Dioramas or stand alone displays?? (1 Viewer)

[sammy719]

Hi all,

A collector made a comment to me the other about my use of dioramas (very nice comment) but also do I display everything in a dio? well for me the answer is yes, didn't start out that way but once the ball got rolling sort of speak that's where I am, I do have planes, boats etc throughout my hobby room that are displayed separately but when it comes to my 1:30 toy soldiers are in dios, or at least until I run out of room or money how do you all like to display your collections??...Sammy

 

[mikemiller1955]

definitely in dioramas...

Marco55 once told me...if I can't display it to enjoy it...I won't collect it...

meaning I don't want to collect boxes with soldiers in them in my closet...I want to enjoy looking at them...

I like to display my figures to the best of my ability...

it's not always possible as I don't want loose groundwork in my china hutch falling from one shelf to the other...but any chance I get...I build a display box with a lip big enough to hold my groundwork in (sand...snow...forest litter...etc...)...

 

[Warrior]

If I can't display it to enjoy it...I won't collect it...

meaning I don't want to collect boxes with soldiers in them in my closet..

Ok everybody, please ignore this part of Mike's post, especially you new collectors out there................:wink2:^&grin

Great question; for me, as many of you know, I don't do static dioramas, I create mine in 20mm/1/72nd scale and build large battles that stay in place for a few weeks, then I take the whole thing down until the mood strikes me to make another one.

To me, collecting/painting is half the fun, creating displays is the other half.

I always enjoy seeing pictures of customers 54mm/60mm displays and dioramas. One of my customers has a great finished room in his basement with built in shelving with scenes on each one, I like the way he changes the scenes, moves his figures around and creates new ones, he uses a lot of small scenic items in his displays.

Another has a huge man cave that's a converted two car garage (I also approve of this, park the cars in the driveway and convert that garage into a toy soldier man cave......:wink2:...........), he has 8 foot tables in the room with large dioramas on each one; again, they like my other customers are not static, he moves buildings, trees, bunkers, pillboxes etc, etc, around and changes them up from time to time.

There are so many great scenics out there from JG Miniatures, K & C, First Legion, Britains, Hudson and Allen, Conte, Hobby Bunker, Barszo, CTS, TSSD, Formtech among others that you can create a lot of nice displays as a collector.

As far as large, static dioramas; they look great, spectacular in some cases, but the only downside is they are static, can't be changed around to create different looks, although I did notice the latest masterpiece David from TM Terrain created is in two sections, so you can move the front piece to the back and the back to the front to make two different looks if you wanted to........

 

[marco55]

I like dioramas,vignettes but not above doing a stand alone on a shelf.One thing it won't be is sitting in a box.^&grin George I understand why you do as you have very large collections of WWII,Napoleonics,ACW.One question I would like to ask is do you collect large scale figures also? And Mike they way you do scenic displays it would be a crime if you didn't do them.
Mark

 

[Louis Badolato]

I display my collection on both dioramas of all sizes from 18 inches square to 12 foot by 6 foot, and on the glass shelves of a dozen showcases. Unfortunately, I also have a number of figures in storage in boxes.

 

[Warrior]

George I understand why you do as you have very large collections of WWII,Napoleonics,ACW.One question I would like to ask is do you collect large scale figures also?

Mark; great question.

When I was a kid, like all kids in my generation, I had Marx playsets, also had boxed Airfix, Britains Deetail, Swoppets and Timpo swoppets among others, but my main interest was ho/oo scale figures, loved the box art on the old Airfix sets, that in fact is what attracted me to them.

I also liked the fact I could do huge carpet battles with them; when I got back into the hobby, my focus was 20mm, both plastic and metal.

When I got into the toy soldier business, I sold all of my Marx playsets as well as all of my older plastic except for the Britains Deetail, swoppets and Timpo swoppets, I still have all of them, plus I've added a lot of them to my collection, I love all of those figures, so innovative.

These are the only larger scale figures I own, I really have no interest in large scale figures, they look great, don't get me wrong, but the scale just doesn't interest me. There is something about the small scale figures that appeals to me, not to mention a battle with 2,000 of them on my tables really looks awesome IMO.


I've also sold all of my plastic ho/oo sets except for my Airfix sets and my Marx Miniature Masterpiece sets, I have Border Battle, the AWI set, Charge of the Light Brigade, Fort Apache, Knights castle, plus four ACW sets, that one is my all time favorite, all of my current 20mm figures are metal.

 

[lancer]

I am strictly a shelf display sort of guy. This is due to space restrictions, and lack of skill/knowhow and money for dioramas. For years I swore that I would never buy TS that had to stay in their boxes, unseen. This all went down the tubes when JJD started producing his superb Knights of the Skies series. It happens WW1 aviation is my biggest addiction. With the growing number of aircraft and a fixed display area, I have had to resort to boxing many of my things in order to keep my planes out in view. My whole WW2 collection of figures and vehicles, my ACW, my trophy AZW, and my JJD POA collection are all boxed up. I simply have no space shelf for all those figures and vehicles if I am to keep my WW1 stuff out where I can enjoy it. Many of my figures are still out, the JJD Jacobite series, the KC 1914 French Army, my Somerset Lancers and old Wm. Britains, all still have their place on my shelves but my space priority now goes to WW1, especially the aircraft. I simply am space poor.:redface2: -- Al

 

[mikemiller1955]

definitely in dioramas...

Marco55 once told me...if I can't display it to enjoy it...I won't collect it...

meaning I don't want to collect boxes with soldiers in them in my closet...I want to enjoy looking at them...QUOTE]

Ok everybody, please ignore this part of Mike's post, especially you new collectors out there................:wink2:^&grin

okay...let me re-phrase that...collect all you want...and just buy more shelves to show it off...^&grin

 

[Warrior]

okay...let me re-phrase that...collect all you want...and just buy more shelves to show it off...^&grin

Awesome, thanks Mike, your check is in the mail................:salute::