„What if Russia invaded Germany“ - around 2014-2018
Diorama with multiple MBT‘s, IFV‘s and Infantry

Once I was a child with a big dream that I couldn’t fulfill.
I wanted to create a big diorama, to play on it with the Tanks I had built. But I simply wasn‘t able to get everything I wanted, either because my pocket money wasn‘t enough, or my skills and equipment weren’t good enough. As I grew older I came back to the Hobby in 2023 and I immediately got the thought of fulfilling my Dream now! Not because I want to play on it anymore - but to watch it in the end and especially built it and be happy to be able that I‘ve fulfilled a dream that I had almost forgotten.
Another dream of my „little mini-me“ was to built and paint a „perfect“ Leopard 2A5. And I surely wasn’t able to fulfill this dream as well. At least back then.

Times have changed and I have already managed to fulfill my smaller dream of building a „perfect Leopard 2A5“. This one will surely take place on the Diorama as well. As it is part of a heart thing.

About the Diorama itself (I‘ll keep most of the details for now, and reveal them when the time comes):

The scenario will be kind of a fictitious World War III Scenario. Germany is getting invaded by Russia and the Bundeswehr has taken positions to defend the oncoming Russian Tanks and soldiers. Timeline for the dio will sit around 2014-2018. Somewhere fictional placed in North-east Germany. *Further Details about the „Story of the Diorama“ will follow.

The Materials:

At first I had the plan to show and use different Versions of MBT‘s for both sides starting on the German side with the Leopard 2A5, and end with the 2A8. And on the Russian side I wanted to place Tanks starting with a T-72 up to the T-14 Armata.
But as Germany won’t receive the 2A8 anytime sooner than 2025, and the T-14 still being more in a „test-bed“ state, that turned out to be too fictional for me.
And while I was planning and starting to built the first Leopards, I came to the conclusion that 1 Leopard 2A5 with the 120mm L/44 Gun looks out of place between all the 120mm L/55 Guns.
So I changed my plans and decided to place two Leopard 2A5‘s, instead of just one.
Quick solution to the „background story“ why there would be Leopard 2A5‘s, with one being almost completely clean in a combat scenario taking place far after 2006:
In order to quickly compensate for losses in tanks, Leopard 2A5’s from the industry was quickly made ready for use again, because building and upgrading older 2A4‘s and 2A5‘s to 2A6 or 2A7 state would simply take too much time.
So the „clean“ Leopard came out of the production and went straight to the front.

After all I thought alright, now I will set two 2A5‘s, but what else? So I thought about taking two Leopard 2A6‘s with them. One as the „standard one“ the other as Leopard 2A6M, with the extra Mine-protection kit.
And as I wanted to at least show some different versions, I planned to set one Leopard 2A7 as well.
Beside those 5 Main-Battle-Tanks there will be, due to the combined-arms warfare doctrine of the Bundeswehr, a Marder 1A3 IVF and for some more advanced tech I‘ll place the new Puma IFV.
I‘ll place mechanized Infantry as well onto both sides.

For the russian side, I thought about the Ukrainian war and their doctrine there - and will keep more diversity with their MBT‘s.
Starting with a plain old T-72, that I still have from 16+ years ago. This one will be set at the moment of an ammo-rack explosion. I will include LED‘s and stuff to display it. Beside that I will place a modernized T-72B3, a T-80 variant (probably a BV), a T90A and a T90MS. As an IFV I thought about using a BMP 1.

The Diorama base itself isn’t started at the moment I open up this thread. But I have already the plans how to create everything and have already built a big part of the German side of the vehicles that will take place.

What‘s finished so far?:

- Border Model Leopard 2A5 (clean Version, weathered only on the lower hull and hull sides behind the suspension and wheels, will stand on an Asphalt road on the diorama.)

- Border Model Leopard 2A6 (weathering will follow when I start the Diorama base, to get an even finish on both)

- Border Model Leopard 2A5 (the second one, weathering will be included with the progress of the diorama)

- Revell Leopard 2A6 (this one isn’t from Border, due to it getting covered in a Camo-netting)

- Takom Leopard 2A7 (worst kit I ever had in my hands. But I‘ve made it! This one will get real dirty and battledamaged because I had a real fight with this kit!)

What am I working on at the moment:

- Revell T72M - Kit is already finished since like 18 years or something. It has some more and less damages due to movements around Germany. Hence why it’s displayed as exploding. (To give this Kit a second chance). I‘ve started the „normal“-weathering process today. Will wait for Burnt umber and some more colors to get a good „burnt“ paintjob on it.

- My first ever scratchbuilt house-ruins. Perfectly measured to scale!

- *For another planned Iraq Diorama: M1A2 SEP Abrams TUSK I (You can see the progress in the other album of the Abrams)

What is planned in the near future?:

- Painting the Mechanized-Infantry Company of the German soldiers
- Painting the Russian soldiers.
- Starting first steps on the diorama base itself. I wanna do the overall layout of the dio, and start to place some of the tanks and soldiers to get in touch with the final look it should get. Gonna built and paint the houses too in the near future.

In the Gallery I‘ll show my process. From the start. And I‘ll try to update it reguarly!