Finished LM-5 Diorama - Apollo 11. (lots of pics...)
I sent this off late last week to a client and thought that some of you might enjoy a look at the finished project.
The diorama was designed to be used as a classroom demo as the person who commissioned the work lectures on the Apollo Space Program to Schools, etc. He wanted a diorama depicting the Apollo 11 mission and examples of the mission experiments.
The LM was made using the Monogram kit as a basis with several parts scratch built or altered to make the vehicle more accurate.
Every LM in the Apollo program had slight variations in their thermal shields on the accent stage and after a considerable amount of research I found the correct configuration for LM-5, the vehicle known as "Eagle".
The main section of the base is made of Dark Walnut with a Cherry Wood trim. It was stained and antiqued with a little bit of Red Oak stain to give the wood a slight reddish hue. This I thought would compliment the gray tones in the lunar surface.
The lunar surface is a mixture of several grades of sand, etc with rounded gray pumice mixed in. The ground work was then sprayed down with a glue/water mix and allowed to cure overnight. I then shot it with flat black, then dark gray, then light gray... then dry brushed and even lighter gray. I finished it off with a focused dry brush of white on some of the highlights and then shot it with dullcote.
I made the plaque with 1/16th inch aluminum plate and printed out a decal of the LM leg plaque.
Overall I think it turned out pretty nice. I didn't get to enjoy it very long as it was packed and gone the day after I finished it. :^( So, I have started a new LM for myself with a different design on the base.
Thanks for taking a look and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Dana Geraths
www.GerathsDesign.com
