MSW crew-mate Raul Guzman Jr. treats us to something decidedly different, although definitely related, to our ship-building genre, with this magnificent diorama in this MSW Photo Feature, "Decision of the Admiralty Board"

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
~Gunny

Hi Raul

A very interesting display!
I am used to see one of our club members works, Carlos Filipe, since 99% of his work are shadow boxes!
It's a very interesting technique that forces the viewer to see what the modeler wants, and are always great displays and public favorites!

Bravo Zulu
Rui

Raul,

Beautiful presentation.

Thanks for sharing!

hello Raul,
great shadow box,alittle bit for everyone who looks at it.the Lord sitting with his foot up because of gout,reminds me of the Hornblower books.
thanks for sharing.
cheers,
Bruce

Didn't I see this same diorama/shadow box in one of Shep Paine's books?

Wow! Stunned again, Raul...great idea, beautifully executed.

Jesse:
My "Decision of the Admiralty Board" is very similiar to Sheperd Paine's one, yet a little different. In Paine's book, "How to Build Dioramas" one can see photos of his shadowbox. I have a 2 more figures, have two dogs, and an extra ship model than his. I also have my 3 tables with wood tops. My board room is oriented different to look more like a drawing I found on the internet. Overall it was a fun project. I'm sure another shadowbox diorama looms in my future. To those who commented on my work, thanks for your kind remarks.

Raul

Excellent work, beautifully executed. Great composition, gorgeous finish. Thanks again for posting! Cheers

Ah,those well remembered PHOENIX figures...Still have the highwayman diorama I made with their Brougham coach and highwayman,made when I lived in a favourite haunt of these gentlemen,Epping Forest.
Also still have 12 of the ever so slightly cheeky girls they marketed as well...
I often planned a big dio of brighton sea-front using all their Victorian figures and vehicles..The donkey rides/ice-cream trolley,etc....
I believe SOLDIERPAC of the UK has these and other Phoenix figs in stock...

In regards to Jesses comment above: A copy almost down to the "T" brace. I suppose that copying is the highest form of flattery. However, in my humble opinion, if you are going to copy someones art, Xerox it if you will, perhaps a nod to the original artist is in order? And that nod is very much absent in this case.....just my two cents.

For those who are wondering, here is Sheperd Paine's original version of this diorama as seen in his 1980 release of "How To Build Dioramas". Amazing to think it's been almost 30 years already since the release of this great book. Wow!

Credit should most assuredly be given to Shep Paine for this concept. As the great Yogi Berra said, "It's like déjà vu all over again!"

Lincoln and Dade:
Your comments about me not giving credit to Sheperd Paine is justified. I used his book on building dioramas as a guide, but I also included many differences in my model. I found on the internet a drawing of the admiralty board room and saw that he had flipped his room around. I made my board room look more like the drawing. It showed a ship model on a small table by the windows with sunlight filtering through. I incorporated that into my diorama. I choose to have two ship models and to add more figures than Paine's. Having more figures made it necessary to have a larger table top which I made of wood. All of my tables have wooden table tops, whereas Paine used the Phoenix furniture.

I added a wall map that was down like in the internet drawing. I added two dogs to my diorama. My room has a considerable more wood apperance than Paine's and the ceiling is elevated like in the drawing. My pilasters are different. Paine's bookcases, globes and wind direction device (all located on the back wall) are like the internet drawing, so it was necessary for me to do likewise. What I am trying to say is that I made my version somewhat similiar and yet different to the internet drawing and Sheperd Paine's. In the building log I made on this model on Model Ship World I showed at the begining a photo of Paine's fabulous diorama, the internet drawing and of Seymour Lucas' painting of the "New Design." I guess I should have done so here too.

Raul