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Comments
The metal ridge cap effect was surprisingly easy to do. I started with heavy-duty aluminum foil to try to put a rounded center on the cap, though it doesn't really show up so paper would work just fine. spray paint light gray. Add a wash of about 1:2 adamantium from SW paint and airbrush thinner. This is the bast coat. Sponge on some dark rust spots to taste. Then apply a wash of track wash (used enamal AK). Add a couple of touches of rust streaks here and there. Final wash used a neutral gray and dusty color. I tend to flood the areas of wash with odorless thinner which makes the washes really blend together.
Terry
I prepared the wood to look like very old posts and attached to a base for support. This is the end that will go in the ground so a big hunk of glue on the end won't matter. I wrapped some .010 wire to get the look I was going for between the 2 posts. From there I secured the base to my workbench with some tape. The wire it photo-etched and is hard to keep in place so I ran 1 strand at a time and taped it down to hold it.
I made staples out of the .010 wire and drove those into the posts to secure the wire then blackened them. Once I got the 4 strands run I added some other twisty pieces just for looks. Seems like all "old barbed wire fences" have something like this. Added a few details to it assuming it would be near a working area of O'Neills.
I cut the strands 1/4" long from the end posts to simulate that the fence goes on. I'll plant it next. The wires look black in these photos but they are painted brown to look rusty.
Terry
Karl.A
Just a idea. .......Carl..........
Carl, I like the way you think. I have some birds that I used on another build. They look fine at a distance but not close up. If you have any suggestions on birds I'll give them a try.
I found these birds. They are 1:35 but I think they are small enough I can make one look like a red-wing blackbird.
The fence does remind me of those in Flanders during WW1.
I re-worked the driveway and learned a valuable lesson while doing it. I spread new dirt and used Gravel and Sand Fixer to secure it. I used this product on my sawmill to secure the sawdust. It worked great. I got a clear matte finish. So I wetted the dirt prior to applying the product just like I do with matte medium...don't ever do that. The water reacts with the product and it almost immediately forms a white plastic like surface which needs to be removed, let dirt dry, and start over.
Any way, the road turned out nice and I got some nice wheel ruts but I noticed that the open road didn't quite look right so I wanted to fill it in a little bit. Joel had such a time using vehicles and blocking details that I didn't want to try that. So I went for something smaller. I had 2 kits on hand: a tip wagon and a fire extinguisher. I also scratchbuild a wheelbarrow and added some boxes. I think more than 1 will be too much so I will probably go with the wheelbarrow, but the fire extinguisher looks so cool I might just have to find a place for it.
Karl.A
Ken, you are right. I'm about 98.7% complete, but I just made that number up. I removed the painter tape from the frame today and found myself adding a tuft of grass here and a scrap board there. The only thing really left to do is to build and install the railing on the tank deck. I skipped that step and never got back around to it. My little birds are on a slow boat from China and will get here when they get here. I can add them at any time.
One more big lesson I picked up from this build. I really like the acrylic dust cover and plan to do this again. I will build the level of the scenery up to the ledge that holds the cover in place instead of to the level of the frame. It will look better having it flush at the higher level.
Love the wheel barrow. Are those hand split shake shingle bundles as the load? And a wrap of wire hanging on the left wheel barrow handle? Be looking for that little guy in the final photos.
Later, Dave S Tucson, AZ
Weather has not permitted outdoor photos so I'm including a little teaser here. 4 sides with the cover on. Monday is looking promising for an outdoor photo session.
https://www.shoppopdisplays.com/display-boxes-and-cases/custom-acrylic-boxes.html?st-t=adwords&vt-k=custom acrylic display cases&vt-mt=e&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjN_Nm9SZ3AIVFtRkCh1Akwh4EAAYASAAEgLTRfD_BwE
Terry
Encapsulated in that beautiful case this structure is going to remain pristine and at its prime.
Thanks for the link, too many great builds end up dusty and dulled over time, this is a great way to preserve them.
Karl.A
Terry
Killer diorama to boot.
Ken, gravity keeps the cover on. I considered drilling small holes and using some metal cocktail picks to hold it on but decided against it. As long as you remember to not pick it up by the cover you are good. It weighs several pounds.
For those interested in how I put it together and my lessons learned here we go. The size of the dio is 16X20. I used this size because I had a commercially available frame in that size and I was afraid I couldn't get the miter cuts just right to build my own frame. I also found Gatorboard available in 16x20 sheets so this sealed the deal. I ordered my cover to fit this size with a 3/16" thickness. I sat it on the frame and first placed 3/16" x 1/4" stripwood as an outside frame. I painted the frame but found that I did not like the stripwood holding frame because it blocked some of the scenery so I changed it to 3/16" square acrylic as you can see in these photos. It works fine. You just need to carefully lift off or sit in on straight up and down to not damage the diorama.
What I would do differently. I would choose the size of my diorama based on my needs and not on materials available. I found that I can make a decent miter cut and even if it is off a bit I can use filler, sand then paint. I would order the cover before building the frame. Once the cover arrived I would construct the frame to fit the cover, not the other way around. I would use an internal and an external cover frame to hold in place. I would cut the diorama base to fit inside the frame and make the ground level flucs with the top of the cover frame, not the dio frame.
For example: I might start with material like a 1x2 for the dio frame and stripwood that was 3/16" square for the cover frame. I would cut the internal cover frame and line this up so that it is flush with the inside of the diorama frame. I would then cut the external cover frame to fit. Glue in place and paint. I did a mock up with some scrap wood. In the first pic you see the channel I describe. The case would fit inside this channel all the way around the dio frame. This channel would be flush against the inside edge of the frame for aestetics later on.
Terry
Your build became a tutorial long ago, but I didn't realize how much detail was being passed on until our move to a new home was complete and I discovered how much content was generated while I was in-transition. Thanks for sharing all the decisions on alternate details tried but rejected and all the how-to instructions. This has been one of the best presentations ever!
Bill