Scale: 1/72 | Models used: Special Navy – Biber (kit nr. SN72006), Special Armour – trailer (SA72018), figures from White Stork Miniatures
Materials used: AK Carving Foam, balsa wood, MIG Water Gel, ladder (Scale23), crates (Black Dog), barrels from different brands

This diorama displays a German Midget Submarine called the ‘Biber’ or ‘Beaver’. Armed with two externally mounted torpedoes or mines, they were intended to attack coastal shipping. They were among the smallest submarines in the Kriegsmarine.

The Biber depicted in this diorama has been delivered by trailer to the naval base, ready for some action in 1944. Two officers discuss how this little submarine is going to make its next attack, while an engineer is taking his well deserved smoke break.

A Biber captured by the British Army near Arras, France, after being abandoned by the retreating Germans (1944). Credit: Collections of the Imperial War Museums.

Regarding the build, these kits are crisply moulded and contain plenty of detail. Building the (Special Armour) trailer with all of it’s framework was a nice little challenge. The dock section was build up from three layers of AK Interactive Carving Foam. After some sanding I carved the masonry and brickwork textures with a little tool. Painting the elements was a procedure of starting with the darker tones and ending with the lighter tones. The three figures come from White Stork Miniatures, the crates and barrels from several other brands.

Water was created by painting a dark blue base layer and adding some MIG Water Gel to create the waves. The foam was realized by utilising some white cotton with some paint.

I believe skill wise, this is one on those dioramas where everything comes together. Building, painting, weathering, scatch-building, the story telling. Pretty proud of this one. It even featured as the thumbnail of the Youtube Group Build livestream from Model Minutes.