Will It Hold?

Nice looking build

 

Thad

Hi Zok and thanks for the feedback.

The product I use for shaping groundwork is called Mix-It. It is an instant paper mache so it is basically dried up and ground up paper that mixes into a textured and spreadable goo when water is added. To this I also add a handful of sand (I saw this little trick on another post by a lady who did a great dio of an old truck, can't remember her name).You would be able to buy it at a craft or art supply store. I'm not 100% sure but I thought Celluclay was the same thing.

I shaped the ground with white packing foam (like you find in electrical appliance boxes) and then spread the Mix-It over the top. It needs a few days to dry so put it in the sun or in front of a fan.

After it dried I added the grasses from Dioramaterials. They are called Green Grass and Real Grass and when mixed together look very realistic. In the gully there are also Reeds from Green Scene and bushes from Dioramaterials also. There is also some long grass from Woodland Scenics. Rock mix from Noch makes the rocky outcrops and some railway ballast at the bottom to simulate crumbled rocks.

The thicker bushes on the ground is rubberised horsehair. Great stuff which is available from the 4D model shop in the UK.

Both of the above companies got their products to me in Australia within a week.

So that's it. Again, thanks for the feedback.

Glen

Great dio, looks very authentic.

Sorry to repeat questions, but can you elaborate on the base a bit more.

What exactly is instant papie mache, and where does one go about obtaining it?

What about the grasses, shrubs, etc. What did you use?

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Some people have asked about the base.
Up until recently I used picture frames only as they were quick and easy, but for this dio I wanted to get a more professional look. I bought a small edge router which now lets me make my own bases. The base on this dio is just cheap pine with a few coats of stain and then a few coats of gloss varnish. Quite cheap but it looks a million dollars.
The black border is 3mm balsa, airbrushed with a few coats of flat black and then blasted with Testors Dullcote to seal it.
I then built the groundwork up using that white styrofoam stuff, placed the balsa and basswood bridge into place, then covered with instant paper mache (same as Celluclay).
The rocky outcrops came next and then on with the grasses and the reeds in the gully.

Thanks again.
Glen

How did you make the base?

great work! The groundwork and vehicle are very nice.

awsome 

  tell us about the base

Very nice! I like the B&W shot, looks very authentic.

Nice work! I am quite impressed with the terrain effects.