By spring 1943, the German army at Stalingrad had surrendered and the Soviets were on the attack. The offensive sent the German forces reeling back some 300 miles from the Don. This diorama depicts a T-34/76 tank on the banks of the now quiet Don River on its way to the front miles away.
The title of the piece is taken from Michail Sholokhov's novel "Тихий Дон" (literally "quiet Don," but usually translated "quietly flows the Don").The Red Star on the plaque is a Soviet Army cap badge I picked up in either Moscow or St. Petersburg.
The model is Tamiya's T34/76 "ChTZ" version. The original "ChTZ" tanks were built at the tractor plant in Chelyabinsk, which came to be known as Tankograd ('Tank City') (and a city that I have visited, albeit very briefly). It was painted with Testor's enamel, and weathered with craft paints and MiG pigments. A lighter was used to deform the track guards.
The landscape was built on an 8 x 10 picture frame and cardboard. Woodland Scenics plaster and acrylic raw umber paint created the infamous Russian mud. The trees, grass, weeds, and rocks were gathered in my backyard. Snow and water effects also came from Woodland Scenics.The commander figure is from Tamiya's Russian army tank crew at rest.
Separate photos of the tank before it was muddied up and placed with the landscape are featured in another post.
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