Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Creation >

Models, Miniatures, and Dioramas

05:12 / 01.08.03

Hi. I figured that there might be a couple other members—since there are several gamers and such—who might like to talk about constructing, altering, and painting models and miniatures, and then assembling them into dioramas.

When I was a younger lad, ages 12-15, I spent many an evening hanging out with my friend Josh in his parents basement assembling and painting miniatures for Dungeon and Dragons. Then, of course, I “grew up,” got a job at McDicks, and started chasing chicks. Later on, when I was about 17, a few friends and I were playing this cheezy board game Hero Quest (‘cause it provided an evening’s entertainment to accompany pot smoking and drinking), and we spent a few days painting up some of the figures that came with the game.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I assembled a model for a friend that had a skull and crossbones-pirate-undead motif and I had to go to the local hobby store to get some glue. Well, there was this woman there who was trying to sort out some Sears catalog order, so I had several minutes to look around before I could pay for the glue. I saw a die cast Red Baron WW1 plane for 13 dollars and it kinda’ tickled my fancy, but I wasn’t about to buy it. Then I noticed a small bin with several assorted things in it and a sign that said, “Anything in this bin 5 dollars.” So I poked around and there happened to be a model of the same plane! Well, since I was on a bit of a kick I decided to buy it and put it together. After putting in about twenty hours work, I finished it the other day. Here are some pics:

Here’s a detail of the engine:

Lock, stock, and two smoking barrels:

Did I mention it’s 1:72 scale?

Currently I am working on a Sopwith Camel so I can construct a dogfight scene…I’ll keep ya’ posted!

18:52 / 01.08.03

Yeah. I'm getting back into models lately too for some reason. Has a lot to do with my old roleplaying days and a desire to see my story ideas manifest in some form or another.

Right now I'm looking on ebay for kits to build these:

Anybody know a good site with a huge variety of miniatures? Not just the fantasy sort.

19:09 / 01.08.03

I'm just finishing up a 1/76 scale Panzer III. I plan on using it in a small diorama. I find military dioramas immensly cool. I just want to do something small like this:

19:11 / 01.08.03

hmmm....let's try that again....

22:15 / 01.08.03

Wow--a freakin' whole damn circus! Tha's wack, DM! I don't know where you'd get figures and what not for it: I'll keep my eyes and ears open...

I like the military dioramas too. There is some strange appeal in making such tiny little scenes of death, violence, and strength--much better than the real deal! I was thinking I want to do up a tank rolling through the streets of a bombed out villa. I was thinking I'd make the collapsed walls out of real rocks--make it look v. cool, I reckon. Also, I’d like to do up a scene with a WW2 plane strafing a ground unit, with the dudes on the ground running for shelter behind a barn while a couple cows graze lazily in the field.

06:43 / 14.08.03

Hello again.

First, DM (if you’re out there and still checking this thread), what’s the scale on that there circus you got? I mean, I was thinking about it, and if the 25mm figures are to size, then (while it won’t suit all your needs) there is really quite a large selection of “fantasy” miniatures that could do the trick. I was looking at the vast selection at “The Sentry Box” (Calgary’s best gaming store) the other day and I found myself thinking that there were several “normal” type human figures that could easily fit into your circus.

Second, I wanted to update the interested as to what I’ve been working on recently. I put the Sopwith on the side for now because I have been working on a 1 : 1 scale replica of Deckard’s Blaster (from Bladerunner) that my friend had given me a few years ago. I’m about four or five days away from finishing it; however, the spray painting of the main body of the gun has been giving me a bit of difficulty. Anyone have any good spray can techniques or recommendations (something I’ve worked with hardly at all)?

As well, I bought a few zombie miniatures and have a great idea for a bayou/grave/voodoo/zombie diorama. I figure I am stilll quite far from getting this one finished, but here are some pics of the first painted zombie:

08:47 / 14.08.03

Holy Shit, dude! That circus is amazing! I want one! I want to play Warhammer with a cast of freaks and carnys!

11:26 / 14.08.03

"OK, I'm driving my little VW bug into the centre ring, and now my squadron of 23 KILLER KLOWNS is climbing out of it."

"Yeah. My FAMILY squad is in the granstand. Let's see, that's about 13 inches from the KLOWNS."

"OK, one of my clowns squirts your Mother with the flower pinned to his lapel."

"Roll to hit."

04:43 / 15.08.03

Sorry to fade away from this thread for a few days, Dr. Not. The hell of moving. Sly zombie you've got there.

Sadly, I don't have the above circus yet. I'm mainly just drooling over them (the second pic is supposedly a model train circus that was at one time available through the German Circus Krone. I don't know if it still is). The scale is your standard model train scale of 1:87 so I'm not sure if miniatures would dwarf the seats, animals, et al.

And if you think those are cool....this makes me explode with jealousy.

Right now I'm just trying to find anything and everything to build my own circus diorama. So far I haven't had much luck, as Ebay doesn't have complete sets. Only the occasional elephant wagon or circus train car. And usually at a gigantic scale. I want the whole shebang if I can find it. As many pieces as I can get my hands on. Still searching.

And yeah Rizla, that's sort of how I see it too. The circus is a major player in my rockabilly comic and I've gotten caught up lately in seeing all my characters in some incarnation or another. Esp. clowns armed to the teeth, Symbionese Liberation Army-style.