Finishing Touches: The French helmets (the inspiration for the project) were created by making a mold of some Heller helmets and casting them in resin. My goal was to be able to make a “buck” and vacuform them from thin styrene. This would allow me to show them hollow and upturned. The vacuforming didn’t give me the detail I wanted and I decided it was worthwhile to hollow each out with a dremel tool and add liners made from putty. The chinstraps were made by flattening fine solder in a pasta maker and gluing and posing the pliable metal. The pouch beside the tank was made from putty and there’s a resin cast boot and a lasercut box on the ground as well. The dead looking leaves are from Hudson and Allen and the green leaves are Marjoram spice. The Flames: The flames are simulated by adding two random flickering LED lights, MPD- 021. The two red/yellow lights are activated and dropped into the tank via the turret ring. They are wrapped with some fine wire so that they can be positioned and pulled out again when it’s time to turn them off. The Final Scene: While there is a little room for some figures on the base, I am happy with the vignette and I don’t think it needs any figures. The composition works even without the flickering flames and smoke rising out of the tank. Conclusion: The smoke and flame effect adds a different dimension to the piece but I don’t think it will absolutely make the piece a success by itself. The vignette still has to be composed artistically and be able to get the message across without this extra device. With my project, I tried to stay focused on the idea that started it and not get bogged down with too much research and super detailing. Maybe the vignette ends up being allegorical in that the tank is not marked to any known unit and it is quite anonymous in its decoration. It and the almost two dozen helmets tell of abandonment and defeat, while the otherwise undisturbed street corner and tree, remain as always. Images and text ©Michael Bishop

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