I was just wondering if anybody had ever tried to use forced perspective in a dio? What I'm talking about is using a smaller scale model in the back ground and a larger scale one in the foreground? This would give the illusion of distance, the smaller kit looking like it was further away. I guess this would only work in some kind of shadow box. Anybody try this?

Although I have not tried it, I have been trying to work out how to do it. I've been looking at 1/16th versus 1/35. I think you're right in that it would have to be in a shadow box. the more difficult part would be painting the 1/35 background stuff to reflect atmospheric perspective as well as simple distance. The further away something is, the less detail one can make out. Having a highly detailed 1/35 tank with sharp details would not look right. You'd probably have to down-grade the detail of the smaller scale piece and muddy the colors some to show atmospheric interference.

I know a couple of guys have done some here - I think Ronny (RoadKill) has, Maybe Danny (Eagle).....

I would recommend looking at a shadow box type of setting that forces a view to one line of sight.

I've seen a few and one of the late 70's Tamiya catalogs has a bunch of these. You either have to do this just for photo purposes or do a shadow box. I don;t remember the ones I've seen having had reduced/muted colors on the pieces farther away. But, then again, I saw them 20 plus years ago.

Obviously the first restriction will be not to let the viewer see the scene from any other angle than the desired to show the persspective. Havent tried it , just thought it some times but ....it doesnt seemed to me much of a hit to try it. Maybe i should

I must agree with everyone else, forced perspective is hard to do in the third dimention, for any other purpose than photography, or use in a shadow box. As a shadow box it can be very effective, but to give the illusion of distance and really make it work it has to really be in a closed environment or a forced direction from which to be viewed. I would suggest, if you would like to learn more about forced perspective (in a more entertaining way) is to rent and view the extended version of the Lord of the Rings. In the special features is the making of the movie which deals with all the special effects and design of the movie, much of it was working with forced perspectives and models. I learned a great deal from watching it and would recommend it to anyone interested in modeling.

With regard to detail, I recommend going back to the renaissance paintings of the masters. They were masters for a reason. Not only did they understand the reduction of size and perceived angle caused by distance, but there is also a diminshing of detail and color clarity. This is caused by two things. First, our eyes are limited in their ability to focus. Our eyes don't have zoom lenses, we see from a fixed position and our ability to focus on detail is reduced at a distance. Second, our atmosphere is not quite as clear as it appears. The air between our eyes and an object, actually becomes a intervening barrier to clarity. Standing on a hill is the best way to see this right away. as you look out to the horizon, you can see how colors become less distinct at a greater distance.
Here's a link on basic perspective principles for graphic art or drawing.
http://mathforum.org/sum95/math_and/perspective/perspect.html

Here's a picture illustrating the principle of atmospheric interference. It's an extreme example, but illustrates the principle well.


This kind of diorama would necessitate a shadowbox and would have to be carefully laid out to ensure accurate perspective is achieved.

I say go for it and let us all know what you learn! I'll be working on some of these projects myself.

Incidentally, there are a couple photos from SCHAMs 2004, in the gallery which have the beginnings of a forced perspective dio, but not quite.
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/photos/showphoto.php?photo=20615&password=&sort=8&cat=12688&page=2

It's best to put some kind of barrier between scales to prevent observers from detecting the sudden change in scale.