Streetlight diorama

Building the streetlight
Rebuilding the base
Painting the streetlight
The finished piece
The final pictures

Building

I was recently contacted and asked to make a street light as a bolt on to a clients existing diorama . The street light is made from 6 mm foam board strips, the centres sanded out for the LED’s cable. I glued the two strips together, sanded it down giving it shape. Repeating the same process with corner and the lights neck. A small piece of foam cut for the light cover and using a small plastic tube to complete the street light.

I have also been asked to make a removable base for the light. Using both 6 & 10 mm foam boards, glued together and paving stones etched in the foam with a cable run drilled through the foam. I might redo this base to make sure the light fits slots into it more securely.

Rebuild

I decided in the end to completely remake the base, I was just not happy with it. The new one is double the size of the original with a hole big enough for the streetlight to sit securely in it with a cable run drilled in between the two layers of foam board. Pavement flags and curb stones where etched into the board, then damage was applied to the flags.

Painting

Satisfied with how this turned out, I applied the first coat of paint to the streetlight and base.

When the base coat had dried I went over the paving slabs with a light blue/grey, the curb using a light grey. Taking a fine brush I painted in between each slab and crack with a dark brown. I dry brushed a dark grey over all the cracks, the tarmac at the back and the edges of the curb. Using a thin brush to dab black into all of the cracks, dry brushed black over the tarmac at the back, dry brushed white over each of the paving slabs to complete the base of this piece.

While this was drying I turned my attention onto the lamppost, painting the bottom and the neck join using the light blue grey, then the rest of it with a light brown, with a coat of metallic silver cover it.

After it had dried, I was not overly happy with how it looked so I mixed up a lighter brown and went back over it. While it was still wet I added a light coat of white and blended it in.

I turned my attention back to the base and dry brushed white across the entire surface and edges, the effect I have to say I am rather proud with how it turned out!

Turning back to the lamppost I dry brushed a light grey over the body and neck, followed by white then finishing dry brushing black over the entire post.

Completed

With lamppost finished, I have put both pieces together and here it is. I will be putting up my usual final pictures soon.

Final pictures of mt Streetlight Diorama, the LED works a treat.

Commissioned Church Ruin

Building the scene
Left Wall
Back Wall
Right Wall
The Floor
The Detail
Painting
Completed

Building

After completing the last Church Ruin I was asked to build another. As you can see I’ve started work on the outer walls and floor.

As you can see I have marked out the tall windows, the door and the brick work on floor and back wall.

The long windows, where cut out and sanded down using my rotary tool, the doorway was also removed. A piece of 6mm black foam board was cut for the archway to the door.

Left Wall

As with the previous Church Ruin diorama I made, I cut a piece of 6 mm foam board to fit over the wall and then cut out three arches which will house the three tall windows. I cut a couple of 10″ x 1″ strips of 6 mm to go either side of the window, 1″ x 1″ brick work were etched into these strips before applying damage to them. All the pieces were glued to together before cutting the top down as I did in the previous model.

Back Wall

The back wall as with the former I etched in 1″ x 1″ brick work before marking and cutting the top of the wall off as I did before. Like the before all the broken pieces will be reused as rubble for the final piece.

Right Wall

The right wall I have built it similar to it’s predecessor, using a combination of 10mm and 6mm foam board. I marked out and carved 1″ x 1″ brick work on this wall. Glued a 1″ x 8″ pelmet over the door which I will be taking my rotary tool too like, marking out 2 x 0.2″ top and bottom border. Taking a sharp knife I removed pieces from the top corners which will be used as rubble to scatter round this piece, damage was applied to the brick work similar to the last piece.

The Floor

With the floor I marked out slabs of 3″ x 4″. I then stuck a piece of 6 mm black foam board 3.5″ x 8″, glued it down to the far right corner. This is to be the entrance to the room, I carved out 2″ x 3″ slabs on it.

Detail

With the overall structure work done, it is time to start adding in detail to this diorama. Taking a pottery tool and scoring into the foam as I have done previously before, creating cracks and chips on the stone work. The centre of the pelmet above the door was removed

Once this was accomplished I have applied magnetic strip along the length and width of the floor and the walls to hold the diorama in place.

Using my rotary tool with the sanding attachment I went around the edges of the three long windows and frame to remove all square edges. With the final wall finished and attached to the other surfaces using magnetic tape, it was time to work on the wooden door.

Cutting a couple of pieces of bolsa wood to size then sanding it down, I marked the wooden beans that make up the door. Four smaller pieces were cut to act as the hinges then all pieces where glued together. When this dries, it will be time to make the door handle and bolts out of Green Stuff as I have done previously.

Painting

Using down watered black acrylic I applied a black base coat to all sides of the diorama using a sponge. With this technique I am able to apply an even coat across the surfaces, while also able to push the paint into all the crack and crevasses. The wooden door was given a base coat of burnt umber for the front with black for the hinges. The back of the door was painted black to match the outer walls.

Unless I am creating a double sided diorama I always paint the back black, more especially when using the blue foam board. This helps prevent any blue seeping through when a light is shown from behind the diorama.

Latest work done on my Ruined Church diorama.

Mixing up a grey was I went over the the walls that surround the long windows and the door. Adding a touch of blue to the mix, I then sponged over the remaining walls with the new paint.

While is trying, I started working on the accessories for the door. Using Green Stuff to make the bolts, door handle and the bolts for the hinges.

With the paint dry I went over the wall and floor again with a light grey/blue wash using my airbrush.

After this had dried I dry brushed GW Longbeard grey over the entire diorama to pick out the edges, the cracks and imperfections of the piece.

For door got a watered down wash with GW Rhino hide, retributor armour for the hinges and accessories. A layer of Nuil oil and then Warplock bronze over the Green Stuff made accessories, once dry all it was all edged with Auric Armour Gold then the door was glued into place.

I have also added patches of rubble using scenic ballast scattered across the floor, this now needs some finishing touches and should be completed.

The back of the diorama was given a final coat of black acrylic drawing this diorama build to conclusion.

After spending the past couple of months doing nothing but Doctor Who sets, I thought it was about time to do something different. This series of dioramas I wanted to a quick, simple but effective models which can be used for any five inch or bigger figures.

Building

To start this series off I have gone with a room in a ruined church, using the same basic size as my Apartment Room 2 diorama I did last year. To start I cut a the base piece of foam board 8″ x 15″, then starting with the left wall I cut a piece 8″ x 11.5″. I wanted this to be a tall medieval window, I marked out three tall long windows and then cut them out. Taking some black 6 mm foam board I cut a piece out to match the display size of the last the piece, marked out three arches that would go round each of the three windows and glued that onto the first piece. Two long strips of 10″ x 1″ where then glued to either side of this wall, brick work was then carved into these two pieces. To give it the ruined look, I marked out where I wanted to cut pieces out, cut into the foam and then ripped out the unwanted pieces.

The middle wall was done but cutting a piece of 10 mm foam foam board to 11″ x 15″, marking out each brick as 1″ x 1″, carving them out then putting in cracks in the bricks, weathering them before taking big chunks out of the top of the wall like I did with the window.

With the floor I marked out slabs of 3″ x 4″ then treated them as I did with the middle wall. I then stuck a piece of 6 mm black foam board 2.5″ x 8″, glued it down to the far right corner. This is to be the entrance to the room, I carved out 2″ x 2.5″ slabs on it and then weathered this to match the other.

The right wall I cut out an arched door and like the window opposite, using a piece of black 6 mm foam board I cut out an arch way to go around the door. I marked out and carved 1″ x 1″ brick work on this wall. Glued a 1″ x 8″ pelmet over the door, marking out 2 x 0.2″ top and bottom border, taking my rotary tool and sanded out the middle. This wall like the others I cut out chunks of the wall to give it the ruined effect.

Using the cut away sections from the walls, I have placed them around this diorama to add to the ruined effect.

I cut a couple pieces of bolsa wood to used for the doorway, marking out and scoring in slates of wood. Using a wooden coffee stirrer, I cut it up and used it to make the door hinges.

Painting

First coat of paint has been applied, a light grey/brown acrylic mix has been used to cover the entire of the inside of the scene. A dark brown for the inside of the door.

Waiting on a delivery of magnetic tape, it was time to start painting this. A base coat of a light grey mixed with a little brown over the entire diorama. Brown for the base coat of the door.

When it dried, a second coat added to exposed first layer of foam board walls. A darker grey was used on the floor, large wall and the side walls 2nd and 3rd foam board layers. Dark brown wash over the floor and areas of the walls for weathering.

The magnets are in place to hold the walls in together. I’ve used magnetic strip for the bottom of the walls and small magnets placed into the corners to keep the walls together.

For the door I have made a door handle, two bolts and rivets for the hinges out of green stuff. When it has cured I’ve given them a coat of black gloss and when dry I will age them.

To add to the scene I have scattered small piles of scenic ballast around floor.

I went over the black gloss and the ballast with a light grey wash to weather them and match the surroundings. With all of this done, this diorama is now complete.

Finished piece

Here are a few extra pictures showing that this diorama can be used for multiple action figure genre’s.

Construction

4th Doctor’s Secondary control room

When I exhibited for the Bradford Science Festival I had printed off a lot of printable Doctor Who sets from AFT Downloads for people to cut out and make their own Doctor Who diorama. I had a few of these spare and make them up and use them for my daughter to play with using them on Plastic Action page.

This set is taken from the Classic Doctor Who episode The Masque of Mandragora – The Robots of Death

This set is incomplete at the moment, I still need to cut out and set up the rails around the center console.

To complete this diorama, I cut out a couple of foam board circles ( a 10 mm and 5 mm) and glued them together and placed the center console platform over them. Then I cut out the railings fitting them into the platform and through the foam. I stuck four pieces of card board to the underside of the floor to strengthen the card, trimmed the floor to the precise size to fit the walls onto, taping the walls to the floor, gluing the stairs to the floor and completing this diorama.

Remembrance of the Daleks

This set is taken from the Classic Doctor Who episode Remembrance of the Daleks featuring the 7th Doctor played by Sylvester McCoy. This is the episode where you first see a Dalek levitate upstairs!

The School
The Hand of Omega
Dalek Shuttle

The School

The school is made up using printed off decals which I have stuck onto card and for the larger wall, I have used a couple of pieces of cardboard.

The Hand of Omega

The Hand of Omega and the Dalek Transmat platform where cut out and glued together without backing them onto card. The Transmat is sturdy enough to take the weight of a Dalek.

Dalek Shuttle

The Dalek Shuttle took a little longer to build, each of the smaller pods was broken into a top and bottom and the main pod was broken into four different sections. Each one having to be cut out and stuck together either by glue or sticky tape. If you print this out, I recommend using a laser printer and a lot of patience!

Action Pictures

80’s Tardis

***1980’s Tardis* *Interior***

The task I assigned myself the weekend of attending the Bradford Science Festival was to build an 80’s Tardis interior from the days of the 5th Doctor Who Peter Davison and Colin Baker.

Building the Tardis
Starting to paint
Building the Control Console
Painting the Control Console
Finishing touches
Final Pictures

Building the Tardis

This build will mainly be done using 5 mm insulation board but instead of using 10 mm board to mount it on, I am using sheets of cardboard instead to show people that they can use basic materials found around the home, than having to purchase foam board.

Using a compass to mark the Round Things on two of the foam boards, using a fine point scalpel to cut each circle out. I took my rotary tool to carefully sand out the bevels and tidy up the edges. I used an engraver to soften the edges around each hole.

The third wall 3″x 3.5″ rectangle was cut for the monitor, and pairs of cardboard strips where placed either side of the screen.

Each piece of foam where then glued to a piece of cardboard, strips of foam board were cut and shaped into the edges of each of the walls. An A3 piece of 5mm foam board is being used as the base for this diorama.