Your first diorama?

zokissima

Member since
July 2003
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Posted by zokissima on Thursday, October 7, 2004 11:26 AM

J-Hulk, that is an ambitious project. But not unlike my first one. I guess my first piece that would qualify as a dio was a piece of scenery. I tried to make a gaming board, with a river, some trees, and a wooden bridge. It was two feet by 4 feet, and that's quite sizable for any try, nevermind the first. Suffice it to say, it was a great learning experience, but that's the only great about it. Since then, I've scaled down, and am happy with the direction my dios are going to now.
But soon, I'll be back to the megalomaniacally large ones, when I build a railway station Big Smile [:D]

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clfesmire

Member since
June 2004
From: coastal Maine

Posted by clfesmire on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 5:12 PM

Although I have done several train layouts, this is the first small diorama I have done without trains: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stryper50/detail?.dir=/4cc7&.dnm=9e62.jpg

It is all 1/87th scale(HO) and the barn is scratchbuilt. Click on "next" for another shot.

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freightshaker

Member since
October 2004
From: Auburn,WA

Posted by freightshaker on Saturday, October 2, 2004 7:33 PM

Oh boy, way back in 7th grade I built a section of the Siegfried Line for a school science project. I used Tamiya's 88mm AA gun, 20mm AA gun, and a bunker section from a toy army man set. Had grey painted styrofoam for the "concrete". Was pretty primitive considering I was 12 or 13 at the time. Did well and my history teacher loved it. Pretty bad when I look back on it now.

For someone who doesn't do a whole lot, I sure get blame for a lot.

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gringe88

Member since
July 2004
From: ...Ask the other guy, he's got me zeroed-in...

Posted by gringe88 on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 5:39 PM

Im not really sure which was my first. I guess it was the 1/72 stuka of mine from Airix. I choped off the front half, added ground crew, flak damage, and a resin engine for a differnet variant. It's been broekna couple of times, and i still have to fix it from the last disaster. but, its salvagable.

======================================

-Matt

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 4:09 PM

I seem to remember waaaaaaaaaaaaay back when I did a very poor diorama of an 8-tom semi-track and an 88 in AT mode. Looking back on it, it was crude, poorly painted, no weathering, but it was mine!!!!

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 2:20 PM

i started mine new. i didnt start any scrath because i was so anxious to finish it. When you want to do sometin fun u just want to jump right into it. When i was done, i tought it was the best thing i ever created that i actually put time in, not to mention the nice comments from my commrads as well, so i just jump into the fun, if sometin doesnt come out good, i fix it, simple. cheers!

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 8:53 AM

My first attempt was this fictious Chicago firehouse.

http://fireengines.net/collection/vrijenhoek/index.htm

As i'm a computerized numeric control programmar(CNC) and have the luck of acces to a 300 Bar watercutter i decided to make this.
i consider my first attempt as succesfull and we had lots of fun creating it.
funny thing is that it's hard to start making diorama plans not knowing in what direction
you'll have to look for plans ,materials and techniqeus.
now after finding this real top notch forum it's gonna be out of control LOL

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J-Hulk

Member since
February 2003
From: Tochigi, Japan

Posted by J-Hulk on Monday, October 6, 2003 5:39 AM

Yeah, Pix! Thanks again!

~Brian

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Dwight Ta-ala

Member since
July 2003
From: Philippines

Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Sunday, October 5, 2003 11:38 PM

We need good laughs every now and then. Thank you.

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 5, 2003 8:54 PM

Glad that you guys like it. Once I saw Godzilla in the dio, a light bulb went off in my head. J-Hulk vs. Godzilla ! I had to do it. The sky came from another website, and was billed as "Hurricane Isabelle." I don't think that it is, but it sure does make a good background ! Yes, J-Hulk. That IS your model that you're about to crush. I got it from thr rongeorge gallery, along with the other pics. Glad to see you both got a good laugh !

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Dwight Ta-ala

Member since
July 2003
From: Philippines

Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Sunday, October 5, 2003 6:30 PM

Ha-ha-ha-ha.

I thought Godzilla was big. J-hulk makes it look like a three foot doll or something. LOL.

Nice job pix. Good to have you in the the fun.

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J-Hulk

Member since
February 2003
From: Tochigi, Japan

Posted by J-Hulk on Sunday, October 5, 2003 10:33 AM

Pix, that is hilarious! Great job deleting the cannon I was leaning on!
And is that actually my Jieitai M41 you used there? Cool!

I think the hat I'm wearing really makes me look as menacing as possible. Hah!

Speaking of menacing, where did you get that evil sky you used as the backdrop? Scary!

Thanks for the funny pic, Pix!

~Brian

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 4, 2003 11:10 PM

J-Hulk & Dwight _ you guys are having TOO MUCH FUN ! (I found out what J-Hulk REALLY did on Saipan !)

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J-Hulk

Member since
February 2003
From: Tochigi, Japan

Posted by J-Hulk on Saturday, October 4, 2003 3:56 AM

Smith M, did you scratch an Abe Lincoln figure to go with it?

Dwight, aaah, I gotcha! Really, not much in the way of giant Japanese monsters in Manila? Too bad! You'll just have to stock up next time you're in Japan!

~Brian

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 3, 2003 9:43 PM

I guess this counts as my first diorama. Way back 3 years ago I completely scratchbuilt a Log Cabbin and surroundings. The base was veneer, covered in black construction paper and that model railroad foliage. The cabbin itself was mostly 2cm dowel cut to leingth and then ground to the butterfly tail. Windows, doors, and the roof were popsicle sticks, and the roof was covered in construction paper straw. I know the base is gone, but if I find the log cabbin, I'll take a picture of it (it looks amazingly real for something that hurridly put together).

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Dwight Ta-ala

Member since
July 2003
From: Philippines

Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Friday, October 3, 2003 8:44 PM

J-hulk:

Sorry I did not make myself clear enough. Of course I have read your posts about Godzilla, Ultraman, etc in the Figures Dept. What I really meant was that I have not seen any Godzilla kit here in Manila. All I have seen so far are just factory built and painted figures (movie promotional items).

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J-Hulk

Member since
February 2003
From: Tochigi, Japan

Posted by J-Hulk on Friday, October 3, 2003 11:26 AM

Hi, umustb! Well, you're in the right forum, for sure.
I'd say, to start, cruise around this diorama forum a bit and see what people are talking about.
I suppose that an idea for a composition is probably the most important thing you'd need to get started. Look at pictures and films and real life for ideas of scenes you'd like to create. Then, investigate the techniques you need to create those scenes in scale.

I hope this somewhat ambiguous advice helps!

~Brian

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 2, 2003 8:54 PM

I have always been trying to start on building a diorama for such a long time. However nothing have been done. Can someone tell me what are some of the basic things that I need to look into before I start.

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J-Hulk

Member since
February 2003
From: Tochigi, Japan

Posted by J-Hulk on Thursday, October 2, 2003 12:46 PM

Whaddaya mean, "used to have?"
You mean..you don't have them anymore??? Unthinkable!

Seriously, which ones didja have?

~Brian

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 2, 2003 12:21 PM

WOWSERS,

That gets me to thinking about the old Godzilla kits I used to have Shy [8)]

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J-Hulk

Member since
February 2003
From: Tochigi, Japan

Posted by J-Hulk on Thursday, October 2, 2003 12:04 PM

Dwight, that's brilliant!
Ya wanna see some Big G? Go on over to the "Figures" forum. "Justimagine" has posted some pix of his fine Kaiju collection!
I have some too, but not digital. Gotta burn a disc!

~Brian

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Dwight Ta-ala

Member since
July 2003
From: Philippines

Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 6:46 PM

frosty:

I think we need some laughs every once in a while, don't you think?. I am no expert. I just build for fun.

You know, I have never seen a Godzilla kit here.

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 11:57 AM

dwight:
as always i am impressed with ur skill at building models, and i think ur sense of humor is great also (logging on to this forum is fast becoming the high point of my week, with so many funny threads..i just know the 'get a life' comments could be coming now...) Gojira definitely counts as armor IMHO, flamethrower instead of armor-piercing or HE rounds, tho'... i still want to do a model rr diorama in n-scale with the big fella (godzilla, not j-hulk Big Smile [:D]

) tearing up part of Tokyo in his own loveable fashion !
frosty Smile [:)]

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Build22

Member since
May 2003
From: Upstate NY

Posted by Build22 on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 5:55 AM

Wait, wait I think I remember that scene.

Nice, Dwight

Jim [IMG]

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J-Hulk

Member since
February 2003
From: Tochigi, Japan

Posted by J-Hulk on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 3:09 AM

Good point about Shep, Mike.
I've still got all those sheets (as well as the instruction sheets to practically every kit I've built), in a shoe (well, boot) box stashed in the closet of my folk's house back in the States. Whenever I return for a visit, I always enjoy an evening of rummaging through that box of treasures.

~Brian

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Dwight Ta-ala

Member since
July 2003
From: Philippines

Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 3:07 AM

J-hulk, Build,

How about this? Does this already meet FSM's requirements?

I am not sure though, if my mobelwagen's quad 37mm can do anything to Godzilla. Yes that small thing is a mobelwagen.

Big Smile [:D]

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renarts

Member since
April 2003
From: Sunny Florida

Posted by renarts on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 12:32 AM

Not only is Shep the godfather of Dios, he did it all old school. From scratch. No PE, no resin, just stuff on hand. The guy is like the MacGyver of modelbuilding. Save for the occasional swipe of RR or dollhouse props he was pretty good at making it all on his own. I love those diorama tip sheets they used to include in the monogram kits. Used to keep them all in a binder. If I could find that binder it would be like Carter finding Tut's tomb. I guess its time for a foray into my folks attic again.

Mike

Mike "Imagination is the dye that colors our lives" Marcus Aurellius A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

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Dwight Ta-ala

Member since
July 2003
From: Philippines

Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 6:21 PM

One AA battery, a pillbox and a Godzilla figure. (scribbling down notes...)

Got it.

LOL.

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dpty_dawg_ca

Member since
September 2003
From: Ontario's West Coast

Posted by dpty_dawg_ca on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 3:56 PM

Hello fellow modellers.
I'm still finding my way around this forum but as I read the replys to "my first dio" question my mind kept going further into the murky past. I guess that my first real dio was a joint effort that a buddy and I created back in the early '60's . We were both into model cars back then (still just thinking about driving the real ones). We got some plywood , painted it flat black, taped on some white lines and had a drag strip to display our cars. It was fairly crued but it did have some figures, a timing tower made out of cardboard and a parking lot.. As I recall we were fairly proud of our handywork.
Now 40 years later I'm still doing automotive dioramas and still having the same fun as we did back then.
Carl

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