Apocalypse: “What the f**k was that?” – September Challenge (A 28mm Diorama)

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Fantasy, Uncategorized

When the bombs fell the rats new instinctively to head underground to the sewers.  There they made their lair and every three weeks they bred and  then they bred again.  As they bred they mutated and with each new litter they grew bigger and stronger and when the bombs could be heard no more they would be ready, ready to return to the surface.

Above ground the survivors continued their daily search for anything and everything of value.  Food and water were priceless commodities in the dawning of this new age but the dangers were many and nobody worked alone or unarmed as every building was systematically explored.

As the two women progressed through the Gothic ruin Jenny thought she heard something.  Closely followed by her partner she nervously entered the arched doorway and onto the first of several stone steps which led to the blackness below.  Then she heard the sound again, they both did.

“What the fuck was that?” she said before starting to take her next tentative step into the unknown.

Below the rats had heard something too.  They weren’t nervous and they weren’t scared but the lead rat was curious.  His nose twitched at the smell he sensed from above.   He didn’t know what it was but it stirred his stomach like nothing had done before.  Then he realised what it was.  It was food and he was hungry, very hungry.

It was time to return to the surface.

—000—

TIM

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33 thoughts on “Apocalypse: “What the f**k was that?” – September Challenge (A 28mm Diorama)”

  1. Very cool mate. The characters both look great (love the camo) but the environment itself and the details of the aging and weathering of it are the true stars of this piece for me. Too stuff once again!

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  7. What I love about this piece most is the clever use of dimensions. Firstly it’s a truly three-dimensional model. Most models have a golden angle – that being the best angle to appreciate it from. This model cannot be appreciated fully without looking at it from multiple angles. What’s more, rather than occurring entirely on a single plane (e.g. the ground floor) it covers multiple layers, from the clever use of the archway to point up to the old lamp at the top, all the way down to the ladder on the base (and the implication of what else must be hidden out of sight). Secondly this piece is practically four-dimensional (time being the forth dimension), going beyond the suggestion of story and capturing a sense of dynamic action; it’s impossible to look at it and not get a sense of what is about to happen.

    (Incidentally much as I feel I ought to be cheering for the rats my money is on the girls winning this one, they look like a strong team who know what they’re doing and they’ve made it this far).

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    1. Glad you like it. For the size of the piece a lot of thought went into it and I think that has paid off. I was intending to put up a WIP post first but thought it would lessen the impact of this one. Hopefully I will put up that post this weekend and explain the background to it a little more.

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  11. I echo Wudugast’s comments about the angles and the depth of this piece. I am glad you did not do a WIP first as this springs on you like a good apocalyptic flick. Fantastic weathering and I just know that each tiny brick was lovingly laid one at a time. Truly amazing and I hope you get to enter it in an upcoming show. Even the sewer pipe is terrific Dave! This piece sprang/unloosed two thoughts in my head. First, Jenny. Nicely painted but she is rather hot (or is it comely in the Brit vernacular?). As to my first thought/earworm – when my wife and I first met – and the first three numbers of her phone number were 867, and the last four of mine were, yup, 5309. So here’s to Tommy Tutone and another Jenny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WTdTwcmxyo .The second was about your rats – and I remember hitting the theater in 1976 and seeing “Food of the Gods” – of which this reminded me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77KpoGDVkxk

    You continue to raise the bar Dave!! Kudos!

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    1. Thanks Mark glad you liked it, it was a fun one to do. I am going to a show on the 21st and am thinking of putting it in the competition, if I do I will let you know how I got on.

      I chose the name Jenny because that is the name of my daughter, not that I approve of her swearing! Enjoyed the song and loved your personal link to the telephone number. The link to the film was also very interesting and oddly not one I had heard of.

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      1. I am sure that you will keep us posted, but in a universe where I am amazed at your stuff all the time, this piece is another level (and multilevel to boot!)

        Jenny Jenny, who can I turn to – you as you kill the rats and irritate your dad with your sewer language – oh, you just killed a herd of mutated giant rats? WTF?

        I saw the film at 14 in the movies. It’s clearly not up to today’s level of special effects (especially the attack of the giant rooster), but I have to say I enjoyed it and the images of the other animals, especially the rats, has stuck with me. It is very much like the 60’s Hammer stuff from the UK in production.

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  13. Wow! This is incredible. Reminds me of the book Domain by James Herbert (third in his series about rats). Funnily enough I’m halfway through RATS the first book in the series. Great choice of figures for the diorama and, of course, the paint jobs are exceptional. Really love the menacing feel to the whole thing too. Great work mate

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