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This is the biggest and hardest project I have ever attempted. My best guess is that I have close to 700
hours in this one - maybe more. As in most of my projects, this concept started off as something simple - just an armored
column crossing a stone bridge over a stream in Italy. As I got more involved, so did the project. The church is partly from
scratch, with some Verlinden plaster parts added. The statues are little pewter figurines, repainted to look like weathered
bronze. The cross and other metal decorations are sterling silver jewelry from my business, repainted and glued in place.
The ruined house on the left is from scratch. The stone bridge was made with aquarium pebbles, and the railing is from OO
train tracks.
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Above: The armor is being held up by a stubborn mule, which will not move even with the physical persuasion
of a Paisano and a US tank crewman. Apparently, the mule does not know there is a war on. Imagine that. Note the patches on
the Paisano's pants. Nearby, another Italian throws his arms up in frustration at a GI urging him, politely, to get his cart
the hell out of the way. No one does hand gestures better than Italians. The M-24 Chaffee is a Testors kit, the mule and
goose are Tamiya, and the cart is scratch built. The hay is rope, and the tarp is a section of a surgical glove.
I took a bit of "Historical License" here which I so rarely do - the M-24 never served at
Anzio - it did not make its combat debut until 1945. I originally had a Sherman in the diorama, but it dominated the scene
and I thought the M-24 gave better balance to the diorama. Besides, it was a cool kit and I just wanted to build it.
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Above: A side view, showing the interior of the ruined house. A picture of Mussolini, shrunk down from an
internet picture, hangs on the wall. The house is made from sections of balsa wood and sheet cork from a railroad hobby store.
The broken door is adorned with eagle wings from some broken jewelry. The street is clay, with the cobblestones raised by
pushing a flattened piece of a large strainer into the clay before it is dry. The jeep is a Monogram kit.
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Above: Like I said, I got really involved in this model. This is the interior of the M-8 Howitzer Motor Carriage
from Tamiya.
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