Stephen King inspired dio-base

Nicely done! 

Where IN Jax FL are you from?  I used to live near by Regency Square mall and went to Sandalwood HS back in 90's.

m1garand wrote:

Nicely done!  Where IN Jax FL are you from?  I used to live near by Regency Square mall and went to Sandalwood HS back in 90's.

I'm on the edge of Orange Park and Middleburg off SR220.

Dude, that's very cool. Excellent presentation.

What's the car model?

How did you make the license plate?

What is the rune on the back of the road sign?

Cosmic J wrote:

Dude, that's very cool. Excellent presentation. What's the car model? How did you make the license plate? What is the rune on the back of the road sign?

Glad you like it Cosmic. The car is AMT's 73 "Black Cat" Cougar. The mods are pretty simple and you can check the WIP shots here. http://s53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/Jantrix/Stephen%20King%20Cougar/. I wanted a very predatory and supernatural looking vehicle without a whole lot of reflective surfaces. The grill has been modified with active wire mesh and round stock. The ride height was altered and the engine (Boss 429) is wired and plumbed and features a scratch high rise dual intake. The license plate was done on the Acme license plate maker. Nope not a joke, Google it, it's a free online feature. Make your plate, copy it and then resize with your favorite Photoshop program. The rune is a bit harder to explain. To those that haven't read Stephen King's magnum opus, the Dark Tower series, that is the eye of the Crimson King. He's a villian who's trying to destroy the Tower and therby ending all existance. The man Randall Flagg is in league with the Crimson King. *sigh* It's a long story. SK uses a LOT of symbolism in his works, and I've tried to incorporate some of that into the dio. The billboard is full of it, but only someone who has read the series would get it.

I had a great time doing the dio and some of the weathering was completely accidental, but turned out great, specificly the stop sign. The sand is good ole Florida earth fresh out of my backyard. The blacktop is heavy grit sandpaper, painted and distressed. I'm looking forward to doing another dio-base soon.

The car looks really good and the scenic elements are nice, too.

Couple suggestions.

A stained base looks much more finished than raw wood.

Adding a bit of texture tothe wood is okay for the road surface, but for the dirt, you really should build that up, even a little bit with something like Celluclay or plaster of Paris, etc. The real world is not that flat and smooth. It will also allow you to sink the rock into the ground so it doesn't look like it was dropped there.

ajlafleche wrote:

The car looks really good and the scenic elements are nice, too. Couple suggestions. A stained base looks much more finished than raw wood. Adding a bit of texture tothe wood is okay for the road surface, but for the dirt, you really should build that up, even a little bit with something like Celluclay or plaster of Paris, etc. The real world is not that flat and smooth. It will also allow you to sink the rock into the ground so it doesn't look like it was dropped there.

You are quite right on all counts. I have thought about all those suggestions since completing the dio. The wood is stained (found leftovers from previous homeowner) but it is very light. I plan on getting a darker stain for it soon. I'll incorporate the other suggestions in a future dio. Thanks for your comments.

   First let me say anything that starts with Mr King's name in the title is gonna draw me in like a bar serving one dollar drafts.

   Second very nice for your first one. 

   Jantrix never hesitate to post here. Even though I'm more of an armor buff I love dios and its always cool to see something out of the norm. 

HeavyArty wrote:

The car and dio look great.  The car has a Mad Max feel to it.  Wasn't Randall Flagg the villan in The Stand too?

 Yep, he sure was. As I'm sure you know, much of SK's work ties into the Dark Tower series, even as far back as Salem's Lot. Thanks to everyone for the kind words.