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Prepping Plaster Diorama Kits

Often, as in the case shown (LEFT), large gaps will be apparent in the fit of your prepped pieces… perhaps a little too much sanding, or an imperfect (older) master mold is beginning to cause cast pieces to be slightly askew.  Whatever the reason, there is no cause for concern.  Once these flaws are found in the test fitting, it will be easy to compensate for them in the final buildup, using thick Plaster of Paris, or simple stucco / spackle.  This can also be used to take care of undesired chips and imperfections caused during shipping.

STEP 6: Assembly
Now that you know everything fits well, and where everything goes, I begin the actual composition of the structure. Using FABRI*TAC glue I can usually knock out the entire step in under an hour. Be sure to keep in mind any extra detailing you will add in, such as rafters, joists, sidewalks, etc. These need to be accounted for in your build-out, as nothing is worse than finding you must either omit planned detail for lack of space, or that you have to break down several pieces to accommodate additional height or width of a feature.

STEP 7: Fill and Plug
Regardless of how well you have planned, planed, and prepped in the early stages, once your building kit is assembled to this stage, you will find imperfections in fit. I use interior wall Spackle to fill any seams, cracks, or loose fits. Once dried, it has about the same texture as plaster, and can be easily sanded, scribed, or painted.