FInal pictures of MOTU diorama.

Temple Corridor Diorama

This piece will be a corridor in a temple or castle. It measures 11″ x 30″ x 9″, it will be able to split into two separate pieces or kept as one piece.

Building the Displays

To start, I have cut the main pieces and glued them together with PVA and now left to dry. When they are dry, I’ll be cutting out doors, pillars and carving in stone slabs.

I’ve cut two doorways, cut a couple of door frames and glued them into the place. Once the glue has dried I will start adding the brick work.

I’ve drawn on the brick work to the floor and walls and now started to carve them into the foam.

Finished off carving the brickwork into the walls and floor. The next step is to start adding more detail like wall braces and columns so it doesn’t look like a big brick room.

I’ve added an archway to hide the join on the wall. I decided I wanted to add a couple of extensions which would also double up as two separate pieces. The idea is not only for display but also for taking action shots and not having to cover up the doors with black.

To start I carved the brick pattern to the otherwise of the side door panel and added a doorframe to it. I cut and glued together 2 x 10mm 4″ x 9″ pieces for the floor and glued them together. I cut out two wall pieces and carved out the brick pattern onto them and then carved out the floor pattern. Just need to do the same for the second door.

I’ve built the second extension which can also act as a separate diorama as well. The next step is to start adding cracks to walls and floors before I can undercoat this piece.

Today has been spent carving cracks and blemishes onto the walls and floor, then shaping each of the four doorframes. Next steps, I am thinking of adding a pelmet around all four pieces before adding four plinths for the main hall.

I have added coving around the walls, made up of individual pieces. I just need to trim the tops of the extension pieces and this (I think) completes the build except for the five plinths I want to add but I think I can now start to paint this.

Painting the Display

Before undercoating, I added the coving to the edges of each of the walls. Then using a scrunched up ball of tin foil I pressed it against all the stone surfaces which gave some lovely “stone” impressions. After that, I undercoated using black poster paint.

I’ve started applying the basecoat with a sponge, just letting this dry before finishing off the last remaining walls before adding a second layer.

Finished off painting the two walls, while they dried I then dry brushed the floors and coving with a light grey. Using a dark wash on all blemished stonework and random slab or brick.

Applied a final dry brush coat, this completes the painting of the set. It’s now time to build and paint the accessories for this piece.

Adding the Accessories

With the painting completed, I still felt like this piece needed something more to bring it home. To start I ordered a LED kit, I created a parallel circuit with 5 flickering LEDs so you can guess what these are going to be used for? Then using mulliput I have so far created two wall torches.

To see how it looks, I have loosely mounted them on the walk, either side of the throne. The idea is, I will have one in each corridor and the fifth next to the doorway leading to the back corridor.

I have spent making and painting the accessories for this piece.

First I have cast vintage Masters of the Universe weapons and a skeletal face (which I have used before). I’ve painted them and loosely placed them in areas I am thinking of having them.

Second I bought a couple of Dungeons and Dragons miniatures which I am using as statues on plinths, these I have painted grey, shaded them, and then dry brushed two lighter greys over the top.

Thirdly I have made three more torch lanterns, once they have cured then I can paint them and fix them to the walls. Almost getting there with this piece.

To make all the torches reach the breadboard, I have extended the cables of each of the torches. The next step is to cover the soldered joins with shrink wrap, fix the breadboard to the back of the tile and paint each torch.

I have cut two plinths 1″ x 3.5″ which work with either 5.5″ and 7″ MOTU figures when the miniatures are places on top. At the moment I have placed the plinths in a couple of places to see how they look before I start shaping each plinth.

The torches have been painted, shaded and glued into place. I have fitted a bracket to the reverse of the right wall for the breadboard and power pack to fit into. The two plinths I have fitted a top and bottom to each, sanded and shaped and then a grey base coat applied.

I’ve finished painting the plinths and then built a weapons rack based on the 80’s Grayskull. Once that has been painted, it will mark the completion of this piece.

I have finished painting the weapons rack and this marks the completion of the diorama.

I will get my usual final pictures done in the next couple of days.

Final Pictures

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