Dio-Bolical Monday No: 62 – “Death & Taxes: The Earls Visit – Part 40” – The Completed Diorama – Final Post

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I began this diorama at the start of December last year and here we are just over ten months later and the project has been completed.  It has been a marathon. 

The theme was a simple affair and nothing more than an excuse to paint more of Tabletop Worlds incredible buildings.  A village setting where the merchant and the peasants stop to watch the Earl and his entourage pass by.  Even the beggar got in on the act in the hope of getting a penny or two.  Does it work?  Well really that’s for others to decide rather than me but I’m pretty happy that the idea in my head transferred to what you now get to see.

Inevitably as a project it has had its ups and downs but for the most part it has been an enjoyable experience.  Is it my finest work?  Personally I don’t think so but it is certainly the biggest model I’ve undertaken and has required me to use just about all the knowledge and skills I have acquired over many years of hobbying.

The model itself measures 3 feet wide by 1 foot deep and 1 foot high.  There are 12 mounted knights, 11 other figures, about half a dozen each of pigs, rats, rabbits, ducks and chickens, a badger, 3 wolf hounds, 3 buildings, 1 large tree and a fair number of sacks, boxes and tools. All in all it has kept me amused.

Thank you all for sticking with the project.  Now for some photo’s, lots of them!  Some of them are of a better quality than others but the primary aim is to show you around the model as best I can.

The first three photo’s give you an idea of the model in its entirety.

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All the following photo’s get in closer to the model and hopefully provide some detail.  You might need to zoom in on some of them.  Obviously if you have been a regular follower of my progress then some of this you may well have seen before.  They have been taken from various angles, are of mixed quality and pretty random in terms of how they appear below.  I dare say some images have been duplicated as well.

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Finally the time arrived to put the cover on over the model and display it next to the one some of you will be familiar with.

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I guess the question now is what next?

To start with my modelling desk and work space needs a very serious tidy up but for now I’m taking a break for a few weeks as She Who Must Be Obeyed and I go on holiday.  While I’m away I’ll think more about what I might do next.  My initial houghts are to simply paint some single figures, some for Ebay maybe as well as for myself.  I do have some ideas for future dioramas but I won’t be starting anything soon and certainly nothing as big.  I need to think about Telford to as I have little time now to get anything else done.  In any event I’ll keep you posted.    

As for this diorama, I hope you enjoyed the journey.

TIM

 

49 thoughts on “Dio-Bolical Monday No: 62 – “Death & Taxes: The Earls Visit – Part 40” – The Completed Diorama – Final Post”

  1. This is great mate and has really brightened up my Monday morning, it’s been a pleasure watching the progress on it and the final article is splendid, I hope you are very proud of it!
    Also I showed the pictures to my little lad (he is 6) and he wanted to say “Good work it’s amazing”

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  2. Excellent work throughout Dave, with so many points of interest to draw in the eye for all tastes, hope you have a great holiday, and return all refreshed ready to start on whatever you choose next, and a few single miniatures would be a good palette cleanser for Dave

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  3. A tremendous amount of work and a fantastic outcome! I have enjoyed following along with this one, but I didn’t realise it had been 10 months! Looking over all the photos it struck me that lots of different parts of this would be regarded as a great diorama in their own right. With everything together like this it all adds up to something truly great.

    Enjoy your holiday, you’ve earned a break!

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    1. Many thanks Dave. It was only when I looked back at the first post that I too realised iust how long this one had been in the making. If I’d known it would have taken that long to do I doubt I would have ever started it! 🤣🤣

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  5. Absolute perfection. You’ve put a lot of work into this and it’s really paid off. Do you feel tempted to try something else on this scale or is it more likely that you will turn your attention to slightly smaller projects for a while?

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    1. Thank you very much mate. As for what I do next? I’d love to do something even bigger to be honest but the problem is simply one of space. If I can solve that then it would be all systems go. However, next up I suspect will be a few single figures, as much to keep my hand in as anything else. 🙂

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      1. Bigger?! You are a crazy one, haha! Maybe if it’s more modular? Or something along the size of a tower, with several connecting scenes. I still want to see that murder mystery too, haha!

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  6. Brilliant! 🙂 Going to have to take a few looks through the pics now that everything’s in place, since there’s a lot to take in! I suppose Episode 40 is a good indication of how long this has been ongoing but it doesn’t seem that long looking back!

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    1. Many thanks John. It’s been a fun journey but one which took longer than I would have anticipated for sure. I’ve loved the detailing and who knows, maybe one day I’ll have a crack at something else on this scale. It won’t be anytime soon though! 🙂

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  8. Well Dave you have certainly pushed the bar high with this magnificent work of art! I didn’t imagine it would turn out like it did, a brilliant lay out. I just sent Fi a message as she is over in SA, “Have a look at the most impressive Diorama you will ever see!”.
    Cheers mate, thanks for the marvelous journey and enjoy your holiday, you have certainly earned it!

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    1. Sorry Dave I wiped out your last reply! Silly old git I am!I would ask Fi buts she is away on the farm, Jill in QLD visiting her sister so I am being looked after by old Terry and the Cat. I will give Fi your regards and make sure she checks out your magnificent work of art.

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  10. This is a future award winning, diorama, I feel. It really is sensational and full of details and life. For me, I think one of the coolest and best decisions you made is how you designed the town and the path that the crusaders were taking. The line of knights dynamically cuts across the diorama and draws the viewer’s eye across. It might have been a happy accident but personally, I think it was a savvy move from a talented modeler 😀

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    1. Thank you. I learnt early on that planning is a very key component to making a diorama and a great deal of thought went into this one well before I’d even purchased any of the figures or buildings. Inevitably some things alter du4ing the actual build but for the most part this one went together as I hoped it would do. 🙂

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  11. Man I’m not being funny but you are a genius and an absolute artist. Every single thing about this diorama is so impressive. The idea, simple yes but at the same time so immersive. When I zoomed in I felt like I was one of the peasants watching the knights trot by. Everywhere I look I am so impressed by the level of detail. From the sacks, rabbits and moss to the eyes of the all the people. The tree was a great addition and gives the whole piece a lot of balance. Even the choice of figures was great, especially for the peasants, because they really do look like they’ve been hard at it toiling the land when suddenly here comes the earl. It’d be like me suddenly strolling into your local pub haha. Seriously mate I think this is your finest work and you just seem to be getting better and better with each diorama. I only wish I was there to see it up close, give you a well deserved hand shake and clap on the back before we sit down and have a few beers and admire your work even more. You should be very proud of this Dave. Now a question, I may have asked this before. How do you feel now it’s complete? I’ve come to realise it’s about the journey more than the destination for my own work. Have a good holiday mate.

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    2. Glad you like it IRO although I think that’s the first time I’ve been called a genius! All in all it has been quite a labour of love but overall a most enjoyable one. I think what helped is the fact that the diorama had so much variety in it. It meant I didn’t get bored. As to how do I feel, that’s a good question. In some ways I miss that this particular journey is over, it’s been part of my life for quite a while it seems. Then again it is good to know it’s done and I can chill and think about the next thing to do. 🤗

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  13. I took a peek at your post yesterday on my phone, but then I knew I needed more time to look closely at all the pics on my monitor. Just mind blowing work, Dave! It’s hard to even fathom. I know it’s taken forever to do this. I don’t know many people who could pull it off in the time you did, let alone even have the stamina to complete it. It’s not a marathon (I know, because I ran one), this is an Ultra Marathon! The level of detail is just incredible. It’s an amazing work, and I’m glad to see you have the perfect spot for it in your home. To me, it looks like you didn’t just create another diorama, you created a world! I really want to show this to the Wife, but I’m afraid she will expect me to do something like this, haha! So impressive and so cool to see it next to your tower too. If it was me, I would tackle something much smaller next. Either way, I’ll be happy to see what surprises you have for us in the future! Cheers, Brian

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    1. Cheers Brian for the kind words, very much appreciated. It has been a labour of love but an enjoyable one for sure. While on holiday I’ll contemplate the way forward. I suspect some single minis will be on the cards for a while, mainly due to some life complications centred around my mum at the moment. If I can solve the space conundrum and get the right inspiration then I’d certainly like to have a crack at something on a similar scale.

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      1. Sorry to hear about your Mum, wish you and your Fam the best while you go through this. Small or Big, I enjoy anything you crank out! I think I found your eBay store again. I would love to buy one of your minis, but with shipping I’m going to need the boss to give me a bigger raise first! Haha!

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      2. At some point when I’m back from my holiday I’d be interested to know what Ebay are charging you in the US for shipping one of my figures. I’d like to compare that to sending something out via our post office. 🤔 They must be adding quite a mark up I think.

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      4. Sounds like a good idea. Will try to pick up in a few weeks or so when I’m back from holiday. 🙂 At a quick glance it seems a small parcel sent economy from the UK, that’s one that will take a while and isn’t tracked, would cost about £10. That can rise to £25 for a tracked faster service. Would be interesting to know how this compares to Ebay. 🤔

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  15. Absolutely stunning mate – I have no words that can do this one justice! A truly outstanding achievement, and proof if it was ever needed of the value of sticking it out with these big projects. Enjoy your holiday – you’ve certainly earned it!

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  17. So, I’ve finally had the time and motivation to thoroughly meander through your images.

    And with pride, I have to say, I can attest to finding a fault with it!

    Behold: There are no fishies in the water!

    Take that!

    No seriously, I took my time to enjoy your finished Magnum Opus. And what can I say? It is glorious, truly an opus magnum. I cannot even begin to describe how great this is, as I don’t really know where I would begin to describe every minuscle detail I have eyed.
    If I really had to pick out a part I loved the most, I’d say the mill and what is surrounding it. But then there is also that magnificant tree and all the knights. You know, I’d be writing not just 2-3 paragraphs, if I had to, so I’m gonna stop and just repeat simply again:
    “Great mate.”

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    1. Haha, yes, I forgot about the fish didn’t I! Glad you like the end result. It was a fun project to do and adding detail is something I enjoy. It’s certainly what I look for when viewing the work others do and for me it’s what sets dioramas and modellers apart. 🙂

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