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Moss Diorama & Basing Materials and Dio Glue Garden Center AMMO of Mig Jiménez Diorama and basing are Dark Arts to which I’ve only just ventured by dipping a toe into basing, and if you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘basing’, it refers to creating realistic bases for your figure models, such as Games Workshop, Star Wars Legions and many other figure-based tabletop games. Back when I was a figure painter in the 90s, you’d just sprinkle some sand onto a base over some glue, paint it a mud or sand colour, and if you were feeling brave, you’d dry-brush it in a lighter shade. Today, there are hundreds, if not thousands of products that you can use to add some variation to your bases to set them apart from others, and create a miniature diorama beneath your figure or vehicle. This new series of Moss products from AMMO is intended to create texture on the bases that could look like moss or low-growing flora on the base, with a different texture to grass, sand or mud. We have four bottles in for review, plus a PVA based Dio Glue, all in identical bottles that hold 35ml of product under a white screw-cap that has a single-use security seal to prevent leaking during shipping, and to ensure you are receiving an unused bottle for your hard-earned cash. Dio Glue The glue is PVA based, but mixed to a fluid consistency that allows it to be painted onto surfaces easily with reduced surface tension so it won’t retract into puddles on your model, and it is also thin enough to be able to wick into existing applications if you wanted to add another layer or touch up any bald spots. It can be diluted further with water, and clean-up is also with water, so if you splash it somewhere you don’t want it, simply moisten a brush and wipe it away, being careful to remove as much of the residue as you can, as it dries with a glossy sheen. It also dries clear, so a dusting of matt varnish will remove any shine that shows through on your model, but where it soaks into Moss or other absorbent materials, I can confirm that it dries matt, and it also gets a good grip between the materials and base, making it difficult to brush off the Moss once the glue is dry. Moss We received the following four bottles for review, and have created a couple of bases with two shades per base to demonstrate the finish you can achieve in a very short period. Some of my spare bases were prepared by priming and brush-painting a coat of brown acrylic to represent soil where the base may be seen beneath, and the edges were painted a very dark grey after applying the product and letting it dry. Clearly, if this was for a real model rather than just as a test, there would be other elements added, maybe even a figure, and possible shading with paints and washes, but it should give you enough of a view to know what to expect. The powder is something akin to coarse flock, dyed to depict the different colours, and during shipping they can settle to different levels as you can see above, so it’s best to give them a good shake before use to reduce clumping of the fibres on your model. It can be scooped out of the container with a small tool or spatula for controlled application, or shaken over the model directly to create a random pattern, and you can either coat the base with glue before application or after, holding a brushload of Dio Glue in position until it has wicked into the material to prevent lifting the Moss away on your brush. Moss Yellow (A.MIG-8828) Braken Green (A.MIG-8823) Fenland Green (A.MIG-8820) Lichen Orange (A.MIG-8829) Conclusion An easy-to-use diorama and basing tool with its own glue that makes life more convenient, as well as bringing the ability to represent different colours and textures of moss or low-growing foliage to you models. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

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