Ww1 horror of the trenches

Hi all well some of you may know my son bought me some first ww model kits for my birthday then casually dropped into the conversation he would like them in a dio for his school (he's head of history) first problem, I'm ashamed to say I know next to nothing about ww1, second problem the models he bought are from different periods of said war so can't be used together, second problem solved I will do 3 or 4 vignettes showing the start to end of war.
After a bit of research I've made a start on the trench (this is for school 12 to 14 yr olds ) I want to depict how horrific it was but need advice on how far to go I intend to have a shell exploding in the trench so would it be OK to show limbs blown off.
Anyway here's my start, I realise I have to do the step up ledge and started to excavate the dugouts I realise I need to add the corrugated tin above the dugouts, also I need to find a way of making loads of 1/72 scale sandbags.

Hi all well i spoke to Mike and he said do what you like, he's shown them pics of the trenches that he thinks are far worse than anything I could portray so here is the next installment.




I pinched the idea of the explosion from Ian W
Obviously his was far better but in my defence I've only just started, there's no colour or smoke I've not attached bits of ladder or other debris (or body parts) 
I'm quite pleased with the outcome so far.

H,i all need to cool it down a bit, I think the explosion is still too hot and still have to add debris and stuff but pleased with progress so far. I'm actually quite enjoying this even though it was sort of forced on me and is not my normal genre, maybe I should do more stuff like this.

Hi all here is the next bit, I remodeled it a little bit, I stuck the smashed up ladder and other bits of debris, then I kept looking at it and thinking what is wrong with it? Then it dawned on me they were broken but unmarked, no scorching or burning, so I've fixed that but it still seems wrong, any suggestions.

Hi all here is another update.

Hi all well i think this is finished (unless someone can tell me something is wrong with it) next one will be the start of the war, lots of mortar holes and mud. Will take some better pics in daylight.

Hi all made a start on the next one, this will be set prior to the trenches one so will basically be a muddy field.





The depression in the middle will be filled with muddy water .

Hi all here is how I did the explosion I got the idea from Ian W I've changed the method a bit but this is basically it, obviously it needs colour and smoke yet but this is the basic start of it.

Hi all well since Mike wants these done for after the Xmas break I thought I better have a go at my worst subject the planes, I've started with the easiest and this will be the crashed one, I've done a mock up of how I visualise it, I've borrowed the the battlefield dio base for this, when I do the Base I'm figuring on doing it in a grassy field or corn field with the Victor flying over.

Did they have parachutes then as if they did maybe I will have the pilot somewhere in it gliding to safety.

Hi all I did say planes were my nemesis, here is where I'm at, now, I don't know why I have so much trouble with planes.



This is a simple plane I've no idea how I'm going to cope with the rigging on the tri plane, still trying to get my head round the rigging on this one.

Hi all here is the next update,




I may scrap the planes dio (why are planes so blooming difficult)

Hi all here's the next update

Hi all well the first one in the series is done I've put the two together since that is how they will be displayed, I'm quite pleased with the outcome so far.

Hi all, well I've finished one of my nemesis's, the first plane, I know I'm rubbish at them but I think this would be OK in an infant school, hopefully the older kids will take pity on me as the first two dios are OK.

Hi all well here is the next installment, I was going to do this crashed in a green valley in the summer but then I thought, this is supposed to be showing the horror of the war, so I decided to have it crashed in a cold snow covered muddy field, so here is the revision, personally I think it looks really cold.

Hi all I decided to put the decals on before I put the wings on or the rigging as I can see it being very fiddly after, I'm figuring that maybe I will rig each layer of wings before I add the next layer, I know nothing about rigging planes, is this a good method or will it cause problems later on.

Now I'm confused, the instructions show the crossover rigging in the wings going through them with the middle of the cross intersecting the centre of the wing the box art shows the starting at the inside of the top wing and going in front of the other two and seeming to attach to the undercarriage and crossing below the centre wings, photos on Google are inconclusive, personally it would be easier if they didn't go through the wings, which is correct.

Hi all well here is the next update, I'm not happy with it but hey, that's par for the course, me and planes just plain don't mix.
The one thing in my advantage is none of the kids will probably never have seen a triplane and even if they had it would have probably been the red barons so they won't know if it's right or wrong.



In my defence it's tiny it's only 75 mm long and a wing span of only 110 mm