"Back to Basics"

[Bunkerbarge]

After having enjoyed participating in the quizzes and caption contests for a while I guess maybe it is time to think a bit about making a bit more use of the area of the forums that give us the real reasons for being here and that is the sharing of experiences and information.



We can all learn from other people’s experiences so I will warm up the enthusiasm by tossing a couple of my bits into the arena under the "Tutorial" heading but not necessarily a full tutorial.



One of the things that I am constantly trying to get across to younger engineers in my profession is to get back to basics and that applies to modelling as much as engineering. I think we often overlook the really basic stuff in the rush to explain something that is dear to our hearts and start the explanation using a basic set of assumptions. These can quite often loose the newcomer who gets lost after the first line so my aim with some of these notes is to really get right back to the very basic stuff which may be of help to some of the newcomers to plastic modelling and who may find themselves in the horrible gooey situation of being afraid to ask.



I am going to start these notes off then with some stuff that seems so basic as to seem ridiculous at first but they are all related to things that I had to learn myself over the years, sometimes the hard way and I will call this thread “Back to basics”

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Lets take glue as an example of something that we all learn hard lessons with and is a topic that we are all learning as we progress in our hobby. I only recently discovered that Rapid Araldite is not considered as waterproof and yet normal cure Araldite is. I have had to try to rectify this with some additional resin and paint on the steam coaster hull but it would have been nice to have this knowledge before hand.



So lets look at one very small area of glue and consider why we have polystyrene cement and liquid poly. Both do the same job, which is to melt the surface of the polystyrene plastic and allow the two surfaces to fuse together but are there any reasons for using one over the other? We can easilly fall into the trap of considering cement as old fashioned and out of date but it still has a place in our modelling boxes today. I have seen youngsters buying a kit and preparing themselves with all the paints, glue, brushes, knives etc so it makes me wonder if they realise that the glue they have purchased may not be the best for the job.



Basically both glues are an active polystyrene solvent but one is dissolved in a highly volatile vehicle with the consistency of water and the other is dissolved in a thick gel vehicle.



The advantages of the liquid poly are that is has amazing capillary action so it will run into a closely fitting joint, which has been pre-assembled, with just a touch of the brush on the joint. It dries very quickly and leaves no residue afterwards and so holding joints together while they dry does not require the same length of time as cement. It is very clean and easy to use and it generally does not cause any stringing effect. Painting over the joint will leave no indication that the glue was ever there. Disadvantages are that it will not fill gaps so if you are joining large, inaccurate faces it may not completely fill the gaps and render the joint weaker.



Polystyrene cement on the other hand fills gaps very well due to its thick consistency and can be used liberally on a large joint to cause a build up of cement outside the joint. This can be sanded down afterwards to give a perfect seamless finish or, if the joint is not in view, the bead of glue can be left to give additional support to the joint. Disadvantages with cement are that it takes a lot longer to set completely so pieces require support for a lot longer and it has a tendency to cause stringing, making it more difficult to use.



As a couple of examples, to glue a detail to a ships deck of say a davit, it would be best to assemble the detail dry and then brush the joint with a spot of liquid poly. On the other hand to assemble the two halves of the hull it may well be better to use a bead of cement, which could be smoothed down afterwards and even an additional bead could be run down the inside surface of the hull.

The picture shows a water tank to be fitted to a model boat that had to be completely watertight. It is out of sight so I used liberal amounts of cement on both sides of all joints and cleaned the outside very little.

View attachment 13411

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Painting rust is a topic that always seems to generate much enthusiastic debate and I tend to think people get locked into their own preference. I think that some methods are better suited to some applications than others so for this note I will describe my own dry brush technique, which I use on large-scale model ships. Other techniques such as pastels, chalks, ‘real’ rust and airbrushing will be considered separately.



As with so many things the key is in the preparation and research. Get as may photos as you can of the thing you are trying to recreate and think of how it looks at the scale you are reproducing. Dry brushing would have to be considered very carefully on such things as 1/72nd aircraft as the brush strokes would be too visible on the end product. Pastels would almost certainly be better there.



On large scale ships however you want to see the separate streaks of the individual colours as this is how it is created in real life. Study ship pictures of rusted hulls and you will see how the rust forms in vertical streaks from such things as hull penetrations and reliefs. The streaks always follow the path the seawater takes as it drains off the details so the brush should always follow these paths.



If you look at pictures of rusted hull details you will see that distinct colours are always visible and not just one overall ‘rust’ colour. I use a bright orange, a brown earth and a dark purple. I put a good blob of each on a palette and using a flat dry brush mix parts of each in the middle of the palette. (for ‘palette’ I mean of course a scrap of wood, formica, plasticard, etc…) Start with very dry vertical streaks from the origin of the rust and drag the brush down. Don’t panic if you put too much on as you are going over it many times but it is best to build it up slowly. After a few strokes add a different colour to the mix and do a few more strokes, keeping it dry. You should eventually build up a streak in which you can make out the separate colours in all their various mixes and still see clearly the hull colour showing through in varying shades.



It is well worth having a sample piece to practise on until you are confident that the effect you after is getting close. The dry brush also very effectively picks out surface detail such as rivets and plate edges so these should also be experimented with. I have shown the picture elsewhere before but I will stick it on to this as well to illustrate the technique.



View attachment 13412

 

[wonwinglo]

Very informative Richard,sometimes we use these products so often that we tend to take things for granted,above all by passing on such information to our newcomers stops them falling into these traps,product knowledge is a vey important part of modelling something which the retailers need to take onboard when selling items to the public,one shop that will remain nameless insists on selling balsa cement for plastic models,and diesel fuel for glo engines !! just think of the flustrations when a raw beginner starts to use the totally wrong items,and then we have the danger aspect with gloplugs lighting up ether based fuels,it does not bear thinking about.

The water impervious adhesives are relatively thin on the ground,as you have rightly pointed out,after all the work put into a model,the last thing we need is for it to fall to bits ! more basics here please Richard,lets all go back to modelling school again.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

I thought that tonight I might share one or two basic thoughts on paint and what I have been through over the years.



I am surprised nowadays that with all the fancy acrylic paints in a bewildering number of finish types I still find myself returning to good old modelling enamel and inevitably Humbrol tins. Pretty much the same stuff that I started off with when I put my first plastic kit together somewhere in the mid sixties. Who remembers Airfix Series One kits in a bag at 2/6? My pocket money in those days was half a crown so I couldn’t afford a kit every week, as I needed supplies as well. Birthdays and Christmases were always brilliant as I always got a kit or two.



Anyway paint, asuming most beginners are going to start with enamels, lets once again look at the simple pitfalls with the two different types of enamel, namely gloss and matt.



Over the years I had a number of disappointments with enamel gloss and they all centered around achieving that lovely deep gloss finish that always seemed to be marred by some imperfection or other. Just to digress I once got a brand new Airfix Jumbo just after they released it and I painted the hull gloss white just before my Gran decided to do the vacuuming. Big lesson there!! Anyway the upshot of all my trials and tribulations was this, all finish imperfections are as a result of foreign matter in the paint so all I had to do was remove it from the equation. Simple really. This foreign matter comes from:



1) Dust and dirt in the brushes, no matter how clean they are they still contain traces of old dry paint. Solution, use a new brush.

2) Dirt in the paint, usually from dried bits around the rim that has formed when previously opened. Solution, use a new tin of paint.

3) Airborne particles landing on the wet paint. Solution, paint in a clean dust free environment (tidy workbench!!) and as soon as the painting is finished leave the room until it is dried.

4) Dust on the model surface. Solution, wash it in warm soapy water first. This also removes waxy mould freeing agents.



Other obvious considerations are use a good quality brush that will not release bristles and paint in even well loaded strokes in a direction that is comfortable. It is well worth using a piece of sprue to glue to the inside of whatever you are painting to make a handle and have a vice ready to put the part in when you have done. By the way don’t forget to mix the paint very thoroughly and if at all possible do all the painting of one colour on a particular model at one time. If you want a time, do it for longer than you think necessary.



The first time I took all these precautions was on a Tamiya motorcycle petrol tank and I was amazed at how good a gloss finish I could achieve. That bike still winks at me knowingly from inside it’s glass cabinet.



As for matt paints, the pitfalls here are invariably centered around variations in finish. Matt paint contains not only pigment and the vehicle but also solid matter held in suspension that gives the surface its rough finish. Varying densities of this solid matter will vary the degree of the matt effect. Quite often variations in a matt finish are required to enhance a surface and I even deliberately blend matt and gloss in varying quantities to achieve different surface textures sometimes but assuming you need an even finish the one most important thing to remember is the mixing. All that solid matter has to be evenly dispersed around the paint and this takes time. Even when the paint looks mixed it can still dry to a slight satin finish if the paint has not been mixed thoroughly. To achieve this I use a piece of bent copper wire in my Black and Decker battery drill and mix all matt paints for a very long time. A battery drill is ideal as it is relatively slow. Obvious precautions are do not remove the stirrer whilst moving and do not let go of the tin while mixing.



If you spend the time on this process and take the same precautions as above with gloss paints you should find that your finishes are considerably more consistent. Once again though it is well worth doing all the parts of a model of the same colour at the same time whenever possible.

 

[adzam]

Richard have you had any experience with using additives to acheive the non slip effect that some boats have ?

 

[wonwinglo]

Richard,this problem of dust is an old one,a quick tip for beginners and those more advanced as well is to take a piece of lint free cloth,place a few drops of ordinary Humbrol varnish onto the pad,then go over your model just befiore you paint,the professional painters use these and they are called 'Tack rags' you can purchase them but the varnish on cloth technique works just as well,also never paint in your best Mohair sweater ! bits fly off jumpers all the time,and when the model has been painted place an old cardboard box over the whole lot and wait until dry,the best place to paint is on a piece of board placed over the bath,here there is far less dust than anywhere in the bathroom,thats a fact.

Another tip is to warm your Humbrol by standing it in a container of warm water,use bluetak to hold it down,the paint goes on beautifully.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

The only thing I have tried in the past to create a similar effect was to add talcum powder to matt paint. I can't even remember what I was doing at the time now as it was such a long time ago.

From what I remember this proved quite successfull although a fair amount of experimentation was required!

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Keeping the “Back to Basic” theme lets have a look at what newcomers might want to start with as regards a set of tools.



Many, many moons ago I had a Saturday job in a toy and model shop (£1.50 per week for a morning and evening paper round and £1.50 for the Saturday job, I was rolling in it!) and here I learned a bit about the modelling trade from a retail side. It quickly became obvious to me that the profit margin on a particular line was of far more consequence than the best for the customer and I remember being in trouble for selling the ‘wrong’ thing once or twice.



I do remember though in those days most young lads had a dabble at some point or other in their teens with plastic modelling and many would seek advice as to what tools they wanted to start with.



I am sure, as with most of us, we have a comprehensive range of tools built up over the years but what would we advise someone who is just starting out what the best things to spend their money on would be. I would like to put forward the following suggestions as basic requirements.



1) Knife. I spent most of my modelling life using surgical scalpels. Which are, of course, extremely sharp and a very effective cutting tool but they do have drawbacks. They do not have a very strong blade so heavy cutting will require something more substantial, such as a Stanley Knife, and the blades do not remain keen for very long. A good starter might be a handle with a set of interchangeable blades such as an X-acto knife, which can even be fitted with small saws. As a modeller becomes more experienced he can then expand his set with more specific knives.

2) Tweezers. For as long as I can remember I have always used a very old pair of long nosed tweezers that my father gave me and I always thought they were the best. Recently however I have tried a new pair of very long nosed ones with angled ends and they are superb. These can be purchased relatively cheaply from electrical tool suppliers for electronics work.

3) Cutters. It is well worth investing right from the start in a pair of electrical side cutters. Removing plastic bits from sprues will never be completely trouble free with any sort of knife and small electrical side cutters do the job perfectly. The small tab of plastic left can be simply trimmed with the knife.

4) Vice. I actually made a hand vice in a college exercise during my apprentiship and, as I finished it relatively quickly, I made a base for it as well. This has held many hundreds of pieces over the years and has proved invaluable for painting, holding pieces while they set and generally as another set of hands. There are a lot of very cheap small vices around these days, a number of which clamp to the edge of the table for convenience. (Assuming that you are not using the dining table!!) Some are better quality than others so have a good look first and don’t ever be tempted to buy plastic or any that attach with a suction cup.

5) Brushes. A range suitable for what you are making is obvious but always go for fewer better quality rather than a greater number of cheap ones. The biggest problem with the cheaper ones is that they will loose hairs, always in the middle of the perfect finish that you are after.

6) Light. Often overlooked but the importance of a good light cannot be over emphasised. You need to see what you are doing clearly and you need to see the colours you are painting accurately so the best type of lamp nowadays is one fitted with a ‘Daylight’ type of tube. These come in at about £50.00, which sounds a lot but it is well worth the money. When you get one set up and compare it with an ordinary lamp you will be amazed at the difference. I can't believe it took me so long to get around to buying one!

7) Cutting board. Don’t skimp on this item as a good sound cutting board for cutting on will make life so much easier and remove any stress involved with damage to the surface you may be working on. The best ones nowadays are very cheap and have quite useful grid lines marked on them for keeping things square.



Other bits and pieces will be added over the years but these things are a pretty good start. I also have a good supply of wooden clothes pegs to hand and a roll of sellotape for keeping things together. I always hold an item with a piece of scrap sprue that I glue to the inside somewhere than I make a stand for the sprue with clothes pegs while it sets or dries.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

If anyone thinks that "Back to Basics" is too basic please let me know.

I don't want to embarrass myself by boring everyone!!

 

[john]

Please carry on with Back to Basics

 

[adzam]

:music_too keep it comin bud

 

[wonwinglo]

Far from it Richard,I think it serves to remind us all of the correct way to do things,remember many beginners also search the internet for basic info,as it is all archived someone can easily pick it up on a search engine,just what we want,please carry on I for one am enjoying your series.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Well now that we have some of the tools in place and talked a bit about paint and glue lets look at taking those first steps and actually glueing some pieces together.

Firstly one of the most important things for me, which also applies to so many things in life is preparation. Reading the instructions first may sound so blindingly obvious we all think it doesn't merit saying but it is the one most important thing to do. Read them at least twice and identify all the pieces before you even consider removing anything from the sprues. It may suprise a lot of people to realise just how many times pieces can look similar and end up being glued in the wrong place if they haven't been correctly identified first.

Next lay out your plot. Some of us will be lucky enough to have a place to work that can be left overnight but many of us will have to put things away again after a modelling session. (We all started there!) It is so important to keep a tidy work area that allows you to find all the important things quickly and efficiently. It is no good glueing two bits together than realising that you can't find the clamps you need to hold it together while it sets. So layout your work top so that you can find all your tools and pieces easily.

Assuming that you have everyting in place and you have removed two pieces from the sprues with your side cutters you are ready to start preparing the pieces for glueing. Obviously the pieces must be studied closely and all flashing, tags and seams should be carefully removed with a combination of scraping, filing, cutting and sanding. Time spent at this stage will reap benefits later when you come to paint the pieces and you suddenly realise that the seam stands out more than you anticipated after painting.

You must also prepare the pieces to fit by a combination of the above techniques. Once again do not cut corners here otherwise the two pieces when glued become animated with a mind all of thier own when they refuse to go together correctly. Getting incorrectly fitted pieces apart after the glue has set is not an option so the test fitting and preparation is of the utmost importance.

Once again preparation is significant so if you need tape, clamps, vices or any other supporting media get it ready and to hand before applying the glue.

Finally apply the glue to the two parts. Refer to the posting on glues to decide what glue is best for your application and put the two pieces together. If all your preparation has been put in place the pieces should go together easily, suport should be put in place while the pieces are left to set and the end result should be a strong effective and neat joint.

All that should be left o do afterwards is the minimum of cleaning up and, if it is a joint in two surfaces, the smoothing of the seam.

As with all modelling everything is part of a learning process but a bit of thought into some of these basics will help you to keep the mistakes to a minimum and keep a smile on your face.

Just remember that I do not offer any of these postings as a means of doing something, I simply pass on the results of my own learnings over the years, and, yes, I have made all the mistakes at some point or other myself!

 

[Bunkerbarge]

So having glued some pieces together lets have a look at what is required after that. Hopefully all the smaller detail pieces have been glued without requiring any further attention but the bigger pieces such as hulls and wings will have to be cleaned up after gluing.



I have to admit to many years of not doing very well with the dressing up of joints and to even avoiding models that incorporated such joints. This proved to be a bit of a pity as one of the most common was hull joints in ships, something I have come to enjoy very much more as time has gone on.



As with so many basic things the success of any such task depends on the preparation work done before hand. When you are gluing large components that are going to have a joint in them ensure that the pieces either side of the joint are held in the correct attitude as the glue sets.



Imagine for instance the classic situation with gluing the two halves of a ships hull. The vast majority of hulls are flat in the middle for probably about a third of the total hull length but the temptation is always to hold the two halves of the hull together with elastic, clamps, sticky tape etc and keep the halves under pressure until the glue sets. This invariably causes the hull to compress slightly and the flat bottom ends up with a slight rise either side of the keel.



This is something that requires thought into the preparation of how you are going to hold the pieces until the glue is set to ensure that the bottom is correctly flat. This then makes the cleaning up of the hull after the glue has set so much easier to deal with.



To clean up the joint the best I have found over the years that automotive “Wet and Dry” paper is the most effective. The joint may require some scraping to remove glue that has squeezed out of the faces, which can be done gently by dragging a knife blade over the area. Then, using the “Wet and Dry” in a bowl of soapy water to keep the paper clean and lubricated, wrap it round a square block of any material. Using a square block always ensures that the action remains square and doesn’t follow undulations in the surface which will invariable happen if you simply use the paper in your hand.



Start with a course grit paper of approximately 200, depending upon the size of the surface being rubbed down and gently rub until the entire length of the joint is an even matt finish with no sign of any depressions or raised areas. When the joint has been successfully dressed up in this way go to a finishing paper, of say 600 grit, and rub over the area again by hand.



Once this has been completed and the component has dried out completely a light thin coat of primer should be applied by either spray or painting over the area of the joint only. The primer will show up any imperfections in the joint and show you any point that may require a bit of further work.



Once you have mastered the technique of cleaning up joints in this way it really will surprise you just how easily a perfect joint can be achieved which, when the top coat of paint is applied, will be completely invisible.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Well it has been some time since I added something to the “Back to Basics” thread as I thought that most of the really basic stuff had been covered. What I now find though is that as I get involved with other discussions on the forum thoughts turn to subjects that are maybe not quite as basic as the originals but can be progressed to in a sequential way, which may help modelers take their skills into new areas.



I will therefore help the newcomers to plastic modeling take some of those steps that open up new doors and help you to realize just how easy it can be to achieve some surprising levels of realism with your models.



Keeping the “Back to Basics” theme very firmly in mind I thought I might share a few ideas on metallic finishes and, in particular thinking along the lines of model engines etc.



As with so much in modeling you cannot beat having a look at the subject you are modeling and whilst it may not be so easy to have a Sopwith Camel or the odd Bismarck to hand most of us should be able to get to have a look at an engine in some form or another. It will quickly become obvious that there as many different engine types and finishes as there are anything else so what may be acceptable for your model Ducati would not look correct if you applied the same paints to the said Sopwith Camel.



A good starting point is to try to get an idea of what the metals used in your engine really are. Most modern engines use various aluminium and magnesium alloys and are therefore a very light metallic finish however if you are building a model of a vintage car most engine blocks would be of an aluminium material with cast iron also used for numerous components. The essence, as always is a bit of research and, of course if in doubt, ask questions. What could be a better resource than forums such as this to help with this type of information?



Lets take a pretty typical engine that you may find yourself modeling such as a Tamiya Ducati motorcycle, “V” Twin. Most of the main casing of these engines is made from a magnesium alloy and so are a bit darker in shade than aluminium and some of them are actually powder coated. Paints you would want to hand would be Gunmetal, Metallic Grey, Silver and maybe gold.



It is doing things like putting together a model engine that you realize it is time to stray away from the instructions and think things through for yourself. Following the instructions you will paint the various items and glue them to the engine in sequence but that may be not quite as logical as putting the two halves of the casing together first and painting them as one unit. I always use a piece of sprue and glue it to the engine at some point that is going to be eventually covered, such as behind a chrome cover or in the exhaust hole. Don’t use a lot of glue, as you want the sprue to break off easily when you are ready! You then have a handle to hold the engine and you can paint away to your hearts content and put the sprue into a modeling vice when you are not painting.



Most engines such as the Ducati will have a crankcase of one base colour and additional fittings of different metals. The key to bringing it all to life is using different paint mixes to give subtle shades which will highlight the different pieces.



Most modern engines being water cooled will have cylinders of the same metal so would be the same colour but in earlier engines the air cooled cylinders could well be cast iron and the crank case could be aluminium. After a coat of gunmetal on the crankcases and cylinders it is time to think of a very simple technique, which will really bring the metal to life and that is dry brushing.



Dry brushing is a technique for highlighting surface detail and enhances the way light shines on the raised surface detail of an object. The initial mistake a lot of people make is to use different paints for this and the effect can be very unrealistic. Do not paint an engine black and then dry brush silver over it as this would not work and the result would look worse than doing nothing. The key is to be subtle so shades of the same colour should be used. Take your base of gunmetal paint, add a few drops to whatever palette you use (or whichever sideplate you have managed to sneak past your mother/wife/partner!) and add a single drop of silver. This now gives you a lighter shade of the base colour, which will be the dry brush medium. You need quite a large brush for dry brushing and a good supply of kitchen roll (steal this at the same time as you steal the side plate). Dab the large brush into your highlight paint and then wipe the brush on the kitchen roll to remove most of the paint. Flick the brush in very strong stokes back and forth across the kitchen roll until you feel that the paint on the brush is “dry” enough. Too much and you will end up painting the engine the highlight colour and not enough and nothing will happen. This will only be learned with experience and experimentation so play to your hearts content. When you are happy with the quantity of paint transfer to the model engine and flick the brush in firm even strokes across the base coat. If you have it right you will not see much effect until you have made a few strokes and then you will see the highlights start to come out. When you see this move on. The most important thing is not to do too much. You would be surprised at how effective a very small amount is and you shouldn’t be able to see the highlight as a separate colour. When you have done you will surprised at just how lifelike the finish will now look.



The next step with the Ducati engine would be to add remaining detail, if a different metal is involved such as the carburetors, then painting separately and gluing on afterwards would usually be the best method. If the engine has some chrome covers or bell mouths then you will find that the final engine with its cables and pipes in conjunction with the different metallic finishes added looks amazingly lifelike. Finally the engine may well have been fitted with bolts and fastenings of yet a different metal and will almost certainly be a lot brighter. I would still not use silver as this tends to be unrealistic and too bright so mix a drop of Gunmetal or Metallic Grey into a base of sliver to tone it down. Then Paint the nuts, bolts and fastenings with the smallest brush you can handle. Take your time and be patient and remember that if one is beyond your skill then leave it. It will look better not done than attempted and smudged with a bright contrasting colour.



As with most things you can’t beat experimenting and after a few dozen engines you will find it all second nature.



Remember this is about basic techniques, simple things that will take you to new levels of realism very easily. We could also discuss various shadowing techniques, metalcote paints and other polishing processes but what has been described above will give you a bit of confidence and make you want to look into more sophisticated techniques your self.

 

[5thelement]

Some great advice in here! all much appreciated, i'll definately be coming back to read through these again.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Many thanks for the encouragement.

Probably about time I added a bit more but the idea was to keep with basics here which seem to be reasonably well covered.

I have a couple of more ideas for some postings but I may be near to considering it done.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Strangely enough I have been thinking about what I could write about for the next “Back to Basics” topic for a while and was thinking a Diorama posting would be useful. Then I see we have suggested a separate topic for just this subject so I thought it may be time to put something together.



Taken from the Cambridge “On Line Dictionary” a diorama is as follows:



a model which shows a situation, such as an historical event or animals in their natural surroundings, in a way that looks real because the height, length and width of what is being shown are accurately represented in comparison with each other.



I tend to think of it as a snapshot in time, a scene or setting captured in modeling mediums of an actual picture in three dimensions. This all sounds all well and good but we are talking about basics here so the trick with diorama’s to me is how you can create one to suit your needs, skill levels, pocket etc.



We have all studied in awe the diorama’s in model magazines that just have us staring in amazement. Tamiya Magazine regularly have them reviewed and the U-Boat one pictured in the latest Model Boats magazine is just stunning. These things though take many hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to make and are beyond most of us as regards the time involved.



Lets think a bit more down to earth though and ask ourselves what we want from a diorama. To me it more often than not simply is the desire to present a favourite model in a more realistic setting than on a wooden base or plinth, nothing more involved than that. This is where we can start to put the real thought into not just how a diorama can be created but just how simple and basic it can actually be. Lets start with something we have all made, a 1/72nd fighter kit. If we decide we want it displayed with the undercarriage down what sort of diorama could we incorporate it into to bring it to life. It may be no more than putting it on a base to represent a piece of runway or depending on the period a piece of grass. We can then go on to deciding how we can create a concrete surface or a grass effect and place the model on the base. It will look 10 times better than sat on a shelf or a polished wood base for doing no more than that.



What will really make it jump out though is the addition of some other item or other that puts the model into a setting. If you are talking of a WWII Spit what about having the pilot, instead of sitting in the cockpit, sat in an armchair next to his plane waiting for the alarm to go. Very simple, very easy and yet the model takes on a complete scenario that has the viewer thinking about the snapshot in time as much as the aircraft itself. You can also show off the lovely cockpit detail and have the door open. These little additions are what gives the scene that extra dimension and puts the model into a setting rather than on display. Airfix knew this years and years ago when they incorporated a tractor and rack of bombs with their Short Stirling kit, included a team of RAF personnel with the Bloodhound kit (including dog!) and produced such models as the airfield control tower and refueling bowser.



What about motorcycle models. I have a number that I put onto a diorama base that were very simple to make put give the model a whole new life. One of them, a racing Honda, is with a figure, stood next to the bike ready to jump on it. This to me needed to be on a starting grid so to put this into a snapshot in time I wanted a starting grid base. I used a sheet of wet and dry paper, glued it to a base, masked and painted some white lines on it and dirtied the area with some rubber streaks from a black wash. Couldn’t be simpler but the model looks so much better. Another very simple one was a motorcycle cornering with a rider on it. Once again I used a sheet of wet and dry for the road surface and incorporated an arc of plywood with some curbstones cut from plasticard and covered it with railway grass. The curbstones were pained red and white and the model placed on the “corner”.



Probably the most commonly thought of types of model when we think of dioramas would be military vehicles. We regularly see these incorporated into diorama’s of breathtaking complexity where you find you are looking at many many different scenes incorporated into one model. Once again though it may take no more than a simple setting to bring your model to life rather than a huge project. I once built a Tamiya field gun that came complete with about four figures, ammunition and a few other detail bits. It was crying out for a diorama setting so I made a base, painted it with contact adhesive and sprinkled real dried soil onto it. I made some sand bags from modeling clay, rolled into round sections and cut into ‘bags’ and built a sand bag emplacement with them. The figures and the gun required no more than placing in the setting to instantly give a scene from the second world war rather than a model of a field gun.



The real objective of this post is to get you to think of just how easy it is to create a diorama once you have put the required thought into its planning. More often than not it is thinking of just how easy it can be that is the trick and how you can incorporate easy to obtain household materials to put it together. I now nearly always use a cheap picture frame as the base. All you need to do is remove the rest from the back and take the glass out and replace it with a piece of hard board and mask the frame. Make your diorama on the hardboard then remove the masking tape. You have a neatly secured diorama with a perfectly fitted varnished wooden edge to it. Once again simple, easy and cheap but most of all very effective!!

 

[5thelement]

Another great installment of advice!

Im considering making some type of basic diorama base for my Messerschmitt when it's finished. I just want something basic, such as grass or a runway to display on it and hopefully learn some stuff while doing it.

I guess a good place to start would be to look for photos of german ww2 airfields and see what type of setting the planes were typically in, and try base something around that.

Hmm, you've got me thinking now....i love the idea of using a cheap picture frame as the base aswell, i've got a perfect sized one lying in a drawer