!!help With Nam Diorama!!

[Ben O]

HI Guys,

I am thinking of making my very first ever diorama, and have no clue were to start. I want to build a dio for my 'Nam SEALs...one were they just come out of the water through the Nipa palm and other growth. (a bit like the brilliant outdoor pictures Frankenstein did with his SEALs).
Now for me the question is how to go about things. What do I use as a base, how do I make the water (or do should I use real water)...what are best materials to use.
Diorama experts out there pls HELP ME!

Ben

[dudeman]

One dio idea I have for Nam SEAL is to have a recon TEAM of 4 wading through knee high water. Then you can have some cat tail grass that is growing out of the water and some floating vegetation/clusters of leafs which are oft seen in the Mekong delta region. But with this idea, unless your figures have removable calfs like some Medicom bodies -- it requires you to do away with the legs below the knees. But having done this -- the dio builds out nice & compact as you can have a tray to hold the resin which will be your water similar to this ship dio:

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gall...amphibs-01.jpg

[USMCWayne]

This past winter I experimented with the largest flat plastic tub I could find.

It's partially filled with dirt and I use a combination of plastic plants and a photo background (which makes it interchangeable). I figure, for a SEAL-type diorama I could set a smaller flat tub in the dirt, fill it with water, which would obviously get dirty from the surrounding landscape.

That way you've got a completely self-contained environment, which can be adjusted for various figures, and you don't have to ruin a figure by cutting them off at the calf.

[Ben O]

Sounds like a nice idea dudeman...was also my idea to put a 4 man team in there (pointman, grenadier, stoner guy and rto). what would u use for the cat tail grass and vegetation? Also how would you put the figure in the resin.
with the legs attached? or use the medicom body??

[dudeman]

I never said my idea wasn't radical. It is radical, but it's done to achieve a certain effect and that is to have the team wading through water. Years ago I was talking with a customizer about this idea and he absolutely loved it. Here's what cattail looks like. There are many ways you can simulate this plant. AFA resin -- you can use a picture frame as with that picture of ship model I tried to show you (I will upload my own in a bit). You can cast a complete figure in resin. But it would be permanently casted in the resin, hence the necessity for surgery or removable lower legs. This way you can still remove the figure from the resin base if needed. Or you can cast it with the legs in the resin and have it permanent.

[dudeman]

Here's resin being used to simulate water.





Here's a frame that was constructed to hold a dio:

[Ben O]

It sure is radical to permanetly encase your figures in resin.
But it does look really cool. I was also thinking about making a plastic
square tub...and putting plants and water in it. Have to ponder on
this, if you guys have anymore nice reference material pls post it.
I could use all the pics out there

[USMCWayne]

I hear you. Sometimes there have to be sacrifices for the art.

Your PBR in resin is exceptional BTW. Is it the DeSimmone version?

Here's a 1/35 SEAL patrol set in resin that is absolutely beautiful



http://p198.ezboard.com/fonesixthdmz...picID=71.topic

[Ben O]

Wow....that dio is simply exceptional. If mine is to come out like this one but the in 1/6 I would be one happy dude.
But seeing as this is my first dio and I have never worked with resin before
I think I am going for the idea where I use real water.

[Austeyr]

WHoa there is another option.
You can also lay down a thin layer of plaster and paint it afterwards. Alot of small scale ship dio's simulate water by laying down a thin layer of plaster inside a picture frame and then painting the low spots inbetween the waves dark blue to give the perception of depth, mid wave light blue and then the foam at the top white to give the illusion it is breaking.
Good thing is that you can set your guys in this (just fold the pants over, coat with KY Jelly which is a water based lubricant and pour over the top) and if you don't like it in the end or want your guys back you can break the plaster up, throw the pants from your figures in the wash and they should be okay and back to normal
Just a thought.

Austeyr.