Ideas needed for a 4x8 diorama

this sounds like one those things that pop up here and there where a guy spends half his adult life on it
it is daunting and to many totally mind boggling
to me

Model railroaders use foam a lot in their scenes. They use the pink or blue insulation foam that is used in home construction. It comes in 1/2" to 2" thicknesses and in sheets that are 4'x8'. I would be hesitant to use any other foam, since I know how well the pink stuff takes paint and can be formed.

As far as sectioning goes, try to make it like a puzzle, with connections hidden in spots that have long, straight lines. Along the side of a dock, or the hull of a ship would be logical for me. Also you could use a tounge and groove connection, or a male/female connection to make sure everything sticks together while displayed.

Good luck with it.

Progress report

My grand design has grown to 14 ships waiting to be built and two to purchase. I came across foam board while in Stapels and am curious has anyone worked with it in a diorama. i thought about using it to hold the ships in place and be the base for my surface water since it is not transparent and i have not seen a harbor that you can see through the water more than a foot I think it would work well. I liked the suggestion of sectioning the harbor, (just not sure how to brak it down yet) My actuall building will not begin until after i return to the US in dec 2006 but i am trying to develope a good plan before i even start. if i ever figure out how to add a file i will give everyone the paint file of my planned layout

I forgot one thing if you do go with water have the tank driled.
Then get a canaster filter. A canaster filter will make clean up faster.
Plus you do not have a ugly box on the back of the tank.
Also find some sandblasting sand for the floor of the tank.
It will make it look more real.
ARTE ET MARTE
djw1

I was thinking of this type of a diorama. Mine is a 3ft by 1ft (50gl).
I went to a auto glass shop and asked for the disgarded glass or plastic pieces.
The glass shop was more than happy to get rid of the trash.
One more thing try a scrap yard for old pieces.
Or make a fiberglass back and sides clear frount,and wood top.
Wal-mart as fiberglass repiar kits.
Have fun.
ARTE ET MARTE

djw1

4'x8' is pretty big. I'd think about finding a way to make it sectional.
1) Most door ways aren't 4' (you could have the proverbial boat in the basement)
2) It is much easier to work on something, or make an adjustment/repair/addition if you don't have to hang over something to get to it. (there is that whole Tom Crusie harness contraption from mission impossible...)
3) If you ever want to transport it somewhere....
4) Cleaning it is going to be a chore, as it will collect dust, lint and other goodies, on under and around. If you can move it it will make it much easier.
5) Acryic in length is expensive. The more you can make it sectional the less expensive it will be. Even if you make your longest edge 4' that is still a pricey piece of acryic or lexan. If you leave it open on one side to show off the bottom topography, how are you going to dust under there? You will essentialy have a 3" by 4' or 8' slot.

I do hope you will be posting progress pics. Despite my misgivings about projects this big, it sounds like an ambitous and definately worth while build.
Good luck with it.

Thank you for the ideas gentlemen i am really just starting this whole idea and have only bought most of the ships i want to place in it. once i calculated the weight of the water that was a no go but i had thought of hooking up a fish tank filter to keep the water clean. I think th efinal deciding factor will be space when i start to build right now i have the wifes understanding and support. i liike the tint idea thanks for all your help

philp,
Yes, that's what I meant. Nice job! Very interesting. One could put window tint treatment from an auto supply house on the back and side panels too and it would give the reflective properties of being underwater. Lexan panels can be bought at various thicknesses and it is much stronger than plexiglass. (and it's bulletproof in case someone really hates the diorama)

I agree with clfesmire although with the size, might get a little sag in the middle.
Here is a couple of pics of a build by Gavin Anderson from our club. He used blue tinted plastic on 3 sides for the color but left it clear on the front so you can see the detail.

Why add water? You could build everything just as you wanted and use a piece of lexan (plexi) as the waterline. Cut it out to fit the hulls of the ships at their waterline. Not only would the weight be a problem, but the water would begin to take on a rather yucky appearance after only a few days (ever have a fish aquarium?) without filtering and circulation from the bacteria. And this would eliminate the need to make everything (the tank) waterproof as well. I think it is a fantastic idea, by the way. Good luck.

That looks like a very huge project. Good luck on building it. Sorry, can't help much. Maybe the other guys will have an idea for you to go about with. Would love to see the Arizonia one though.

A 8foot by 4foot by 3inch tank would hold 13824 cubic inch = 59.8441558 gallon [US, liquid]. One gallon weighs 8.34 pounds so you'd be at 500 pounds. Well I was hoping that you had overcalculated, darn. You would need to mount the tank on a steel "bed" (if you want it to be made of glass)so that the whole of the glass or material is supported because that is a very wide and long tank. That'd be a bit of force on the walls aswell. Maybe someone here has some more experience with these things but I'll keep thinking. Good Luck!