by Maxx
This article shows you how to make cheap, effective dioramas or bases with very little effort. In this example we will be recreating the famous ‘slain mutant’ poster from the cover of Uncanny X-Men #141, ‘Days of Futures Past’.
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Read right through, as later I cover super-detailing techniques that can enhance the final appearance.
ESSENTIALS
Foam Card
The main component of the diorama will be foam card. Also known as foam board, foam core, or kappa board, this is a sheet of foam between two thin bits of card. It is usually about 5mm thick and does not warp easily. Although it is easy to cut, you will need to use a very sharp blade to get a clean cut and avoid ripping the foam. You should be able to find it in craft or art shops in A3 and A4 sheets.
(Note: The foam inner core will dissolve when it comes in contact with some paints and adhesives. Plastic cement and automotive body paint are just two examples that I know off but I’m sure there are others. I’ve never used spray-mounting glue before so I can’t say how the foam card will react. If unsure, test a small section first.)
Pritt Stick
The solid stick of glue. If possible use the larger, thicker tube. It’s just right for this sort of thing because its easy to lay down a thin, even coverage of glue, and it doesn’t make the paper go soggy or warp.
White Glue
For heaver construction I tend to use white PVA glue, also known as white glue. This is the stuff that you used to use back in junior school. It’s very cheap and as it’s water based, it tends to shrink when dry. This means you don’t have to be super neat when using it as any overspill on the model disappears when dry.
MAKING A BASIC DIO
You will need:
- A sharp craft knife
- A steel ruler
- Foam card
- Cheap white PVA glue (like the stuff that you used to play with at school)
- Paper glue, such as a Pritt Stick or spray mount adhesive
STEP ONE: Preparation
Download and print off the images: –
Cut the wall and floor sheets to approximately the size you require before gluing them to the foam card (saves wasting foam card). Glue the paper to the card and then when dry, trim to the final required size. I prefer to do it this way, instead of cutting the paper to the exact size first, gluing it to the card and then trimming the card around the paper. I find that you get a sharper, neater edge this way. Don’t forget, use a sharp knife.
Using the Pritt stick, cover the back of the paper with glue working from the middle of the paper outwards. Ensure that you go right to the edges – you don’t want the ends lifting up. Apply to the foam card and smooth down. The print will tend to smudge when it comes in contact with the oil on your fingers so put a clean sheet of paper down over the top of the printed sheet before smoothing it out.
For a minimalist style base, like the ones that come with the Buffy or Matrix figures, trim the wall and floor images. As you can see here, I made the wall smaller then the poster, but you can make yours any size you want. In this example the floor was 12.5 x 7 cm, and the wall 12.5 x 17 cm .
If you don’t feel confident in your ability to cut straight lines, always glue the bottom edge of the image flush with the straight edge of the foam board. That way at least one side will be straight.
STEP TWO: Decoration
Cut out the signs and wanted poster. Test fit them dry first, then glue them to the wall using the Pritt Stick when you are happy with their positioning. Don’t forget to leave a 5 mm gap at the bottom of the wall untouched. This is where the floor will join the wall.
STEP THREE: Assembly
Finally, using a strong general purpose adhesive, glue the floor to the wall. A couple of books or ornaments will hold the pieces in place while they dry.
That’s it! It’s that simple. You’ve made your very own diorama in less then 30 minutes. If you want, later touch up the edges of the foam card with grey paint when everything has properly set. I don’t have a DOFP Wolverine figure but Nightcrawler fights right in. (Yes I know he’s marked as slain on the poster, it’s a slight continuity glitch).
DETAILING AND ADVANCED TECHNIQUES
MAKING AN ADVANCED DIO
Before starting, check out this excellent site http://www.printmini.com/printables/p1.shtml
Here you will find a wide range of miniature posters, boxes and signs suitable for enhancing your doll, er I mean, action figure collection. The models come in a variety of scales; I find scale 1:12 works best with Marvel Legends. For the second DOFP diorama I downloaded a couple of movie posters, a no parking sign, and the pattern for a pizza box.
STEP ONE: Preparation
Download and print off the images: –
The basic construction for the second DOFP base is the same as the first:
- Print off the images
- Glue to foam card
- Cut foam card to size
- Add posters to wall
- Final assembly
- Final detailing added
Here’s a shot after all the walls have been mounted on foam card, and the posters and signs have been prepared.
WALLS AND FLOOR
Straight cuts can look too hard and artificial. I cut them in a series of gentle curves, holding the blade at a sharper angle instead of the 90 degrees angle I used for the straight cuts for the first base.
SIGNS
I wanted the state signs (No Parking, No Trespassing) to look distinct from the paper posters. I first glued these to a piece of thin birthday card, but the card from a box of cereal would have worked just as well. When dry, I stuck a piece of clear tape over them to simulate a high gloss finish, before cutting them out. The “No Mutant Parking” sign was stuck to a piece of plastic pipe. I poked a hole in the base with a pencil before gluing it in place with PVA glue.
POSTERS
The edges of the wanted poster were dabbed with water until soggy then bent and torn to match the original image. The movie posters were also dampened down then torn across the middle. They were left to dry naturally, but a hair dryer could have been used to speed things up. Take care not to use too much water, as the ink will run.
PIZZA BOX
This pattern was stuck to a thin piece of card, then cut out, folded, and glued together. A drop of PVA glue secured it in place. Jims printable mini site has patterns for all types of fast food continers. Go mad, make the parking lot a complete garbage tip.
GRIT AND DIRT
Check out model shops that sell train sets. You should be able to find small-scale bushes and trees, and more importantly bags of grass, dirt, and grit. Games Workshop also sells bags of flock (grass) and gravel, ideal for adding details to this kind of model. I slapped some splotches of PVA glue on the base of the model, where the walls met the floor, then poured the grey dust all over it. Waited a couple of minutes before shaking the excess off.
TILES
The tiles that run along the tops of the walls were made from more foam card. I cut thin strips, about 1cm x 3cm, and squashed them flat with my fingers. Stuck them to the wall with PVA glue, and when dry painted them grey.
Again, another quick and easy diorama. I think the construction time to make both bases was less then one hour.
RESOURCES
The brick wall came from an image I found on the Internet. Alta Vista’s image search function is great for this sort of thing. The walls from the second DOFP came from a YMCA near me. If you have a digital camera see if you can include elements from your neighbourhood, it adds to the fun and makes your models unique.
The wanted poster was compiled from actual Marvel Legend figures and custom models lifted shamelessly from the Fwoosh custom forum. I hope no one minded me including their figures in this way. If you have a strong objection, send me a PM and I’ll see about replacing it.
About Maxx
Maxx has been a member of the Fwoosh for nearly two years and hails from the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, he stunned the customizing community with his rendition of the First Appearance Iron Man.
Please discuss this article in this thread at the Fwoosh: http://www.thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20464