These two figures are based on the sketch by Soren Hawkes originally posted by him on the Great War Forum. I thought it was so evocative and dramatic that I knew immediately I wanted to do this little vignette.

Two Australian mates - maybe they've been together since Gallipoli, maybe they even knew each other as school boys back in Oz. Now their unit, the 32nd Battalion, is fighting in Polygon Wood and taking a lot of casualties routing out enemy machine-gunners. Suddenly one of them goes down, badly wounded. They're under orders not to stop for wounded men, but to take their objectives. As a good soldier, the injured man's mate keeps going. Maybe hours later, when the firing has subsided, he goes back to find his friend. And to say goodbye.

The vignette is 1/16th scale, and, as you can tell, contains a number of parts from kits. The tree was not in Soren's scene, but I thought it added something.

I apologize for the glare on the lead hat. Did my best with the available lighting. I also notice that the dead soldier's boots and legs don't look like they are touching the ground. I may not have had them pressed down quite hard enough when I took the photos. Actually the dead soldier is a pretty tight fit lying inside the legs of his mate.

Hope you like it!

All the best,
Dan

Very, VERY impressive!

Regards

Dan you have surpassed yourself, this has to be one of your most evocative scenes yet!

The tree works extremely well, the angle of the head/neck of the kneeling figure is spot on, as is the turned out angle of the feet of the fallen figure. I also like the bayonet 'breaking' the edge of the diorama base.

Top stuff!

Interesting shade of green.... are you using a MS and Duro combo?

Cheers,
Jon.

Martin - Many thanks and I'm glad you liked it! Jonathan and Carl - Cheers! Glad you liked it! Yes, Jonathan, I use mostly mixes of Kneadatite and Magic Sculpt. The mix seems to hold detail a little better. Also when I use MS by itself, I sometimes wash and smooth with water and with MS by itself there is a grey residue left behind. Minimal residue with the mix.

All the best,
Dan

Dan, an excellent vignette, great sculpting and you've managed to duplicate the moving scene exactly.

Cheers Ken

Cheers Ken! Glad you like it!

All the best,
Dan

Painters?

OK - Lookin' for a painter for this one. Anybody interested?

All the best,
Dan

G'day Dan,

I can't believe I missed this thread.

I'm blown away by how faithfully you've rendered this scene. You've managed to impart real pathos and emotion into it, and the bond between the two diggers is clear for all to see.

The only criticisms I have (and they are with the drawing you based your sculpt on, not your sculpting) is that these men would almost certainly be wearing helmets if they were in a combat zone. The Australian slouch hat was generally only worn behind the lines.

The colour patch of the 32nd battalion is a vertical rectangle, not a square. I've attached a pic of the 32nd's patch for your reference. As you know my Great Uncle Walter served with the 32nd at Polygon Wood, so I have a personal interest in seeing you get this detail correct.

Another point you might want to consider is that if these blokes are Gallipoli veterans, they would be wearing a small brass "A" over their colour patch to denote that they were "ANZACS". Only those men who served at Gallipoli were entitled to wear these badges and by the time of the Battle of Polygon Wood, there weren't many of the original ANZACS left.

Displaying this badge makes the loss of one of the "originals" even more devastating to his mates, and provides some crucial back story to the relationship between the two diggers.

While I'm thinking about it, if these two men had served in Gallipoli and survived 2 years on the Western Front, they'd almost certainly be junior NCO's (at least corporals) and would probably have at least one or two wound stripes on their sleeves.

Despite my admiration for your sculpting and my obvious passion/ obsession for this particular subject, I'm don't think I'm the right bloke to paint this for you. You've been very patiently waiting well over 9 months for me to finish painting Man's Best Friend and it's still on my workbench gathering dust.

I wouldn't want to delay this project by a day. It deserves to be painted and put on display as quickly as possible. I look forward to seeing it brought to life.

Congrats Dan, its a brilliant vignette. I think it's your best work to date.

Dan,
Great Vignette. As i've download the serie ANZAC and seen them i must admit that i go with Tony about the details. The 32 well he write it....all the rest is seen in the serie that was well recherched.
Again, another big one for you.

Marc

A wound stripe, A over the Australia epaulette badge, one of them maybe a corporal, no problem - I can do that. As far as the helmet vs. the slouch hat - please allow for artistic license, even though my license may be a bit overdue for renewal. Wouldn't mind waiting if you wanted to paint this one Tony. All things equal, I think it's a better effort than MBF. Oh - the 32nd bn. Insignia is rectangular on all the figures - may be distorted in the photos or somethin'. I'll check when I'm back in Omaha on Wednesday. Cheers Tony!

Dan

Dan for me your best work so far mate, nice setting of the figures and nice smooth sculpting mate, a real nice piece of work which really catches the eye of the viewer.

great stuff mate,

Steve

Hi Dan,

Well, if you insist.......

I'll send you a PM.

Steve-Many thanks!

All the best,
Dan

Tony - OK! I'll look forward to it! Didn't mean to put you on the spot or anythin'.

To keep everything in perspective. Tomorrow, I'm due to become a grandpa for the second time.

All the best,
Dan

Great news mate, my best wishes to you and the growing family.

Dan,
Well done ,you,ve captured the moment.
Andy

Cheers Andy!

Many thanks!

All the best,

Dan

Dan,
Well done on all counts, including the "Grandpa"
Cheers
John

Cheers, John! She's pretty cool, I think we'll keep her! Very calm and doesn't cry much except when hungry. Sophia Elena Morton.

All the best,
Dan