The Bishkek 2nd Basilisk: part 3, gun detailing & the bunker build

I have been able to do some more work on the Bishkek 2nd Basilisk Battery. After finishing the initial build, I did some minor detailing. Mostly I worked on the back lid of the barrel. In part 2 you can read about my concerns with the original GW design. Here's how I fixed it:

I added the top hinge and used the original back lid, added some rivets; it made the whole thing pretty believable. Because the GW design is not meant to have the lid be open, the model doesn't have detailing inside. I added an old rim from the bitzbox to give some tightness and detail. Also rivets on that part. Lastly I added a turning mechanism that helps the crew push the shell into position.

Some battle damage can't hurt. using a hand drill first make a round hole, then use a knife and cut away from the hole in a star-like pattern. With a little practice, this works very well.

I shaved off the winged skull on the shield, which looks a bit rough and clumsy to me. Instead I added the Imperial eagle on the barrel. I will paint them as part of the metal casting, not white or bone.

Allright, on the diorama with the bunker.

I am using an old base from this OOP Revell model..

(allright, stop here for a sec. My very, very first post for Santa Cruz Warhammer (exactly 3 years ago!) was a post about a kitbashed Squiggoth where I used the Triceratops above, click here for that one...After all these years I still had the base for this model and can use it now. I am telling you, never throw stuff away, you never know when you are ready to use bitz) OK, here's a picture of that Squiggoth:

Aah, back in the day...I sculpted all the head stuff with clay....

OK, back to important things. So again, here's the look of what I am after:

Here's what I concocted:

I could not get a hold of blue or pink foam, but had gotten some scraps from my buddy Christian, so I filled up the area a much as I could. Then I added the plastic card around, then newspaper, soaked in water with PVA glue. That filled up the area and gave me options to create some elevation.

I used superglue with accelarator to shape the plastic card around the curved lines of the base.

That's all for now, time to let it dry!

Cheers

Mike