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Breathing New Life into Old Dioramas


Cadman

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I finished this "Iphigenia in Aulis" project around six years ago, in fact it was the first real diorama I ever completed.

However, while it turned out okay I've never really been all that happy with it for several reasons;

For a start, the stream at the front never worked that well....

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....and the groundwork doesn't look all that much like Greece....

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....looks to me more like the action is taking place in a swamp.

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However, I think the biggest problem I have with it is the fact it's built onto a "Lazy Susan", but that handy feature is lost because as the base is rotated a lot of detail is hidden due to those trees at the back blanking off around half of the available viewing angles. 

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So, as well as attending to the groundwork; both the stream and the trees at the back are going to go, and this'll make space for a few additional 54mm figures, (these were ordered from First Legion today and ought to turn up by the end of this week).

I'll also replace the "Ares" figure for a different one and add two more Immortals -- "Zeus and Athena"; although all three 75mm figures need a little bit of extra work anyway.

To make space for them, that girl wearing the green dress will have to go, but that simply releases her for a future Dark Ages scenario I've got in mind anyway.

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While I'm at it, I reckon "Aphrodite's Garden" might as well get some more work done to it , along with some additional figures.

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And the existing figures will be relocated so's to maximize the space available on the dio base.

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I'll also ensure the backdrop for new WIP photos don't include the banisters on the staircase that leads down to our living room.

Will these changes really "Breath New Life" into these two old dioramas, or will they just destroy them -- we shall see over the course of the next couple of weeks I guess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Cadman
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That's a nice pair of dioramas, and excellent considering one was your very first!

Still, I can understand why you might want to rebuild them.

 

I've made 4 dioramas since starting modelling again and now only one of those exists! My skill level has improved since joining BM and I realised how 'poor' those first few dioramas were!

My Villers Bocage diorama is completely dismantled.. but I've rescued some piles of rubble and some brickwork. In fact some of that brickwork now resides in the mill race in my current diorama!

My Lost in France diorama has also been dismantled and parts re-used in my current diorama: the wooden bridge got split in half and is now the wooden bridge/sluice gate, and stonework from the 'farm building façade' was also used to line the mill race!

And my  Enemy at the gate vignette is no more as well, although I was hoping to use the BMW and sidecar in my current diorama as well. We shall see if it makes an appearance since Molly the cat knocked a load of pieces off it.

 

So I'm entirely with you on the 'rebuilding/improving/up-grading of dioramas. After all, a lot of people improve their old AFV builds so why not us?

 

It's a shame you have to 'dig up' some of your plants though, because they are really effective.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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