A Few Questions

  G'day Tankluver. You don't seem to have drawn too many replies but i am sure you will get some soon...lol. I by no means consider myself a diorama expert but i will try and see if i can help.

   As to using a wooden base, well that is fine but just make sure you seal it first. In one of my first diorama attempts i purchased a wooden cutting board which had nice edges and was just the right size for what i wanted. The mistake i made was to put down a layer of plaster straight onto the board. I textured the plaster(i thought)really well and added some grass and was quite pleased with myself only to have the whole thing warp on me not long after. So i now coat any wood with some type of varnish. You sure learn by your mistakes.!!

   Not quite sure what you have in mind by 'drilling an outline' but if wanted to secure a building to your base you could drill holes in the base that line up with holes in the building and use some sort of pins, maybe small diameter wooden dowel or even pieces of sprue. Also , if you build up the surrounding groundwork against the base of the building that should hold it too.

   What you make your building out of will depend on what type of building you want to portray. Both mediums you mention can be used effectively. There are some nice kits of buildings on the market. Have a look at a diorama forum post done not long ago by marevic1. He made a really nice building, i think out of plaster, and i am sure he described how he did it too. It turned out really great

   Check out Shep Paines book 'How to Build Dioramas',(gets mentioned a lot on here) and also 'How to Build Armor Dioramas' by Lyn Kessler. I have both and that are fantastic references.

   Hope you get the answers your looking for. Happy modelling...

     Boomer..

wood is my prefered base, but yes, seal it first!

Not sure what you mean by drill it out, but it seems as though it would not be nessecary

Use wood or styrene, what ever you have available, balsa is a little easier (IMO) to cut and work with, and a little cheaper

  Back again. The post i refered to by marevic1 was called 'WIP Sherman Firefly dio'. It's last appearance was March 30. The description of how he made the building is towards the bottom of the first page. Sounds pretty easy. I think i will try this method when i am ready for a diorama with a building.

     C ya,

     Boomer. 

i like to use foam as a core for my buildings.basically just building the shell out of foam and then covering the outside with a thin layer of plaster mixed with a small amount of quality carpenters glue to help adhesion.also a pigment can be added at this time to give the mix a little color/the color you would like the building to be,or close to it.you may find it much easier to lay the wall/s flat to apply.i use a putty knife, but anything will work ,to spread the mixture evenly and not to thick.the wall/s will dry much faster and with less shrinkage.always best to use a little and apply more later.if the build is to be stone or brick you can scribe this detail in after the mix begins to set.the inside of the walls i like to leave raw so my interior structure has foam for the wood,which i prefer to use,to be glued to.remember to plan ahead or at least plant a good visual in your head asto what you would like.and for goodness sakes DON'T OVER COMPLICATE THINGS.very often my mistake.to cover interior walls after floors,stairways,etc. are added simply paint or use wallpaper samples these work quite well,just use good sense and pick something that appears to scale.solid colors with minute or no detail i find work well,and do alot to add binding strength to the assembly.there are lots of items you can scrounge to accessorize with and the choices virtually unlimited.so have at it and i hopethis gives you some help.this is not the only and may not be the best way.good luck.