I made this diorama about a year and a half ago...it was my second piece and i wanted to use fake water so bad i could taste it. My figure painting skills arent the best so my soldiers look pale and emaciated....but i really enjoyed casting the stone cliff faces out of plaster and adding the trees and fauna. What do think??







Cheers!

Wow Jesse:

For only your second dio project, you're very ambitious.
So many varying things to have to deal with. But it
sounds like you had a lot of fun. And that is the main
reason we want to do this, for the shere fun of it. Just
keep at it and check out the skilled dio builders here
on the Big A and you'll find that your skills will grow
and make the hobby for you, even more fun.

You did a good job on the water from what i can see!!!
Cheers
John

Thanks you guys. I really appreciate the great comments. And your right I did have alot of fun doing this one...from concept ideas on paper to procurement of materials, the actual build. Everything.
I think i'll post some more dio's i've made.
Cheers!

This is the first diorama i ever made. I love modeling the M1 Abrams as I was an Abrams Mechanic when i was enlisted and grew very fond of the agile war marchines. I used Tamiya kits for both the soldiers and the tank if i remember corrrectly. I built the base out of wood and balsa for the edging. Green floral foam to build the terrain and a mixture of plaster and celluclay with some pigment for the ground.
I like the way it turned out. But it has beginner written all over it. What do ya'll think??

Gday Jesse
I think I like your first diorama better! The layout is superb; you definitely have an eye for terrain... You don't see many people attempt terrain this diverse successfully... You have for certain!
Cheers
Brad
P.S. COmbine this with some of the lads' skills on the site in doing natural fauna, and you have some serious dioramas

Thanks Bradley J,

I've taken a few design courses while getting my degree...and I've always had a fairly good grasp on layout and composition. Thanks for noticing.
I thought awhile on this one before I started.....theres nothing better than doing a few pre-lim sketches before actual construction. It has saved my ass (and money) in the past.
Thanks again for your comments.

Cheers!

Point of correction: it's flora that was added, i.e., plants (Think: Floral arrangement) not fauna which is animal life. I too like the first better, generally a better constructed tank. The greens on the Patton look a bit too bright. Also, try to paint the insode of your wheels. In the Patton, you can see the plastic color on hte inner surfaces of the inside road wheel.

Hi again JeSSe:

Yes sir, I agree with Brad the Honeycutter. I like this
first dio even better than your second one. One of the
thing, also that Brad mention, that gets me excited
about your potential is your variation in the level of the
terrrain. The world ain't flat, right? :-) :-)

You also mentioned that you've had classes in
layout and composition. Ah yes, very important in life,
even if your hanging a picture over the fireplace or
picking where to put that new shrub near the front door.

And those two things are especially important in
modeling dioramas, fer sure, that's a big ten four.

So you're way a head of the game from the get go.
Watch "Big John" (that's his call sign) and some
of the other skilled terrain modelers here, for getting
expert ideas on doing foliage and growing things.

DandeLIONS, CATStails, BULLrushes... It's all French to me

Damned fine reply Sir! :-) :-) :-)

A good effort on your second go but I'm with the Brad in that I like the first one better. The terrain and the compact layout of the first dio is very good considering it was your first dio.

The water was well done in the first dio except for me the volume of runoff doesn't quite match the right angle of the outlet on level ground. Its obvious the water velocity is fast in view of the terrain and there's a fair bit of it too so for water to cut at right angles once level would be difficult. Given the speed and volume it would be more likely to run across the road and down the slope you have on the on the front of the dio in the 3rd pic.

All in all its still a very well done dio in terms of terrain. Hope to see more dios.