Hello Everyone

I have been inspired to try doing a base for a Dio after seeing all the great models on this site and in the mags I read.

To give myself some pressure I thought I might make my base on line, so here goes.

First of all I went to a picture framing shop for some wood and also got them to cut it to size and shape 33cmx33cm.

I then glued a back to it using some MDF. I also made the insides flush using some plastic sheets. That's how I got to this stage.



More to come
Thanks Ryally

Gday Paul
Keep them pics comin'!
Will be interesting to see your methods...

G'day Paul,
The frame looks very sweet mate,what kind of dio are you going to portray?
Like Brad mentioned,keep the pics coming!
On ya digger,
Shay

Hello Again

The next step, was to build the base up. I built the sides up with MDF and glued them to the insides of the plastic in side the base. I actually got the wood cut on a maichine so it was the correct fit, without sanding( less work for me). If your an Aussie, Bunnings store have MDF and cut the wood for you for less than a dollar a piece if you don't have to many to cut.

I got the level inside the base right with some more MDF and starting filing the rest with light weight polyfiller( light weight expanding foam). I did this to reduce the weight of the base and was curious to try the expanding foam, it works really well.

I cut the angled sides on the top of the base walls myself from a template of the foam base I am starting to build up.

I masked the frame of the base with Tamiya masking tape so I don't get to much rubbish on it.




Thanks Ryally

G'day Paul,

Looks like you're off to a good start.

But, mate, are you working to a plan or a preconceived idea/concept? What do you see the completed scene looking like? I guess what I'm asking is do you have a sketch/plan? It would be great (assuming you do) if you could scan it in to show us what you're working towards. Would be easier for us to offer situational advice then as well

Keep up the great work, cob.

Rudi

Hi Rudi

Yes and no. Yes I have a plan and no I don't have a pic or scanner
The plan is to have a King Tiger with about eight Dragon Fallschirmjagers on top and a couple of ss men standing around a kettenkraftrad. The commander in the Tiger will be talking to the guys from the Kettenkraftrad.

The seen will be set in the Ardennes 1944. I am going to do something like the great dio done by Marijin Van Gils- Santa,s Comin to Town, from Euro Militaire.

So the base will have a couple of levels but not as steep as his dio.

Here is a pic of the base once the filler has expanded and been cut level with the inside MDF. The filler can be cut with something as little as a hobby knife.



Comments/ideas are more than welcomed.
Thanks
Ryally

Gday Paul
Looks to be coming along well! The foam is a good idea, although expensive maybe? Would be nice and lightweight though
Am I to assume that the it is going to contain a slope or embankment? Would really add to the visual interest!
Also, does the Tamiya masking tape have any advantages over standard making tape? I imagine it would be a lil more costly?
Cheers
Brad

Hi Brad

Yes I am going to have a slope on the base, where the front and left side wall slope down to meet eachother.

The expanding foam only cost me $7 AUS from Bunnings. I thought I would give the Tamiya masking tape a go. It seems to be less sticky than normal masking tape, which is a good thing as I want it to come off easily, I think it would be good on fragile stuff as well.


Thanks Ryally

Hello All

The next step is to start building the foam up that I will put inside the base. As you can see I just use layers of foam that I have collected over time from computer boxes and other stuff I have brought. Foam, it's always cheap when you don't want it but when you do and have a look in the hobby shop at there prices you will have a heart attack.





I know, I have a problem, I always start puting filling plaster(Spakfilla) and paint on my foam just to start making it look more like ground work to start off with.

Thanks Ryally

Hi Paul,
Sounds like it's going to be an interesting scene,it's coming along nicely mate.Did you add some brown pigment or paint to your polyfilla mix?
Keep those pics coming through digger!
Shay

Hi Again

Here is the base inserted in the base frame. I have left some more room on the sides because I have not decided if I will keep the base flat at the edges or run them down on and angle to the lower frame. What do you guys think?

While I am at it, what do each of you use for you mixed ground work e.g soil?

Hi Shay, yes I did mix some paint in with the filler but this was more to entice me to keep going. The real base mixture will go over the top of this. I also don't mind doing this to protect the foam a little more.



What do you think so far?

Thanks
Ryally

Hi Rudi

Here is a little answer to your question earlier. This is the idea/concept but I will have more figures and a kettenkraftrad near the german on the ground.

The dio is really wanting to focus on the size of the Tiger 2 but I really want to try and make the ground work look as best as possible.

Any comments on how to make realistic groundwork/soil would be helpful.

The photos are not great but it's more to show the layout than the actual Tiger or figures at this point.







Any comments?
Ryally

Hi Paul,
There are various ways of doing groundwork,everything i know i learnt from the members here on this site .
Firstly,will you be putting another layer of filler over the dio?
If so,for your next layer of spackle,add a fair bit of sand to the mix.After mix is applied to dio(while still wet)i tend to sieve some sand lightly over the dio(pushing into place lightly with my fingers),and place a little cat litter here and there to simulate stones.
I leave this to dry out for a day or two,then spraying a mixture of watered down white glue over the whole surface,yet again leaving to dry out.
The next step is to blow off any excess sand on the dio.
Now the dio is ready for a coating of brown acrylic craft paint,applied with an old paint brush.
Leaving this to dry out i then paint the dio over with an acrylic earth colour.Yet again,leaving to dry.
I tend to pick out the cat litter now by painting the pieces in a grey colour.
This is now a good moment to add a wash of raw umber and burnt sienna,you will see your groundwork coming to life now.
You can dry brush areas with various colours like Tamiya's Buff,it's all up to you!
This is by no means the way to go about things,the other guys will have other methods and tips to point you in the right direction!
BTW,the setup of the dio is very appealing and i like the concept that you are trying to bring to life.
Keep going digger!
Cheers,Shay

Hi Paul,
Forgot to ask something..what did you use for the trees in the b/ground!I really like the look of the one at the righthand side,is it roots from a plant or small tree?
cheers,Shay

Hi Shay

The tree/plant is a dead lillypilly and its the top of the tree not the root. It's the only good thing about forgeting to water your plants. It's one of those plants that are shaped into a little ball when it has leaves on it.

Thanks very much for your helpful comments.
Ryally