Category: Diorama’s

G.I.Joe Armoury

G.I.Joe Armoury

I’ve been commissioned to create an Armoury for the same customer whom I built the Cobra bunker for a couple of years ago.

 

Building the scene

This piece is made from foam insulation board, the base, walls and the steps I have used 10 mm foam board.  The basic structure is there, time to build upon this before adding LEDs and casting weapons.

 

I placed magnets in the walls to hold it together. Using two strips I have separated the armory into three sections, in between the strips are three more panels which I will mounts weapons onto before fixing them into place.

 

Shaping the partitions to not look like slabs of foam, I then scored in 2″x2″ tiles into the floor. In each of the partition wall I will be casting weapons, at the moment I’m just getting an idea of how they will be placed.

 

I made 8 small holes in the roof and slid in 8 leds.

 

I’ve built a cover to hide the LEDs, cables and battery pack. I’ve placed a Cobra emblem over the centre, when painted will become a permanent fixture.

 

With the overall build done, now it is time to shaping and making it look like an 80’s cartoon Cobra armoury.

Using pottery carving tools to score into the foam and spiking holes into the foam on the back wall.

 

Casting Weapons

I am using blu-stuff to make molds of the weapons. I’m only making half cast because these will be permanently fixed to walls.

Made a few more molds before making the first batch of weapons. The plan is to make at least three batches of weapons to fill out this armoury.

 

I’ve put together a variety of cobra weapons spanning the years, I think you can guess who or what year they have come from.

 

I made two more batches of weapons and with some left over resin, I made another Cobra symbol.

 

With the extra weapons I am able to fill the walls. My client has requested that I leave space on one of the walls so he is able hand some removable weapons.

 

Now I’ve completed the casting I can start painting.

Painting

Black undercoat applied to the model

 

To begin with, I am base coating this model with a medium grey.

The rack walls with white and the guns with a coat of GWs Leadbelcher

 

 

Base coated the inside of the walls, second coat for the rack walls.

 

I’ve used Games Workshops Nuln Oil over each of the guns and a touch of Steel Drab on the three shotguns.

Base coat complete.

 

I have dry brushed Games Workshops Necron Compound over all surfaces except for the rack walls. Glued six of the guns into place and just in the process of arranging the back wall.

 

 

Instead of gluing the guns into place, I’ve been asked to add pegs for the guns to sit on.

 

The pegs are made from wooden toothpicks, cut down to size. To paint them, I’ve stuck them into a piece of foam board and sprayed them black.

 

 

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

 

 


 

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.