Building a diorama always starts with an idea: I wanted to combine tanks and airplanes, and the idea came to me of a tank being transported on a rail car, passing by an airfield. I chose late WWII Germany as the time and place, and went from there preparing and gathering the needed elements: the base, kits, train tracks, etc. A small, relatively simple design came to mind:

THE STORY:

In 1945, the Reich was shrinking in size, and more of the Fatherland was militarized. Airfields were expanded and rail lines were being utilized almost exclusively for military transport. Here, a Jadgpanzer IV is being transported from one front to the other through the heart of the Fatherland, passing by an airfield revetment where sits a revolutionary new Blohm und Vos BV 212.3 jet fighter.

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A panzer crew has come in a half-track to make adjustments to the tank.... as Luftwaffe ground crew do the same to the fighter plane.

Tank crews and Luftwaffe personnel compare these "wonder weapons".

THE KITS:

Blohm und Vos BV212.3 "Just Fantasy" brand resin kit - this plane was partially constructed near the end of WWII and its design was an inspiration for later "Cold War" era fighters. 

Jadgpanzer IV "Lang" - Bandai Pz. IV Mobelwagon chassis and resin superstructure(Steve Faxon manufacturer)

Tank Crew figures  -  Jaguar

Opel Mautlier truck: Bandai

Rail car: "Battalion Bits" resin

Monogram and other figures.
 

THE BASE:

Plywood with ground cover materials added as dirt, ground litter, and foliage from a few commercial diorama products like Woodland Scenics ground cover and a Heki grassmatt.  The dirt was made with plaster mixed with dark brown acrylic paint.  The planks are coffee stir-sticks; the runway is "Pend Oreille" runway segments.  The railroad tracks are "Allied" brand "O"Gauge, on slightly raised bed with kitty litter gravel.

The diorama is finished with a plexiglass case to protect it from dust and breakage.

Steve