Chief Harbor Master Cris,
are you going to build this model operational? Phantastic what we see. And I can't wait to see more!
Best wishes
Werner
Chief Harbor Master Cris,
are you going to build this model operational? Phantastic what we see. And I can't wait to see more!
Best wishes
Werner
Hi Cris,
great work, i'm really impressed!
Beautiful ideas, information, pics and your detailed work sum up to this exquisite report.
Thank you for it, i'm always looking forward to new pics
Kind regards
Lars
Hi Chris!
This is some really great work, You are showing to us. Many thanks!
I just stumbled over one small detail. As You are showing the Kohlekipper in action, I presume, that the Diorama plays in a time, that is quite long past now. Did it still work after 1945? Your first vessel still flies the flag black-white-red, the Binnenschiff and Welle black-red-gold; both at the same time seems odd to me... The old pictures of the Welle even show the swastika. I prefer the thought, that the kipper was still working after 1945, but Your postcards look rather like 1900 to me.
Everything else in Your Diorama leaves me just awed - and a bit jealous about Your handcraft...
I´m looking forward to see more of it!
Heiner
Hello Friends,
Ulrich, Lars und Werner: Friends as always thank you so much for your kind words! I greatly appreciate them! I have tried to find enough information to show the wagon lifting mechanism, but sadly there are so few pictures or drawings available I can only guess at how parts of it would have worked. So no, only the "illusion" of operation.
Heiner: Thank you for bringing this topic up for discussion! I too have wondered and searched and read regarding the German maritime national Ensigns prior to the start of the war. Regarding the time period, I believe without doubt that the Kohlenkippers were certainly in use in the late 1930's which is the period I am trying to depict. I agree that the inclusion of the Welle is cutting it a bit fine as she was launched in 1937. But prior to entering service with the Kriegsmarine, she was a civilian ship. (Thank you for bringing my attention to the flag she was flying in the above picture, I had to look quite close to see it. But I have since corrected that oversight.)
Can you explain a little about the Flags? I was really confused by the Welle flying the Black, Gold and Red (Direct from HMV) as I thought the Black, White and Red was displayed as an Ensign up until at least 1935?
Thank you for your kind words and your interest. I greatly enjoy history and researching subjects. While I am not a "rivet counter" (Ha! with my fat fingers I can not afford to be) I do not want any glaring mistakes either. I certainly look forward to more discussion and enlightenment, thank you again!
Best Regards,
Cris
Hello Again Friends,
Work on the Kohlenkipper continues:
Warm Regards,
Cris
Hello Friends,
Here is the first overview of the diorama. I wish that the contest rules allowed for greater than 10cm width, as I would have like to show more of the bridge that connects the Kohlenkipper to the shore. (see post 8 for my reference photo).
On the subject of the contest rules, its interesting how many dioramas we have this year considering the dimensions are suited to a ship
Kind Regards,
Cris
Hello Friends,
The Kohlenkipper progresses. The last picture shows the beginning framework for the short span of railway bridge that connects the kipper with the shore.
Kind Regards,
Cris
Hello Friends,
Here are a few more historic photos and drawings of various Kohlenkippers.
Best Regards,
Cris
Hi Cris,
the flagproblem was: after WWI the offical colours were black, red, golden. But most of the conservative shipowners and a lot of other people too didn't want the knew colours. People clinged to the old times. So the shipping lines and the goverment made an agreement. The merchantships showed the old colours black, white, red. But in the upper corner at the flagstaff( I don't know the englisch word for Gösch) they showed black, red and golden.
In the time this agreement was dealed HAPAG f.e. coated the funneltops b/w/r, some ships were coated a black hull, white superstructures or funnels and the top of the funnels red - like Amerika Süd. So the colouring of a ship after 1919 was often a sign of politcal attitude.
With best regards
Ulrich
..and between 1933 and 1945 there was only one Flag allowed for merchant ships: the black-white-red one with the swastica.
Hello Friends,
Vielen Dank for the information on the Flags (Ensigns). It seems as though I have really created a problem for myself. I do not wish to fly the swastika or a modified "legal" version for several reasons. I suppose this is why HMV portrayed the Welle in the Black, Red, Gold. I will defer making a decision on what to do for the moment.
Thank you all again for your knowledge and willingness to help.
Freezing (-9 here in Schkeuditz!) Regards,
Cris
Hi Cris - as you know, Helmut (Wiesel) ist a specialist in flaggs who always is creating problems on things like this . Your work? - Simply great !!
Regards
Kurt
Chief Harbormaster Cris,
really phantastic. Is there a chance to see these diamonds in Bremerhaven.
By the way the history of German Colors is indeed a very complicated one and reflects the many "windings" in German history.
Helmut (Wiesel) ist a specialist in flaggs
between 1933 and 1945 there was only one Flag allowed for merchant ships: the black-white-red one with the swastica.
May be but here Helmut is wrong.
Up to 1935 the flag for merchant ships was black-white-red without the Hakenkreuz.
Best regards
Werner
Hello Friends,
The Kohlenkipper is fertig! Of course, like the ships I still need to add small details and workmen.
Best Regards,
Cris
Hi Cris,
wow what a unique model, really well imagined and accomplished. Congratulations!
Many small but wonderful details (lamp posts, winches, "metal look" of the railway, rigging and railing), it all adds up to an amazing model.
One could even believe it's mechanism would truly work.
Nice work!
Kind regards
Lars
...
May be but here Helmut is wrong.
Up to 1935 the flag for merchant ships was black-white-red without the Hakenkreuz.
...
Yes, Werner, that's right. Black-white-red between 1933 and 1935:
Sorry for the mistake, Cris
Hi Cris,
A true work of art, congratulations!
Gruß,
Wolfgang
Hi Cris
WOW!!!!
A very beautiful work. Congratulations to this wonderful and detailed(?) (detailiert) model!
Best wishes
Peter
Hi Cris,
that's a wonderful piece of work, that you've created. Amazing!!
Please go ahead with this awesome diorama!
Friendly regards
Peter
Hi Cris,
what a acme work of modelart. But one litlle question: How did You produce the tiny lamps and as to be seen on other of Your fotos the bulbs?
With the best regards Ulrich
Hello Friends,
I am truly overwhelmed with your comments. Lieben Dank freunden für die netten Worte!
@ Kurt: Yes, Helmut is very much the "Provokateur"
Werner: I am very excited about bringing my humble little diorama to Bremerhaven to visit with "The Giants". I have already reserved a Sherpa (Maybe, I could put it beside your Hafen????)
Lars: Thank you so very much for your encouragement! I am very happy about the outcome of the kipper (The Wonder Wire ist wunderbar!)
Andreas: Vielen Dank!
Helmut: Thank you again for your kind assistance and knowledge. I am very grateful.
Peter: Vielen Dank! Its ok to reply in Deutsch.
Pitje: Thank you, I hope that the diorama will all come together soon.
@ Wolfgang: Thank you so very much!
Ulrich: Thank you for your words of praise. From you who has built so many one of a kind gems, it means a great deal. I will answer your question about the lamps in the next post.
Herzliche Grüße,
Cris
Hello Friends,
Here is one method I use to make lamps for the light fixtures.
Best Regards,
Cris
Hello Friends,
Sorry I do not know how to do the in line posting of pictures. For the Kohlenkipper, I tried my best to use foile to make traditional "boxes" but after several failed attempts I moved on to laminating (Schichtstoff) several layers of foile and carving out the lamp.
One last method I used on my Podskali Diorama uses seeds, but the results may not be as satisfactory because the lamps are not transparent.
Kind Regards,
Cris
Hi Cris,
another (pretty convenient) method to make such lamps is to build up the globes from PVA/white glue. I've described this method already here.
Bye!
Michi
Hi Michi,
Thank you for that! Also, it has been some time since I viewed your outstanding diorama, so I greatly appreciate you sharing it as well.
Best Regards,
Cris
Hello Friends,
Work on the diorama base has started. I wanted to add a little something to the kai so I built steps similar to those I saw in the Frankfurt Ost Hafen. I have also applied the first layer of water to the riverbed.
Kind Regards,
Cris
Hello Friends,
Lastly, I have built some pilings that will go alongside the Kohlenkipper (see picture post 8). As it has been shown before, bamboo kebab skewers are the perfect diameter.
I hope everyone has a pleasant week and that it gets warmer!
Kind Regards,
Cris
Hello Friends,
Work on the Diorama Base continues.
Kind Regards,
Cris
Hi Cris,
wow, that looks great! I like Dioramas with many fine Details put together so well. The colour of the riverbed is like harbour brown and dirty, so it looks very realistic.
Nice work!
Kind Regards,
J.R.
Hi Cris,
yes, great work and very realistic water - like any water in a old harbour, I can smell it in my nose...(a little bit of stinky )...
Kind regards
HaJo
Hello Chris,
very well done! But I want You to consider the frame of the diorama. At first I built a frame like Yours. But after a while and some dioramas later I turned to all side open dioramas without a isolating frame. Now I can assamble other dioramas and enlarge my harbour scenes as I want to.It is only a considering proposal. You build what and how You want to.
Best regards
Ulrich
Congratulations, Chief Harbor Master Cris,
Marveless! I am looking forward to see this gem "in natura" in Bremerhaven.
Best regards
Werner
Hello Friends,
Vielen Dank for your kind words!
@JR and HaJo: Thanks to you both, I was a bit worried about the color at first...it seemed a bit risky.
Ulrich: I wish I had considered that! I like this new step the publishers (mainly Roko and HMV) are taking with the modular kai's and bases.
Werner: Yes my friend I am practically counting the days!
Kind Regards,
Cris
Friends,
The diorama is nearly complete. Here are a few pictures of the figure painting.
Friendly Regards,
Cris
Hello Cris!
Your diorama looks really good! Especially I like your costal frighter "Welle"!
Friendly Regards
Tobias
Hello Friends,
Here are pictures of the nearly completed diorama.
Thanks to all for reading and watching, and especially to the forum Management for hosting and encouraging the growth of our beloved hobby.
Tobias: Thank you for your kind words. I greatly enjoyed building the Welle and learning of her long and still ongoing history.
Kind Regards,
Cris
So Friends,
Do you believe it would look better with or with out the background? The background itself is a picture of 1930's Duisburger Parallelhafen.
Many Thanks,
Cris
Hi Cris
Wonderful work. The aging of the Kohlnekipper look very realistic.
I would make the diorama without a background image.
It distracts them too much.
I hope you understand that Google's English.
best regards
Peter
Hi Cris - simply great!
Regards,
Kurt
Hello Cris,
I like the background. It makes the diorama go round.
Hope you understand what I mean.
Regards Andy