Next level for me, dioramas

For the small motors and LEDs, there are several small electronics places that cater to small orders.  All Electronics is the first that comes to mind.  Google electronics parts. Jameco is another, but their catalog is huge and a bit hard to find things in.

For other things, check out the model railroad section of your hobby shop.  All train layouts are kind of dioramas.  Things like grass, gravel, light poles, fencing, trees, etc., etc.

I have been thinking of a diorama with sound.  What I plan to use is a small, cheap MP3 player with recorded sound, and about a one watt amplifier small board to drive a small speaker.

Hello!

Dioramas don't really need lights, motors and stuff. Nothing wrong about adding them, but it's more important to get everything to look right even with the lights and motors off. Go slow and keep your eyes open. LEDs (light emitting diodes) are everywhere nowadays and every time you see a piece of electronics gets dumped there might be something useful inside - be it a piece of nice copper wire. Like most of mobile phones have a tiny electric motor inside them to drive the vibration alarm - those babies are really cute, and small, and their price (0$!) is unbeatable.

Good luck with your modelling projects and have a nice day

Paweł

http://dioramas-and-models.com/index.html

look through his build reports it shows you how to do all that plus more

Theres a company called Sciantific American (sorry about my spellin ) that I use to get all kinds of motors and electrical stuff from. Their a discount warehouse of lots of things you cant live without.

You should also try the Walthers website. They sell EVERYTHING railroad related... including tiny motors and lights.   Be warned.... their catolauge is about 700 pages long..... and you will look at every one !