Andreas Holndonners 1/72 Models

"The first four pics are from my "American Field Service at Verdun" Projekt. I Liked the look of the old Fords and im totally fascinated of the battle of Verdun so i read some reports from former american drivers on the web, searched for pics and built the Fine Scale Factory 1/72 Ford resin kit wich is in my opinion much better than the RPM one. I had to add three wounded men in the interiour just to realize one can hardly see them when the car was finished. Well, at least I know that they are there  :-)  So i left off the small doors at the sides (its june 1916 and a very hot summer - they have put them aside or they broken...). The scene is on a road from the front to an first aid station, the streets were filled with craters, because they are within the range of German artillery."
 

"Somme, 1st july 1916:
It's the Emhar 18-pounder and Revell German artillery from ww2, converted to WW1 british artillery crew, foloowing a famous picture from the opening barrage of the great Somme battle. I'm using Preiser hard plastic arms, heads and other parts for my conversions."
 

"8th August 1918:
A diorama without any figures! And I think it looks boring because of this. It symbolizes the great defeat of the German army that day by a Emhar 77cm gun, left by teit crew and a Reviresco Whippet having broken through the German lines."
 

"Chemin des Dames 1917:
It was my first WW1 diorama from a time when I didn’t take the research too serious. I remember that I was just hoping that there were St. Chamonds at Chemin des dames. The Tank is the Fine Scale Factory late version and the figures are a mixture of Revell, Airfix and IT-MINIATURES figures. I don’t like IT-Figures because of their huge hands and clumsy appearance. So I prefer building my own figures."
 

"Cambrai 1917:
A Mark IV tank is arriving at the first German trenchline. The tank is the Emhar one with corrections according to the information of your site. I have used the kit decals. The standing german is a conversion from HäT's WW1 Ottomans, the dead soldier is made of magic sculpt. I used busch “Modellbaumörtel” (modelling cement) for the earth, a material that is sculptable by adding water, having a realistic sandy appearance and getting hard by brushing white glue on it. Barbed wire is eched parts from PART."
 

"Thirst at Verdun:
Germans and French were thirsty in those awful days 1916 and it often happened that they could only drink poisoned water from shell holes - often with cadavers in it. And it happened that both sides used the same sources so they met – both thirsty, exhausted. That’s the scene depicted in this diorama, the Airfix- conversion French already arriving, and the Germans already talking about the quality of their drink. Let's hope, all go away without disturbing the other…"
 

"L’enfer:
Another Verdun diorama according to a famous painting, depicting the horrors of ww1. I do not like the appearance of the mud at all…the hundreds of different washes and drybrushes over the ground can't be seen in this picture, because I had the formidable idea to brush the liquid resine that I used for the water in the shellhole over the entire groundwork. A really really stupid idea. And I cant take the figures away and try it anwhere else because theyre cast into the resin."
 

"Marne 1914:
I built this diorama after having read the book “Krieg” (war) by Ludwig Renn. He was an infantry officer of a Saxon guard regiment and had survived the war. A group of German infantry has come under fire, so they take cover and look around, where death comes from. A hussar, whose horse was hit too, tells the officer the direction of the enemy. I guess now not the best idea for a diorama but I wanted to build early war figures with spiked leather helmets…"
 

"The Souvenir Hunter:
This diorama depicts a scene from the Ypern Front. Because im not only a ground vehicle modeller but mainly an airplane modeller, I wanted to combine these two “spheres” in this diorama. A British fighter pilot has shot down a German LVG C V. over Flanderns fields. Now he, a mechanic and another officer to confirm the victory are seeking for the wrecked plane to take souvenirs – the fin of the plane. A group of infantry with a prisoner in their middle has escaped from hell and is coming back from the frontline having definitelly other problems. The car – I told you I like the ford T – is again a Fine Scale Factory 1/72 resin kit, again much better than the RPM  one.

A general comment : I always try to remember with my diorama, what war is: killing other people in cruel, inhuman ways. So I do not leave dead figures off or model just happy, cheering, eating or relaxing figures but I try to face war in all of its terrible ways. I think that is our responsibility as modellers."