World War Two Diorama help

A mixture of celluclay and dirt, painted in earth colors and a layer of brushed on Realistic Water makes for pretty nice 'mud'.
Use your model(s) to add some tracks before the celluclay dries.
Static Grass and Field Grass are very realistic items.

All of these items can be purchased at this site.

http://www.greatmodels.com/

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ok ill check it out.thanks alot

Funny, I have almost the exact same idea for a diorama. Where did you get your 3 gun nests or are you going to build them from scratch? Where'd you get your idea? What US figures are you using? From where?

Thanks,

JW

i got the machine guns in a tamiya kit and im building the installations from scratch,i actually wanted to build a big diorama around a flak gun and that seemed the cheapest and historically correct,im usin u.s. infantry assault troops from tamiya because they have good positioning it actaully looks like they are sneaking up on an enemy position.let me know your ideas to it s sounds cool.

What would be the best way to apply static grass to a diorama base?

i use plain white glue or there is also a liquid based glue that is sprayed.yu have to cut and shape the static grass it takes alotta time.

I have the same idea to but the terrain is my problem. i got the idea from an HBO movie called "when trumpets fade". then came the "band of brothers" first episode.

Hey werewolf,

Celluclay is the way to go. has the texture of real earth when dry. All you have to do is build up the landscape with some blue board or foam baord. That way you will not have to much celluclay on the board , alos keeps it frwom warping.

HTH

Hey fort...
I've found what works well for mud is Testors #1166 flat brown and #1149 flat black mixed with baby powder (OK, quit yer snickering <grin>)... to me it has just the right consistency for dried or fresh mud, depending on scale (I normally build 1/35)and final coating... for a fresh shlob of mud I would use a semigloss brown coat, but for mud that had dried,I use the flat mixture for the lumpy base coat, and lighten and add more to what I want to get the desired effect and use a drybrush of another lighter coat to simulate the drying effect...

Use Celluclay and Dirt. And use something to build up the layers of the ground or it will take weeks and maybe even months to dry. =)

Hey if you want tire tracks or footprints(or any small depression) to look like water is pooling use clear nail polish. A coat on rocks make them look wet and slippery. Nail polish tries to leval itself out so it will gather in small crevaces and form a thin film over the rest. Want the look of water dripping on trees, bushes, equipment.. nail polish! Don't laugh. I'm building a diorama of a Vietnam GI and his scout dog ducked behind bushes along side a stream side path just after a rain. pricking the nearly dry nail polish with a straight pin or needle makes it look like raindrop impacts since it forms ripples out wards and pulls the polish up in the middle.
Plaster+ water+ acrylic paint the right shade=mud. I used it and pressed figures' boots in to make fresh tracks on the path. Build up basic terrain shape with news paper and plaster cloth. A plaster overcoat will give it a grainy dirtlike appearence. Good luck.

you can also buy loose static grass, from www.woodlandscenics.com

i posted a similar technique for making mud on a thread called "what is the best way to make mud" under the armour section

oh yeah the wet effect comes from painting in gloss, use flat earth and a touch of black here and there for the mud colour

Use "Future" ( acrylic floor polish ) to simulate water in small depressions.
For static grass, apply a thin layer of white glue, sprinkle the static grass on top. Lightly blow the static grass from the side so that it stands up, like real grass. I use the static grass used for railway scenics, it is quite short and gives a nice effect.
Mud - I mix plaster of paris with very fine sand to a very fluid consistency. Pour it while holding the base at an angle and it would flow the same as real mud. The excess water will rise to the top, touch the water with absorbent paper to draw the water away from the mix. When dry paint with acrylics and seal with "Future" for wet mud, or keep flat and drybrush for dry mud. You can use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process and the "mud" will crack just like the real thing.
Persist and Succeed.