i just bought 2 pieces of each 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch foam boards, a bag of blended turf made bywoodland scenics, in the 54 cu. in bag t50 fine and a can of all purpose spray adhesive .My question is is the 1/2 inch foam board any good for a diorama base, the models re 1/35 scale.

my other question is the 1/4 inch foam board is that a good choice for buildings being this is my very first diorama ,my mind is kinda wandering in all different directions, of what i want to build

i bought foam board for my dio, and after about 2 months, it started to warp. i am not sure about other peoples, but mine warped

The foam board is good for sculpting and build a diorama on, but not as 'solo base'.
I would look to use a two part epoxy and glue it to something more substantial, a piece of MDF, plywood....

Foam board can be a fine base, you can sculpt out some details from it and it take glue and plasters/celluclay well. I think you'll be fine with it as long as you apply it to some type of a solid base.

Foam is helpfull for groundbases and buildings/ruines and stuff like that. Allways start with wood for your base. Foam can damage fast and can break. It is also a bit harder to a/b then other materials. But when putting any kind of filler on it, this would be solved. I can't tell you anything about the sizes. In my country we count in Meters. You could use any size I think. When making a dio or groundbase pick a piece of paper and put your model on. That way you can look a bit which size you need.

I hope this helps a bit.

Lars

Hey Larry,

Couple ideas for you - I use foam core alot.

Precut wood base from any local craft store (AC More, Michaels, etc..)
The one below is small but a got it w/ a coupon for .59 cents. Just light sand and stain & poly. Seal bottom to to avoid warpage.


Foam base:
Use yellow wood glue / carpenter's glue - better then white glue. Don't use super type glues on the edges (OK flat paper surfaces) does not hold well.

Here's foam core built up for a Braille Scale dio. I use the blue painters tape to seal the rough edges of foam core if they are exposed. The rest putty over.


Here's foam core as a base for bldg's walls (1/35 scale).


Good Luck

tyvm that helps out a whole lot i have a piece of 1/4 inch particle board that i can cut to fit the foam

If you use particle board, give some thought to final finish, as it will look porous and unattractive as is. It can be sealed with body filler, sanded and painted, or you can buy some nice wood veneer and cut it to size and glue, stain and varnish that. Think of the base as the frame for your picture--it will look far more attractive on a shelf with a nice finish.

I have to agree with Gerald: you're framing something that you've put some time and effort into. The body filler trick works quite well, or another option, if you're willing to spend a few extra bucks and effort, is to buy a small piece of dressed hardwood lumber (dressed means smooth.) You can route the edges and make it quite decorative, which may have the double benefit of pleasing SWMBO by getting you out of the house briefly, and making that "damned army thing" look kind of decent.

(No, my SWMBO doesn't call my models "those damned army things," but I can well imagine some do!)