The most amazing New Zealand Wars dioramas you’ll ever see!

[Arteis]

Many many years ago, before I was into wargaming as a hobby, I visited the Tawhiti Museum. Since then, I have always wanted to return, but never got around to it, despite it being only three hours drive away.

But that was fixed last weekend when I finally made my return visit. And what an amazing experience it was, especially now that I am wargamer, and even more so because I have a particular interest in the colonial New Zealand Wars.

The museum is the creation of one man, ex-art teacher Nigel Ogle. He started out as a wargamer, but the model-making side quickly became his passion. What started out as a hobby and a small private collection, grew rapidly with public demand to become the focus of an impressive visual history of the South Taranaki region.

The museum uses life-size exhibits and scale models to capture the past in a series of super-realistic displays.

I have just posted loads of photos of these amazing dioramas on my blog.  Here is a sampling of a few of the pictures, but there are plenty more on the blog here:
https://arteis.wordpress.com/2021/04/16/the-most-amazing-new-zealand-wars-dioramas-youll-ever-see/











Plenty more pics here: https://arteis.wordpress.com/2021/04/16/the-most-amazing-new-zealand-wars-dioramas-youll-ever-see/

[Helen]

Very nice diorama. Thank you for sharing.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Amazing artwork, thanks again for sharing!

[carlos marighela]

Those are superb. The vegetation is absolutely incredible, really very lifelike, so much soyou have to look twice.

Out of curiosity what scale are the non lifesized figures in the dioramas? 54mm or bigger? Really amazing work at any scale.

[meyer]

Wow

[Plynkes]

Nice! I've long thought the shawls of the Constabulary were very cool (and are about due for a fashion comeback in my book!). But I've never quite understood how they would be 'more comfortable' wear for trekking through the bush. Do you not have brambles, thistles, nettles or other hostile flora in Kiwiland? Not to mention biting, stinging insects and the like. 

[Captain Blood]

Amazing modelling. Thanks for sharing 

[Arteis]

@Carlos: The scale varies. In the large diorama that features in first half-dozen of the pictures on my blog, he uses mainly what appear to be 54mm figures, with smaller scales in behind to produce a forced perspective look.  But the other pictures show figures ranging from 1:75 to 1:12.

@Plynykes: I think the shawl dress adopted by AC members on campaign was for the same reason that today's trampers/hikers in the bush often prefer to wear shorts rather than long trousers. It also basically replicated the dress that the Maori wore.

[fred]

Wow! Those are super impressive dioramas, with some great photos of them.

An era I’ve just realised I know very little about, so your blog was most informative.

Strangely the larger scale figures are the ones that look least realistic (at least to me) not quite sure why, perhaps it is because they use really cloth, and due to the small size it doesn’t sit quite right?

[Jack Jones]

Blimey! Superb! The camp diorama has given me inspiration for a forthcoming vignette for my Sudan project.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
JJ

[carlos marighela]

I suppose shorts and a pair of jandles are all you need when ‘tremping’ in NZ. The fiercest wildlife likely to be encountered being rare and somewhat dopey flightless parrots attempting to mate with your head, kiwis and leeches. More sturdy nether wear is advised when bushwalking on the other side of the ditch, as the fauna can be less forgiving.b

[Matakakea]

I've not been to Tawhiti since '06. Hopefully I can afford to go home in the not too distant future and visit there again. Thanks for posting all these photos. It's good to see that Nigel is still producing new dioramas for our delectation.

[Arthur]

Blimey, that Nigel chap is a bit talented, isn't he ?