1/35 Scale I.D.F. Mercava Mk. 2B
The diorama presented here depicts an Israeli Merkava Mk. 2B tank in a street in Gaza City as some I.D.F. soldiers explore the ruins of an apartment building. It takes place in early March 2024.
The Build
The main structural ruin is a hydrocal kit by Dioramas Plus. The several walls were sealed, primed, base coated, detailed and finally weathered before being assembled into the standing building. Interior partitions (light blocks) were added to all interior spaces and the rear as well so you wouldn't see straight through and spoil the effect.
After the ruin was glued down to a base of black foam board, debris was added in stages. The debris is comprised of a mixture of some hydrocal castings, plaster chunks and lots of small stones and gravel. The debris was affixed to the base with a coating of WeldBond glue and then sprayed with matte medium (familiar to all model railroaders).
The 1/35 scale I.D.F. figures are old stock from Verlinden-Letterman and are no longer available.
The Merkava tank is a very fine model from Tacom Models. Anti-slip paste was added to the horizontal surfaces of the tank before it was base coated and then weathered. The two rings on the gun barrel indicate this tank is from the Second Battalion. The downward pointing chevrons (V) on the sides denote the First tank company. The two-character markings on the turret sides and rear consist of the symbol bet (ℶ) which is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the number 3. This is interpreted as the second tank in the 3rd Tank Platoon.
The Build
The main structural ruin is a hydrocal kit by Dioramas Plus. The several walls were sealed, primed, base coated, detailed and finally weathered before being assembled into the standing building. Interior partitions (light blocks) were added to all interior spaces and the rear as well so you wouldn't see straight through and spoil the effect.
After the ruin was glued down to a base of black foam board, debris was added in stages. The debris is comprised of a mixture of some hydrocal castings, plaster chunks and lots of small stones and gravel. The debris was affixed to the base with a coating of WeldBond glue and then sprayed with matte medium (familiar to all model railroaders).
The 1/35 scale I.D.F. figures are old stock from Verlinden-Letterman and are no longer available.
The Merkava tank is a very fine model from Tacom Models. Anti-slip paste was added to the horizontal surfaces of the tank before it was base coated and then weathered. The two rings on the gun barrel indicate this tank is from the Second Battalion. The downward pointing chevrons (V) on the sides denote the First tank company. The two-character markings on the turret sides and rear consist of the symbol bet (ℶ) which is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the number 3. This is interpreted as the second tank in the 3rd Tank Platoon.