My oldest diorama

[Santi Pérez]

While still finishing my most recent diorama, I would like to share pictures of my oldest one. I think I made it at the end of the seventies or beginning of the eighties, that is, almost 40 years ago. It’s the only one I preserve from those times, the rest were thrown away by my mother.

I’ve got good memories of that period when the only good 1/72 figures available in Spain were Airfix’s and Atlantic’s. I had started painting figures a few years before, when I was not more than a teenager and those figures looked to me the best thing ever made by human hands (I still really think that they were and are high quality figures, even compared with many others made at present times).

I remember that the inspiration for this diorama came from the first time I watched the classic film Solomon and Sheba (1959), with its amazing battle scenes between Hebrews and Egyptians.



In my begginings the quality of the materials I used wasn’t very good. For example, most of the colours were not either acrilyc or enamels but oils, watercolours and even shoe Polish. You can appreciate it looking at the red, green and yellow colours used in the figures.

Well, I have already written enough. It’s the time for the pictures. I hope you like them.

First of all, these are the figures I used from the Atlantic Egyptian and Trojan Army sets.




And this is the diorama (please, look at it with benevolent eyes ).





















Thank you for watching and have a nice day,

Santi.

[Wiking]

I look with benevolent eyes due to my ones are similar.
Your painting style did not has changed much.
Only your quality of painting and converting figures.
Interesting is to see the low level of live like dynamic pose in these figures at this time.

The arrow impact of the shield is nice.
Poor man who lost his head since for 40 years now.

Santi Perez wrote:
... compared with many others made at present times.

There are 1/72, 1/76 plastic soldier figure earlier than Airfix, Atlantic ?
Somewhere I remember to read Marx. But in 1/72 ?

[Beano Boy]

It is very interesting to see older works that were painted long before the Internet came into being.
Your Atlantic battle scene is still looking good Santi. Thanks for showing it here along with the movie poster. It brings back good memories of myself sitting in the Cinema with my best friends watching the early wide screen 1960`s Epic movies. BB

[Susofrick]

I missed the Atlantics. Stopped buying 1975 and had a break for nine years so I really like to see those old goodies I missed! And it is also nice to see the beginnings of a good painter and diorama-builder. Hmm, I think there will be less blood now.

And Wiking vrote:
There are 1/72, 1/76 plastic soldier figure earlier than Airfix, Atlantic ?
Somewhere I remember to read Marx. But in 1/72

Britain's made a range called Lilliput, but I think they were in 1/87. Airfix' first version of the British WWII infantry were based on these figures. Matchbox made figures in, I think, 1/76, but they only made figures for WWII. And these were late 70s and early 80s. Marx I don't know. Here are some articles:

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Features.aspx

And Kent Sprecher has a lot of pictures and some info on sets.

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/toysoldier ... gures.html

[Hellboy]

I miss the Atlantic figures very well ... I played with this figures as a child. Long ago. Great figures !!! Beautiful memories !

Nice to see some of them here again !!!!! Santi, thank you very much !!!

[Santi Pérez]

Thank you very much for your compliments, Wiking, Beano Boy, Susofrick and Hellboy.

I'm glad that the pictures of my old diorama have brought you good memories.

Your painting style did not has changed much. Only your quality of painting and converting figures.

Yes, Wiking, when I compare my old works with the more recent ones I realize that I've got a particular and easily identifiable style. As Peter said in answer to my first work posted in the forum, "a bit cartoonish way of painting figures" and I agree with him.

Fortunately, I have been improving my painting skills over the years and discovering the art of conversions (If the figure you dream with doesn’t exist, simply create it yourself ).

There are 1/72, 1/76 plastic soldier figure earlier than Airfix, Atlantic ?

Sorry, Wiking, perhaps I expressed wrong when I said that “they were and are high quality figures, even compared with many others made at present times”. I wanted to say that the quality of those figures made many years ago (Airfix, Atlantic, Esci and more), is still very similar or even better than that one of many other figures made now, in the twentieth Century.

It brings back good memories of myself sitting in the Cinema with my best friends watching the early wide screen 1960`s Epic movies.

Yes, Beano Boy, I still remember the Cinema (already disappeared) where I watched “Solomon and Sheba” for the first time in the 1970’s.

I missed the Atlantics. Stopped buying 1975 and had a break for nine years so I really like to see those old goodies I missed! And it is also nice to see the beginnings of a good painter and diorama-builder. Hmm, I think there will be less blood now.

I’m fortunate, Susofrick, I still retain a lot of Atlantic figures (Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Far West,…). And yes, I now limit the quantity of blood in my dioramas, haha.

Nice to see some of them here again !!!!! Santi, thank you very much !!!

Hellboy, it’s a real pleasure to bring happiness to somebody with a so easy action that makes me happy too.

Cheers.

Santi.

[Bill Slavin]

Thanks for sharing that. The scene made me smile - I think we all had a fascination with blood in our earliest years in the hobby.

[Santi Pérez]

I think we all had a fascination with blood in our earliest years in the hobby.

That's a good reason, Bill. But other could be that we had excess of red paint and had to spend it.

Thank you.

Santi.

[bilsonius]

Reminds me of a pair of questions we once had in a pub quiz:

1) In which Yul Brynner movie did an Egyptian army fall off a cliff?
2) In which Yul Brynner movie did a Polish army fall off a cliff?

[huib]

Very sentimental, these old Atlantic Egyptians. I had them too in the 1970's!

[Santi Pérez]

1) In which Yul Brynner movie did an Egyptian army fall off a cliff?
2) In which Yul Brynner movie did a Polish army fall off a cliff?

Easy answers, Bilsonius:
To question 1: Solomon and Sheba.
To question 2: Taras Bulba.

I'm waiting anxiously for the prize.

Very sentimental, these old Atlantic Egyptians. I had them too in the 1970's!

I agree with you, huib. Nostalgic memories of past times when we were younger...and there were also much less variety of figures to choose from!

Regards.

Santi.