"There's an old mill by the stream, Nelly Dean!"

[Guest]

Chugged by in the memory and we used to be a bit sarcastic.

Ours was. O Nellie Dean in a mournful slow pace. But we were such gentlemen ???? we did not alter the words. Although one or two Christmas carols got some hilarious treatment.

Laurie

[Guest]

Yep! Great work so far Ron

I'm with Moni!! Here we only get cardboard boxs as well

You are a lucky man

[Guest]

Looking forward to following this build.

[spanner570]

Yep! Great work so far Ron I'm with Moni!! Here we only get cardboard boxs as well

You are a lucky man

Hey mi amigo, it's not the boxes that are made of polystyrene, but the actual base the pizza sits on when in the box......possibly to stop the pizza bending and breaking.

[monica]

wow that brick work looks great,I,m glad that you are showing how too as you go along as its a great help for us/me,

in scratch building, walls,

I do agree Ron and I think that's what makes a good dio in the end, you start out with an idea, but it turns around completely

looking forward to next update and keep up the great work, always lean some think off everone hear which is great

[flyjoe180]

Great work Ron, watching with interest. No idea about the song though, must be too young

[Guest]

Hey mi amigo, it's not the boxes that are made of polystyrene, but the actual base the pizza sits on when in the box......possibly to stop the pizza bending and breaking.

I konw, I know....

Here there isn't any kind of polystyrene.... the pizza comes directly over the cardboard... ops:

[monica]

the same hear Polux, not polystyrene,backer,just soggie cardboard and a soggie pizza ops:

think i may have to move back home,

[Guest]

Younger members probably won't recognise the title. To you older ones, I only know the Rugby Song version!!Hello folks....

I had reached a blank for a diorama idea when I passed an old mill recently, complete with water wheel, and Bingo! What a great subject to have a bash at, so......

It's 1/72 scale, and is just my imagination running riot and not a copy of anything. I alway start dios. with just a rough idea of what I want, then things happen as I go along. I never plan to the 'enth degree, as I find the great thing with unplanned dioramas is the chopping, changing and yes, binning, as ideas come along.

I hope you join in the fun as I attempt to come up with something. It might have some military in it, I don't know yet.....I've been pootling away at it for a couple of weeks now, so this is the first installment of the story so far.

O.k., let's make a start. As usual all the material is for free, scrounged or dead cheap anyway. I found some pieces of polystyrene and an old cork notice board at our local tip - sorry, Re-cycling Center! This formed the base. Then, with some shed paint, I roughly painted where I wanted the water to flow and made a paper template of my imaginary mill building.

First stage. The rough painting of the water and the paper template...plus my wee man!

[ATTACH]82215[/ATTACH]

Next a thin layer of polystyrene glued down with PVA for the lower river bank and mill race...

[ATTACH]82216[/ATTACH]

Thicker poly. formed the top level....See my mysterious plung pool? I didn't spot it 'till I'd stuck the piece down....Hey ho!

[ATTACH]82217[/ATTACH]

Then the top water course was formed, complete with weir. ( More on this later!) I also cut my template to suit the contours a bit better and to get the wheel summat like for height. [ATTACH]82218[/ATTACH]

You can see how it is starting to take some form now. I'm never fussy about how rough it looks at this stage 'cos now I'm getting a 'feel' for the scene anything can happen and usually does!

I hope you approve of this initial stage and all comments and suggestions are always welcome as we have some fun and roll along into the unknown together.......

Cheers,

Ron

[Guest]

Hi Ron yet another masterpiece in the making, a very interesting beginning cant wait to see what you come up with.

scott

[spanner570]

Thanks folks for the continuing support....It's nice to have you along.

With trepidation, and not a clue how to proceed, I turned my attention to the waterwheel, which I suppose in a way, will be the centre piece.

I had a look at pictures of these things, some complicated, others less so. In the end I decided to create my own relatively simple design, which I reckoned would be easier to do than try and copy a real one. It's made from scrap plastic card, coffee stirrers and an RAF Cosford cafe plastic straw for the 'axle'!

After a bit of idea scribbling I came up with this :-

Here are the stages.......

First off I marked a circle from a piece of thin plastic card

[ATTACH]82267.IPB[/ATTACH]


I didn't want a simple second inner circle, so I came up with this idea and divided the wheel into 8 segments and cut these out. Then I cut a centre hub and marked around the centre with my straw axle to get the right diameter hole, then made some 'spokes' from coffee stirrers........

[ATTACH]82268.IPB[/ATTACH]


Here is one side finished...Now the other!

[ATTACH]82269.IPB[/ATTACH]


The second side done and joined to the first with suitable cross members...I was so chuffed with my wheel thus far, that I forgot to make holes for my drinking straw axle......Too late now!!

[ATTACH]82270.IPB[/ATTACH]


Next I made a scale pattern for the paddles, again from bits of thin plastic card...and cut out 24 of them!

[ATTACH]82271.IPB[/ATTACH]


This shows the finished bare wheel ready for painting...Because of my previous excitement, I had to make the axle in three bits - a middle and two outers......Sorry for the fuzzy picture.

[ATTACH]82272.IPB[/ATTACH]


Here is the finished water wheel, painted in a first coat and ready for weathering.

I'm well happy with my first ever go at one, and the design is mine, all mine I tell you!!! lol

[ATTACH]82273.IPB[/ATTACH]


That's it for the wheel. I'm pleased to have got this part of the diorama behind me, as at first I had no idea how to tackle it.

Mind you, I won't be doing another in a hurry!

Next I will make a start on the mill building.

Thanks for looking in.

Cheers,

Ron

[Ian M]

That wheel looks the biz!

My pizzas come out of the oven on a stone tile. Havent bought a pizza in donkey's years.

How ever, as an alternative to the stuff you use Ron, you can get some foam bord, about 5mm thick which is normally used under laminate flooring.

(Makes great gliders as well...)

I'm going to have to have a go at this building lark one day.

Ian M

[spanner570]

That wheel looks the biz!My pizzas come out of the oven on a stone tile. Havent bought a pizza in donkey's years.

How ever, as an alternative to the stuff you use Ron, you can get some foam bord, about 5mm thick which is normally used under laminate flooring.

(Makes great gliders as well...)

I'm going to have to have a go at this building lark one day.

Ian M

Thanks Ian, I'm glad you like my wheel.....

When I fancy one, I buy the cheap £1.00 large pizza, then pile my own stuff on top of the junk that came on it.

I too have an oven stone to cook them on, it looks rather like a flattened plate.

Ron

[monica]

wow Ron, that has turned out great, and very good use off items as well,

i would be so happy how it turned out,

[Guest]

That wheel is excellent Ron! You really ought to think about marketing some of your stuff! That looks shop-bought

And where do you get large pizza's for a quid??