Awesome Build Review - Herr Hauptman's Champagne by Rhodes A. Williams

Wanna see a diorama that'll leave your jaw gaping? Check out Herr Hauptman's Champagne, a diorama about a group of German soldiers trying to retrieve champagne bottles from a sunken trawler. Rhodes Williams took 20 months to complete this project in 2007, and the result is so stunning that many who have seen it would still be talking about it for years to come. When I first saw it, I remembered all I could utter out was "Wow, Whoa, Shoot, How did he do that???"


Herr Hauptman's Champagne



This diorama can be divided into two sections, the first is the underwater scene with the sunken tugboat, and second, the activities on board the German patrol boat on the surface. 

The details reflected from the sunken tugboat, along with its numerous debris and underwater plants are very well done. Not many wreck dioramas are actually made due to the difficulties involved trying to make them look realistic. Rhodes just made this look easy. The debris field are evenly filled around the sunken boat with pieces of wood and things you would find in a boat, while the plants added a sense of aura to the scenery. The entire underwater view is cleverly encased with a display case giving the whole scene a very natural underwater setting. The whole image is like saying the wreck is unwilling to give up its treasures without a fight.

On the surface, another story is being told, one of soldiers making the best of their situation. The swimming divers was a nice touch giving the entire diorama a sense of depth, and the rest of the soldier's expressions are portrayed very well here. You'll see on one side, a group is very focused on a shark while on the other side, some are eagerly assisting the diver. All the figures are fluidly portrayed as a moment in time captured during an era when war is not the enemy.

Kudos on a work well done on this diorama, we truly need to see more work of this calibre. It is the epitome of creativity and skills combined to produce a one of a kind show stealer. Congratulations to Rhodes Williams for the inspirational piece.