Cinema and the Germans (Кино и немцы in Russian) is an idiomatic expression dating back to the Soviet era, used to describe something hectic, action-packed, full of events, and slightly absurd. But it became the title of this diorama because, well, it features both cinema (an old movie theater and a cameraman) and Germans. That's what happens when a working title somehow becomes the official and final one…

The idea came about spontaneously, inspired by the combination of figures that already had a story of their own: a Soviet cameraman and a Red Army soldier kicking a captured enemy in the backside (sculpted by Vladimir Demchenko, Bravo 6). The Soldatenkino movie theater then somehow appeared in the background, while a collection of vehicle models assembled over the course of a year — an M3A1 Scout Car, a Ford GPA amphibious vehicle, a Kettenkrad half-track motorcycle with trailer, and a Puppchen grenade launcher — came together to form a fairly simple composition.

The models used are by Tamiya and Dragon (Puppchen). Figures by Bravo 6, Stalingrad Miniatures, ENGINEERING MINIATURES, Border, Tamiya, and Alpine Miniatures (some featuring Hornet and Armor 35 heads). Accessories by MiniArt, Crow Studio, MiniWarPaint, Cardboard Samurai, and others.

Almost all the decals were custom-printed by Kolokolnikov Studio. They also supplied the 3D-printed Odeon Lichtspiele cinema sign.

The base is made of sheet cork and two-part air-drying JAS modeling clay, used to create the sidewalk and cobblestone road. The building itself is made from styrene sheet, bookbinding board, and ready-made MiniArt parts (window, doors, and lamps).

I'm not entirely happy with the final result myself (see the “Sandbox” category), but I did my best to fill the scene with details.

Special thanks to Boris Harlamov for the photo background composite.

More photos on VK: https://vk.ru/album714695090_312332238