Mustering the Troops - Paul's modest contribution

[paulr]

Just astounding !
I think you've given a great idea of the overall size, Pail.
In the top picture the figures almost 'look like ants'.....But we know that each 'ant' is a 54mm figure !
Truly awesome !

Cheers - Phil

Phil, I'm not sure how to break this to you

That is only about 2/3 of the length, to the right is Battleship Hill, the last picture, and about as much again

To the left is the rest of Sazli Dere and Rhododendron Spur down to the Apex, picture 3, which is nearly as long as what you can see there

You can't see the Ottoman side of the hill, part of which is shown in picture 6 or the Ottomans in the Dere beyond Battleship Hill (dead ground in the last picture)

Enormous, it is a great tribute for all those fallen in this battle.
I work in LE QUESNOY and I know the importance of this city for the New Zealanders. I attended the ceremonies of the ANZAC Day in this city it was magnificent

The respect shown to our fallen and the efforts of our troops so far from home is deeply appreciated here

[paulr]

For those who don't know the story of LE QUESNOY it was liberated by the New Zealand Division on 4 November 1918.

Rather than risk civilian lives with an artillery bombardment, the New Zealanders ...

[TONTON FLINGUEUR]

A photo of the monument in tribute of the New Zealand soldiers who freed Quesnoy.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Awe inspiring stuff.
A fitting memorial to a horrific folly!

[paulr]

I can almost imagine the story of  LE QUESNOY as a Blackadder script

Lord Melchett: Captain Blackadder there are 1,500 Huns defending  LE QUESNOY, you have to capture it. However it is such a beautiful town with all its historic battlements and other defences that I can't let you have any artillery support

Captain Darling: But we have found you a ladder

[paulr]

The offical blog has posted some more pictures, this time focusing on the setting around the diorama and the visitor's interacting with it.

Approaching the diorama past some of the 200 colourised pictures in the New Zealand Room


The first view of the diorama


My daughter and I examining the diorama


Seeing all ages engaged by the diorama makes it even more worthwhile


More pictures and Roly's thoughts here, http://anzacdiorama.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/more-photos-of-sir-peter-jacksons.html

[WeeWars]

Paul, When you walk in the room, you must first see the barren landscape? How near do you have to get before you begin to recognise that it's armies of men populating the terrain?

[paulr]

Paul, When you walk in the room, you must first see the barren landscape? How near do you have to get before you begin to recognise that it's armies of men populating the terrain?

I found that my eye was caught by the trench line and you notice the difference between the empty trench and where it is occupied at several meters.

The trench line leads your eye to the two companies of Ottomans counter attacking near the pillar and again you can see they are people from several meters away.

As you get closer more and more detail is revealed, such as the casualties suffered by that counter attack (from MGs and rifle fire from the Apex)

[WeeWars]

Quite different from how we usually perceive a game on the tabletop: figures first, terrain second.

[Techno]

Good grief !!

NOW I'm beginning to understand the scale of the display !
I was somewhat overawed with yesterday' s photo's....But today.....

(WOW again) - Phil.

[Steve J]

A simply stunning display and interesting that at times you were viewing at eye level.

[paulr]

A simply stunning display and interesting that at times you were viewing at eye level.

The more I look at the diorama and its strange shape



and think about the constraints of the room, including two structural pillars that had to pass through the the diorama the more impressed I am at the way it so successfully tells it complex story.

A lot of careful thought has gone into the layout, the different heights and the raised platforms a some locations allow different views and highlight different features of the battle.

Overall it is 12.8 metres by 11.5 metres (or 42 feet by 38 feet in old money)

Another way to think about it is Battleship Hill with the Ottoman trenches, the first part of the diorama you see, is about four 6'x4' tables

[paulr]

Matthew Wright, author and historian, has blogged on his visit to the diorama
https://mjwrightnz.wordpress.com/2015/06/24/peter-jacksons-re-definition-of-awesome-the-gallipoli-diorama-close-up/

Last weekend I visited Sir Peter Jackson's giant diorama of New Zealand's attack on Chunuk Bair at the height of the Gallipoli campaign in August 1915. Giant? You betcha. With 5000 custom-posed 54-mm figures, individually painted by volunteer wargamers from around New Zealand, the only word is wow!

And a couple of teaser photos...

The forward trench


The southern slope of Rhododendron spur looking back towards the Pinnacle and Apex

[Techno]

Wonderful !
Cheers - Phil.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Wow!

[jchaos79]

That is beautiful and great and ... wow... yep

good work

[paulr]

The August Wargames Illustrated features a 10 page article on the Chunuk Bair diorama.



Now the article has been published further pictures of the diorama have been released http://anzacdiorama.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/the-very-best-pics-of-massive-chunuk.html

There are a number of pictures there for those interested, make sure you click on the images on the blog to enlarge them and get the full effect of the images.

I've included a few 'teaser' images here but it is well worth visiting the blog.



Michael Perry is working on The Apex in the foreground, the two Weta Workshop staff in the middle distance are sitting at The Pinnacle, and way off in the distance two other staff are populating the trenches on Chunuk Bair itself.

Another look at this amazing but horrible shot ... never in any diorama have we seen the cost and horror of battle so dramatically conveyed.

Two unfortunate Turkish soldiers in a heart-wrenching little vignette.

One of many vignette scattered across the diorama, I wonder if that Turkish kabalak in the bottom left is one I painted

[Techno]

You mean you didn't sign each one !   
Cheers - Phil