# Diorama Great white shark attacks hot air balloon



## THM (Nov 3, 2020)

Hello everyone!

This is my first post here. I hope you like my latest diorama. 


















It is the third that I do and I would like to show you the process and the problems that I have had.

I really liked the idea of creating a dynamic diorama, representing the precise moment in which the action occurs.

Also, I wanted the diorama to be a lamp (it's a gift for my nephew).

















In the previous dioramas I have used a rather horizontal proportion but in this one I was looking for something more vertical.

It has been a longer process than I thought and at some points I have encountered problems that in the end I have been able to solve.

















The idea of making a hot air balloon that is suspended in the air and that is not noticeable is very nice but it is more difficult than I thought.

On the one hand, the basket of the hot air balloon is made with balsa wood to weigh less but at the same time it is a problem to hold the envelope.

















For the balloon shape I used an air balloon and Mod Podge. I thought that several layers of Mod Podge would be enough but no, I had to put some resin inside a balloon to harden the shape of the envelope a little more. 

As you can see it has not been completely uniform but I like the way it has been because it seems that it is being moved suddenly.

To join the envelope with the basket I have used wire. I've been experimenting with rope and epoxy but they weren't strong enough. The wire is strong but balsa wood is not, so I had to reinforce the box with stronger wood.

















The figures of the diorama, the white shark and the person, are made with Sculpey polymer clay. I am not an expert in sculpture but I think the figures have not been bad at all. 

















The shark has been much easier than the human, due to the shape and size of the figure. As you can see in the video, the sculpture of the human is a bit burned. I think that the temperature indicator on my oven does not work perfectly and that is why it has burned a little more.

















I have used epoxy resin in my previous dioramas and once again, the use of epoxy resin has not been easy. I wanted to make the waves with epoxy so I thought about doing the inverted waves in the forex. The result has not been 100% as I wanted but I do not dislike it. When closing the resin I created many bubbles, it was not the effect I wanted but it does not look bad since it is the moment when the shark comes out of the water. There is also some forex in the resin and that is why I have to clean it with the dremel in the video.


















































You can see all the techniques that I have used in the video that I have uploaded to YouTube.

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M5qQNwqeUU&t=40s

I hope you liked it 😃


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

That's certainly an unusual subject! Very well done, and welcome!


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Do you need another nephew?

Nicely done! The water looks wet, too!


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## samace22 (Mar 13, 2012)

You did a great job congrats. 👍


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

Great work!!!!!!!!!


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## THM (Nov 3, 2020)

John P said:


> That's certainly an unusual subject! Very well done, and welcome!


Thanks John!!


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## THM (Nov 3, 2020)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> Do you need another nephew?
> 
> Nicely done! The water looks wet, too!


😂😂😂😂 I have 4, I hope every nephew will not ask for a diorama or will take me 2 years to make it. And thanks for your comment! 😄


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## THM (Nov 3, 2020)

samace22 said:


> You did a great job congrats. 👍


Thank you!! 😊🙌


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## THM (Nov 3, 2020)

scooke123 said:


> Great work!!!!!!!!!


Thanks mate! 😊🙌


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## Mak33 (Aug 6, 2020)

Wow! 👍🏼


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## THM (Nov 3, 2020)

Mak33 said:


> Wow! 👍🏼


Thanks!!! 😊


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## SJF (Dec 3, 1999)

Fantastic job! That looks great!


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## THM (Nov 3, 2020)

SJF said:


> Fantastic job! That looks great!


Thanks mate!!


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Beautifully sculpted and painted. Very evocative. As always though, I'm curious as to the scale of the model. If you haven't calculated it, at least roughly how tall is the human figure? Based on the ruler (metric I assume), the basket/crate is about 50mm so it looks to be in the 1/32-ish range.


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## THM (Nov 3, 2020)

Owen E Oulton said:


> Beautifully sculpted and painted. Very evocative. As always though, I'm curious as to the scale of the model. If you haven't calculated it, at least roughly how tall is the human figure? Based on the ruler (metric I assume), the basket/crate is about 50mm so it looks to be in the 1/32-ish range.


Hi Owen! Thanks for your words 
I'd say it's a 1/24 scale, because the human figure in the dio is 7,5cm tall.


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

1/24, then. Cool!


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## Alien (Sep 5, 2001)

Wow, fantastic work.
And I would not be putting my finger in that sharks mouth no matter how hard the sculpey has set


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## tiking (Jun 12, 2012)

Amazing piece.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Great fantasy piece. I've always liked balloons but, yeah, hard to model realistically. You did a good job. I like your method.


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## tiking (Jun 12, 2012)

Absolutely amazing!!!!!


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Been seeing this model showing up in my YouTube recommendations!


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