Small Scale Military Headquarters

i know a lot of you guys set up dioramas outside, where the whole world can see and i was wondering what types of reactions you get? Does anyone laugh at you (not to put too fine a point on it), or complain that you're playing with nazi war toys etc?

I ask because i am thinking of setting up a rig on my balcony that i can securily hang my stuka over it, so that it is diving straight down towards the ground (the effect is quite cool....i'm about 1200 scale feet above the ground). This would be a temporary display, i'd take it back inside when i was done looking at it, so i don't have to worry about the elements and i'm making it strong enough that i won't need to worry about it plunging to the ground, or onto someone's head but i am wondering about the reaction i will get from the neighbours and whether anyone will complain that i'm hanging nazi bombers from my balcony.

So, i thought i'd gauge by the reactions that others have had.

Most people are idiots and they have no idea what a German/Nazi plane would look like. I guess the tale tell Swastika would be a give away, but most people don't know squat about WW2. It makes me sad. I haven't set up any diorama's outside but I bring some of my WW2 XD with me to work on occasion and most of the people there have no idea what they are. I don't care if they make fun of me for having toys, I tell them, "Hey I'm happily married." But seriously most people I don't believe would care.

I say do whatever makes you happy and not worry so much what the neighbors think.

I haven't had any of my XD outside yet, I'm sure they wouldn't have too much of a problem with it. (As long as I'm not being too loud.)

Kevin.

Whenever Mrs. TTT has a yard sale, I always put out a selection of 1/6 tanks and other vehicles to attract lookyloos. Highlight is a 21C 1/6 Stuart RC, always running around. I put out some XD in boxes, but again, it's just to drag them to the wifey's sale.

My town is full of vets who always drag their wives to our sale to look at the "toys". I meet some nice vets like that.

Haven't gotten any negative comments. If they don't like it, they ignore my "toys".

A hundred years ago I put out all my guns at a yard sale. Again, they were to attract customers to the wifey's sale. I made the mistake of putting ridiculously high prices on the guns. One guy (an attorney I know) looks at the guns. Says, "I'll take them all".... pulls out a wad of hundreds, pays me and loads up his car..... I lost a pre-war Springfield, a WW1 Winchester Trench 12ga, a replica 1928 Tommy Gun with 50rd drum and two Mossberg .22s. Whats money... I lost 20 years of collection in one afternoon.

There is always dopes with money.......

TTT

I've never really set up one in my back yard at my actual house, though either the front or back "yards" at my family's vacation home in the nearby sierras is fair game. As for what the neighbors think? I'm usually concealed by trees

I assume you are living in a free country?
If so, then do whatever you want.
A lot of things I find offensive are encouraged, promoted and pushed in my face by groups, government and media. They are protected by law and so is making a diorama, even one with swastika's.

So go build one, enjoy it and to hell with anyone who complains.

my country is as free as your country, smittyrob No more, no less.

It just occurred to me that most people won't know what a stuka is and the swastikas are only visable for a few feet. The only person that could possibly see them is my neighbour to the right and he is high or drunk most of the time.

So, unless someone complains about the possible safety factor of dangling a large toy plane off the balcony, i think i'm good to go. I've got the perfect way of displaying it, using an old floor lamp, which has a shaft that curves at the top; i'll just remove the lamp part and hang the stuka from the curve. I'm going to tape a little digital keychain to the side of it, on which i recorded a stuka dive siren sound...heh.

Now i just need to order a Rudel stuka, as i've decided not to use my Snake as originally planned. I feel the Rudel one is more appropriate and will emulate this painting:

http://www.stanstokesart.com/ststavartsio.html

Hey yall!!! All my dios are taken at the lake next to my house---in a cove no one ever goes to or in my driveway!!!The driveway dios are set up in my garage and then taken outside to take the pics!!! I have had some funny looks but most folks cant see what Im doing anyway!!! I do like the lake dios the best cause Im by myself---its quit and I can think better about what Im doing and I have more fun that way!!!If someone ever did see me or ask what Im doing I would tell them my plan I have had all along---Im makeing a history book for kids!!! A fun history lesson on WW2 because most kids dont even know WW2 even happend!!!Which is ture --- like my whole Battle for Saipan dios which I plan to write a story(one day) to go alone with all the dio pics I have taken over the past 2 years!!!If they still want to make fun---they are only makeing fun of someone trying to teach a kid something and how smart is that??? ---RED---

aferguson wrote:my country is as free as your country, smittyrob No more, no less.

Exactly my point, they are both free in that you can put a swastika on a plastic airplane without fear of being arrested.

it's the same country as yours, smittyrob....i'm canadian too.

Red, that is a kick ass idea....the book i mean. Sounds like a winner. Also sounds like an idea i might steal.....lol. j/k.

(or am i.....??).

In that case, Happy Canaduh Day.. I mean Canada.

I've never had mine outdoors but many visitors comment on them. There are always a few "are you a Nazi?" fools but most of the women gently ridicule me why 99% of the guys are envious. Most often heard is "do you build these things? No!? Where do you buy them?"

Best XD marketing ploy ever. Of course only about a tenth of the collection is in the study where the casual visitor can see it. Only close friends and family see the lair and the filled, hidden boxes are meant to be invisible to all but myself.

I say take your photos and enjoy. Hey, wait a minute. Aferg, I thought you didn't have a camera! Does this mean we finally get to see your extensive collection?

i'm not taking photos.....i'm just planning on taking it outside and dangle it off the balcony and giggle like a school boy. If it were practical i'd leave it out there permanently year round.....although i'd swap it for my whitewashed stuka in winter.

Still no camera...

I do not take out door pictures of my stuff. But I think that my neigbors would not mind . As long as I don't do it naked or anything like that.

No negative comments for me here in my area. I have XD and 1/6 from both side and no one ever told me something about nazi or swastika. Better than that, that remind some people the german occupation and liberation and they say : Hey, I am remember that.

I have collected over the years many oral souvenir about this period just by showing my stuff.

phil

pickelhaube wrote:I do not take out door pictures of my stuff. But I think that my neigbors would not mind . As long as I don't do it naked or anything like that.

Pickel- you be careful with your naked picture taking, you know with that spike and all - it could be really dangerous in a fall or in jello wrestling...

Me im Free to go outside whenever i want and be able to set up a whole battle The only way my neighbors would be able to see the xd is if they got on their 4 wheelers and drove across our 53 acres Otherwise its just cows, a dog, and some chickens besides my mom,dad,little brother and sister. But when some of my friends do come over they dont mind the scads of xd in my room, they actually think its pretty cool and cant believe that i would pay the money cause of the price for these things

I say do it, dont let your neighbors get the best of you. I have myself set up a few dios outside of course I dont no if any of my neighbors can actually see what Im doing but it wouldn't bother me.

I have shot many stills outside in the back for my various stop action movies, BUT it's a take out and put back in thing, because if I don't take them back inside, they will disappear And with tanks going for close to $100 and over each, I will take them in after the shoot. Big time consumer is bringing out and in models and figures. Set up and take down does NOT take as long. Shooting stills does as does the time in between shots if the need is there to "pose" figures or move vehicles I am trying to clear some time to shoot my next mornings worth of still for another clip to my movies The other problem about leaving things out even if "sticky fingers" don't carry them away is the sun/heat factor. It gets so hot down here that I'm afraid gun barrels will at least warp if not melt in the direct sun Da General

I guess I am in the minority here- I kinda hope, deep inside, I torque some of my neighbors off when I set my figures up!! Just joking- I think??

Just kidding, but at 35, I just don't have time to care anymore what they think. My kids enjoy helping me set up my figures so, to me, it gives us some time together.

I wouldn't mind setting up a diorama in my back yard to take photos of like some of you guys. I've seen some really nice ones on the web, and recently here.



For now I just like to chase the cat around and get the dog all riled up with my RC Stuart. It's a giddy feeling.

I learned a looooong time ago not to care what others think. Some neighbors kill time gardening, jogging, trimming hedges and I collect 1:18 scale figures among a lot of other unique hobbies. Just think of how envious the people down the street are that you have your own squadron or unit to command

I usually do mine in the backyard. I have a pretty cool dirt "edge" around the plants that I am free to move, dig, etc. I almost always have my ravine, but I either modify it or change the shape of it. It's also nice having trees for the sticks, they make great tree trunks if taken at scale eye level. The only neighbors that can see me would be the ones behind me, though I don't mind because they're cool. Hell, the guy likes when I blast music, as we have similar taste.

I almost always try to get pictures outside. It brings out color, texture, the details and such. I prefer sunlight to incandescent. My camera has a really nice macro and a super macro, so I get crystal clear close-ups.