrand - Napoleon's guns 1792-1815: 1 field artillery (Osprey New Vanguard 66)