Category: Diorama’s

Castle Grayskull Weapons Room

Castle Grayskull Weapons Room

Starting a new commission piece, this will be a weapons room within Castle Grayskull, scaled to Mattels 80’s He-man and the Masters of the Universe range.

This piece will be similar to one I built for myself but longer to accommodate more figures and even Battle Cat as demonstrated.

 

Building the scene

This piece is made from foam insulation board, the base, walls and the steps I have used 10 mm foam board.

After speaking with my client, 20″was too long to for into his deltof. I’ve taken 6″ off the base and back wall.

 

The aim is to try and make this as close to the Filmation version of the 80’s, one of the things I have found difficult is trying to replicate the floor. After going on a MOTU DVD binge I settled on a floor pattern I saw of the turret floor with the Talon Fighter parked on it. 

Stone slabs scored, time to start on the walls.

Brick work and windows cut and scored into the foam.

 

 

Drawing upon inspiration from the 80’s MOTU cartoon for the walls, cutting a piece of 6mm foam to create alcoves for the long wall. With alcoves cut and sanded, the sheet is then glued using PVA glue on too of the first sheet. Once this is dry, I will start adding the detail.

 

 

 

 

 


 
The Sorceress’s chambers taken from the classic cartoon.

I have framed the window to add some detail to this wall. Sanding down two strips of 10 mm boars, rounding them off to look like pillars reaching up the roof. Adding another strip for the length of the other wall like a pelmet and then adding the usual cracks to the stone wall.

 

 

A couple of little details to add before painting and then casting vintage MOTU weapons which will be hung on the walls.

Casting decorations

Putting the foam board aside for a minute, my focus of today was casting some decorations before I started painting the interior.

Using Blustuff to make half molds of a handful of vintage MOTU weapons and a head of 200x Slime Pit skeleton monster (see last picture). I have created the wall decorations, the heads will be painted the same colour as the walls but weapons will be painted separately.

 

I’ve casted another small axe and a mace, when the painting is complete will be fixed to walls along with the rest of the weapons.

 

I finished this build off by making an exterior wall, scoring brick work and adding detail to around the window.

 

 

Painting

First base coat has been applied.  I have used chalkboard black spray paint which I have found is excellent for base coating plastic and resin, also it doesn’t eat foam board as other spray paint can.

 

A base coat was applied to the exterior and a second coat to the interior.

 

The weapons and shield where painted with Games Workshops Leadbelcher, shaded with Games Workshops Nuln Oil and then dry brushed with Games Workshops Stormhost Silver.

 

First layer of grey added using a roller with a sponge head.

 

Adding green and blue to grey mix from this morning, the next layer will be blue to match alongside the 80’s cartoon.

To get this closer to the Filmation version of Grayskull I’ve gone over the interior walls using a dark green mixed with the grey.

 

With the paint dry, this is what it looks like so far.

 

Finally worked out the colour scheme to match the Filmation cartoon. After airbrushing a layer of turquoise, when it had dried a layer of blue and then another lighter blue. I edged it using Games Workshop’s Calgar blue and then dry brushed with Games Workshops Baharroth Blue.

 

The external wall a dark green coat was airbrushed on. When dry olive green was airbrushed into the centre of each brick. Each brick was edged with GW Caliban Green, which was worked into the brick to blend with olive green. I finished by dry brushing GW Ogryn Camo over all the brickwork.

 

The wood using Games Workshop’s Rhino Hide and then edged with Gorthor Brown.

 

 

Final pictures to follow.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Sewer

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Sewer

I started this build a while ago but put it down to concentrate on commissions I had on the go.  After building three sewers I wanted to have one to expand upon the TMNT Lair I built earlier this year.

Building the scene

With the structure already made I have drawn on the brick work ready to score on the walls.  I have put down the walkways as I have done in the past.

 

 

I have scored the brickwork and walkways slabs, just need to build the central sewer column for the water run out from.

 

 

 

I’ve made the central sewer grate, cutting a piece of board 6″ across with two sides at 1.5″. I’ve scored the brick work, cut a semi circle hole for the grate. Using my rotary tool I’ve sanded imperfections onto the brick wall and back wall. I’ve done the same with the two walk ways.

 

I have repeated the same process with the two side walls, also adding a small piece of pipe which juts out of the left wall above the small trench in the walkway.

I have cut a cardboard straw and used these for the bars to the grate and put down a sheet of water effect (the same stuff I have used before).  With this done, I am now ready to paint these before adding in extra pipes and cables.

 

 

Painting the scene

For the base coat I have sprayed it with black chalkboard spray paint.

 

Mixing up a light grey and rolled it onto the internal surfaces of the sewer. Once dry I added burnt umber into the mix and rollered this on top of the grey. I added crimson red to brown and painted the sewer tunnel, grate and borders of each walkways.

When this is dry I can start dry brushing the walls, painting the pipe, grate bars and adding the extra pipes.

 

 

I’ve dry brushed light grey over all brickwork including the floor. In between the larger cracks and fractures of the bricks I have added some of GW Agrax Earth shade.

 

I also used Agrax Earth shade on the small pipe, then highlighted with GW Brass Scorpion and then GW Runelord Brass.

The ladder I’ve painted it with GW Leadbelcher, shaded with Nuln Oil and then highlighted with GW Stormhost Silver.

 

I’ve finished by gluing the river sheets to the floor.

Using hot glue for small trench an the pipe, when it had dried I painted it with GW Nurgle’s Rot.

Unlike my previous sewer builds I decided to dry brush the ripples of water using GW Elysian Green and Baharroth Blue. Once that was finished I glued the two walkways into place.

I cut a couple of lengths of pipe, sprayed them silver and glued one to the right wall and the other smaller length to the back wall. I then shaded them with GW Nuln Oil and then coated them with GW Nihilakh Oxide. I’ve also added a couple of lengths of cable and added a junction box.

 

 

Finishing Touches

The finishing touches are now done, I have added a couple of decals along with sanding and painting the borders.

 

 

Final Pictures

 

 


 

Lunar Scape

Lunar Scape

This year for the Bradford Science Festival the theme is space, so I am creating a Lunar landscape diorama with the activity of children creating plasticine aliens to place within it.

 

Build

I’ve created a box which is 30″x 23.75″ x 17″ which at the moment has a double layer of 10mm board. To create the surface I will be laying a foundation of newspaper, layered with wire mess. The craters will also be made of mess and then coated with Modroc plaster of paris strips.

The comic book are being used to weigh down the two bottom layers while they dry.
Wire placed over the top as a trail run.
Wire mess craters
Wire mess craters
 

 

 I’ve added a third layer of foam board to the base, then covered the area with ball of newspaper. Over the top of this I covered with a sheet of wire mesh, which I’ve glued into place.

 

 


 

I’ve started modrocing with the help of my daughter. It’s starting to look a little more lunal and not a rubbish pile

 

 

Painting

 After I finished modrocing the Lunar scape, I gave it a black base coat.

 

When the base coat dried I mixed up blue/ grey acrylic and water solution and covered they entire surface with it.

 

I have layered this piece three times, each layer I have added more white to the grey/blue mixture I used for the base coat.

 

I airbrushed a light grey over the entire surface, adding a mottled effect.

 

I painted the top of the frame with light grey and black round the back.

 

Background

With the landscape finished, it’s now time to work on the surroundings.

Taking some black card and soft pastels, I sketches out an alien world as a backdrop. For the planet I called upon inspiration from the 80’s. Can you guess?