#Selfie

About This Project

A diorama inspired by a rusting Sherman tank standing on a tropical beach, now surrounded by tourists taking photographs and selfies. The project explores the contrast between historical artifacts and modern social media culture, inviting viewers to reflect on how people experience places and moments in the digital age.

Full Story

While wandering through the endless depths of the internet, I came across a photograph of a rusting Sherman tank abandoned on a tropical beach (Flamenco Beach, Culebra). Once a machine built for war, it had become a colorful canvas covered in graffiti. What intrigued me even more were the tourists posing beside it, taking selfies and carefully staging photos for social media.

That contrast became the inspiration for this project. To me, it reflects a world where people visit beautiful places yet often experience them through a phone screen, chasing likes and engagement rather than the moment itself. The diorama explores the collision between history and modern self-promotion.

Several elements were designed and produced using my 3D printer, including the selfie girl figure, modeled in Daz3D, finalized in Cinema 4D, and printed on a Solus3D resin printer. Additional printed accessories include the turtle, starfish, seashells, handbag, flip-flops, and sun hat.

To portray decades of corrosion and exposure, the Sherman received extensive weathering. Surface texture was created by dabbing Mr. Surfacer, followed by layers of rust-toned Tamiya paints. Individually masked, airbrushed, and hand-painted, the graffiti became one of the focal points of the project. Final weathering was completed with rust effects, streaking grime, slimy grime and other products from AK Interactive.

The groundwork consists of carved polystyrene covered with AK Interactive Diorama Sand Paste. For the sea, I used tinted AK Resin Water epoxy combined with transparent water effects to create waves and sea foam.

Painting of the figure started with Tamiya paints, while highlights and shadows were blended using Abteilung oil paints. Her hair was created from brushed and straightened yarn fibers, applied in groups of strands. A handmade palm tree forms the final centerpiece of the scene. Built around a flexible cable core and textured with tissue paper, it was designed to remain strong while retaining a natural shape. The leaves were laser-cut from paper (many thanks to my cousin David for the help), shaped, and painted by hand, while the coconuts were sculpted from Milliput.

Model: M4 Sherman US Marines (Italeri 6389)