hello everybody

i'm just wondering is it possible to make a small scale diorama based around a vehicle/armour, with enough room for a little 'scenic' detail?

basically ive an idea for a 'small' diorama that involves either a truck or a tank (ww2 era) and id love to make a small scene going on around it, either urban or countryside based, and something a little different from the more common themes you see about, but im stuck as to what! any ideas or suggestions are great.

kitbasher

Go for it! I could not find any of my old pictures of the AFV I have done in this manner, but this Dio I used in the Cover-Up Trench Campaign gives you an idea of my concepts on diorama in a small space. . This is a 7" circle (Actaully a wooden -Teak- salad bowl flip upside down, cut and finished.)



Compostion and looking at it from all viewable angles becomes the key. Good Luck!

John
www.johnneill.com

you can make a little broken wall for a small dio, and I don't think a tank would be that nice because their size just doesn't look good in a good diorama, it just looks out of balance. the Ideal I think would be to include either a truck or a jeep or a little anti-tank guns that won't take much space, that way you can balance with some figures. something nice to include would be a fountain or a well. I find those small dios hard because it is too easy to overdo it.

Ola

I like to join in this too with a very little thing I made:

The Sizes of this dio are exactly 7,3 Cm by 7,3 Cm and even in this little space I managed to add a story by adding boots that are stuck in the mud.

Another example:

This scene is built on a groundplate the size of a postcard 10 Cm by 15 Cm

And another one:

The Jeep and the gun almost form the Diameter of the Diobase.

I definately say that having a small groundplate with a Vehicle as centerpiece is possible and I think it`s even harder to do it. But... when completed it will be a very nice thing to see.

One other advantage of the small dio is that you can add on to it. I am currently planning a big dio of a US SpecOps battle with Iraqi insurgents but will construct it out of little vignetes that can stand alone because of space or what not. Then, I can put them all together in the event I want to show the entire battle instead of just snapshots. With your dio, you could start off with a truck and then upgrade it to a truck resupplying a tank to which can then be added more vehicles to make the entire scene look like a resupply point before a major battle. Another good point is that one never is limited by the amount of work one has to do. You can build what you feel like when you feel like and not feel obligated to build more.
Kyle

There are plenty of examples of a small scene, here's my 4"x6" Cold Stare


There are lots above and if you scout through the galleries there are lots more.

If foot print is an issue go vertical, trees, building ruins, watch tower, AA Tower, rapelling,
Check this out!!!!!!!


Check this out
https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/140

thanks everybody

all your suggestions and work are fantastic - one of the other reasons for doing 'small' dioramas is that with some dioramas space is an issue - i have 2 currently that are on the big side and are awkward to store safely. Both feature armour (german ww2) and include a scene but they are on average 9-10" across (square) and thus are fiddly to place. Also i think its great to be able to tell a story with just a small scene - as they say a picture tells a thousand words, and it doesnt neccesarily matter how big the picture is, put together the right way. Ideally id love to place a vehicle as the centre focus, as a way of showing of the kit itself, but im not sure yet!


kitbasher

Basher ,

an example of one of mine.........



The rest can be found here..

OT-26 Flame thrower

good luck

Eric

Hi kitbasher,

I just started doing some bases for my models and also wanted to keep their footprint small to display reasons.

Here are my 1:35 vignettes. Click on thumbnails for more info

1:35 VW Schwimmwagen on a 17.5x12.5cm base


1:35 JGSDF Motorcycle Recon 14x14cm base


KWHCoaster

Here´s mine too!

thankyou everybody for the great pics and all your help - it certainly shows you what you can create with a little imagination and work. All your dioramas are fantastic, and i certainly hope that i can add mine to the collection.

kitbasher

Well, i know it's a bit late to put this in but i couldn't resist!



Small dio's or vingettes often do better than large scale ones......

I believe its actually easier to have a small base and show what you have to show, rather than haveing to fill up extra space.
Firstly decide exactly what you want to show. Draw the approximate size on paper with whatever detail you will show. Then get the base to suit. Drawing it out on paper is a good idea to get a preview of what you are doing and makes it much easier to imagine the final composition. I have seen guys who make a 3-D version of whatever walls etc, they will use out of cardboard first.
If you are modelling a tank and the base is just there to show off the tank, make sure it is the tank that the viewer is attracted to. If it is an actual dio with a story, the story must be easily seen. A big square base with a tank, a ruin and several figures and barrels placed to fill space....will always look wrong.
I have also tried to keep the base to an absolute minimum, because of space. A few examples

longshanks/plasticbattle

thankyou for the great examples, i understand what you mean about 'space filling' - I hope that the base for my models is more than just a base, able to show off the kit, but it also helps add a little atmosphere to the whole thing.

And its never too late to add your pics! :-)

kitbasher