I am on the brink of starting my first ever dio, and there seem to be so many options/choices etc availiable to use.
So...

What are the best tips for me to use in a dio?
What techniques/methods do you guys use each and every time you do a dio?
What do you make sure of each time?
What good useful points have you guys picked up over the years?

Sorry, I know these questions are quite open, but I'm just looking for ideas etc!
Thanks greatly,
Harry

Im also embarking on doing my first dio. I think that there´s quite a few out there that´s planning on doing the same but maybe just havent gotten around to ask.
So please, any help on those questions would be greatly appreciated.
/ Chris

You're going to get a whole bunch of answers probably better than mine, but I'll stick in my 1 1/2 cents:

. First, what will the dio represent/communicate What type of action or
activity? Where is this happening (urban, field, etc)? What's the weather
like (snow, mud, etc)?

. What will be the "focus" of the dio? You need to determine this so that
you don't overload on peripherals that take away from the main theme.

. After determining this, obviously get the necessary kit(s).

. If this will be historically based, get as much reference material as you
can.

. One method I use is a "dirt box" to set up my figs, vehicles, etc. and get
an idea of how everything will look before I start on the actual base. You
can use 3X5" index cards for structures, toothpicks for trees, stuff like
that. This is particularly helpful in posing figs in certain positions.

You can get much more info by checking the features and forums, and like I said, there are a lot of talented people here who will help any way they can. Anyway, keep us posted on your progress and don't hesitate to ask questions-we all do.

Art

Simply put, plan. plan and plan some more.
Make sure your scene is internally consistent. Don't have combat on one corner and someone sipping tea in the other.
If there's combat, consider who's a target. If someone is crouched and shooting, he has a target and is potentially a target himself. The figure next to him should not be in a standing, shooting positon, much less just standing there.
Be prepared to modify your figures to match your action.
One way to check you dio in advance is to place your elements on the base and take some digital photos. Check them out on the screen to see if stuf works together and to try different layouts. The beauty of this is you have a record of your trials and it won't cost you anything (assuming you have a camera or can borrow one.)
I'd also suggest you not try to make your first too big. You don't want to become overwhelmed and burn yourself out.

For a first diorama I'd have at most two vehicles and a couple of figures.
As Al says there has to be an internal logic to the scene.

Make the figures connect in some way- looking at each other or in the same direction.

Don't have your vehicles parralel to the edge of the base, angles work better.
Another thing that helps in dioramas is to have figures at different levels.
Try not to have too much "Dead space" and conversely try not to have the diorama look too busy
Look at other people's work and study the composition, see what you think works- and what doesn't. As Art and Al suggest play around with the elements of your dio.
Build your vehicles before you start the groundwork.
There are some great articles here on Armorama about bases, groundwork etc.
Have fun.

Read this
Sparrow

and

Got'cha Covered

That'll give you a good idea of my thought processes and tip techniques.

Ola Harry

As you say you are about to embark on your first dio... Well I can only say.. good step mate. And since you say you are going to start on your first dio I think it is safe to say what you want to have in it.

If that is the case then the first step should be planning. The Vehicle(s), the figures needed etc.
What will your base look like. How many space are you going to use to tell your story or to show your scene. May I give as a tip that you try to use the minimum amount of space needed to tell your story. Otherwise people might get extracted from what you want them to see. Also compact scenes often do tell the story better.
Then when you have made your planning grab a piece of paper, quickly sketch out the lay out of your diorama and start positioning your vehicle(s) and figure(s) on it. Untill you have exactly the thing you want.

The tips of AJLafleche Are very good take those things with you and keep them in mind when you are doing the buildup of your diorama. Think with every item that you place if it is in a logical place (why is it there) As an Example I have once seen a Diorama of German soldiers on the march and somewhere in the roadside was a brandnew Rolls Royce Merlin Spitfire engine... Absolutely no reason for it to be there... it looked just like it grew out of the grass ... With every figure you have to look if it kinda looks right among the other figures. Dont have people reading papers standing among people who are firing and hiding. If one is shooting all teh rest should follow his action.

Ask Ask Ask.. IF you don't know something or you are wondering how to do a specific technique... how to recreate a special piece of nature etc.etc. etc. Ask in the forums loads of people who can help you with your questions.
Also check the features section of this site.... A huge load of very good articles can be found here handling probably all aspects of diorama building.

For certain features in your diorama do a bit of research.. the internet is a great place for doing research as with a bit of effort probably everything can be found. If you have a bombed building in your diorama.. check out pictures of bombed buildings. But also try to find out what the interiors of rooms looked like in those days. If you do a hedgerow diorama try to get information about hedgerows and what the "anatomy" of these things were.... Nice thing about internet is that most information is quickly available and free or at least cheap.

Look at other peoples work..... If you want something special try to find it in somebodies work and try to find out how the guy in question did it.

Do it step by step... try to work in a logical way starting at the beginning and end at the end. This sounds logic but try to solve problem 1 and head to problem 2 etc.etc.

Last but not least have fun... that is what it is eventually all about.

I hope you can do something with this explanation

With friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

When I first started building dioramas, I bought Sheperd Paine's How to build Dioramas book. It tells you all the basics of building dios. I still go back and consult it every time I'm unsure of something. It is a great reference source.

All the above advice is very good.
Just a couple things:

Decide roughly what you want to depict. Usually this is based on the models that you have built or are building.

Put your ideas onto paper(and I can't stress this enough) PUT YOUR IDEAS ONTO PAPER! It doesn't matter if you use stick figures and rectangles for vehicles. You can nip many problems in the bud by doing this.

Always think for consistancy. In other words, don't have an autum tree with orange leaves in a dio where the rest of the groundwork depicts summer vegitation.
No soldiers in winter dress in a summer scene. Also that all pieces in the scene are showing roughly the same weathering (like same color mud/dust)

Check your facts. If you are the least interested in historical accuracy make sure the armor you use was present in the scene/era you are depicting ( no T-34's in a Battle of the Buldge scene or no Panthers in a scene depicting something that took place in 1941) (No Stg44 assault rifles in early war scenes etc)

And finally, think about the base. If you use a picture frame that's fine but be sure the base of the diorama looks nice and does not distract from the diorama.

Some of my examples are exaggerated but I think you'll get the point....just think if a particular piece will be approprite to your scene. Don't think you have to use up all the models you originally accumulated on the same dio either.

Oh, and read all the dio tips here on the site prior to starting and you'll probably pick something new up. I re-read this stuff all the time and am amazed at all the stuff I miss the first time.

Cheers,
Charles

Gday Harry
Simply put, establish whether you have vehicles/figures already bought/built which you wish to incorporate into a diorama scene, or start from the beginning and do some reference searching for something interesting in a book or on the www that takes your fancy...
Historical accuracy~ I say yep always, but your decision. This is borne of research!
Make sure all elements relate to each other, and look natural. You can see some amazing/weird poses/situations in real life, but when modelled make no sense to anyone who didn't see it happen in reality, if you know what I mean...
Is your scene to be viewed 360 degrees, or have a 'front' and a 'rear'...?
If so, then the ground work can be subtlely altered to be higher at the rear.. Adds more interest...
Don't go overboard on ingredients! A dio crammed with buildings trees tanks soldiers almost always has less impact than those with less, but which is better planned/laid out...
Use the 'KISS' method, and learn from each and every one you make
Cheers
Brad

Thanks to everybody - Art, Al, Pat, Scott, Robert, John, Charles, Brad.
All posts where very helpful and also interesting reads - certain to check these again once my dio is 99% finished!

As you can see, these answers will help loads of people embarking upon their first dio's, and so many thanks.

Brad - Excuse my ignorance, but what is the 'KISS' method?

BTW, I seem to remember ages ago seeing a full article on Missing-Lynx on everything to do in the planning stages of a dio, but now I cannot locate it! Anyone know about it? Maybe one of you guys wrote it!

Thanks again,
Harry

KISS method stands for Keep It Simple Stupid

And that is actually the best way to go around with your dio. Certainly the first one.

With friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

This can't be answered in a paragraph on a website. Best single resource is Sheperd Paine's book "How to Build Dioramas," published by Kalmbach Publishing (the Fine Scale Modeler Magazine people). Easy to read with excellent illustrations, it will walk you through the whole process from planning to final painting and display. His companion book on building tanks is also extremely useful. Paine is an award winning modeler and dioramist whose how-to leaflets included in Monogram's kits back in the 1970's introduced a whole generation of modelers to the hobby.

There's different ways of approaching building a dio. You may have a particular kit you want to build and put in it. You may want to build a particular action or campaign. That's how I think about it. How big do you want it? Is it going to be busy or quite relaxed? As has already been said you need to take all that into consideration. Once you have a vague idea of what you want to do then start looking at research pics to get a better idea of how you want it to look. Then start sourcing your vehicles, figures etc. Research is to me one of the best bits as it gives an insight into conditions that troops fought in. I'd go 1)idea 2)mental picture 3)research (you'll probably change your mind on the subject halfway through that) 4)sourcing 5) finally starting the build. Hope thats of some help.

also take a read through the diorama features section on the site there are simple laods of very useful articles available

diorama features

like thses two

a simple diorama

building a diorama from scratch

plus plenty of others

HTH

Keith Forsyth