# what is the best diorama you have seen or even done ?



## bert model maker

I will be setting up some new dioramas for photographing my completed models. I have my 3 Jupiter 2's and my robots, and also my real space completed kits, just wish i had enough room to keep all the dioramas set up. when you make a diorama, do you keep it set up, or just long enough to take pics ?


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## free spirit

ive seen a lot of dioramas that are neat .would be hard to pick the best one .
i build them for a way of displaying the things i collect and they also get used because everthing i collect is meant to be enjoyed so kids play with the cars on any dioramas i build .


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## Y3a

HO Scale Model Railroad - Norfolk and Western in the 1930's. Note the Brass Dynamometer car, and the Y3a pushing the Caboose!!










These were taken with a Pinhole Lens and a 2 minute exposure time!


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## Y3a

My Earth vs Flying Saucers ship - taken with a pinhole lens.









Flying saucers force field causes UP Challanger(4-6-6-4) to derail and all the Sci-fi things wanna see this!









Finally, the AT-AT shows up to maintain order...









The buildings are all HO scale too!


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## drewid142

This guys work is out of this world good!

http://www.naritafamily.com/Scalemodel/airplanes/photo_frame.htm

http://www.naritafamily.com/Scalemodel/ships/photo_frame.htm


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## toyroy

Y3a said:


> HO Scale Model Railroad - Norfolk and Western in the 1930's. Note the Brass Dynamometer car, and the Y3a pushing the Caboose!!


Silly me. I thought Y3 referred to the LiS robot!


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## toyroy

Since Y3a brought up model railroads as dioramas, I'm partial to this one, by the late John Allen, who also took the photo. It is copywrited, so you can keep it only for personal, non-commercial use.

I had to reduce this quite a bit. Go here:

http://www.gdlines.com/galleries.html

to see this full-size, and lots of other great pics, too.


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## bert model maker

wow mark, i like that !!!


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## RacerJoe

Wow! Awesome work there- All of you guys are Great! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## toyroy

model maker said:


> I will be setting up some new dioramas for photographing my completed models. I have my 3 Jupiter 2's and my robots, and also my real space completed kits, just wish i had enough room to keep all the dioramas set up. when you make a diorama, do you keep it set up, or just long enough to take pics ?


Stills are great, but I think it would be cool, especially when you're working with the Jupiter 2, to actually film a special effects scene. Then, if you feel you must 'strike the set', you have something you can further play with, through post-processing, editing, soundwork, etc.


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## toyroy

model maker said:


> ...i live a few blocks from the Nevada railroad museum and i can't get enough, also, the state of Nevada is rebuilding the railroad tracks and will be running vintage trains from Carson City, to Virginia City Nv.once again on the same route it used to run in the 1800's and with some of the same trains it now has at the RR museum that they have kept running and run daily on the tracks around the museum. The locomotives are the same ones and in the 40's and 50's paramount studios used them in a lot of movies


I gather we have a pretty nice R.R. museum in Sacramento, too. If you like that sort of thing, it might be worth a looksee.


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## Y3a

The fun of a model RR is that it's a collection of weathered buildings and rolling stock nestled around lots and lots of scenery, and working track and turnouts(Switches)and you can reproduce the actual function of a real railroad!


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## toyroy

Y3a said:


> The fun of a model RR is that it's a collection of weathered buildings and rolling stock nestled around lots and lots of scenery, and working track and turnouts(Switches)and you can reproduce the actual function of a real railroad!


In other words, it doesn't just sit there and look bitchin, but you can play with it. I like Lionel-type O gauge, and American Flyer S gauge.


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## beeblebrox

I guess this qualifies as a diorama, even though it will be inside my Nautilus.








This will be permanantly displayed. It won't be played with, but I will turn the lights on sometimes.


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## bert model maker

that is cool


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## beeblebrox

^No helmets?! More proof the moon landings were faked.


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## bert model maker

what ????


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## beeblebrox

What what? On the moon, helmets on the ground, 2+2=? Hey, this ain't rocket science!


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## bert model maker

i found those astronaut fiqures in a store in calif. and the details in the face are great, they are jim irwin, al bean, and pete conrad


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## beeblebrox

Nice. Are they bendable? Could be used in a lot of different dios.


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## bert model maker

yep the arms and legs move and the bend at the waist, the heads turn also and the helmets come off and on too


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## bert model maker

i also have a lunar rover they will fit in. I want to make a real looking landing site with gray mortar for the lunar surface and make a nice backdrop with the earth in the upper backround i don't have room to keep it but at least to make pictures of it.


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## bert model maker

they even have the exact treads on the bottom of the lunar boots so making realistic foot prints around them will be a plus


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## bert model maker

a backround like this


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## bert model maker

and this


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## beeblebrox

model maker said:


> I want to make a real looking landing site with gray mortar for the lunar surface...


 I made a base for a Klingon BOP in flight to look like one of their pyramid-like buildings. I covered a card table with kitty litter and fake rocks around it.


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## bert model maker

i will use my work bench in the garage to make the diorama to take photos, i may even leave it up for awhile.


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## toyroy

free spirit said:


> ive seen a lot of dioramas that are neat .would be hard to pick the best one .
> i build them for a way of displaying the things i collect and they also get used because everthing i collect is meant to be enjoyed so kids play with the cars on any dioramas i build .


It was the development of my interest in American Flyer trains(which are 1/64 scale) which brought me back to my childhood interest in Hot Wheels cars(also 1/64, nominally.) 

I know a number of American Flyer people have layouts with drive-in theaters, car shows, and such on their layouts, and who put 1/64 vehicles on flat cars. It's a great combination.


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## toyroy

beeblebrox said:


> I guess this qualifies as a diorama, even though it will be inside my Nautilus.
> 
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> This will be permanantly displayed. It won't be played with, but I will turn the lights on sometimes.


I'm not sure what I'm looking at, here. Is that the Nautiluses side window in the backround, behind some sort of display case? Or, is that the pipe organ Nemo had at the fore end of his drawing room?

No insult intended. I was a bit confused by the orientation of the set in the movie, too.


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## free spirit

i think they are all pretty neat so far, the spaceship and the model railroad . the nautilus.john allen ,s work i remember seeing in some old model railroad magazines my husband has .its nice to see dioramas about different hobbies . we still have a few american flyer trains among the model railroad stuff in storage .l.o.l. but the only buildings i have to work with are ho scale .because if the kids wreck them my husband dont care but the 1/64 buildings are hands off l.o.l.


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## beeblebrox

toyroy said:


> I'm not sure what I'm looking at, here. Is that the Nautiluses side window in the backround, behind some sort of display case? Or, is that the pipe organ Nemo had at the fore end of his drawing room?
> 
> No insult intended. I was a bit confused by the orientation of the set in the movie, too.


Here's the salon diorama at an earlier stage (the organ is at the aft end). The side of the Nautilus will be open for display.









It can also be closed up.









This is the speciman table seen in that first pic.









Hope this helps.


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## toyroy

It very much does, thank you! That's a great Nautilus, guy!


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## philp

Some of the best dio's I have seen are done by a guy in our club, Gavin Anderson.
Here are a couple I like.













































Lots more of his stuff on our site:
http://www.ipmsslc.com/gallery/GavinAnderson


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## bert model maker

those are really great, and great subjects too !! a lot of talent went into those dioramas !


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## LUKE'57

Must drive faster! LOL Really liked the scuba team exploring the fighter, bubbles and all. I could use some of that water to cut down on the dust here though.


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## roadrner

*All great............*

Just too many to consider and they all bring something different to the forum. I'm just amazed at detail levels and the themes people select. Can't imagine the time some of these modelers put into them. Thanks for sharing!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: rr


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## ivarski

*This is one of the best in motor dioramas*

http://www.chrono43.com/fr.html

Click on "creations" to see some of his work. Its really impressing.

This was my inspiration when I started to build dioramas

Ivarski :thumbsup:


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## triggerP-38

here are a couple of my dios. The second one is in progress. I hope you approve.
Brian
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a64/Bomech1/Pdr_0217.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a64/Bomech1/bghntrf.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a64/Bomech1/bghntclsp.jpg


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## Marco Scheloske

Here are some of mine:










Lightsheet does the magic here, this dio doesn`t show "one moment frozen in time", but three at once:










No landscape involved, but for sure telling a story:










This one contains an energetic shield:



















Greetings from Germany
Marco


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## Marco Scheloske

And the one I would call my "best one ever done": THE HUNT (first catch of the day)...





































The last one gots a first place at the "Spacedays 2004" in Darmstadt, Germany. More pics and a complete build-up article can be found here: Marco's THE HUNT article 

Greetings from Germany
Marco


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## bert model maker

very nice dioramas !!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## triggerP-38

Those are fantastic Marco! :thumbsup: 
Brian


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## toyroy

Marco Scheloske said:


> And the one I would call my "best one ever done": THE HUNT (first catch of the day)...
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> Greetings from Germany
> Marco


A UFO with Cadillac tailfins! Makes me wonder what the current import-model UFOs look like... :jest:


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## Jafo

great stuff all of them


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## Dundee

This is more of a question then a reply my question is when converting full size to a 1/25th scale what is the mathematical formula that you use?


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## Zombie_61

Dundee said:


> This is more of a question then a reply my question is when converting full size to a 1/25th scale what is the mathematical formula that you use?


Divide all of your measurements by 25?  I mean, if you're doing a 1/25 scale model of a 25' sailboat, the finished model will be 1' long, right?

I'm amazed by the creativity and the level of artistry on each of the dioramas posted so far. It seems whenever I have an idea for a diorama (which isn't often) I can't seem to find all of the elements I need in the same scale, so I get discouraged and give up.

But one of the most elaborate and amazing dioramas I've seen was at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum in San Diego, California. My wife and I visited the museum several years ago, and they had a diorama which was a collection of railroad tunnels, trestles, bridges, etc., that had some kind of historic value within the railroad community. Neither of us remember what scale was used, but this diorama occupied an entire room that was (IIRC) approximately 50' x 50'. _Every_ detail looked 100% natural, and one of the employees told us that they had not only researched the locomotives to make them as accurate as possible, but that they had exactly re-created the _topography of the landscape._  Each particular setting was accompanied by a photograph of the actual location, and you could not find a discrepancy when comparing the two. Absolutely incredible!

BTW, I found their website, but they don't have any photos posted of that particular exhibit; it may not exist anymore. 

I rather like this diorama of the "death scene" of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, so I thought I'd post a link; be sure to click the "Click here for more of this diorama" link near the bottom of the page:

http://texashideout.tripod.com/briansdc.html

Now, when it comes to diorama _photography_, I don't think I've seen much better than that of our own LUKE'57 and agentsmith. :thumbsup:


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## StarshipClass

Incredible stuff! I like "The Hunt" and the "Death Scene" especially. :thumbsup:


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## Marco Scheloske

PerfesserCoffee said:


> Incredible stuff! I like "The Hunt" ... especially. :thumbsup:


Cool - thanks!  :wave: 

Greetings from Germany
Marco


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## Dundee

when I use the divide by 25 for 1/25th scale I do not get the right measurement. Example I have a 1/25th model of a lincoln futura it is 8 and 1/2 inches long the actual car is 19 feet. Dividing 19 feet by 25 gets .76 not 8 1/2". I have found I can get close by converting feet into inches and then multipling by .04 (.04 = 1 divided by 25) I was just checking to see if this is the same formula others use.


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## Zombie_61

Whether you convert 19 feet into inches (228) then multiply by .04 or divide by 25, the answer is the same--9.12. So I suppose either method works.

BTW, remember the .76 you arrived at is 76/100ths of a _foot_, which is approximately 9.12 inches.


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## toyroy

Dundee said:


> when I use the divide by 25 for 1/25th scale I do not get the right measurement. Example I have a 1/25th model of a lincoln futura it is 8 and 1/2 inches long the actual car is 19 feet. Dividing 19 feet by 25 gets .76 not 8 1/2". I have found I can get close by converting feet into inches and then multipling by .04 (.04 = 1 divided by 25) I was just checking to see if this is the same formula others use.


You are not merely getting close, you are getting the exact figure you are looking for. You DO have to convert to inches, or mm; whatever units you will be using to measure your model's parts.

Working on scale drawings on my computer, I have to work in PIXELS. At almost 100 pixels/inch, that's a LOT of pixels, in a full-size steam locomotive, or space ship!


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## scotpens

Dundee said:


> when I use the divide by 25 for 1/25th scale I do not get the right measurement. Example I have a 1/25th model of a lincoln futura it is 8 and 1/2 inches long the actual car is 19 feet. Dividing 19 feet by 25 gets .76 not 8 1/2".


The Revell Lincoln Futura was tooled fifty years ago, when plastic kit manufacturers weren't all that concerned with precise scale accuracy and many models were in "FTB" scale. The actual scale of the Futura is closer to 1/27. BTW, since an inch equals 25.4 millimeters, one millimeter on a true 1/25th scale model represents almost exactly one inch on the real thing.


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## Midnightrun

ivarski said:


> http://www.chrono43.com/fr.html
> 
> Click on "creations" to see some of his work. Its really impressing.
> 
> This was my inspiration when I started to build dioramas
> 
> Ivarski :thumbsup:


NICE WEBSITE!!!

:thumbsup: ---Midnightrun--- :wave:


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## stretchdog

All of these dio's are great


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