My 2023 Diorama Entry

I wasn't originally going to post about this, but after all the time I spent on it, I feel like it should get at least some blog mention. 😂

I entered this year's virtual diorama entry. The theme was, "Driving Through History". It took me all of 30 seconds to pick a "moment in history". World War I horse-drawn ambulance!! They aren't as well known as other war time vehicles, simply because of how shortly they were in use. Below is a copy of what I wrote to Breyer as a historical reference.

The horse-drawn ambulance was used in World War I. They were used most heavily in the first two years of the war (1914-1915) before the motor ambulance was available. Their usage slowed down in 1916-1920, where they were mainly used to access areas that were impassable to motor vehicles. Any horse that knew how to pull was eligible to be deemed "needed" by the army. This resulted in motley teams, ranging from horses used to pull circus caravans to horses trained to take farm children to school. The earliest ambulances were sometimes built from the remains of farm wagons. English horse-drawn ambulances typically said "English Ambulance" while the American type usually displayed a white circle with red cross. Any ambulance bearing this symbol helped soldiers of both sides. Photographs of real horse-drawn ambulances can be viewed at this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/V7TgPmTsDHLLRF4P8 .

I started this diorama the day the contest was announced on the BF blog (March 1) and finished it the day that the entries were due (June 23). For those who are bad at math (like me) that is exactly 115 days. The entire process was 2 steps forward, one step back. The top of the wagon (the "canvas") is made from a plain blue shop towel, painted and stiffened. The red cross picture on the side is also made from a blue shop towel. Moral of the story: Never underestimate what your supplies can do. The wagon base and harnesses (not the bridles/reins) came from a TSC gift set I got for the SM scale props when it was 50% off after Christmas. The flag is a shop towel on a toothpick. The driver is hand crafted (the rules require him to be either handmade or Breyer-made) from all sorts of doll parts and polymer clay connections. The bridles and reins are. . . bad. Really bad. I am ashamed to say that I, ummm, forgot about that bit entirely, until I picked it up to take it outside for photos. I had it halfway to the door, before looking down and realizing my mistake. It was 2hrs to the deadline, and I hadn't even composed my email yet, so I just made some (unbaked) polymer clay strips and connected it.

The base was one of the biggest challenges. I re-did it four times before I declared it finished. I could have kept at it forever. The base base is a square of plexiglass. The next layer is blue shop towels painted brown. The next layer is a smeared dirt and glue mix. I rolled the wagon over and over, wearing ruts in the "mud" and dirtying up the wheels. I shaped some little mounds, and glued down some moss that I peeled off the trees in my woods (thank you, faithful crab apple!). The cross grave marker is sculpted (shoddily) from polymer clay and weathered in acrylic paint.

The horses are Breyer RR SMs. The pinto is from the Pintos and Palominos gift set and the appy is an old blister card RR. I filthy-ed up their lower legs with watered down mud. 

The title of the diorama is "Hoof-beats of Help". The short description, required by Breyer, is:

In this scene, a horse-drawn ambulance carrying wounded men rattles down a dusty road. They are heading for a first aid tent located about nine miles from the battleground. Grave markers litter the trail. Both horses focus on their path, pulling courageously through the dust and hate that surrounds them. The spotted one was a circus mare, pulled into service by the desperate need for trained horses. The pinto was a rural minister's trusty mount. He had trained her to pull when she was young, not knowing that the same training would be why she would be taken from him.

I really enjoyed this year's theme. I loved the creative freedom it allowed. Best of luck to all who entered! May the driving-est entry win. :)