Hey guys, i have never done a diorama before. I dont know how to do groundwork. I want to know what to do in fairly good directions of step by step. I would also like to know what are good supplies for trees, bushes, grass, and just making ground. I pretty much want to know how to get started. Thanks alot.


Tsunami BombER

hey tsunami! well, dio bases are not hard at all to create, it does take work like anything else though, there are many options

here is one place you can look for bases

i personally use drywall, you can use marine styrofoam...theres a lot...hope all goes well.

just search armorama, and you'll get PLENTY of answers.
hope all goes well!

How you doing there Harrison, ok . First everyone has thier own way of making dio bases, so you'll get diffrent answer from everwhere. This is how i go about it. Now mind you that this is only an example: grab a nice flat board say 12x12 then i'll spray clear coat on it. This is to prevent it from warping due to mosture from the glue and paint. Then i use cellu-clay which can be bought at any hobby or craft store. This stuff mixes with water and becomes a paste like substance. Just smare it, work it around to your likeing. Let it harden a day. while it's drying go outside and collect some dirt and tiny rocks from around the curbs. You can also buy this stuff. Now that the base is dry, mix up some Elmers white glue with water, about 50-50%, and brush this all over the base then pour on the dirt, place your rocks where you see fit and let this dry another day. now that it's dry you can begain painting your base. I'll spray a base coat then darken it and use it as a wash. when dry i'll drybrush it and detail paint whats needed. As for the vegatation, thiers so much out there to use. I use the plastic fish plants as i mostly do jungle dio's. As mech-maniac suggested, try the link for more ideas. I hoped this helped you a little. Good luck.

how do i make mud??? in 1/35

Tsunami,
As you will undoubtedly get as many opinions as there are hues of blue, I will drop my $1.27 worth. First, an alternative to a wooden base that provides an extremely stable base to work from is a product sold for watercolor painters referred to as “gator board.” It is very similar to architectural foam board but the outer layers are impregnated with resin creating a very stiff and waterproof surface but also very lightweight which accepts almost any type of coverings, cellu-clay, plaster, drywall compound or what have you.

I would recommend you to buy the "Terrain Modelling" book from Osprey. Check out this review: http://www.armorama.co.uk/review/571

The dio base is actually the easiest to make.

You can get it almost anywhere but the simplest one would be a square plywood bordered with veneer and coated with varnish to make it waterproof. Another one would be picture frames with wooden backing. I know of a fellow modeler who used a few old company plaques for bases.

Another fellow modeller here uses MDF for a base. And one even used a slab of marble tile for his base.

I learned how to make perfect groundwork here in Armorama (thanks guys). I use stryofoam glue to the base. Then, I sculpt the styrofoam according the ground features you like. At this time, I install the rocks, trees and other things which need to be imbedded in the ground.

Once done, I coat the styrofoam with a liberal amount of spackle (Water putty or Wall putty here in the Philippines). When dry (usually after a day), I spread a 50/50 mix of elmer's glue and water. Then, I sprinkle sifted earth on the dried spackle. After it is dry, I turn the base upside down to get rid of the extra soil. Once dry, I spread another mix of elmer's glue and water and add more sifted soil until no traces of the water putty is visible. Then, after everything is dry, I seal everything with a 50/50 mix of elmer's glue and water. The ground work is now ready for painting.

This is only good for open country settings though. There's a different technique when it comes to urban settings.

Angela

One of the most read of all my "digital diamond" articles is using plaster and everyday items to create molds... here is the link to that article:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/79

Quite simple, and the cheapest and most varied way I know to make exactly the shape and size of base you need. An example of the base can be found in the FEATURE article "Modest Sabotage", as shown below... the scalloped edge base is made using a sweet-roll container, and some Plaster of Paris... quite unique, eh?

https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/374

heres one of my all time favriotes

Frank

for mud, i use dry dirt, finely sifted into a container, add some baking soda,brown paint, white glue, and water, want a tad more white glue than water so it will dry.

then i stir it until you can no longer see the white baking soda and poor it onto the base, and let it dry, looks really good. then add your footprints, tire tracks and tank tracks on, then paint any areas to your preference.

another reference: EXPERIMENT! its part of the fun
hope your search goes well!
-shain

for your base queston, foam wall insulation has saved me in many a school project long ago, and I am working with it now, and it looks good so far. A LOT of textures are possible with it.