North African Campaign base (1 Viewer)

[thales41]

Good Day Gentlemen ___

1. Trying to put together my Grand Diorama for Rommel vs Monty. Got a spare room to dedicate.

2. Will be painting walls desert sand and ceiling sky blue for starters, hee, hee.... Was thinking of two long narrow tables in one corner of the room forming an "L" upon which the combat action takes place. Above, hanging scale theatre fighters. Dimension approx. 10 ft long by 2 ft wide individual tables.

3. Easy way (?) for a quick, albeit unrealistic base, is sandpaper roll. Thinking, why then even bother!?

4. Is something of this scale (covering most of existing AK/EA items) conducive to home-made produced desert sand base??

5. If the answer is yes, what's the best way to proceed? Planks of plywood, particleboard, or foam atop the tables with home-made gunk mixture sprinkled with actual sand?

Insights most appreciated,
thales41

 

[nysoldiers]

Years ago I made a very large desert diorama. The most economical approach would be to simply buy a bag of "sandbox sand" (I got mine from Toys Are US at about $5.00 a bag) mix with some gravel rocks and then get some multi-colored lichen from any hobby store. You can change the contours of your diorama by adding or removing some sand. Easy to do dunes and mounds and to cover the bases of your figures as well.
The only draw back is the sand may stick to some of your vehicles and figures which would need a good brushing. I would also reccomend adding a "lip" to your tables so the sand doesn't overflow onto your floor.

K&C North Africa buildings and palm trees will add realism and color.

 

[thales41]

Yes, I see where you're coming from on this. Didn't even consider lipping the edges, would be a must.

I guess this thing is doable. Appreciate the advise!

 

[amhuff1]

I use pink foam for my large scale dioramas as I do not like the look of seems. On smaller dioramas I use model airplane plywood. You can make a large sandbox with ledges or if you prefer glue the sand down. A diorama that size would be great to display all of the AK & EA items. I would like to see pictures when you are done.

Good Luck
Andy

 

[thales41]

Hey Andy, how's it going!

1. Pink foam? Need to do a little research. Want to get this part right. Got this excellent book from the library (Shepard Paine's "How to build Dioramas") and he also suggests foam.

2. Yup, my plan is to try and display the entire gamut, got images of different types of action in various sections in my head, will definitely post photos once it all comes together.

3. Thanks for the tips Andy!

R/Rick
San Diego

 

[amhuff1]

Rick
I am good. How have you been?

The pink foam is insulation sold in sheets from Home Depot. I use the sheets that are 1" x 24" x 96" if my memory is correct. The sheets are easy to use. You can cut them with a hot knife or any type of sharp knife. I have found that a jig saw even works! I then prime them with a base color similiar to what color scenery I will be adding and then add the sand or grass or whatever. I posted a picture of one of the sand bases with Rommels Taxi in my album section. Well I hope this helps.

Good Luck
Andy

 

[amhuff1]

The picture is under the AK section in my albums.

 

[thales41]

Very cool!

Thanks for your help Andy!

Rick
San Diego

 

[desk11desk12]

Years ago I made a very large desert diorama. The most economical approach would be to simply buy a bag of "sandbox sand" (I got mine from Toys Are US at about $5.00 a bag) mix with some gravel rocks and then get some multi-colored lichen from any hobby store. You can change the contours of your diorama by adding or removing some sand. Easy to do dunes and mounds and to cover the bases of your figures as well.
The only draw back is the sand may stick to some of your vehicles and figures which would need a good brushing. I would also reccomend adding a "lip" to your tables so the sand doesn't overflow onto your floor.

K&C North Africa buildings and palm trees will add realism and color.

I how did I miss this thread the first time through. That's a great idea! Now why didn't I think of that? LOL

To remove the debris from the tanks later one could always use a "can of air" typically used o blow away dust out of PC's.

Thanks,

Carlos