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Diorama face off!

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  • The Smythe Meister
    • Jan 2019
    • 6248

    #1

    Diorama face off!

    A`noon Guys,
    Well this is probably only of interest to very few of you,however,this morning i took delivery of a certain stash newbie!!:smiling4:
    Now i do love a nice diorama,or even just a modest little base to set off a model,and to that end,i`ve always made my own to suit the kit i`ve made.... such as my recent Vietnam examples.BUT,that hasn`t prevented me from buying a few different types of pre made bases,over the last few years:flushed:! SO,i got to thinking what the pro`s and con`s were of using said styles against both,one another,and just scratching your own:thinking:.
    With that in mind,i`ve decided to do a comparison thread,making,(and investigating),the following 3 types.....Just box art for this post as the parts are so numerous.....
    1st,the "F.O.G." Models "Street corner"........Comes in 5 pieces of white plaster.......
    Click image for larger version

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    2nd.... A"Heller" "Campagne" base.... a pretty universal grassed/earthy surface.... comes in one piece of cream,preformed,incredibly thin,and lightweight plastic......
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    lastly,and admittedly different due to the fact that it has buildings too,Mini Art`s "Country"Base,again,very thin preformed plastic,this time in grey,BUT with ALL of the,(Many,many),sheets of parts molded as one.... meaning a LOT of painstaking knife work required mefinks?!! Anyway.... "ere Tis"......
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    So there they are,it`ll be interesting to see the benfits,or pitfalls of each style IMHO. I will be doing this very much "As and When",because obviously it`s involving a lot of benchtime,but if you are intrigued,then i`d be interested to hear your thoughts as i go.
    In the next update i`ll put up some pics of each kit`s individual style.
    Cheers for now,
    Andy
  • Gary MacKenzie
    SMF Supporter
    • Apr 2018
    • 1057
    • Gary
    • Forres , Moray , Scotland

    #2
    Good luck with the MiniArt one , I have the Normandy house model and its a pigs ear of a kit.
    Almost finished making it more reasonable , but still not happy with it.

    Comment

    • Dave Ward
      SMF Supporters
      • Apr 2018
      • 10549

      #3
      The Heller base needs substantial backing up, it's very thin & waffles around!
      Dave

      Comment

      • The Smythe Meister
        • Jan 2019
        • 6248

        #4
        Originally posted by Gary MacKenzie
        Good luck with the MiniArt one , I have the Normandy house model and its a pigs ear of a kit.
        Almost finished making it more reasonable , but still not happy with it.
        HA! Yes Gary,
        I suspected as much as soon as I opened the box.... It looks an absolute nightmare, but I will try and do it
        Congratulations on getting your one past the finishing post!
        Andy

        Comment

        • The Smythe Meister
          • Jan 2019
          • 6248

          #5
          Originally posted by Dave Ward
          The Heller base needs substantial backing up, it's very thin & waffles around!
          Dave
          Cheers Dave,
          Yeah,it feels woefully thin....I do wonder if I base it rigidly on a,say,MDF, base it should be ok though?
          We'll find out I guess!!
          Andy

          Comment

          • adt70hk
            SMF Supporters
            • Sep 2019
            • 10400

            #6
            Interesting idea Andy.

            As Gary said and you have discovered, MiniArt don't keep it simple......

            I have their town house on the go at the moment and you would not believe how many pieces a single building takes to build in their world.... And that's just the drain pipes.... :surprised: ..... If I recall correctly each of the gable ends was something like 11 or 12 pieces, for what was basically a flat wall with a bit of raised brickwork.....

            ATB.

            Andrew

            Comment

            • JayCee
              SMF Supporters
              • Aug 2019
              • 1129

              #7
              Good idea Andy, will follow along.
              John.

              Comment

              • scottie3158
                SMF Supporters
                • Apr 2018
                • 14197
                • Paul
                • Holbeach

                #8
                Andy,
                I will follow this with interest as I normally make my own.

                Comment

                • Tim Marlow
                  SMF Supporters
                  • Apr 2018
                  • 18882
                  • Tim
                  • Somerset UK

                  #9
                  Interesting idea….good to see what you make of the vacuum formed parts…..

                  Comment

                  • Dave Ward
                    SMF Supporters
                    • Apr 2018
                    • 10549

                    #10
                    Originally posted by The Smythe Meister
                    Cheers Dave,
                    Yeah,it feels woefully thin....I do wonder if I base it rigidly on a,say,MDF, base it should be ok though?:smiling3:
                    We'll find out I guess!!:sad:
                    Andy
                    I did wonder about backing it up with Modroc, but that begins to defeat the whole point of buying a preformed base!
                    Dave

                    Comment

                    • outrunner
                      • Apr 2019
                      • 2420

                      #11
                      A very interesting comparison of "ready made" bases, I will be watching this to see what your opinions are.

                      Andy.

                      Comment

                      • rtfoe
                        SMF Supporters
                        • Apr 2018
                        • 9065

                        #12
                        Originally posted by scottie3158
                        Andy,
                        I will follow this with interest as I normally make my own.
                        I make my own bases too as well as the structures. For vehicles you can't run away but make them as they were mass produced but for backdrops, structures in a scene I would prefer them to be uniquely different and personalised.
                        It is interesting to see your comparisons though. I have tried once with an Italeri church ruin but have paired that with some modified extensions to disguise it a little. That project is ongoing.

                        Cheers,
                        Richard

                        Comment

                        • The Smythe Meister
                          • Jan 2019
                          • 6248

                          #13
                          Hi Guys,and thank you for your thoughts on this:thumb2:,
                          I`ve had a good old poke around with these offerings....
                          1st the FOG model plaster base built up ,weighs in at 587 grams ,took about 25mins to rub down,then glued with "Ever Build" mitre Glue kit,again about 20 mins......
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                          Still needs a little filler,but i`m thinking weeds/vines may be the way to go!......,Painting seems like it should be a breeze!... Looking Promising!!....
                          "2nd one.... A little quicker in prep...actually NONE AT ALL..... Just take it outta the box and "Off Ya Go"!!!......
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                          Weighs about.....:rolling:... well,hang on.... about NOTHING,!!!! In fact i`m a bit worried that it`ll just float away!!:surprised:.... mind you,it`s VERY well detailed and i reckon it`s got definite promise :thumb2:....
                          The 3rd choice will take some extra posting... and my tea`s ready now.... so i shall be back later on this evening,
                          Cheers for now
                          Andy

                          Comment

                          • Dave Ward
                            SMF Supporters
                            • Apr 2018
                            • 10549

                            #14
                            Originally posted by The Smythe Meister
                            Hi Guys,and thank you for your thoughts on this:thumb2:,
                            I`ve had a good old poke around with these offerings....
                            1st the FOG model plaster base built up ,weighs in at 587 grams ,took about 25mins to rub down,then glued with "Ever Build" mitre Glue kit,again about 20 mins......
                            [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1162480[/ATTACH]
                            Still needs a little filler,but i`m thinking weeds/vines may be the way to go!......,Painting seems like it should be a breeze!... Looking Promising!!....
                            "2nd one.... A little quicker in prep...actually NONE AT ALL..... Just take it outta the box and "Off Ya Go"!!!......
                            [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1162484[/ATTACH]
                            Weighs about.....:rolling:... well,hang on.... about NOTHING,!!!! In fact i`m a bit worried that it`ll just float away!!:surprised:.... mind you,it`s VERY well detailed and i reckon it`s got definite promise :thumb2:....
                            The 3rd choice will take some extra posting... and my tea`s ready now.... so i shall be back later on this evening,
                            Cheers for now
                            Andy
                            Andy,
                            seal the surface of the FOG base. I use diluted PVA. This stops the paint sinking in & drying quickly, leaving a patchy finish..........
                            Dave
                            ps don't drop the bases they shatter into a lot of small pieces, almost impossible to join the bits together neatly!

                            Comment

                            • Jim R
                              SMF Supporters
                              • Apr 2018
                              • 15641
                              • Jim
                              • Shropshire

                              #15
                              Interesting. I'll follow along. I've made a MiniArt base. Looked quite good but as Gary says 'a lot of work'.
                              Jim

                              Comment

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