Hi everyone, I have been working on models for about 5 years now. It is a great hobby and I enjoy it alot. I am now going to reach out further and start up an OIF themed Diorama. I have alot of idea and memories of just being there, so I have the landscape and size of the diorama I want to do. I just don't know anything about making roads,buildings and putting the detail into them. Does anyone have any Ideas on what materials I should use and should I buy building from model companies or do them myself.
Thanks so much,
Sgt Dusty Davis
Baghdad, Iraq

my answer to that is with a question, how much do you want to do yourself? and how do you want it to look? I create and sell resin parts for dioramas but some people like real wood/stone/and plaster, if you like putting the time in painting you can make a wooden floor and stone roadway made from resin look very realistic, or you cann take the time to find wood that fits the scale and glue each piece together. i prefere the resin it's strong easy to work with and there are many companies offering a wide variety of walls, streets, floors, and accessories. once you determine the type of project you want and the type of work you want to do then you can figure the best materials.

Gary Smith
http://www.smithmilitarymodeling.com

Gary's got great points (and great products too).
For an OIF I'd start with household spackle as a base with some crushed fine kitty litter (clean) mixed in for texture as a ground base. For roads - you can purchase some or go with sanded spackle surfaces or drywall sections. Buildings again, depends on where and style.

Here is a nice thread for inspiration and how to.

OIF

nice thought Scott on the "clean" kitty litter, othewise it looks like your horses are really out of scale and the guys need much larger shovels.

Gary

A great product to use is called Cellu-clay. It is a paper-machier like product and is great for replicating an earthy texture. You can mix it with other terrain products (like static grass) or rocks and twigs. It can be dyed while mixing it or simply painted later after it hardens. A single package will last you through many dioramas. A must have in my opinion.

Good luck and have fun.