What do you use for your diorama base?

Just a word of advice. Don't ever think that the ground is flat and level. You are still going to have to add contours, no matter how subtle otherwise its going to look like you built your diorama on a flat board.

I use varnished plywood and add stained basswood or cherry edging to it. In this photo I have built up some contours with basswood sheets, and the nails are to hold plaster in place when it gets poured.

I personally dislike beaded or decorative edging, to me it looks like a wall plaque from a craft store!

Stop by Michael's or any other hobby/craft store (Wal-Mart sometimes has them) and take a look at decoupage plaques.  You can get these in several sizes; most have a decorative factory edge.

Ted, VB is correct to a certain extent about the terrain.  But if you are doing a small area with an aircraft sitting on some desert hard pan you can get away with something relatively flat.  The surface should not be perfect like is was troweled concrete.

Plywood is nice and stable but you  should do what VB does and band it with hardwood trim for appearance.  I you go solid wood the surface where the ground work will go must be sealed.  If you varnish it on the side and bottom figuring the top will be covered, the moisture from whatever you use will wrap the board.

You may get tons of answers on what to use for the basic ground material.  Someone suggested Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty to me and once I tried it I have not used anything else since.  Mixes easy and dries...well... rock hard.  It works well if you make a very thick paste of a very thin one.  Once I get the surface the way I want it I  cover the wet paste with the dry powder.  When it hardens shake of the excess dry stuff and blow off the rest while lightly brushing.  Where a dust mask or do this outside because you sure  don't want to breath a powder that will harden once wet.  The texture really looks great.  Should be pretty darn closed to what you might need for your desert scene.

Where a dust mask or d

Listen to me. 

go to your local DOLLAR STORE.  They will have cheap frames for a buck, there not the kind you wana put good pictures in, but there perfect for dios.  Just put some tape on the glass to keep it from cracking.

Then use celluclay or some other paper machet to make the ground work.  I find it best to take a sharpee and run it along the edge of the inner frame over the glass so you can see how far you can go with the ground work before you would hit wood.

Great ideas .

Ron

Try using a product known as "Flexstone" it is made from recycled rubber and is sold as a stepping stone for landscaping. It comes in different shades of brown, tan and grey and is the absolute perfect solution to all the diorama needs of anyone. I use it for all my dioramas in 1/35th scale. Here are the steps for use;

1.) No sanding is required,  simply spread an even coat of Elmers wood glue with a paint brush until the surface is covered then apply sifted dirt or sand depending on your diorama. As the glue absorbs the first coat of dirt, sprinkle on thin layers of vegitation.

2.) Spray a thin layer of water onto the surface to solidify the ground material. After this is complete add more glue as desired to add more grond cover. For trees and shrubs I use dried weed roots which make really great dead trees. For winter scenes wet the surface with thinned out layers of Polycrylic Wood Sealer, you got it for watery effect in a can, and no mess, then sprinkle on baking soda and watch the "icy effect".

3.) For additional details in ground scenery simply drill holes on the rubber and add trees, etc. The stepping stone company never thought for one minute that their peace loving, recylced rubber user friendly, garden decorative rock would wind up being the basis for battle scenes!

Check out my gallery on Amazon.com ( they have a great way to show off models with one's own gallery) I have 58 photos of the many uses of the recylced rubber base along with the now " old fashioned" wood base. 

One last point, if you don't care to shop at Wally World then I don't know of any other outlet for the stepping stone.

The best,

John Staehle

johncpo

Lots of excellent ideas. I use the picture frames from the dollar store or the premade wood plaques from craft stores. They come in all shapes and sizes and are VERY cheap when they go on sale. I bought a bunch of them for .25 to .75 a while back fromHobby Lobby and still have about 7 left.

EasyMike

Stop by Michael's or any other hobby/craft store (Wal-Mart sometimes has them) and take a look at decoupage plaques.  You can get these in several sizes; most have a decorative factory edge.

 

I use Celluclay exclusively for ground material. There hasn't been a scenario yet that I've been unable to replicate with this stuff.

the doog

 

EasyMike:

 

Stop by Michael's or any other hobby/craft store (Wal-Mart sometimes has them) and take a look at decoupage plaques.  You can get these in several sizes; most have a decorative factory edge.

 

 

I've used these for ages. Get a bunch of them, varnish them on a nice day, let dry, and then seal with a FLAT acrylic sealer for added water protection and "tooth" for your ground material.

 

I use Celluclay exclusively for ground material. There hasn't been a scenario yet that I've been unable to replicate with this stuff.

oh god yes, those plaques.  They sell small ones that are very nice for less then a buck, great for small dioramas/vignettes in 1/35th or  1/72nd or for just displaying larger figures.

"Try using a product known as "Flexstone" it is made from recycled rubber and is sold as a stepping stone for landscaping. It comes in different shades of brown, tan and grey and is the absolute perfect solution to all the diorama needs of anyone. I use it for all my dioramas in 1/35th scale. Here are the steps for use;"

Johncpo I cant find it on amazon or your pictures help !!!!

I'm not sure of your models size or "footprint" but for larger models I use pink insulation foam, the type used in house construction. It's easy to cut, lightweight and doesn't warp. It sands easy but can be messy, so any sanding should be done outdoors or a large open space. It glues up with Elmers wood glue(if you want to make hills for example) and ground cover(sand, plants) is easily "attached" to it. The only drawbacks are you can't use a solvent type glue with it or oil based/ laquer paints. Waterbased paints work fine. It lends itself to a ship diorama, large aircraft scenes or any situation where the modeler needs to suggest a large area. I'd keep away from plywood and that sort of material. My early dioramas were plywood and they were heavy, with a "bow" in them no matter how I sealed them against moisture..As for finishing up the edge some 1/4x4x4 oak strips from a box store is all you need to dress it out. Just cut the wood to the size you need with a table or hand saw, glue the corners and glue the wood to the foam with Elmers. With this method you don't have to rely on plaques when determining the size of your diorama if you need a large base. It's an easy and inexpensive way to showcase your models.  

what about plywood?

I have many dioramas posted on facebook under "Hobbies in a Barn" that will hopefully find you looking for ideal dioramas. Thanks and I have to look for Flexstone somewhere else now as my supply has dwindled since a certain ---mart is not carrying it anymore.

You can use the pink foam used for building insulation to carve out contours.

Carve it, sand it with a sanding block and its ready for paint.

Just be careful that the paint isn't the type that eats at the foam

I know a guy who likes to build small dioramas on plastic light switch plates!