Citadel Undead Diorama Remake - Completed

  Well, after the best part of a year, with a four month break during the summer, my diorama remake is finally complete. 

 I have to admit, the last month was a bit of a slog and I can't see myself painting anymore zombies anytime soon! There were one or two zombie new additions this time and one or two that missed out, mainly due to the smaller base size and I ran out of room.

 Another new feature is the tree which is a 3D print from the excellent Critical Terrain. Its presence against the skyline gives the whole piece an extra dynamic. It's the first time I've actually ever painted a tree and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 

 Ultimately, I'm so glad I went for this, after a long time seeing the old version in the cabinet and feeling it wasn't up to scratch.

 So, I've spent the last few days wondering what will be next. I think the upcoming weeks will be spent working on single miniatures and keeping it simple, rather than any specific projects. 

Citadel Undead Diorama Remake - Phase Five

 

 So after four months break from the diorama and a dragon ogre palette cleanser, I've resumed the main project and have managed to wrap up the phase with the largest footprint. 

 It's important to incorporate height into a diorama and here we have the shrine that overlooks the graveyard. The shrine piece is the same as I used on the initial diorama project, which is from Scotia Grendel. 

 Three packs of milliput went into the hill and like the rest of the base, a thin layer of green stuff which is then textured. 

At the base of the hill is the wizard of the adventuring party. I used the high level Magic User model from the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons range. The pair of elves are troopers from the Regiments of Renown Skarloc's Elf Archers box set. Finally, I've used the classic Death Elemental figure, accompanied by a chaos familiar, lurking at the back, unnoticed so far.

 With all that milliput, it's beginning to get a little bit weighty but I'm on the home straight now and it's mainly just zombies to go, albeit a fair few of them!

Citadel Undead Diorama Remake - Phase Four

 

 This phase took an absolute age to complete, mainly due to a massive work schedule. Anyway, it's done now. This phase features the diorama's prime antagonist, The Liche King.

 A classic undead cavalry model, he is the ideal general for any undead army. The only downside with him is he doesn't seem to fit any steed properly, which huge gaps either side so I had to sculpt a cloak extension to deal with this issue.

 As before, he is accompanied by a small retinue made up of one of each of the Nightmare Legion troopers and a skeleton horseman (from the Lord of the Rings Dead Men of Dunharrow set).

 As a feature on the base, I added a small puddle made from Vallejo Still Water liquid resin. This took about six days to create, as I needed three layers of the stuff as it takes a couple of days for each layer to set, plus it tends to shrink back a fair bit each time. 

 The next phase will be a fairly significant background section which will involve giving the diorama some much needed height that features the shrine atop a small hill and the remaining adventurers.

Citadel Undead Diorama Remake - Phase Two

 

 So I've managed to wrap up Phase Two of the diorama, which is pretty much the entire front area now. This part features more reanimated skeletons plus another one of the adventuring party, a dwarf slayer.

 As before, the slayer model is Kimril Giantslayer from the classic Dwarf Lords of Legend box set, who cuts an ideal pose for what I'm after. 

 As I've gone for a smaller base, as well as a different shape this time, there was less area to play around with on a circular base so it was a bit of a task to fit everything in. I had to juggle a bit and swap the skeletons around, also making sure nothing was too bunched up or blocked from view. 

 Trying to accommodate models in a slightly reduced area is going to be an ongoing challenge with future phases in this project but I think this one was probably the most awkward. 

Phases One and Two Combined

 I've already made a start on Phase Three which has some slight alterations from before with a small extra feature or two. I'm hoping to have this ready to show in a couple of weeks.

 

Citadel Undead Diorama - A 15 year old dream that became reality

 We all have a long term project that someday we hope to fulfill; a magnum opus if you like. With Jodorowsky it was Dune, with Kubrick it was Napoleon but I've gone one better than those fellas and have actually completed what will probably be my largest ever project.

 Firstly, I have to cast my mind back 15 years to the beginning....

 The year was 2001. I'd been thinking of attempting something on a large scale for some time but hadn't come to any cast iron decisions, until I'd been studying John Blanche's epic undead diorama, that we all know and love, and decided to attempt something inspired by his work but on a considerably smaller scale. After finalising the scene content on paper it was time to pick what figures were going to be used, give mail order a call and wait for a parcel. After a brief and deeply disappointing phone call, I learned that all the old classic stuff was now out of production and had been for about a year. I'd had a year or so out from the hobby at that point so I had been none the wiser.
 So that was that; the idea was shelved before it even got further than a sheet of A4.
 Two years on and the flatlined project received a lifeline thanks to eBay. Several months down the line, I had been able to amass every figure I'd planned to be included in the diorama. Then, after painting two or three of them, the project stalled....and that's how it remained until last October.

 After deciding to properly go for it, I purchased a base and began with the foreground. After completing that and making a start on the middle section I felt I had to take a break from it for a bit. In fact, I only resumed it last month when I fully felt I had the free time and stamina.

 My main psychological challenge was the zombies. Great figs that they are, they do have a tendency to be a bit undistinguishable (what the fuck is flesh and what is bone etc) and painting a lot of them was going to be a test. Thankfully once I got my rhythm going they came thick and fast.

 I had never planned on any story background for this piece, more 'make of it what you will'.

So the project has finally come to a close. It'll be strange not to have it on my to do list after all this time. Now I'll have to turn my thoughts to something else. I ought to give myself a break for a fortnight or so but the momentum is still with me so onwards and upwards!