di·o·ram·a: A partially three-dimensional, full-size replica or scale model of a landscape typically showing historical events, nature scenes, or city-scapes, for purposes of education or entertainment.
Today on DioDome we are talking to Fwoosher X-66 about his work and his astonishing Marvel Street diorama.
Would you tell us a little about yourself?
I am 46 years old. My name is actually Len Edmonds-Bayliss. I usually go by Len Bayliss. I’ve been a collector for 25 years of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Star Trek, LOTR, Aliens vs Predator, and Transformers. I own roughly 8,000 – 10,000 action figures. However, I’ve never done an actual count. The most accurate count I have is for Star Wars, I own roughly 6,000 figures. I’ve been more into superhero stuff over the past 7 years, though.
How long have you been building dioramas?
I’ve been building dioramas off and on for 15 years — started in ’95. I ran out of room around 2001 and kind of gave up. However, I still kept collecting. In 2008 I moved my collection to the basement of my house, so I gained more space. Then it was really on; this fueled my creative fire more than anything. I was finally able to do things in the scale I wanted to, which is, to put it simply…BIG.
How would you describe your style?
My style is completely my own. I don’t really copy anything that anyone else has done. I don’t take tutorials and I don’t look at how other people do things; I feel this takes away from my own creativity.
What inspires you to build?
There are two things that inspire me to build. First is always my imagination. Second is being able to display as many figures in a setting, scene, environment, or shelf as I can. Anyone can display their figures on a wood grain shelf, slap a few props in it, and call it a diorama, but it’s not. Even when I display my superhero figures on a shelf I always put comics behind them to make things more vibrant and alive. The whole concept behind Marvel Street was to have an environment that I could do any street battle scene I wanted, at anytime.
What scale do you prefer to work in?
I prefer to work in 6-inch to 7-inch scale.
A possibly divisive question: Marvel or DC?
Wow, Marvel or DC, that’s a tough one. I love them both equally. However, I have made more DC dioramas than Marvel.
Many readers are probably picking their jaws up off the floor looking at your setup. How long has Marvel Street taken to get to the size it is today?
When I moved my toys I could only afford to refinish one side of the basement. This was supposed to be able to contain both my sci-fi and superhero toys. That quickly changed, though. Marvel Street actually started in 2008 as DC Town; it was on a table top that was only 9-feet long by 2-feet deep. On the table, that Marvel Street now stands on, used to be my Clone Army — roughly 900 troops, vehicles, etc. were on it. Since my interest was leaning more towards superhero stuff, I decided to move all the sci-fi stuff to the unfinished side. Things really started to progress quickly then, and the new table was 13-feet long by 3-feet deep. The potential became pretty much limitless. So this incarnation of it has taken about five years to progress to this point.
Did you set out to create something so massive, or has it grown that large organically?
Marvel Street was always meant to be this size. I’d go bigger if I could.
The theater is a wonderful addition to the dio. Are you planning on expending Marvel Street even further or have you hit the wall? Not just figuratively, but literally — do you even have room to add more?
Thank you, I put roughly 50 hours, off and on, into the theatre. Yes, I do have plans to grow more; however, since I have hit the “proverbial wall,” my plans are to go up. I just started work on a 3-foot-tall backdrop building which will be one of three made. I will also be doing a shorter building to replace one of the Ghostbusters’ firehouses. This one will be a store front that you will be able to see inside with shelves full of product and other fun stuff going on.
What would you tell someone just getting into building dioramas? Any tips, advice or warnings?
The first thing I would tell people who are just starting to build dioramas is this: don’t listen to other people’s negativity. Listen to your heart and build what you want, not what you think people want to see. Second, don’t be stubborn like me. Watch people’s tutorials and listen to what there are saying. This will save you a lot of time and frustration. One of the greatest diorama builders out there, E.J. Worley or SK Phile as known in some circles, apparently does tons of tutorials. Check his stuff out; he is more than happy to share his wealth of knowledge. You should also go visit the Facebook page Diostructure — if that doesn’t inspire you, nothing will; the diversity there is quite impressive. Third, look around you. Keep your eyes open at all times. That piece of garbage you just walked past on the ground might be your next mailbox or, better yet, sub-atomic, molecular, destabilizing device. OK, I know that’s a little crazy, but you never know.
What is your favorite type of diorama to build?
I guess my favorite would have to be large-scale city dioramas. That’s what I have spent the most time on.
What do you do when you’re not building?
My time is pretty much divided up between my wife, job, and cats. I’m a rather reclusive person who keeps to himself. Building stuff and playing with my toys is actually a relaxation technique for me. There are no clocks, radios, or TVs in the basement. When I’m there I am completely in the groove.
Thanks for talking with us! Check out all of X-66’s work here or in the collectors archives here on The Fwoosh!
Previous DioDome articles you may like:
DioDome: TheManintheAnthill’s ACME Warehouse
DioDome: Interview with E.J. Worley
DioDome: CustomCreator’s Punisher Diorama
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