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Your first diorama?

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  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 6:35 AM
Or a Godzilla.
I think I have a 1/100 Big G around here somewhere...

That looks great, Dwight!
~Brian
  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Ontario's West Coast
Posted by dpty_dawg_ca on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 3:56 PM
Hello fellow modellers.
I'm still finding my way around this forum but as I read the replys to "my first dio" question my mind kept going further into the murky past. I guess that my first real dio was a joint effort that a buddy and I created back in the early '60's . We were both into model cars back then (still just thinking about driving the real ones). We got some plywood , painted it flat black, taped on some white lines and had a drag strip to display our cars. It was fairly crued but it did have some figures, a timing tower made out of cardboard and a parking lot.. As I recall we were fairly proud of our handywork.
Now 40 years later I'm still doing automotive dioramas and still having the same fun as we did back then.
Carl
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 6:21 PM
One AA battery, a pillbox and a Godzilla figure. (scribbling down notes...)

Got it.

LOL.

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Sunny Florida
Posted by renarts on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 12:32 AM
Not only is Shep the godfather of Dios, he did it all old school. From scratch. No PE, no resin, just stuff on hand. The guy is like the MacGyver of modelbuilding. Save for the occasional swipe of RR or dollhouse props he was pretty good at making it all on his own. I love those diorama tip sheets they used to include in the monogram kits. Used to keep them all in a binder. If I could find that binder it would be like Carter finding Tut's tomb. I guess its time for a foray into my folks attic again.

Mike
Mike "Imagination is the dye that colors our lives" Marcus Aurellius A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 3:07 AM
J-hulk, Build,

How about this? Does this already meet FSM's requirements?





I am not sure though, if my mobelwagen's quad 37mm can do anything to Godzilla. Yes that small thing is a mobelwagen.

Big Smile [:D]

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 3:09 AM
Good point about Shep, Mike.
I've still got all those sheets (as well as the instruction sheets to practically every kit I've built), in a shoe (well, boot) box stashed in the closet of my folk's house back in the States. Whenever I return for a visit, I always enjoy an evening of rummaging through that box of treasures.
~Brian
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Upstate NY
Posted by Build22 on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 5:55 AM

Wait, wait I think I remember that scene.

Nice, Dwight



Jim [IMG]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 11:57 AM
dwight:
as always i am impressed with ur skill at building models, and i think ur sense of humor is great also (logging on to this forum is fast becoming the high point of my week, with so many funny threads..i just know the 'get a life' comments could be coming now...) Gojira definitely counts as armor IMHO, flamethrower instead of armor-piercing or HE rounds, tho'... i still want to do a model rr diorama in n-scale with the big fella (godzilla, not j-hulk Big Smile [:D]) tearing up part of Tokyo in his own loveable fashion !
frostySmile [:)]
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 6:46 PM
frosty:

I think we need some laughs every once in a while, don't you think?. I am no expert. I just build for fun.

You know, I have never seen a Godzilla kit here.

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Thursday, October 2, 2003 12:04 PM
Dwight, that's brilliant!
Ya wanna see some Big G? Go on over to the "Figures" forum. "Justimagine" has posted some pix of his fine Kaiju collection!
I have some too, but not digital. Gotta burn a disc!
~Brian
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 2, 2003 12:21 PM
WOWSERS,

That gets me to thinking about the old Godzilla kits I used to have Shy [8)]
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Thursday, October 2, 2003 12:46 PM
Whaddaya mean, "used to have?"
You mean..you don't have them anymore??? Unthinkable!

Seriously, which ones didja have?
~Brian
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 2, 2003 8:54 PM
I have always been trying to start on building a diorama for such a long time. However nothing have been done. Can someone tell me what are some of the basic things that I need to look into before I start.
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Friday, October 3, 2003 11:26 AM
Hi, umustb! Well, you're in the right forum, for sure.
I'd say, to start, cruise around this diorama forum a bit and see what people are talking about.
I suppose that an idea for a composition is probably the most important thing you'd need to get started. Look at pictures and films and real life for ideas of scenes you'd like to create. Then, investigate the techniques you need to create those scenes in scale.

I hope this somewhat ambiguous advice helps!
~Brian
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Friday, October 3, 2003 8:44 PM
J-hulk:

Sorry I did not make myself clear enough. Of course I have read your posts about Godzilla, Ultraman, etc in the Figures Dept. What I really meant was that I have not seen any Godzilla kit here in Manila. All I have seen so far are just factory built and painted figures (movie promotional items).

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 3, 2003 9:43 PM
I guess this counts as my first diorama. Way back 3 years ago I completely scratchbuilt a Log Cabbin and surroundings. The base was veneer, covered in black construction paper and that model railroad foliage. The cabbin itself was mostly 2cm dowel cut to leingth and then ground to the butterfly tail. Windows, doors, and the roof were popsicle sticks, and the roof was covered in construction paper straw. I know the base is gone, but if I find the log cabbin, I'll take a picture of it (it looks amazingly real for something that hurridly put together).
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Saturday, October 4, 2003 3:56 AM
Smith M, did you scratch an Abe Lincoln figure to go with it?

Dwight, aaah, I gotcha! Really, not much in the way of giant Japanese monsters in Manila? Too bad! You'll just have to stock up next time you're in Japan!
~Brian
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 4, 2003 11:10 PM
J-Hulk & Dwight _ you guys are having TOO MUCH FUN ! (I found out what J-Hulk REALLY did on Saipan !)
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Sunday, October 5, 2003 10:33 AM
Pix, that is hilarious! Great job deleting the cannon I was leaning on!
And is that actually my Jieitai M41 you used there? Cool!

I think the hat I'm wearing really makes me look as menacing as possible. Hah!

Speaking of menacing, where did you get that evil sky you used as the backdrop? Scary!

Thanks for the funny pic, Pix!
~Brian
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Sunday, October 5, 2003 6:30 PM
Ha-ha-ha-ha.

I thought Godzilla was big. J-hulk makes it look like a three foot doll or something. LOL.

Nice job pix. Good to have you in the the fun.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 5, 2003 8:54 PM
Glad that you guys like it. Once I saw Godzilla in the dio, a light bulb went off in my head. J-Hulk vs. Godzilla ! I had to do it. The sky came from another website, and was billed as "Hurricane Isabelle." I don't think that it is, but it sure does make a good background ! Yes, J-Hulk. That IS your model that you're about to crush. I got it from thr rongeorge gallery, along with the other pics. Glad to see you both got a good laugh !
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Sunday, October 5, 2003 11:38 PM
We need good laughs every now and then. Thank you.

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Monday, October 6, 2003 5:39 AM
Yeah, Pix! Thanks again!
~Brian
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 8:53 AM
My first attempt was this fictious Chicago firehouse.

http://fireengines.net/collection/vrijenhoek/index.htm

As i'm a computerized numeric control programmar(CNC) and have the luck of acces to a 300 Bar watercutter i decided to make this.
i consider my first attempt as succesfull and we had lots of fun creating it.
funny thing is that it's hard to start making diorama plans not knowing in what direction
you'll have to look for plans ,materials and techniqeus.
now after finding this real top notch forum it's gonna be out of control LOL

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 2:20 PM
i started mine new. i didnt start any scrath because i was so anxious to finish it. When you want to do sometin fun u just want to jump right into it. When i was done, i tought it was the best thing i ever created that i actually put time in, not to mention the nice comments from my commrads as well, so i just jump into the fun, if sometin doesnt come out good, i fix it, simple. cheers!
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 4:09 PM
I seem to remember waaaaaaaaaaaaay back when I did a very poor diorama of an 8-tom semi-track and an 88 in AT mode. Looking back on it, it was crude, poorly painted, no weathering, but it was mine!!!!
  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: ...Ask the other guy, he's got me zeroed-in...
Posted by gringe88 on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 5:39 PM
Im not really sure which was my first. I guess it was the 1/72 stuka of mine from Airix. I choped off the front half, added ground crew, flak damage, and a resin engine for a differnet variant. It's been broekna couple of times, and i still have to fix it from the last disaster. but, its salvagable.
====================================== -Matt
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Auburn,WA
Posted by freightshaker on Saturday, October 2, 2004 7:33 PM
Oh boy, way back in 7th grade I built a section of the Siegfried Line for a school science project. I used Tamiya's 88mm AA gun, 20mm AA gun, and a bunker section from a toy army man set. Had grey painted styrofoam for the "concrete". Was pretty primitive considering I was 12 or 13 at the time. Did well and my history teacher loved it. Pretty bad when I look back on it now.
For someone who doesn't do a whole lot, I sure get blame for a lot.
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: coastal Maine
Posted by clfesmire on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 5:12 PM
Although I have done several train layouts, this is the first small diorama I have done without trains: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stryper50/detail?.dir=/4cc7&.dnm=9e62.jpg

It is all 1/87th scale(HO) and the barn is scratchbuilt. Click on "next" for another shot.
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Thursday, October 7, 2004 11:26 AM
J-Hulk, that is an ambitious project. But not unlike my first one. I guess my first piece that would qualify as a dio was a piece of scenery. I tried to make a gaming board, with a river, some trees, and a wooden bridge. It was two feet by 4 feet, and that's quite sizable for any try, nevermind the first. Suffice it to say, it was a great learning experience, but that's the only great about it. Since then, I've scaled down, and am happy with the direction my dios are going to now.
But soon, I'll be back to the megalomaniacally large ones, when I build a railway station Big Smile [:D]
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