Topic: Darth More's Dioramas: Felucia - Display Diorama (Test)

[Darth More]

Just wanted to share some pictures of my mini dioramas, I built on picture frames. I hope they give you some inspiration! Please, feel free to comment on, share and post pictures of similar projects of your own! Enjoy!

I haven't been active on here for 5 years!! That's a shame I know, BUT I haven't quit the hobby and I probabally won't. In the meantime I collected way too many ideas, created drafts and realized at least some of them. My last project in 2011 was my big Mos Eisley diorama, which still needs to be completed. I will post some updates on that topic later on.

Since I also build model kits and saw some other model builders on fairs here in Germany, I got the idea of making mini dioramas on picture frames. After the big Mos Eisley project I wanted to go small before starting the next big project. Therefore I built different dioramas on picture frames which depict some famous planets of the Star Wars Universe such as Endor, Hoth, Tatooine, Kashyyyk and more... Enjoy!

Best regards from Germany and may the force be with you!

Philipp


List of contents:


Page 1:

Picture Frame Dioramas
- Hoth: Ice Desert - Reply #3
- Tatooine: Landspeeder Display - Reply #10
- Endor: Speeder Bike Display - Reply #11
- Kashyyyk: Swamp Speeder Display - Reply #12


Page 2:

Picture Frame Diorama
- Geonosis: Desert - Reply #19

Scenery
- Star Shooting: The Emperor's Arrival - Classic Style... - Reply #27


Page 3:

Fantastic Plants and Where to Find Them...
- Which materials do I use? - Artificial Plants - Reply #32

Picture Frame Diorama
- A Message from Yoda: Panda bear/Kashyyyk Diorama - Reply #40


Page 4:

Picture Frame Dioramas
- Endor: Ewok Assault Catapult (Display inspired by TVC packaging) - Reply #47
- Endor: Battle for Endor Scenery - Reply #55
- Endor: Ewoks! Almost all Ewoks of the modern line...do you know which one is missing? - Reply #56


Mini Diorama Display Stands by FialaFernbrugg - Reply #59
- BB-8 on Mini Diorama - legion078
- Clone Assassin - FialaFernbrugg
- Sandtrooper with Custom E-11 Blaster - FialaFernbrugg


Page 5:

Shelf Diorama:
- ANH/Tatooine: Mos Eisley - Work in Progress... - Reply #67



Page 6:


- Picture Frame Dio: Utapau: The 10th Level (ROTS) - Reply #88


Page 7:

- Display Diorama: Hello there! - Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. General Grievous - Reply #92


- Display Diorama:Scarif: Landing Platform 09 // Cargo Area - Reply #100


Work in Progress:

- Modular Diorama: Battle of Utapau: Large Scale Display diorama



Coming sooner or later...

- Shelf Dioramas:
TPM: Naboo
AOTC: Geonosis
ROTS: Utapau
ANH: Tatooine (work in progress...)
TESB: Hoth
ROTJ: Endor


- Picture Frame Diorama: Felucia
- Mini Diorama Display Stand for TVC Aayla Secura

[hemble]

Look forward to seeing the dio once you upload them.

Ron

[Tamer]

Yeah, that last thing was weird. I can't even get into that one mini dio thread now.

[Darth More]

All you need for this diorama is:

materials:
- picture frame $2-6
- artificial snow powder <$2
- cardboard <$0.50
- white acrylic paint <$1
- wood glue <$1

tools:
- pair of scissors
- a brush

For this diorama I used the smallest white picture frame I could find in a dollar store ($2). It should be just big enough to display 2-3 3.75" action figures. The measures are:

outer edges: 20x15cm (7.8"x5.9"), inner surface: 15x10cm (5.9"x4")

The snow powder is actually a very funny story to share! I have been looking for the right snow powder for months! I finally found this one here in a local craft store in July 2015!!
I asked them for Christmas decoration and told them I needed it for model building. It was weird to ask for winter stuff during summer, but anyways they had two bags left for me!
What gave me a hard time before was finding powder that was small enough for 1/18 scale. Most of the artificial snow for Christmas decoration is too big and looks fake if you know what I mean...the picture below schows how small it actually is next to a millimeter scale:

Advice: Most of the artifial snow is just shredded foam. Don't use spray glue to fix it! It will liquify because of the propellants in sprays...



Figures:

The Snowtroopers on display are custom painted and weathered. Unfortunately I did not paint them myself. I got all three of them on eBay for just $9 ($5.50 plus $4.50 shipping)!
So thanks to the talented painter! Almost all joints are glued. Some thin tape/ribbon is applied to the boots to make them look more authentic.

Step-by-step:

1. You take out the glass of the picture frame and remove the frame's stand on the back.
2. Cut four stripes out of cardboard that is about as thik as the glass to replace the glass.
They should be as long as the edges of the inner frame and around 0,5mm (0.2") wide (depending on the picture frame). Put the four stripes underneath the edges of the inner frame and fix them with wood glue. They just fill the gap between the bottom wood plate and the frame. Make sure to put newspaper underneath in order to protect your work surface. You don't want to have glue on your table.
3. Paint the wooden plate beneath the glass in white to support the white ice/snow effect.
4. When the acrylic paint is dry, apply the wood glue on the white surface and scatter the snow powder on it.

And that's how mine turned out:













They are easy to make, not much work and just a great way to display your favorite figures of your favorite movie scenes! Feel free to ask questions, share your ideas for improvement and have fun trying it yourselves!

[Darth More]

I already made 3 Hoth based dioramas on differently sized picture frames. They are not only great for displaying your favorite figures, but also to honor Hasbro's best figures of the modern series!

There are basically endless combinations of what and how much you display on these dios!
Some day I will build a huge diorama to display the battle of Hoth with the AT-AT, AT-ST and a nice trench for the rebels' defence...so these small dioramas are like a test/study before I go BIG!

[hemble]

Nice work.

Ron

[RCWCreations]

Very nice work!

[Tamer]

These look great! Thank you for the step by step with pictures. I might have to try one of these!

[Darth More]

@ hemble, Panther and Tamer: Thank you very much guys! I was looking forward to receiving your feedback!

Here are some more pictures of the parts you actually need from the picture frame:
You might not need any cardboard to replace the glass, that depends on the picture frame you use.
Just make sure the edges are sealed so that nothing liquid (e.g. wood glue) can go through it...I will show you some examples with artificial water later on 

Philipp

[Tamer]

I am really enjoying these. Back to the front page with you. And thanks for showing us how you are doing this!

[Darth More]

Before heading to further dioramas of Endor and Kashyyyk I wanted to complete the desert themed dioramas...
I just finished another diorama, which took about 15 minutes to build plus the time the styrofoam glue needs to dry. So nothing really special, but still nice to look at.
This time around it's a Tatooine themed one. I know Luke is sitting on the wrong side, but I just couldn't fit him in the Landspeeder without breaking the stiring wheel.


All you need for this diorama is:

materials:
- picture frame $2
- sand <$0.50
- styrofoam glue <$0.50 (depending on how much you use)

tools:
- pair of scissors
- a brush
- (tea strainer)

figures/vehicles:
- TSC Luke Skywalker - SAGA-036
- TVC Landspeeder

- TLC Jawa with WED Treadwell Droid - BD-33/BD-04
- Moisture Vaporator: Accessory from TAC Luke Skywalker (Moisture Farmer) - 30-18

(measures are added shortly)

Step-by-step:

1. Prepare the picture frame as explained above.
2. Apply styrofoam or wood glue to the frame's inner surface.
You can also apply clay before to sculpt some texture/environment.
3. Apply sand to the still liquid glue (I utilized a tea strainer for this step).
Let it dry. Remove the rest of loose sand once the glue is dried. OR:
(4.) If you want you can apply some additional loose sand for footprints or other traces.

I hope you like it!

[Darth More]

Models of forest, jungle and swamp dioramas take more time and money. But the work pays off.

This is an Endor themed diorama of which I will build at least one more.

For this diorama you need:

materials:
- picture frame $3
- modelling material/clay <$2
- brown acrylic paint <$1 (measured by the amount you need)
- wood glue <$1
- shredded material (e.g. cork) for the forest ground from a modelling shop, see image below
- artificial pants, small stones/rocks, wood/sticks etc.
(-) epoxy or similar transluscent resin for water effects

tools:
- pair of scissors
- a brush

Step-by-step:

1. Prepare the picture frame as explained above.
2. Apply modelling material/clay to the frame's inner surface. Imprint footprints or similar uneveness for further detail. Let it dry. It might shrink. You can apply some more to fill the gaps, then. The gaps can also make the environment look more realistic. It's up to you ;-)
3. Apply brown acrylic paint to cover the modelling material (mine was of a light beige color). Let it dry.
4. Apply wood glue and scatter the shredded flakes onto the still liquid glue (see image below). (Leave out all spots for artificial water if you plan to apply some.)
(5.) Apply epoxy or similar transluscent resin to create puddles, ponds, creeks etc. Read instructions before and make sure to protect yourself if you use epoxy (gloves, respiratory protection mask etc.) Keep away from children and animals.
I used a resin based on water. It's similar to wood glue which you can also use for water effects by diluting/mixing it with water.
6. Apply any detail you want like small stones/rocks, sticks or artificial plants.

Shredded material: I used flakes of a model buidling kit by BUSCH for ~$2:


Here is a picture of the "starter-kit" I got:

Source: www.mytoys.de ; http://www.mytoys.de/busch-busch-modelleisenbahn-starter-kit-spur-h0-1472406.html

[Darth More]

We reach the next skill level with the swamps of Kashyyyk which is a nice project for fans of water effects! I really enjoyed working on this project.

For the elite model builders of you: You can skip the text and just enjoy the pictures.

If you're still interested in how I made this, read on...

For this diorama you need:

materials:
- picture frame $3
- modelling material/clay <$2
- brown acrylic paint <$1 (measured by the amount you need)
- wood glue <$1
- shredded material (e.g. cork) for the forest ground from a modelling shop
- artificial pants, small stones/rocks, wood/sticks etc.
(-) epoxy or similar transluscent resin for water effects

tools:
- pair of scissors
- a brush

Step-by-step:

1. Prepare the picture frame as explained above.
2. Apply modelling material/clay to the frame's inner surface. Imprint footprints or similar uneveness for further detail. Let it dry. It might shrink. You can apply some more to fill the gaps, then. The gaps can also make the environment look more realistic. It's up to you ;-) This time around I filled the gaps between the clay mounds with artificial water. They look like little wells/connections between the puddles.
3. Mix sand to your acrylic paint until it reaches a coarse/mud-like consistency.
 Apply it to cover the modelling material (mine was of a light beige color). Let it dry.
4. Drill holes for every artificial plant you would like to place on your diorama.
You can also place the artificial pants while the modelling material/clay is still soft (Make this step before step 3). Place them in there and remove them before applying the acrylic paint.
Add any detail you want like small stones/rocks and wooden sticks.
5. Apply epoxy or similar transluscent resin to create puddles, ponds, creeks etc. Read instructions before and make sure to protect yourself if you use epoxy (gloves, respiratory protection mask etc.) Keep away from children and animals.
I used a resin based on water. It's similar to wood glue which you can also use for water effects by diluting/mixing it with water. I also added some green ink (Citadel by GamesWorkshop) to dye the water.

For any questions feel free to ask!

[Darth More]

You might have noticed the translucent straws on the Kashyyyk diorama. I placed these in the modelling material while sculpting the environment because I dedicated this diorama to my favorite vehicle of the Clone Wars: The ISP Swamp Speeder.

For the support pillars you cut a straw into pieces of about 5cm/~2". The distance between them is according to the holes of the three biggest screws (diameter 0,5cm/0.19"). You can hardly see them when a vehicle is displayed when the straws are placed in the vehicle's center. This effect makes the display piece look like it floats.
I am actually still looking for these straws here in Germany. The straw I used for this project is from a restaurant in Michigan. I collected some (about 20) during my time as exchange student...let's see how long they last!







I then noticed that Hasbro's BARC Speeder can also be displayed on the three pillars with this particular distance:





   

[JDeck]

   Awesome mini dios! Great tips too.