I was inspired by David L. Robins' historical novel, "Last Citadel" about the battle of Kursk.
The original concept for this project was a snapshot of the Russian defense preparations on the steppe. I found some reference photos of civilians digging entrenchments/tank traps and bought a number of old, discounted, 1:72 scale armor kits, as well as a large photo frame for the base. All of this went into the stash, untouched for years.
When I finally got around to building the kits I'd purchased, I realized only one or two of the vehicles and none of the tanks were correct for the battle of Kursk, and I also discovered they are terrible kits--very bad fits and not all that accurate in some respects.
Nevertheless, I soldiered on and changed the concept of the diorama. This was a good learning experience, and despite the quality of the kits, I'm pleased with the result.