Sunday, January 3, 2016

'Nostalgia' from MichaelA - The Great Escape

Nostalgia is a multifaceted and curious thing; it is about happiness, recalling a person, place or event with a fondness that time has shaped to a perfect ideal, regardless of the small matter of factual accuracy.



For me nostalgic memories can be triggered by the smallest thing and most recently that has been whilst thumbing through the, now legendary, Christmas edition of the Radio Times.  I was instantly transported back to boyhood as I eagerly sought out what marvels of celluloid entertainment were in store for the Awdry family over Christmas holiday.  In the those days there were staples that were as important to the festive period as Brussels sprouts and mince pies – I refer, of course, to ‘The Great Escape’.




This 1963 war time drama tells the story of Allied Prisoners of War and their attempted mass escape from Stalag Luft III.  This is a film that is infinitely watchable, boasting a stellar cast, stirring soundtrack and Triumph TR6 Trophy motorbike! 




So to my submission, five eBob miniatures on a scenic base designed to instil a sense of nostalgia in all of us that love classic war films.  The miniatures themselves are interesting insomuch that there is enough detail to suggest cast members without slavishly replicating them and although not the most dynamic of poses there is a quality to them, giving me an opportunity to interpret them in any way I chose.  The three main characters were based on a ‘Fenris Games’ planked floor to tie in with the theme of the submission.






The base was initially conceived as a small set to showcase the miniatures with elements from ‘4Ground’ all constructed on a ‘Warbases 120mm MDF disc (I have run out of old bland CDs!)  but why stop with one floor when you can have two? Devotees of the film, and for that matter history itself, will know that the Allied Airman, had planned to start a series of tunnels to make good there escape and it only seemed fitting to try and incorporate that into this build. Scraps of blue form, coffee stirrers and cooks’ matches formed the basic construction and them came the detailing.  




The tools, littered around to show evidence of industry, are from ‘Essex Miniatures’, whilst the timely rediscovery of part of an ‘Ainsty Castings’ ore cart was pressed into action as the trolley system used to transport the dirt and men through the tunnels.  The final addition of some photographs of sweethearts and flickering LED lights just seemed to help bring the whole thing to ‘life’.




This was a hugely entertaining diversion to work on and I couldn’t help but hum the theme tune whilst I tinkering away on it, all helping to reinforce those feelings of nostalgia that this film evokes.





33 comments:

  1. Just wow! Such a creative and well-executed vignette. Salute.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lord Michael - you have excelled yourself :)

    I was actually humming the tune as I read it and then got to your comment about doing the same ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Lord of the Vignette strikes again!

    Absolutely beautiful work and so inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bloody Hell! Talk about knockout in the first round! Amazing stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Aaaaand we have a winner ladies and gentlefolk :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. There can be only one.............and this is it!! The Master at work, congrats Sir M, superb work yet again!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. >Sob< That is simply the definitive vignette... I doff my cap Sir Michael. Awesome stuff!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bloody hell... do you always have to create such masterpieces! ;-)

    Lovely work!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Magnificent. You are a genius at these vignettes.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That is fecking cracking work Michael!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Absolutely gob-smacking, you have indeed outshone yourself dear sir!

    ReplyDelete
  12. And now I remember why you keep winning the bonus rounds.. expect some competition hopefully in the future.. now to go and dig through some ideas for future challenges ;)

    Oh and smashingly great work here!

    ReplyDelete
  13. They say an addict is forever searching for just how that illusive first high felt. That's kind of how your vignettes make me feel mate, with one exception... Every time I see one it's even better than the last. Stunning. Again.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Seriously awesome Michael. Not much else one can say.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow thats a truely stunning vingette!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good lord Michael! You never do anything by halves, do you?

    Absolutely magnificent work!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you all so very much, to receive such positive feedback from your peers really is the best feeling a chap can have. Now back at work, I can guarantee that the next entry will not be so ambitious.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Well one can easily see where your focus has been! Very, very nicely done Michael!

    Christopher

    ReplyDelete
  19. I thought I had already replied to this.

    FABULOUS!

    ReplyDelete
  20. You have outdone yourself - spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow!
    I simply have no other words to do this piece of art justice. The scene is perfectly built and I love how you lead us into your memories.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Fantastic! The diorama base is astonishing, but even the painting on each figure is gorgeous, even without the scenery.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Fantastic! The diorama base is astonishing, but even the painting on each figure is gorgeous, even without the scenery.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Stunning, just stunning! A great tribute to a brilliant movie!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Brilliant work Michael! Really a great start - one dreads to think what is coming in later rounds! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Damn, Michael! That is a stunning diorama of a great film. A lot of really good work in it too! I'm horribly behind the phase line...more running and less whistling for me!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Superb diorama and reminder of a great movie.

    ReplyDelete