Been away for a bit, but as you can imagine, the Christmas season is my busiest time of year. I also completed 4 dioramas for customers, and continued to work on my own RMG entry for the campaign. While working on one large project (a small town of inland Normandy) I came up with an idea... tell me what you think!?

A series of 6 kits, which are each a base and set of buildings that can be used "stand alone" or can be "mixed and matched" to create a larger or super large single diorama. I completed the series, cast the molds, and now am working on the painting for the box artwork. Here is a small sampling... a shot of Kit #2 (The Shop Ruin) and then a picture showing all the kits used together. If you'd like to see more detail, just go to MY GALLERY below, and open the NORMANDY folder... you'll find detail photos, closeups, and it even tells you which kits mate to which adjacent kits.


Storefront Ruin (Kit #2)


Concept View - All kits together (statue not included!)

Amazing, My Dad just thought up the exact same thing the other day, he came up with the idea when he realized i was running out of room in the house for my dioramas, and suggested i make smaller dioramas that when connected up make a really big diorama, i recon its a great idea, go for it mate!

That is great! Conceptually it is a superbe idea. The kits you have put together are individually wonderful and flow together excallently.

One thought I have is that the builder really needs to do a great deal of preparation. You would need to keep the colors the same, weathering the same, etc. Then on the edges you have to plan on a removable edge if you plan on building them in stages, or no edge at all until you're finally done. This is not a knock at all, just an observation.

Keith hits a home run again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 bases can be used single or combined is a great project, but I agree on Scott.if they are painted and weathered in different periods,there can be some color problems... anyway,both of photos are very good diobases.congrats

I really like the idea. Very smart thinking!

But living in a small Northeastern village where the roads come from cowpaths... literally..
The traffic pattern and 'flow' of the roads there looks a bit off to my eye.
It just seems a couple too many streets all coming together all at once to me.

I'd be interested in seeing how they look in groups of 2 and 3 though.

Mike

Personally I would prefer each base to be identical size and done in a way so it does not matter what order I put them in, it will always make sense. Makes it a lot tougher on the base designer

Good points, and two I have considered. My first thought was that people who are buying the individual kits probably don't intend to do a mega diorama in the first place...which is why I wanted each section to be valuable as a stand-alone piece. Those who want the mega-base will probably buy it that way (it's even cheaper - saves about 25%). The other option would be to do what I'm doing at the moment - paint them each individually as a seperate piece, but save mixtures of any customer colors.... not such a non-workable situation, but as you state, it does take just a bit of forethought.

As for the edges, I think I have come up with a method that may work, eliminating the view of "seams" while still making the sections "seperable"... it involves using a piece of glass (smooth surface) coated with vaseline while allowing the "rubble" that will cover much of the seam areas to dry hard. I'm experimenting, and will let everyone see the progress and the outcome if I find it valid. The other point is that 4 of the six intersecting areas are cobbled brick, which naturally has lines to begin with, thus making the join area a little less obvious.... unless inspected closely.

I have completed Section 4 tonight, and will try to post photos of each section as I go along, and then will show the completed project. This is actually pretty fun.... even my wife likes the idea!

I've already received several inquieries about kit pricing, so while not yet available on the scalemilitary.com website, I thought I'd share the pricing with everyone at once - let me know if you have questions, or if you want one of the ten limited edition resin mega-kits which averages less than $20 per kit!
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Steve - yes, the website hasn't been updated yet (sneak peek is for Armorama users only!)... i have to get all the paint done so that artwork photos can be made for the packaging. Once that's done, I can post photos and pricing on the website... till then prices are as follows:

Mega-Base Resin (all six kits, limited edition of 10 sets made) $119
Mega-Base Dental Plaster - $79

Individual Kits:
Resin - $34
Dental Plaster - $24

Also, be aware that ARMORAMA GUARD GOLD and SILVER members receive additional discounts for supporting the website...

Also....be aware that kit's 5&6 come together since there is no "building"... so you get the two bases instead to make it a comparable value.

looks great. And it could get even bigger no doubt.
It's got "me" thinking...
All the best with this...
Cheers
Peter
:-)

Perhaps I misunderstood. I assumed the buyer would paint his/her own base. Are you saying these bases were going to be pre-painted

Great job there , you re in everyones mind. Everyone of them could be a fine base for dio , and all together....!!!!! Very nice looking

No Shermie... like any other "verlinden" or "custom dioramics" kit, ours arrives in a box with a color photo, but the painting and assembly are all yours to do. What gave you the impression they were pre-painted (I want to make sure I don't mislead anyone else!).

Hi Kieth,
I've been thinking a lot about your fantastic modullar dio system.
I f you made each section joinable at the centre of the road and each piece was a standard size, it should give even more diversity to what could be built.
Thoughts of food...admn diselexia aagin.
Cheers
Peter

Just posted a "quickie" diagram in gallery to try and illustrate about interchangeable extendable dio section idea.
Hope it helps.
Cheers
Peter

When people started taking about the different sections having to be weathered the same I thought that they were saying the seller better weather them the same or it will not fit properly. I mean it is only logical that if a buyer were to paint his own dio that they would match.

Flitzer's Diagram:


It looks like a nice "Universal" set of bases Kind of like the Lego roads

Solid idea.... let's see how this first system sells first ... the RTV alone to cast this sucker ran almost $400.... (2 Gallons of 720 Platinium-based!). My actual plan was to expand the six now to a total of 6 more, making it a 4 x 3 configuration (36" square... that is huge!).

Ok guys I'm getting one of these sets from Mr. Magee!! Think about this I'm using this "Mega-base" as a displaybase for a Tamiya Dragon Wagon and some other things I plan on adding later. Now the only other set out there that'll fit a Dragon Wagon or Famo and Trailer option is the one from Custum Dioramics. ITs about the same price but one peice of foam, Thats what a discription in a reveiw said it was made from. and there was million and one things to buy with the base as it didn't come with anything outer than the base and some plaster buildings. I like this set up it is modular. I can set the kit anwway i wish and have one or two base left loose to use with other kits, or just use all six and do what i wish I could have done with the CD kit (spotted my kits on a display a friend was building) and have part of the Red Ball Express moving through town, or even stopped as as My transport moves a new Tank to the front. This is a great design and I think it'll be great with alittle work. STUG

Thanks Matt, for helping out with posting the diagram. Haven't worked out how to do it for myself yet....need a more up-to-date brain.
Thanks again.
Keith, your sets are well good enough to sell...and maybe make a profit...and with the money put back in to the r&r pot...who knows. They are amongst the best I've seen anywhere.
My input was based on using the centre of the road as the joining point.
Hope you have a great success.
Cheers to all
Peter

Just a note... looks like we have a hit. I sold out of the ten "limited edition resin mega-bases for $120 " in just under one week. Not too bad. They will still be availalbe, but they now go to $149 from here on out...

Of course, the All Plaster versions are still going for $79, and by request - I'm adding a "mixed media" version, which is the 6 plaster bases, with all the buldings done in resin ... that will sell for $99.

Superb idea KFMagee! I did something very similar to that sometime ago, but my reason was transportability. It was a one-off, and I chose to interlock my dio at the gutter-line (curb) instead of the middle of the street for reasons of matchability (I wasn't entirely secure in my own 'matching' abilities at the time).
They look superb!

Tread.