Topic: JDeck's dioramas and displays.

[hemble]

Thank you. Yes I agree that would be great, and easy to move. Then it's settled. It will be an Endor diorama extravaganza! Multiple scales, scenes and yes, Ewoks!  I'll start with the AT-ST, I already have a neat idea. I've even started the mock up, with a donor AT-ST.

Cool can't wait to see more.

[JDeck]

Cool can't wait to see more.

It's going to be the Ewok AT-ST trap with the swinging logs. I've been wanting to build a the scene in the process of getting smashed, but I like it this way, because, we've all seen the movie and we know what's going to happen. It  builds suspense, the moment right before getting smashed, the very last step, the point of no return. And the drivers are completely oblivious. In a way, I think that's more interesting than smashing up a perfectly good model kit.

[Tamer]

Oh yeah, that will work. You gonna do any smaller stuff around it later? Either way, awesome start. Off to share.

[JDeck]

Oh yeah, that will work. You gonna do any smaller stuff around it later? Either way, awesome start. Off to share.

Thank you. You mean like different scenes on the same base? Like a collage.  That would be cool. I just don't have all of the pieces I'd need. I can buy the legion speeder bikes, and scouts. I think I'll try my hand at sculpting my own Ewoks. I'm not a bad sculptor, at that scale, you just basically need the impression of an Ewok, not super detailed. I'll try it out. I could do a kickass Ewok tribute, with different traps and things.

[Darth More]

I read through all the previous comments and see that you already got strong support by Tamer and hemble! The materials you collected are fantastic! Now the years? of collecting this stuff pays off and you can start right away! I'm sure you've already put much thought into it, so getting rid of some of it might be the best choice for you. If you have any diorama builders close to you or within the U.S. you could also pack a box with "crap" you would throw away before moving. I'm sure there is somebody who will be happy with your materials! If shipping overseas wouldn't cost a fortune I would definitely buy one of your trademark "Forest in a Bag"!

I'm working hard to have a hobby room later where I can actually display most of my collection. It's probably the best & rational decision to have an office at home. Maybe you can still put one shelf in there dedicated to your hobby. I can already see your AT-ST diorama on there!
Again, this is completely your choice, but you wouldn't be asking us if it was that easy, right?
So if Star Wars stuff won't distract you from getting your tax stuff done, I would go for a home office with some dedication to the hobby we all love & care about.

Ron has shown us a lot of good stuff of those SW Legion miniatures! I think you cannot go wrong with them! I'm still a little upset when I got in touch with Hasbro back in 2007 and mentioned my idea of a "Star Wars Galactic Battle Game" - they never answered by mail (which they ususally do), but released their dice game three years later, instead...still I'm glad they had Wizards of the Coast and now we have Legion. My brother and I always wondered why there was nothing similar to Games Workshop for Star Wars or why they didn't have the license for Star Wars, but for Lord of the Rings.

Anyways I'm glad you still got time before moving. I'd be happy to help if it wasn't that far away. I'm looking forward to seeing how this dio turns out! Aluminum foil has proved to be well suitable for trees/bark, but I've never worked with it, yet. hembles projects are also very inspiring here.

I hope my contribution was helpful a bit and am sure you'll make the best decision for you!
Once again congratulations on your lucky score on the BIG AT-AT!'
Best wishes from Germany.

- Philipp

 

[FialaFernbrugg]

The vegetation looks great. I'm sure your AT-ST trap dio is going to be another masterpiece.
I can't wait to see more.

[Tamer]

It will be interesting to see what you do with those Ewoks.

[JDeck]

I read through all the previous comments and see that you already got strong support by Tamer and hemble! The materials you collected are fantastic! Now the years? of collecting this stuff pays off and you can start right away! I'm sure you've already put much thought into it, so getting rid of some of it might be the best choice for you. If you have any diorama builders close to you or within the U.S. you could also pack a box with "crap" you would throw away before moving. I'm sure there is somebody who will be happy with your materials! If shipping overseas wouldn't cost a fortune I would definitely buy one of your trademark "Forest in a Bag"!

I'm working hard to have a hobby room later where I can actually display most of my collection. It's probably the best & rational decision to have an office at home. Maybe you can still put one shelf in there dedicated to your hobby. I can already see your AT-ST diorama on there!
Again, this is completely your choice, but you wouldn't be asking us if it was that easy, right?
So if Star Wars stuff won't distract you from getting your tax stuff done, I would go for a home office with some dedication to the hobby we all love & care about.

Ron has shown us a lot of good stuff of those SW Legion miniatures! I think you cannot go wrong with them! I'm still a little upset when I got in touch with Hasbro back in 2007 and mentioned my idea of a "Star Wars Galactic Battle Game" - they never answered by mail (which they ususally do), but released their dice game three years later, instead...still I'm glad they had Wizards of the Coast and now we have Legion. My brother and I always wondered why there was nothing similar to Games Workshop for Star Wars or why they didn't have the license for Star Wars, but for Lord of the Rings.

Anyways I'm glad you still got time before moving. I'd be happy to help if it wasn't that far away. I'm looking forward to seeing how this dio turns out! Aluminum foil has proved to be well suitable for trees/bark, but I've never worked with it, yet. hembles projects are also very inspiring here.

I hope my contribution was helpful a bit and am sure you'll make the best decision for you!
Once again congratulations on your lucky score on the BIG AT-AT!'
Best wishes from Germany.

- Philipp

I can probably get away with "decorating" the office with Star Wars stuff, but technically it has to be used solely for business purposes. I might just say to heck with the office and have a diorama workshop, I hate taking work home with me.  I'll see when  I get there. I didn't buy that BAT-AT, he wanted to sell it as a lot for $200, and wouldn't budge.  It wasn't for me. At any rate, yeah, I think I should sell my Endor Forest in a bag, I spent a lot of time on it. It's mostly all natural. I even have some Redwood leaves and bark in there. Actually the thought crossed my mind to go to California, ( I can't believe I'm saying this) go to where they filmed the Endor scenes, and pick up some materials there. Then it would be Endor in a bag.  Yes the aluminum foil makes great trees and I'll show you how I do it, step by step. Stay tuned for that, maybe tomorrow.
 

The vegetation looks great. I'm sure your AT-ST trap dio is going to be another masterpiece.
I can't wait to see more.

Yeah I find some cool forest stuff, either naturally or online.  I appreciate the vote of confidence, I screwed up big time on the AT-ST kit. After that I said son of a b!+&# give me a drink!  All is well, I'll just epoxy glue it together one it's fitted, and no one will know. Lol.

It will be interesting to see what you do with those Ewoks.

Yeah I'll definitely try my hand at sculpting the Ewoks.  For some things, I don't like the old FFG figures, they're expensive for what they are. I'd have to modify them anyway, why not just sculpt them myself? We'll see though. I ain't as good as I once was.

[JDeck]

So, I made a tree trunk today. I experimented with using plaster for a bark texture, with mixed results. That's why I only got one done. I ended up going with my usual technique, using dowel rods, aluminum foil, white glue/water mixture and tissue paper.

Step 1). Grab a fist full of dowel rods and bind them together using rubber bands.

Step 2). Wrap the bound dowels with aluminum foil, at least a few layers. If you use too many layers, you start to lose the definition of the dowel rods.

Step 3). Mix white glue and water. Then wrap tissue paper over the aluminum foil, and paint on the glue/water mixture using a sponge brush.

Step 4) while the tissue is still wet, I sprinkled some tile grout to give the bark more texture.

I ended up painting the trunk while it was still wet, because I'm impatient.  It's not recommend, but my results came out pretty good. Once it's all dry, I'll give it a dry brush, and add some moss. I'm going to keep the dowel rods in, but they can be removed, for a hollow log affect.

[JDeck]

Also in my forest diorama arsenal, I have this fake cedar Garland. I haven't really used it because it's just lanky and out of scale. So, I dipped them in my white glue/ water mixture, then sprinkled them with fine turf. The results are pretty good. They're no longer lanky or out of scale.  Man alive I got a lot of forest stuff. I better get going on these dioramas.

Also I made my first attempt at making a 1/48 Ewok. I think I have the scale right. Maybe a little short, but I'll try again. I have to find a technique to model the face, but they'll just be hidden throughout this scene, they won't be the main focus. I fixed the AT-ST model, it's doing well and resting comfortably.  It's been a productive Sunday. 

[Tamer]

Wow, very nice work on that tree. Love seeing how the stuff goes together and you gave us a great tutorial there. Off to share.

Interesting work on that casting too. I think you have the scale good.

[JDeck]

Wow, very nice work on that tree. Love seeing how the stuff goes together and you gave us a great tutorial there. Off to share.

Interesting work on that casting too. I think you have the scale good.

Thank you Tamer. I take great pride in my trees. With the dowel rods, it does make them a bit heavy, but I have the super thick insulation foam, so I have it anchored using four scewers running all the way down, that tree ain't goin no where. I will probably work on the second tree tomorrow, I'm a bit tired tonight. Maybe I'll do half tonight, well I'll do the toilet paper mache, let it dry overnight, and all day, then tomorrow paint it. I can't wait to start the groundwork.

[Tamer]

Looks good. Those skewers ought to work great. Off to the front pages.

[Starchaser]

This is looking really great. It looks like a lot of work but will be most excellent in the end. I do appreciate your sharing how you build the trees.

Nice job on the Ewok sculpt, too. The scale looks right to me.

[JDeck]

Looks good. Those skewers ought to work great. Off to the front pages.

Right on. I stuck it in the mock-up base I had, it's solid as a rock. I almost finished the second tree, same process as the first. I'll probably need to cut out a new base, the trees are wider than the ones I had on my mock-up. But I am thinking about the multiple scene idea. I bought the legion core set, just the imperial side, from a guy on eBay, so I saved a few bucks. We shall seeee. 

This is looking really great. It looks like a lot of work but will be most excellent in the end. I do appreciate your sharing how you build the trees.

N8ce job on the Ewik sculpt, too. The scale looks right to me.

Thank you Starchaser. I just figured I'd share some ideas, maybe one day someone will find it useful.  I'm always learning new diorama techniques, everyone basically has their ways of doing things.

The Ewok, could use some details. With this Miliput, I have to do just a little at a time, wait for it to harden, and then do more. Because it's so soft. I'll get plenty of practice with these guys. When it's all said and done, I'll be like the Michelangelo of Ewoks.