# Diorama - Base Sizing



## Rusty_S85 (Apr 7, 2018)

I wanted to ask those that have built diorama`s, how do you determine the base size you will need?

I ask because I have a novel idea of building a 1/25 scale dealership of an actual dealership that existed. How ever for me I am still after a month trying to figure out the diorama itself.

The building in 1/25 scale would be around 36.48" x 52.32". I wouldn't be able to build the whole building and include the parking lot for the exterior.

So what I am looking at currently for my base is just a section of the dealership which is the entire show room which will put my base around 50.5" x 43.2".

But there is another alternative option where I could shrink this diorama down even more by angling the building to catch what I want to but then there is the problem of enclosing the back of the building since the front is all glass. Think it would be better to go the larger route and use what I believe are internal walls dividing the show room which will allow me to have a natural end to the show room vs an artificial end.

So I wanted to put this out there see what other people have done for sizing and getting exactly what they want to be in the diorama.

Im still in the research phase of this. I got some sanborn firemaps showing the original shape of the building as well as a single original photo and a bunch of news paper articles that state how the building was built before it became a dealership to use as basis for my plans. But I am still stuck with the size. I want to include the whole show room and some parking out front but for me the base will probably be closer to 50 x 45 or 50 x 50 even and I just think that is too big for something to be properly displayed.

On other sites where I posted this question I did have some advise about making the diorama modular so I can display it in sections but Ive already made concessions on omitting the parts of the building that doesn't have that cool art deco styling. If I have to do it modular I might as well just shrink the base down and just live with a smaller diorama.

I really like the idea of doing the corner of the building but hate how much of the show room floor will be lost plus trying to figure how to build a divider for the back of the show room floor which you could see through the windows with it being on a triangular cut through the show room floor.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

What is your original intent for the display?

Current?

Will you be adding cars?

People?

In your original plans and your current plan will the roof be removeable?


Based on what you have said above. I would make 2 dios. One for the interior show room without the front facade. Here you could stage cars and people and use them as photos for the window views in the 2nd dio. This one would be for the front art deco elevation only and the parking lot area. Here you could stage more cars and people.

You could do the same thing if you decide to show it an angle still. But you would also not use one of the side walls. The photos in the windows of the second dio would eliminate the cut off view point you are concerned with.

:cheers2:


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## Rusty_S85 (Apr 7, 2018)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> What is your original intent for the display?
> 
> Current?
> 
> ...


My intent for the display is to recreate this dealership as it looked when my grandfather bought his '56 Fairlane from them. Once I can obtain a '56 Club Sedan resin body I would be modifying it into a Town Sedan to replicate the car. I honestly don't know how the dealership operated when it comes to displays. I believe parking out front was customer parking, one woman on a historical forum where I was seeking blueprints and such for this building told me that this was not their main location this was a secondary location and no maintaince or repair work was done here it was just simply a sale lot.

So I really cant do a diorama that is showing a repair scene or a maintence scene as it wouldn't be correct.

Cars to be added so far will be a replica of my '56 Fairlane town Sedan based off a '56 Club Sedan body atop a 1/25 scale AMT 56 Victoria kit. Other cars I want to display would be a '56 Thunderbird, a '56 Crown Victoria, and a '56 Sunliner. These I would want to have displayed inside the show room with the exception of maybe having my '56 Town Sedan parked out front emulating it just being purchased and fixing to be taken home.

People wise, if I can get the right kind of people I would like to add people. Maybe a few people getting out of their cars parked in front or walking up to the show room entrance. Maybe some people around some of the vehicles looking them over.

As far as roof goes, I originally though of having a hinged back wall that had a latch that would hold the roof down so you swing open the back wall and remove the roof to access the interior to place the cars inside and swap them out or around. Would also allow for access to LED lighting as I plan on having lighting in the ceiling to provide a night time illumination like dealerships used to do of their showroom floor.

This is a photo of the dealership taken in mid-late '57.

Then there is a black and white photo of a dealership of the same time period that shows the interior illumination that I am going to shoot for, for the show room.

And last two photos are of a sanborn map of this building with a square of how I planned to make the diorama and an aerial sat image of the same building with how I planned to do the diorama. Only thing different is I realized I need to move the north most wall to the end of the indentation as the glass blocks above the awning is only where the showroom would have been so this adds a little length to the model but I can compensate by shortening the parking lot on the opposite end to maintain same dimensions I think.


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