I'm about 75 % done my first dioramaand I was hoping to get some tips on how to add small but important details.

1. How do you create spent shel casings from small arms. I want to make the ground littered with shell casings ?

2. How do you create radio antennas for the tank ?

3. What can I used to create electric wires from poles to poles.

Thanks a bunch

for the wires, try just stringing black string, i have never tryed as i too am wroking ona first dio, but it will probably work

The black thread for the wire sounds good.
Cut some small wire for shell casings
Cut a bristle from a paint brush for radio antenna.

As long as you don't scribe the caliber on the bottom of the shell casings no one will ever know. hehe

.......Later.....Tony Watts

Heat and stretch some plastic sprue,great ariels
Arthur.
Am Alba Mannich :-)

About the antenna:

http://www.geocities.com/hauptmanngreiss/paintatank.html

A simple though effective technique is the "heat a sprue" part in the article (3rd last paragraph).

Enjoy !

Better to use copper wire for the cables, stripped multi core cable is an ideal source. Thread tends to go fuzzy and look exactly like thread. Suitable diameter brass wire cut to small lenghts makes ideal spent small arms cartridges (no need to even paint them).

UKGeoff beat me to the idea of brass wire for shell casings, I used that inside a T-35 tank. For the antennae, another method I use is fine steel wire, it won't break like a plastic sprue antennna. If the original, full scale antenna uses a spring at the base, I use the copper wire from an old electric motor (from a Tamiya motorized kit) to wrap around the base of the wire, or sprue antenna, then glue spring to antenna mount. If antenna is then tied down, it will bend at the spring, as on real thing.

Stretched sprue may be the solution to all three questions. Certainly for the antennae, but also (thin) sprue for those wires.
1/35 ammo shells can be made from stretched sprue, too. You paint a sprue in the correct copper colour. When it's dry, you can cut it in equal short pieces and spread those around in the street.

Jan

Yep, pianostrings work good. I like to use copper wire as I bend it easily in the fashion I want; it is also easier to tie it down than the pianowire.

Someone once suggested using cat whiskers... Don't get any nasty ideas guys and leave those scissors alone; your cat needs the "antennas" more than your tanks.

Mario M.

Here’s another antenna option – take a thread out of worn out ready for the trash pair of pantyhose. I’ve had mixed results, some threads are nicer than others depending on the brand.
On the shell casings, depending on the size you can take a pair of nips and score a rim around the primer end of the casing for added detail.
Another great source of this kind of stuff is the TV cable (no not the one currently plugged into your TV, you'll miss all the History Channel stuff). Take a scrap piece of it. The core is a nice size for various items, and there is usually a nice wire mesh sheeting between the outter insulation and the core. You can remove that and use that for antenna and wire etc.

Thanks for the great replys guys. I'll definetly look into all of them. I hope to have the diorama done by the end of July (yes I know thats a ways away) but I lack free time!

Sounds to me that Slodder is a specialist as it comes to the panty part..... first let them wear 'm and then tear 'm Slodder.....

For electric and telephone lines, try to use nylon fishing thread; it could be as thin as 0.06mm...
' ve a nice day !

Hi there
I use o.45mm wire from my local model railway shop for antennas(i never have been able to get the sprue to go right). if you want larger empty shell cases Accurate armour do some in various sizes.And fishing line as the others say is good for electric and phone cables.
all the best
Peter

Like that one Fly line is really small shoot some black on their.

Go to your locals music/guitar store and pick up some guitar strings. A store that sells a lot of guitars will have some broken strings that they will probably give to you.

They come in several sizes. Some have a core wire wrapped with a spring. You just need to strip off the outer wire and leave just enough for the spring base. These also make good hoses.

for the wires u might use the guts from 5/50 or parachute cord,its more synthetic.
i have used sprue 4 antenna's. on my last tanks i used mig welding wire. it's cheap
stiff, but workable,and madreof copper. just rub it a little and it discolors

Salt6 has the right idea. I've used guitar (mainly Bass guitar) string for a lot of things. Used it alot when I did Sci-Fi modeling. Ran a couple of 'E' strings up either side of my ED-209 to simulate the sheathed wiring harnesses....looked great!

Tread.

For electric wires, I "do" use black thread, but there are few simple tricks. First take a stretch of thread, and secure it taunt on both ends. I use some little spring mount clamps to affix the ends across my storage racks in the garage. Then, take a cotton ball and pour some CA glue onto it till just a little damp. Now, hold the wet cotton and quickly run it down the length of the black thread. Wait 5 minutes, and you'll have a long and stiff string that can be easily manipulated or shaped to show some "sag". Since the CA glue dries rock hard, you can also give the "cable" some dull black paint to give it that "exposed to the elements" look of aged rubber.

For shells, I get a thin brass rod and snip away. For larger shells, consider painting some sections of various sized sprue from your latest model. Clip to the appropriate length, and hollow out just a bit on one end to make the case look "discharged". Then sand off any rough edges or flash, and paint and weather. You can also sharpen the ends of some sprue (I use my dremel tool as a mini-lathe at very slow speed) to provide you with a large supply of "unshot" shells. Neat eh?

For antennea, Ilike to use fine fishing line, dipped in CA glue (as described above), and then painted the required color. Also consider a single hair from a nice "house" paint brush. Dip in CA to give it strength and then paint as desired.

KF "the diorama freak" Magee

I use the 4 conductor phone line and since they use 4 different color wires (red, Green, Yellow,Black ) they make great cables for aircraft parts, car engine cables, battery cables, antennas, even phone cords for field telephones. One 25 foot roll will last a looooong time. The outside sheath makes great fire hoses, water hoses , and the inside conductor is copper and can be shaped.
Hopes this helps

I you use piano string or something else like this, in metal, be careful because some
people, looking at the details on your model, might bring their face very close to it
and hurt themself on that protruding metal string.
I know it sounds stupid butyou never know...

I tried thread for electric wires. It may be in sclae but it doesnt look real. Try some r/c car or airplane shop and they have really thin cable. Get it in black. Even though it looks a bit thick it suits the dio better than thread.

Ariels are easily made from stretched sprue. Stretch enough until you find one hat suits what you need.

ammo cases are easily made from stretched sprue and painted then cut into appropriate lengths or as earlier recommended, brass cable cut to appropriate length, no painting needed.

Have you tried the plastic handles on Q-tips for the spent shell casings?

Try guitar strings. They are cheaper and you get 6 different sizes in a pack. You have steel/nickel and copper-like strings in a regular set.