DIGGIN' MA SPUDS!! a quick 1/72 diorama

[spanner570]

I am posting this for no other reason than to help would be diorama makers who think the work has to be detailed and complicated to show that this is not neccessarily the case..........

Take one £2 Italeri 1/72 fast build Tiger tank, a 12"x12" piece of corregated cardboard and a bit of white emulsion paint.

I peeled a bit off the top layer of cardboard to reveal the 'ruts' but left the rest to look like snow drifts. I then went over the ruts with the white paint...Job done. One unexpected thing, the cardboard bent when wet and turned a flat field into one much better with contours! Don't you love it when this sort of think occurs?

I have unashamedly 'nicked' Centurion3RTR's (John) idea of the corregated card for the ruts...Thanks John!

Cost? around a couple of quid.

Time? excluding painting the tank, about half an hour.

So there you have it. I hope this excercise shows that with a little imagination, not much time or money, a passable diorama can be achieved.

:cheers:

Ron

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[Guest]

I love it! Looks just like a frozen, snowy field! Good stuff Ron, although that Tiger looks a little lonely out there by itself! No 1/72 buckets then? :shhhh:

Patrick

[spanner570]

I love it! Looks just like a frozen, snowy field! Good stuff Ron, although that Tiger looks a little lonely out there by itself! No 1/72 buckets then? :shhhh:Patrick

Sorry Patrick, I've just been in the field and uncovered it, it was hidden under the snow...honest!

The reason for the tank's solitude is the crew have just found a few frozen spuds and they don't want anyone else to know!! lol

Ron

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[Guest]

You sure that hasn't been magically transported from a clearing in the Ardennes? They could probably use those spuds as ammo, it looks that cold!

Patrick

[Guest]

love it Ron and your signature bucket shot is in there as well, might add one to the schnellboot when i do the pics on friday in memory of your wise teachings and great skill keep em comin.

scott

[spanner570]

Thank you for that Scott. I did this simple dio. to illustrate that these things don't need to be complex and just as much fun and learning can be had even with a straight forward build like this one, like when I added the paint and the 'field' started to contour all by itself!!!

Roll on this w/end when your Schnellboot slides down the slipway bud.

Ron

[Centurion3RTR]

'Lone Tiger, hunt the bucket'. Been busy i see Ron, love it mate. It's true, you don't need to throw lots of money into it to get the best out. It's not a 'nicked' idea, it's a idea shared and you're welcome.

All the best, John

[yak face]

Hi ron , loving this ,really effective and doesnt cost a packet either!( John youve got to get this corrugated cardboard ploughed field idea on the unconventional materials thread! its great)If this sort of thing happened regularly you can see why the french farmers are such an angry lot!!!!! especially if the tank crews nicked their crops to put on a brazier in the ardennes(!!) to have jacket taters!! Another triumph ron well done. (ps hows about using the round polystyrene base from under a pizza as a quick dio base ,maybe no ones thought of that yet -- ahem) cheers tony:wink2:

[spanner570]

Thanks Tony, it just shows that with a bit of thought all sorts of everyday things can be used to good effect....corrugated cardboard and yes, Yakface's patent pizza bases!!

I hope this little exercise does the trick and it gives other modellers the incentive to 'av a go at a diorama. That would be nice to see.

Ron

[Guest]

Absolutely ingenius Ron! I love it. It looks like open Steppe fields on the Eastern front. I've finally understood how the Russians beat the Germans then; with all the Germans having nicked all the spuds, Russian commisars told groups of rampaging Babushkas (Grandmas) that there were cheap potatoes in the tanks. And were thus stampeded into defeat! I might give that a go myself mate. Nice one!

Paul

[spanner570]

Cheers for that Paul, it started off as just a quick, sort of instant dio. but when I put the emulsion paint on and the cardboard instantly started to curl and made the most realistic looking contours, I just started to laugh!!

Talk about the learning curve...it never ends, does it?

All the best for 2010,

Ron

[Guest]

That has really inspired me, love the fact it's cheap but damn effective. I just dont think i've got the imagination to se bits of cardboard as a potato field yet though!

1 question. What's with the buckets?!?

[spanner570]

That has really inspired me, love the fact it's cheap but damn effective. I just dont think i've got the imagination to se bits of cardboard as a potato field yet though!1 question. What's with the buckets?!?

Thanks sniper, glad you like it. Please give it a go, you gotta start somewhere, sometime....It took me a while to pluck up the courage to post my first effort earlier this year but the friendly response on here only made me try harder on the next one. So don't be worried about daft things like skill levels....We're all buddies here!!

The bucket was started by me just for a laugh as a sort of badge for this forum and it's sorta snowballed (forgive the pun as snow is the flavour of the month at the moment) so now we try and incorporate the bucket in our builds....very childish but good fun!LOL

:cheers:

Ron

[Guest]

I'm not quite sure where to start to be fair, ive bought a few cheap ( well i think i got them cheap ha ha) bits on flea bay to start out on. I have no idea how to compose a diorama though, well to be fair i have no idea how to do anything yet! But hey i've got to start somewhere.

Where do you guys buy your kits from? Online or local shop? Can't seem to find a shop near me!

And where do i get a bucket to throw in there?

[spanner570]

I'm not quite sure where to start to be fair, ive bought a few cheap ( well i think i got them cheap ha ha) bits on flea bay to start out on. I have no idea how to compose a diorama though, well to be fair i have no idea how to do anything yet! But hey i've got to start somewhere.Where do you guys buy your kits from? Online or local shop? Can't seem to find a shop near me!

And where do i get a bucket to throw in there?

Quite right you have to start somewhere.

Regarding the dioramas, a good a place as any is the 'Under construction' thread on this forum where a few stage built dios. have been shown, might give you a few pointers.

I get my stuff from e.bay or 'The modeller.com' they have very reasonable postage costs.

Tamiya have various accessory kits, oildrums, ammo boxes etc, just look for the one with a bucket. It is the one with oil drums and jerry cans on the box cover.

Hope this bit of info. helps and I am sure more will be coming your way very soon from the boys!

cheers,

Ron