Should I start again?

[momo88]

Hi all,

I'm working on a diorama for three - I will be making five in total but will probably leave two off this plan - of 1/43 rally cars but just not sure if my base structure is too tight and unrealistic. So I have made a polystrene bridge and ramps up and down to it, I've filled in with polyfilla to which I'll probably spray brown and dust with real gravel/sand. I'll then make up the edges of the road with model foliage. I also have some trees and bushes but again, not sure if these are properly in scale.

Could you give me your opinion on whether or not I should rethink my base or does it look good/ok?

Cheers,

Mo

[Badder]

I think it LOOKS fine. I question your choice of materials though. Polystyrene is too weak and a pain to fix with glue. You don't say what the base is made from... I assume wood of some sort? Polystyrene is definitely NOT a material to make the actual base from. If your base is wood, I'd carry on, but I'd replace the bridge with either plastic card, or wood. You can reinforce both with cross beams and joists and then you wouldn't need pillars. For trees and bushes, perhaps look at other people's work in Military dioramas forum.

[stever219]

I'm no automotive or rally expert, but I think your turns are probably too tight to get round, except at a (comparative) crawl. Maybe you'd be better off removing the bridge from the equation and turning the landscape into an uphill hairpin bend, or part thereof? You'd be able to give a steady radius to the turn and, possibly, animate the cars by simulating an opposite-lock drift. Just a thought, I hope it helps. As an aside you're already further along with a diorama than I've ever been, and you've given me a brilliant pointer on how to build up some earthworks, thank you. :-)

[Richard E]

My immediate reaction (possibly the best to go on) is that you're right and the scene looks a little bit too tight to be realistic.

Perhaps the main issue is that the cars are too close together: remember in most rallies the cars start at set time intervals so would not normally be racing nose to tail in the way you have depicted them. Perhaps the only racing format where WRC type cars would be that close together was if they were participating in an event's special stage or at a Rallycross meet.

Secondly, I can't quite work out the cars' direction of travel - presumably it's anti-clockwise and the car on the left of the picture that is travelling down hill is just about to turn right towards the viewer.

Finally I think the other two cars are too straight, given their positions they would probably both already be beginning to turn left into the turns ahead of them.

Sorry my comments aren't all positive but I hope you find them constructive.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Richard E

[momo88]

Thanks for the quick replies guys...

I think it LOOKS fine. I question your choice of materials though. Polystyrene is too weak and a pain to fix with glue. You don't say what the base is made from... I assume wood of some sort? Polystyrene is definitely NOT a material to make the actual base from. If your base is wood, I'd carry on, but I'd replace the bridge with either plastic card, or wood. You can reinforce both with cross beams and joists and then you wouldn't need pillars. For trees and bushes, perhaps look at other people's work in Military dioramas forum.

The base is old contiboard I had lying around. The polystrene stuck together very well with pva glue, the polystrene to the contiboard contact is sticky but not solid, so hoping it just takes the overnight to solidify (well maybe not as I'll explain in reply to stever219).

I'm no automotive or rally expert, but I think your turns are probably too tight to get round, except at a (comparative) crawl. Maybe you'd be better off removing the bridge from the equation and turning the landscape into an uphill hairpin bend, or part thereof? You'd be able to give a steady radius to the turn and, possibly, animate the cars by simulating an opposite-lock drift. Just a thought, I hope it helps. As an aside you're already further along with a diorama than I've ever been, and you've given me a brilliant pointer on how to build up some earthworks, thank you. :-)

Yeah it was the turns that got my annoyed, the cars didn't fit properly when positioning them drifting round the bends. I think I will take the bridge out and connect the two 'ramps' to create a hill. This will be on a base that will be twice the size I reckon. The rest of the landscape will be bends and maybe a water splash?

Thanks for your input, glad I gave you some help ha!

My immediate reaction (possibly the best to go on) is that you're right and the scene looks a little bit too tight to be realistic.

Perhaps the main issue is that the cars are too close together: remember in most rallies the cars start at set time intervals intervals so would not normally be racing nose to tail in the way you have depicted them. Perhaps the only racing format where WRC type cars would be that close together was if they were participating in an event's special stage or at a Rallycross meet.

Secondly, I can't quite work out the cars' direction of travel - presumably the car on the left of the picture that is travelling hill is going to turn right towards the viewer.

Finally I think the other two cars are too straight, given their positions they would probably both already be beginning to turn left into the turns ahead of them.

Sorry my comments aren't all positive but I hope you find them constructive.

Yeah I was going with a special stage, hence the bridge - albeit the cars would be at opposite ends of the track. The car driving down the hill would have been heading under the bridge. I should have said that the car's positioning was only for tightness check.

Not at all, I'd rather get someone to give me their honest opinion at this stage! Only spent 30mins on it and a 1/4 small tub of polyfilla so not issues at all.

Edited January 3, 2016 by momo88