Simple & easy, yet stunningly effective hints & tips to help you turn your model into a dynamic diorama!!!
The two part article that follows was written by myself, for Model & Collectors Mart magazine. Part one was published in July 1996 and part two in August 1996.
For anyone who had seen the original articles, you would have noticed that for some reason known only to the editor, some of the pictures that had been used, were printed the wrong way round. Fortunately the only two models that this really affected were the SKY1 and the Shado Mobile dioramas.
Copies of the original articles are shown below. Click on thumbnail to see larger image.
I have reproduced the contents of the article with only minor modifications, the only major change made, was to the layout of the articles, I did not see the need to reproduce it the way it had been laid out in the magazine, here on the web pages, column space is not such an issue. Some of the images used within the article have not been used on the main web pages in the Model section, as I had multiple images to choose from and I did not want to have too many pictures of the same type and subject matter.
Also, I had supplied the editor of model Mart with a selection of slides on various model subjects, and he decided which pictures would eventually be printed to accompany the article. The majority of these had a white background which was very useful to print with as it allowed text to be placed virtually anywhere on the page, but the pictures with the white background do not appear quite as good on these pages, hence that is why I have included copies of the original article, to use as a comparison.
The images that are shown, are shown as in the original article, even those that are the wrong way round, as you read on you will see what I mean. I hope that you enjoy the article and gain some benefit from these techniques.
That little something extra...
There are now many products available on the market to purchase, that a modeler can utilize to achieve similar results to the ones shown in my article, however some of these are quite expensive or are very difficult to obtain. I have offered a simple inexpensive alterative, that any modeler of any reasonable level of skill can easily achieve, by using materials that can be purchased almost anywhere. All you need is patience and lots and lots of practice...
T800 endoskeletons from the Terminator movies by James Cameron.
I personally am not a fan of the Static Display model, now I know a lot of people who are, and certain models just have to be static, cars, ships and aircraft for example can be very limiting in alternative ways in which to display them. Static models have there devotees, and I would not have it any other way, we can all appreciate a fine model and admire the effort and skill that has gone into the finished piece. After all, as with many things in life, it all comes down to personal taste.
However, the science fiction and fantasy modeler does not have so many restraints placed on them as to how they should display their favorite craft etc. So why settle for a boring static display, when you can have an alternative that will give your model added depth, and a dynamic feel to it. For only a little extra outlay, and a bit more of your spare time, you can achieve a feeling of motion, and a more pleasing overall finish.
When I say 'that little extra' in terms of materials and expenditure, that is exactly what I mean. You do not have to go out and spend loads of your hard earned cash, to achieve a satisfying overall effect, all you really need is, IMAGINATION, and a little thought, but obviously the more you can put in, the more you can get out.
If you are a beginner, try not to be too daunted by the task in hand, or to be easily put off because the subject looks to complicated. All you need is some good reference material, a book, magazine or video/DVD. If you need inspiration, break out that movie or those episodes of the series that contain your favored craft. After you have watched the entire movie or several episodes, which generally tends to happen to me quite a lot, (all in the name of reference, you understand) find a scene that you think would look good as a diorama, and hey presto, your away, it can be as easy as that. Some models look better from different angles, so choose your favorite, (after all, your the one who will probably spend most of the time looking at it). The most pleasing view of your prized model, may not be the most accurate as it appears on the screen, or in the pages of a book, so just remember these two words, Artistic License. It does not have to look 100% accurate, just as long as it 'looks the part' so to speak, and hey if your happy with it, then that is what is important. If you decide that you could have done better, then try it again, until you are happy with the finished results. At the end of the day the only way to get experience, is to keep on trying.
Colonial Marine APC from another Cameron movie, Aliens.
As previously mentioned, you do not have to spend a fortune on materials for your diorama base. You may be surprised at what you can use to achieve the effect that you want. Selective shopping for the materials can save you more money than you may think When you have decided which scene you wish to immortalize in your masterpiece, and have decided if you need a baseboard to mount it on, measure the model and allow some extra space on the board, so that the finished model will not overhang and cause possible damage. If you need to clean and/or transport the completed diorama at a later date, it will be easier if the model stays within the foot print of the board, of course this is not always possible, so try to make any overhang, as small as possible.
The choice of baseboard material is up to you. You can use many sorts of wood cut into a suitable size, or you may use something like pre cut chopping boards, which are available in various sizes and are available from most supermarkets or hardware stores, and are usually made from Beech. But you will find that the prices vary a great deal, so be warned, you will need to shop around for the best price. I have used this wood previously to good effect, but it has one drawback, if you try to texture the board with a very moist mix of whatever medium you are going to use, it has a tendency to warp, if you use Milliput or a similar modeling putty, you are generally OK. If in doubt use caution, because if you use an interior filler mix that is too wet, or if you put on too thick a layer of the filler, you can end up scrapping the board.
The alien APC (above), uses a Beech board textured with Milliput modeling putty, as is the Invaders UFO shown below. The TB2 shown on the cover of Model & Collectors Mart (thumbnail 1, above), and the Shado Mobile diorama, uses the same Beech board as the APC, but is textured using interior filler.
The Invaders, The classic U.S. sci-fi show.
A much safer bet for heavy texturing is MDF, (Medium Density Fibre board), which is available from your local DIY store, usually in sheets. Some of these DIY stores even offer a free cutting service, or will make a small charge for the cutting of your sheet. I find that a 6ft x 4ft sheet will usually make several reasonably large bases, or a dozen or so smaller ones. You have to put up with some strange looks from the staff and other customers, as you start with a large sheet, and end up with a large bag of MDF tiles, in various sizes. But this is an easy cost effective way, to get your boards cut to size in one go, and all the hard work is removed, the hard part is paying for it.
You can safely texture MDF with a heavy layer of medium, the best sizes to use are 10mm, 12mm and 15mm thickness. There is a large range of texturing materials available, from ready mixed exterior/interior fillers to boxes of mix it your self fillers. Again, my advice is to shop around, as prices will be vastly different, there are loads of branded materials available, but you will pay more for a well known brand. You can find materials just as good for a lot less cost, if you take the time to look round. You may be amazed at the difference in prices when you start to compare less well known brands with the better known ones. The thing to remember is no matter what the brand and what the cost, they generally do exactly the same job.
I tend to use an interior filler that you mix yourself, and a you can make different effects using the same filler, but with slightly different techniques. Desert terrain and water, start out in exactly the same way, and in the next part of the article I will give a step by step guide on how to achieve these finishes.
The Shado Mobile from Gerry Anderson's live action TV series, UFO.
Of course if you only wish to make an uneven surface or grassy finish, then you can use the Scatter mediums that are available, these are sometimes referred to as Flock or Scenic materials, and there is a huge range available to purchase, the best place to find these is in Model Railway outlets. You can create various grass, soil and stone effects, by using them on their own or by combining and mixing them to achieve the desired effect. The scatter mediums all have one thing in common though, they will need to be glued down and 'fixed'. I use a PVA adhesive available from Art & Craft shops to glue the scatter medium with. the only other requirement is a suitable brush to apply the PVA and some water to thin out the PVA, as it is very viscous straight from the tub. If you need to thin the PVA at all, do it as you proceed, rather than thinning all of the adhesive. Remember to put down newspaper or something similar to work on, as the scatter medium will go everywhere when you use it, and the paper will also catch the excess medium, and make it easier to collect it after you have finished. This material is very light and will get into every nook and cranny if you are not careful.
First coat the base with the PVA adhesive, then scatter the flock over the glue, then gently tip off the excess and you should have a nice even coating over the area you covered with the PVA. Leave it to dry, generally until the next day, and then you will need to fix it with a varnish or lacquer, to make sure that it does not come off, as you can accidentally remove the medium if it has not been properly fixed. Remember that when you fix the scatter medium that if you use a gloss lacquer or varnish that the overall effect will end up with a satin finish, if you want to have a completely matt finish, make sure that you get a matt varnish. And a water effect will need a satin or a gloss finish. So its a good job that the lacquers and varnish are available in matt, satin and gloss finishes.
Another alternative is to paint the scatter medium, and to dry brush different shades to give you yet more effects, but it will still need to be fixed, and left to dry, or you will find that as you paint the base, you are removing the flock with each brush stroke. For that finishing touch, you can also add suitably cleaned twigs and stones or you will find that you can also purchase these items as well as coloured lichens, bushes and trees, from the same stockists as you obtained the scatter medium. Remember that these will need to glued down with a two part epoxy resin or superglue (cynocrylate) type of adhesive.
These methods are very simple and will make your finished diorama more attractive, as it will give a depth of field that was lacking before. These methods work just as well for any style of model, be it sci-fi/fantasy, contemporary vehicles, AFV models, aircraft and even Napoleonic subjects.
.
Another view of The Invaders UFO
Next time I will discuss more about the effects you can create with the types of fillers that I have mentioned, and I will give a step by step guide to create a pleasing water and sand effect. So until then, give that model you have been thinking of building another look, to give it 'that little something extra...'
Thanks to Steve Woods of Classic Photos, my associate Tony, who insists that I work on at least half a dozen projects at the same time, and Tony James of Comet Miniatures for providing us with plenty of projects to build, see Comets site for what they have available, you will find a link to them on our links page.
That little something extra...PT 2.
For the second part of this article, I will give a step by step guide to creating realistic and pleasing effects, using the materials discussed in part 1. You will be able to create more than one type of effect using the methods I will describe, but all the materials, tools and equipment remain the same.
The most popular dioramas produced using these techniques have tended to be aircraft and vehicles, but because these are sci-fi models, aircraft has tended to mean such craft as SKY1 from UFO, Thunderbird 2, Eagle Transporters from Space 1999, various UFO type craft and the Flying Sub from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea etc etc. The vehicles used have been Shado Mobiles, Thunderbird 4, SPV/SPC from Captain Scarlet etc etc. All can be made into nice models in their own right, but on their own are just a little boring and well STATIC.
SKY 1 from Gerry Andersons UFO. (or looking at the lettering, this could be the Russian Version).
This how to guide will change that, and possibly your perception of how you look at your model projects in the future. Many model displays can be improved by using these methods, but not every model will look right or be suitable, in cases like this common sense applies. This guide will cover the work needed to reproduce the SKY1 and Flying Sub for the water effect, and a general description of how to reproduce a sand or sea bottom effect.
To proceed with this project you will need the following materials :- interior filler or similar, baseboard of suitable dimensions, paint, black, dark green, light green, mid blue and white for the water. Terracotta or light brown, golden yellow or similar, yellow and white for the sand effect, (I prefer to work with acrylics, but enamels or oils will do), varnish or lacquer (satin or gloss), brass rod, two part epoxy resin adhesive, and cotton wool.
The tools needed are :- a suitable bowl to mix the filler, a spatula or spoon for mixing and spreading the filler, a medium to large brush to help smooth out the filler, a selection of paint and dry brushes, a small container of water, a palette or sheets of paper, and last but not least a small piece of sponge (the sponge that I use, comes out of blister packs of metal miniatures or packing, this is ideal for this job, but a bath type sponge will do, provided it is not the heavy open grade type of bath sponge). You will also need access to a model drill and drill bit the same diameter as the brass rod, and a junior hack saw.
The Nautilus from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.
Step 0.
Put on the kettle and make a good strong cup of coffee or tea if you prefer, and look at what you want to see in the effect that you are trying to create, it is better to do this at this stage, because once the filler starts to dry, you have run out of time to make adjustments.
Step 1.
Having selected your model and finished it, you will need to have cut the base to the required size. Look at what position you want the model to be in, the angle of climb etc. making sure that the finished position is inside the edges of the base. Brass rod comes in approx 12" lengths, so you will need to cut this in half, a support rod for each engine. I tend to use the engines or thrusters as the support point on models such as this, as you can completely hide all evidence of the support.
You now need to mark the position on the base for the brass rod, this is the support for the model, in this instance on SKY 1 or the Flying Sub the rod will be placed up through the engine, into previously drilled holes, drill out the holes needed to a depth of about 5-6mm in the baseboard. Take the two lengths of rod and test fit them into the drilled holes, they should be a tight fit, and bend them into the required position, about 1/4-1/2" out of the holes, I suggest about 45 degrees for these models (see pictures) to give the effect of the craft climbing out of the water. Mix some two part epoxy resin and glue them into position, making sure that the rods will still slide into the holes in the engine housing.
Step 2.
When the epoxy resin is dry, you can proceed to the next stage, which is to mix up the filler in your bowl. This will need to be mixed as a smooth paste, if you mix it to thin the filler will ooze off of the edges of the base, or to thick, and it will probably begin to dry to quickly, and you will not be able to texture it correctly. When you have your filler mixed to a smooth paste, spread it evenly over the base, using the spatula or spoon to a depth of about 1/4 -1/2". You may cover the entire base with the texture, or leave a border of untextured board around the edges, it is entirely up to you. Take your medium to large brush, and moisten it, then gently brush over the filler to even out the surface. If you are going to try the desert terrain you may find that there are already patches of base that have a greater depth of filler, that create undulating ground, so you can leave it like this if you wish. You will need to leave the filler to dry for a while, the drying time will all depend on the ambient temperature at the time, so there is no hard and fast time to allow for this.
Step 3.
The best way to check on the progress of the drying filler, is to occasionally dab your piece of sponge onto the filler. If the filler rises when you raise the sponge off of it, and then immediately sinks back down to the same level as it was before, it is still too wet, leave for a while longer, and try again later. If the filler rises when you raise the sponge, and this time leaves a raised print, it is ready to texture, and you may proceed.
For water :- Make sure that your piece of sponge is dry, dab at the filler repeatedly, over the entire area to be textured, you will notice that each time you do this the prints will stay erect, or only slightly sink. If your sponge gets too clogged up, wash it out, but make sure that you squeeze out all of the water thoroughly. You will see the effect of waves starting to appear, you will probably need to dab over the filler several times, to make sure that the wave crests stay erect. Remember that there will be different sizes of waves, larger at the point of exit, getting smaller as they get farther away, remember to texture the thrust points, if they are going to be visible. As the filler starts to dry out, you can create the smaller waves, this will have to be done quickly as the filler will start to dry very rapidly all at once, and it will be too late to alter your texture.
For sand or desert terrain :- The procedure is exactly the same, but make sure this time, that your sponge is moist, and you will find that as you are lightly texturing the filler, the print created is a mottled compressed form, and it will not rise up like it did for the wave effect. If the filler starts to look like the wave, your sponge is too dry or it is clogged with surplus filler, wash it out and dab over again, to compress it down. Do this repeatedly until the filler is starting to dry.
Step 4.
Leave it to dry completely, it is best left for about 6-12 hours, before you are ready to begin to paint.
The Flying Sub from Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Step 5.
You will need to undercoat the textured area, the filler will need two coats of the base colour, you will see pin holes and patches appear that have been missed by the first coat, so it is always good practice to give the base a second coat to assure that all of these spots are covered. The first coat will dry almost as soon as you apply the paint, as it soaks into the filler, the second coat will take a while longer, so again, until it is completely dry, put it to one side.
I tend to mix the colours myself, that I am going to use for the base coat. Use spare empty paint pots to mix up your paint or a small tub, I prefer the surplus paint pot, as you can seal the lid, and have some of the paint left over for touching up.
I make the undercoat for the water texture, by making a 50/50 mix of the dark green and black acrylic, and I make the undercoat for sand and desert by making a 50/50 mix of the terracotta/light brown and golden yellow acrylic. There is no hard and fast rule for the exact colour that you need, it just needs to be quite a lot darker than the shades used later to dry brush with.
Step 6.
The next stage is exactly the same for all versions of the base. Although I will briefly run through the different versions. Your undercoated texture should now be fully dry and free from any misses or poorly covered areas. You will need a palette or a sheet of paper and your brushes for dry brushing.
The first thing to remember if you have never dry brushed before, is that this procedure will completely ruin your brushes, so use an old brush, especially dry brushing filler that has a heavy texture, will shorten the life of your brushes considerably. The size of your brush is not critical, but the larger the size, the more area you will cover with each stroke.
To dry brush, dab your brush into the paint and then wipe the brush over the palette or newspaper to remove excess paint, it now looks like there is no paint on your brush, but you will notice that when you draw the brush over the textured area, a small deposit is left behind on the raised areas. I you have too much paint on your brush as you draw the brush across the surface, you will leave a stripe, remove more paint from your brush, and try again.
The water base :- Take your mid blue and work gently into the hollows and depressions, you only want a hint of the blue colour, so do not go mad. Then mix some of your undercoat with the blue, about 50/50 will do, and dry brush the entire base, repeat, but add more of the blue. Take your lighter green paint and mix in with the previous mix, and repeat dry brushing over entire base, then add a small amount of white and repeat, and keep on adding a small amount of white, until the only colour you are dry brushing with is white. Lightly dry brush over the crests of the waves, and you should now have quite a realistic effect.
The sand terrain :- The procedure is exactly the same as for the water, mix a lighter version of the undercoat, and dry brush the entire base, keep on adding the lighter colours, and repeat dry brushing, add yellow and then yellow and white mixed together, until you achieve the shades that you are happy with.
If you have left a border, or you are going to paint the edges of the base, do so now, if you use black this will have the effect of making the overall effect more dramatic, as the lighter colours will become more prominent.
Step 7.
You may varnish or lacquer the base at this point if you wish. Leave for about 10 minutes to dry, and then add the pre finished model, to the mounting points. Use two part epoxy adhesive for this, and leave to set.
Thunderbird 4.
Step 8.
When dry, you will need the cotton wool, which will be used to make the thruster smoke effects. Apply two part epoxy or general purpose glue, to the brass rod, and wrap the cotton wool around it, starting from the engine exhaust and moving down the rod, increasing the diameter of the wool until it reaches the base. A couple of dabs of glue on the base, where the cotton wool hits the base, will secure it quite firmly. Lightly spray the cotton wool with varnish/lacquer and allow to dry. if you need to add another coat of varnish or lacquer to your base, do so now, (remembering to mask the model, if you are spraying with satin or gloss).
You should now be the proud owner of a diorama full of dramatic action, rather than just a very nice model on a flying base.
To recap on the terrain effects, for water, the sponge must be dry to get the filler to rise and create the wave effect, for sand etc, the sponge must be moist to do the opposite, and stop it rising.
For scenes underwater, add small sea shells, ferns and very small dried star fish, all are available to buy from Aquarist or pet shops, and are not expensive. For ground/earth bases add small stones, twigs and scaled trees/bushes/lichens, all available from model shops or model railway shops. These small additional touches really add a finishing touch to the diorama.
If you want to create a grass effect, but do not want to use the scatter materials, do the desert/sand texture, but paint it to represent grass etc by mixing up the appropriate colours. There are many different effects that you can achieve by using combinations of the above methods. Hills and mounds may be created by adding strips of balsa wood that are glued into position to create differing levels, and then adding the filler.
The best way to learn is to experiment, try different textures and play around until you are happy with the result. If you mess up the first time round, you can always remove the filler from the base, by tapping with a small hammer, and then scraping off the rest with a paint scraper, you still have the base board to try again, and all you will have lost is the filler and a little time, but you have gained experience. Try it again until you get the hang of it, and then you will want to start on the next one etc etc.
Another view of Thunderbird 4.
Thanks again to Steve Woods of 'Classic Photo' for his invaluable aid, Tony Freeman for prodding me into action, and Tony James at Comet Miniatures.
That little something extra...PT 3.
We have produced dioramas more recently, by utilising some of the above techniques, but with modifications or variations in the way that they are finished. New terrain effects that are realistic and quite stunning, but are just as simple to achieve as the ones that are discussed in the articles above.
Our new dioramas can be viewed by using the link provided on the navigation bar at the bottom of the page, click on the Models & Dioramas link, to take you to theses pages.
The new terrain versions are just as easy to create, but using slightly different materials, these are :- Silica sand and a fine snow powder, called Snow. Both are available from good hobby & craft shops.
The Silica sand, looks initially like salt, but the grains are a little larger, it comes in bags or tubs, depending on the amount you wish to purchase, and is not expensive. The snow powder, which is very fine, comes in small packets, but is quite expensive, and not all hobby shops will stock it, however you do not need a large quantity to get the desired result. The effect you get with this powder, is like new frost, in that it sparkles when light hits it.
I will give a brief overview of the new effects, and how to achieve them.
Sand :- Take your base, that has had the filler applied as in step 2/3 above, but do not texture it, it may be uneven, to represent undulating ground, but it needs to be quite smooth, do this with a brush or spatula. When dry, coat the entire area to be covered with PVA adhesive, and scatter the silica sand over the glue. Tip off the excess, and leave until the next day to dry out. Paint the dry silica sand in exactly the same way as described in step 5/6 above for the desert terrain, undercoat, and then dry brush with successive lighter shades, until you have the desired effect. The overall effect however, when finished gives a more grainy and course finish.
Snow :- Do exactly the same procedure to this base as for the previous one, but undercoat the base white, you will probably need to give the white two coats. When this is dry, lacquer or varnish the base, and very lightly sprinkle on the snow powder, (be careful as this powder is very fine and will blow everywhere, with even the smallest movement of air), tip off the excess, and lightly spray the base again with lacquer, sprinkle on a little more snow powder, and leave for a few minutes to dry, tip off the excess snow. You will need to give the base one final coat of lacquer, but do this from about 12-18" as you only need to slightly over spray the base to fix the snow, and to prevent it from blowing off. If you spray too much lacquer on, the snow, will not sparkle. When this is dry, the effect you have is just like newly frosted snow, which will sparkle and gleam when the light hits it.
If there is anything within these articles that you are not sure about, or you need any points clarifying, please feel free to contact me on the e mail link below at any time.
Tony Barnes.
tntinfo@tnthobbies.force9.co.uk