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Collecting => Customs Community and Group Projects => Customs => Celebration IV - Ultimate Group Project => Topic started by: Ryan on June 24, 2006, 12:27 AM

Title: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on June 24, 2006, 12:27 AM
I'm sure you've all already heard of this so I'll keep this short.

I've been selected to head up the team responsible for the diorama construction and design. This of course WAY too much forone person to handle alone, which is where you guys come in. I need volunteers to help design/construct the various pieces of the diorama.

I still have yet to decide how many people I'm going to need for each type of construction, i.e. City, mountains, wilderness, etc.

I've got a bunch of ideas running through my head right now, as I'm sure most of you do as well. We'll hold off on them all for now, until we know more about how much space we will have, and have some more concept sketches.

If you are interested let me know and I'll add you to the list. :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CloneCommander1 on June 24, 2006, 12:28 AM
I'm in, just tell me what to make ;).
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on June 24, 2006, 12:53 AM
You know where I stand.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on June 24, 2006, 03:49 AM
I'm game.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jedi_Assassin on June 24, 2006, 07:56 PM
I'll help with this. I've studied every style of architecture in SW. I ve got alot of ideas. maybe not EVERY style. but i was taking high school drafting courss online in the 5th grade.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Darth_Ennis on June 24, 2006, 10:22 PM
I'm not sure how much help I can be but I got your back. ;D Let me know what you need.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on June 25, 2006, 01:35 PM
Ryan, you are an excellent choice to oversee this portion of the project.

You know what I think about this part of it; I think it's the most essential part of the design.  Making the actual base/flooring to it I think will be crucial.  It needs to be sturdy and easy to piece together. 

I don't think that a big number of people should be sending in parts to the actual base, I think it needs to be a select few to keep things consistent.  I'll help in any way that I can on it.

Also here's an idea for the flooring part for maybe the actual base to it - stone floor tiles (like for the ground to the city portion).  I've used them on a few dioramas and they really work well.  Not too expensive either.  Might be a little hard to transport, so if they are used it might be best for someone local to pick them up and bring them to the "construction site."

 :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on June 26, 2006, 11:28 AM
You can count me in to help.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: RollaJedi on June 26, 2006, 04:11 PM
I've just started reading about this UGP stuff and its really mindblowing!  Man, this would be cool! 
Anyways, I had an idea I thought I'd share.  What about a planet/land that has a dark side and a land that has a light side.  Of course, the terrain would reflect whatever side its on (dark side with spooky forest, dark ocean, etc). 
To seperate them, there is a great wall, just like china's great wall, and carved into this wall throughout the entire spanse of it is a relief representing light vs. darkness, similar to the one in palpatine's office in E3.  (This could be done by someone who is good at sculpting, or could even be done by casting lots of figures into one giant plaster cast.)  At points, there are towers on the wall with guards and a giant iron gate nicked, charred, and dented with battle damage. 

anywho, just a thought I'd run by ya'll.  Let me know if I could help in any way.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: RollaJedi on June 26, 2006, 04:12 PM
I've been into art all my life, so I'll try and come up with some sketches
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on June 27, 2006, 07:51 PM
Is this where we throw out environmental ideas about the planet and stuff? Or is there another thread for that?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on June 27, 2006, 08:20 PM
background thread Joe.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on June 27, 2006, 09:47 PM
background thread Joe.

Concept thread Smarty.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on June 27, 2006, 10:57 PM
hmmm ,I couldn't find it. So I put background I couldn't remember if one existed. I'm pretty tired.

Adam
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on June 28, 2006, 01:14 AM
DAMN.. well, tha'ts what I origianlly thought.. then I thought I'd ask, lol.. so I just posted my huge idea thread in the background thread, lol.. so if someone cna get a mod to move it to the comcept one.. that'd be cool, if not, then I'll just copy and paste it.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on July 12, 2006, 01:37 AM
I'm going to bump this as I only have six or seven people who are talking about contributing so far.

For those of you that are planning on contributing and don't regularly post pictures of your work here, would you mind e-mailing me some pictures of your best work? I know what Brent, CHEWIE, Famine, and CC1's stuff looks like but I haven't seen anything form some of you other guys. I'm just trying to figure out who will be able to handle the bigger more complicated stuff. Everyone will still be guaranteed a chance to build something of course. Unfortunately it may not be what you want to build, but come C4 I'd like to make sure we have all our pieces and I haven't assigned someone something that is either was too much work for them, or have someone flake and have us end up with a giant hole in the middle of the diorama somewhere. I'll try and be as fair as possible but if we want this to have a chance in hell of looking as good as it can possibly look, we need to divide the work accordingly.

Nothing is set in stone yet, and won't be until we find out more about booth space. We still can't do too much work before then, but I have some planning to do, and knowing who I've got helping will really help me plan more efficiently.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on July 13, 2006, 11:58 AM
You know I'm in on all aspects of the project. You might want to start to recruite from the other boards for diorama builders. Just PM them directly and see what kind of responses you get. I not really worried about man power right now for the diorama but I do want to make sure that whatever glassman's team comes up with will be possible to do.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on July 13, 2006, 11:40 PM
In the chat this evening one of the topics we discussed was landscape.  I have some aquarium trees that we discussed as an idea for design, or even buying some from Petsmart/Petco.  Here's a pic of one of the ones that I have.  They come in all kinds of shapes/sizes -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/treesforgroupproject.jpg)

 :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on July 14, 2006, 01:59 AM
You can make some awesome trees using wire, plaster, imitation, and real foliage. There look great in groups or by themselves. They came be made to any size and shape too. They are cheaper to make than to buy aquarium pieces. I'll try to dig up a tutorial on how to do it.

roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 1, 2006, 10:49 AM
Ok guys. We need to start cracking on construction this month. What I would like to see is two to three people make a concept building to match the ones drawn up over in the concept and planning thread. Then I need a tutorial on how to make more of these buildings.

Construction materials (such as foamcore) need to be discussed. Ryan please head up the construction of these test concept buildings. We only need one from each person and nothing huge or elaborate. Just something we can build off of.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 1, 2006, 11:04 AM
I was curious, did we ever get confirmation of the total scale on this project?  Would that impact how we start building these first constructs.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 1, 2006, 11:35 AM
These first buildings should be small experiments. They may or may not be used in the final diorama. They should be used for trying out techniques and materials and deciding how we want to bulild the real buildings and how they are going to fit together.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 1, 2006, 11:40 AM
That works for me... I'll certainly help contribute to this phase in some fashion.  I know I'm already on the dio team.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 2, 2006, 06:30 AM
I'm in the process of writing up a quick tutorial and figuring the best way to divide the work out evenly to everyone. I need to get to bed right now though, it is already 4:30 in the mornign. :-X My typing ability is rapidly getting worse. I'll have the tutorial and stuff up by tomorrow evening. And then we can get going on this thing. :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 3, 2006, 05:16 AM
I was hoping we would have a little more architectural concept art done by now, but I think we will be able to get by on the prototypes without it. I've done some really quick sketches of the joint construction and I'm also written up a quick tutorial for those who have never done anything like this and may be interested in building something for this project.

First things first we need a good material I've decided on Foamcore for the buildings. So of you may want to use woods, styrene, masonite, or something else, but I've decided for our purposes foamcore will serve us best. It will be important that everything is built out of foamcore so we have uniform looking buildings. Foamcore is cheap and most people can access it very easily. Which is a big factor in my decision to use it. It is also easy to work with and can be very precise. Another big factor is it is fairly durable when used correctly but at the same time is also very light which will save all of us some money on shipping. If anyone knows of something that would be better feel free to let me know, but for now foamcore will be the material of choice at least for the main city buildings. Styrofoam is a possibility for the little settlements beyond the city wall, as I figure they are poor and will likely be earthen looking.

As for adhesives there are several different types that will work. Carpenters glue, White Elmer’s Glue, Spray adhesive, or hot glue. My personal favorite would be the Carpenters glue. It's just your regular yellow wood glue that you can get at any hardware or hobby store. It is fairly inexpensive but it will bond the foamcore together very sturdily. Because it doesn't bond instantly like spray glue or hot glue once you put the pieces together you have some time to readjust the pieces if they got bumped, this can really save a lot of time and hassle. The disadvantage is that the pieces need to be weighted or clamped together for at least an hour or two, overnight for a complete bond. When I'm building my own stuff I've found that it is worth the wait though. White Elmer’s is essentially the same as carpenters glue, it isn't quite as strong but it is good for delicate little detail areas because it dries clear. Personally I'd prefer those be the only types of glue used, but if someone prefers hot glue or spray adhesive I won't stop you from using them. The thing with hot glue though is that it leaves the little strings and strands and I personally don't want to see any of those in our diorama. So if you use it, use it carefully and clean up the strings as much as physically possible. I've found the super strength glues, like super glue, crazy glue etc. don't tend to be as effective, and are too expensive for the amount that would be needed anyways. I've never tried Gorilla Glue, so I may have someone try that on one of the samples to see if it is an option as well.

Paint is another thing that we are going to need to make fairly uniform so that we have a good balance of colors and certain colors that need to match will actually match. For the city buildings I think these will look best if we use spray paints for the main colors and coats and touch-up any little areas by hand. Spray painting eliminates brush strokes which don't look very good in this scale. If the need arises for certain buildings, they can be painted entirely by hand if the brush strokes are meant to simulate texture on a certain building.

Speaking of texture depending on the route we go with the architecture some building will likely need to be texturized. I've had good luck in the past when using spray on drywall spackling, in an aerosol can. You can either leave it as it is for a good rough looking adobe or mud type building, or knock it down and sand it to get it to look like concrete in 3 ¾” scale. The stuff isn’t that cheap $15 for a large can, but it looks great and it doesn’t run out too quick. Plaster will ruin foamcore and I’ve found it won’t stick straight to it, so we can rule it out on foamcore buildings. But it should work on Styrofoam buildings. There is a bunch of ways to achieve different textures, if someone has one they’d like to use let me know, or make up a sample along with a quick tutorial.

When it comes to building these we need to remember that the buildings need to be light but very sturdy. They need to be able withstand their journey to CA unharmed, because we don’t want to be scrambling to rebuild something at the last minute. For that reason I decided it is best to go with double thick walls. Two layers will help make the structures sturdier as well as helping to prevent warping of any kind after texture/paint is applied. I’ve made up a quick sketch of two different types of joints that can be used when using double walls. 

(http://sithlordchaos.250free.com/JointExamplesb.jpg)

The first one will likely be the easier of the two. The first thing you are going to want to do is draw out a few sketches of what you are building, and figure out how the joints are going to effect your measurements. The next step is to come up with a master sheet of sorts that has every single one of your measurements listed on it. Not everyone needs to do it this way if you really don’t want to, but I find it very helpful to have all of my measurements in one place. Then draw out all your cuts on your foamcore without actually cutting. Before you cut got back and check to be sure all the measurements are correct and your angles are square, this can save a lot of frustration later. Once you’ve assured everything is correct you can begin cutting. I use a nice and sharp utility knife. Be sure to use one that has a nice strong, firm blade, not one of the ones that you can break off to get a sharp section. The thicker blades won’t wave when you are cutting so you will get a nice clean cut every time. Make sure you use a sharp bladed every time it makes a huge difference.

Once all your pieces are cut you can begin to glue. I start off by gluing the double thick walls together first. Make sure you have the correct pieces paired together, and the double check them to make sure they are going to fit together like you want them too. When you are ready lay one sheet down on a hard flat surface and apply the glue, wood glue preferably, put the second piece on top of it and line everything up. When gluing these sheets together I like to try to keep the glue ½” to 1” from the edges so that it doesn’t leak out over the edges. Now you are going to want to weight it down with some heavy books or something else that is heavy but it is flat so it won’t leave indentations in your foamcore. Once you put the weights on check it one last time to make sure nothing shifted and then leave it to dry. It usually takes about an hour or two to get a good bond, overnight for a complete bond. Once you have the sides, bottom, and wall all ready to go you can begin gluing them together. Again I’d use the wood glue, but since the glue doesn’t bond right away you are going to need to weight it again, the best way to do this is to butt your books up against the sides, this will also help you to get some squared corners. Another method I’ve found that works is to hold it together using duct tape, if you are careful with it, it won’t tear the paper on the foamcore. Yet another way is to use little pins that you’d use for sewing, the thing with them is they leave holes in the board so you have to do it in a place where the holes won’t be visible.

Because we don’t want the foam itself showing, we just want to see the board that way there is an even looking texture, we need to do something to cover the joints. There are a few ways of doing this one of them is to use a sheet of poster board cut to fit the whole side of the building so there isn’t a seem showing anywhere and then gluing it onto the foamcore building. Another way this can be done is by the edges of the outside layers and at a 45 degree angle so they fit flush at the corners. The problem with this method is it is quite difficult to cut evenly on a 45 and it will have to fit perfectly or there will be gaps in the corner and poster board will be needed anyways. If you know of any other tricks be sure to enlighten us.

So what we need to happen is for those of you on the diorama team to whip up some sample buildings. They don’t need to be anything big or complex, a 5” x 5” x 5” box would do just fine. Because there isn’t very much concept art at this point the design will be up to you guys, try and keep it close to the Dantooine look right now if you can. Just keep it simple so we can get them done quickly and easily. Try to incorporate a door and a window or two in your design somewhere or make some sort of water pump house/utility building, that way it isn’t just a box. Add other little details to it as well as you see fit. There is a chance if your building fits in with the final design that we will actually be able to use it which will save us some time later. If you want to make an interior, that would be fantastic but it isn’t required. If you can, take pictures during construction so we can add some pictures and make a better tutorial. One thing we HAVE to have is pictures of your finished product. There is no point in making samples if no one else can see them. The deadline for these samples will be August 25th that gives everyone a little over three weeks which should be plenty of time to get a small little building or two done, as well as track down a camera you can use if you don’t have one. Someone will have one you can borrow for one or two pictures, be it a friend, a relative, a friend’s relative, etc.

Here’s the list of who is assigned to what:

BrentS- Using the doubled up foamcore and drywall texture make a rough looking Adobe/Mud hut type building, complete with paint.

CloneCommander1- Using Styrofoam and plaster (or whatever texture you used on your Mygeeto bridge) build an adobe/mud hut type building that you would see in one of the settlements. Complete with paint of course.

Joerhyno- Using doubled up foamcore and some matte paint, but no texture, create a city building that appears to be made out of steel or some other smooth material.

Famine-  Do the same as Joerhyno, but make yours glossy.

Myself- I’ll be making a building that looks like concrete, using foamcore and spray on texture that has been sanded down.


If you don’t see your name on that list and want to make a sample go ahead and make one anyways. Just PM me and let me know what you are doing. And for those of you who I listed, if you want to make something else that’s fine as well, just be sure to get the one you were assigned done by the 25th. If you have any questions let me know.


Let’s get cracking, we’ve got our first deadline to meet!


Edit:

BTW, I'm going to be camping tomorrow until Friday evening, so unfortunately I'll be missing the chat. Smarty would you mind taking note of what happens for me?



Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 3, 2006, 11:40 AM
Ryan,
Great Job taking charge on this one.  There is a lot there to digest.  I've got my mission and I'll see what I can whip up.

As far as building materials.  At work, I've got a pretty decent supply of "Mightycore" which is just a thicker stronger version of foamcore.  All of my structures have been built with it.  I'm going to try making my building using this material.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CloneCommander1 on August 3, 2006, 03:56 PM
Alright Ryan, can do!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 3, 2006, 05:00 PM
I've seen this stuff at Toys R Us recently - its called  Moon Sand  (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2316774&cp=&f=Taxonomy%2FTRUS%2F2254197&origkw=moon+sand&kw=moon+sand&parentPage=search#prod_prodinfo).  I've been dying to try it out but I haven't been willing to drop $20 on it yet.  I wonder if there would be some use for it on the diorama.  I've certainly contemplated using it in my diorama projects.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 5, 2006, 08:18 PM
Hmmm, we may have to investigate that sand stuff Brent, it definitely looks interesting. While I was up camping the past few days I decided I still had to do something for this project, so I gathered myself a bag of real Colorado moutain lichen. :)

Lichen will really come in handy when it comes time to do the terrain.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on August 6, 2006, 11:53 PM
Kick butt Ryan.
 Know what else would be great, a bunch of that iron rich soil out on the way up to Estes from Loveland, that red dirt, is just soo killer. Maybe we could work that in too.

Hey, maybe we could work in something from everyones home state, it would be like having a bit of each persons home in the Dio. (besides the customs and such)
 :)

Smarty
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 7, 2006, 04:48 AM
Eh, we'll see. Honestly most plants, like say tree branches, translate horribly into smaller scales. Lichen looks  pretty good as some sort of shrubbery or bushes, as long as it is the real thing and not the rubber immitation lichen they sell at some stores, the color on that stuff doesn't really look all that good. As for dirt or soil that may be a possiblity, but my same argument to sand applies here as well. It will be incredibly messy to transport. We also aren't going to want different types of soil for each seperate piece of the wilderness. It's not something I'm going to rule out yet, but at the same time it isn't high up on the list of possible ground coverings.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on August 7, 2006, 05:24 AM
cool beans, I got my notes down and I'm back into the swing of things and will be-a-building-making this week.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on August 7, 2006, 01:31 PM
Hmm Ryan, you can count me in possibly, I'm gonna try my hand at it sometime this week or 2.

Adam
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 7, 2006, 04:01 PM
I thought your parents won't let you give your stuff away to strangers? If that's not the case anymore we'd be glad to have you aboard, I'll be throwing up a tutorial or two here in the next few weeks before we get into the design stage, so even if you've never done something like this before you should be able to participate. If your parents aren't too keen on letting you send your stuff away have them read over the threads here so they can get an idea what we are all about and maybe they'd be willing to make an exception.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 8, 2006, 09:56 AM
How goes the model building?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on August 8, 2006, 02:41 PM
I thought your parents won't let you give your stuff away to strangers? If that's not the case anymore we'd be glad to have you aboard, I'll be throwing up a tutorial or two here in the next few weeks before we get into the design stage, so even if you've never done something like this before you should be able to participate. If your parents aren't too keen on letting you send your stuff away have them read over the threads here so they can get an idea what we are all about and maybe they'd be willing to make an exception.

Well its still the case, but My sister offered to send them if I do something. So I dunno how to smuggle dios out, but figs are easy.
Maybe when the parents are gone I can send a few buildings. ;)

Adam
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 8, 2006, 03:02 PM
How goes the model building?

I'm not sure I'll get my sample finished by the 25th.  Hopefully by the end of that weekend (27th) I can have it.  We've got friends coming in town all weekend and I won't have any time at all.  Because of real life, I usually don't get to work on these during the week very much so I'm reliant on how much time I have in the evenings.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 10, 2006, 11:57 PM
Okay, I lied.  I just can't let a deadline slip....  I started this building in full force tonight. 

My assignment was to make an adobe hut building.  I liked the way Ryan's concept drawing turned out so I selected to make it.  I'm deviating from Ryan's tutorial in many ways (bad Brent, bad).  I'm using a material called "Mightycore".  Its thicker and stronger than foamcore (about 1/8th inch thicker I'd say).  I'm using it because I can get large scraps for free at work.  Sweet.  With the extra thickness, I decided that i didn't need to double wide the walls.  They'd also be almost too thick.  I'm also using a glue gun (because I'm too impatient to wait for woodglue to dry).  I'm also not using miter corners (bad Brent bad).  However, since my dwelling will be covered in adobe (i.e. spackle) I can cover up the foam corners. 

Anyway, here is the base structure as assembled:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding1a.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding1b.jpg)

Some of my cuts were a little too rough on the roof.  However, again I can clean those up with the spackle.  Also, this is a proof of concept building not necessarily a final dwelling.  (Although, I hope to use it at least in my PNs). 

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding1c.jpg)

Next up, I need to add the spackle and add the wooden polls.

I'll put together a tutorial as I add more to it.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on August 11, 2006, 12:33 AM
That looks great.  This is an exciting time for the UGP, when the initial buildings, figures and vehicles are made!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 11, 2006, 03:47 PM
Great to see this Brent. It looks like it will be a good design. I don't see a reason to miter the corners if its going to be plastered.  I just wonder if its too tall. It seems to me if it was reduced by about 3" it might work better. What are the dimensions of it?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on August 11, 2006, 03:52 PM
I some of mine cut up and laid out, I'll have to get some more of the foam board, I wanna make a section on my Imperial tower removable so you can see inside.
I gotta leave for work, so I'l get some WIP pics up late tonight.

PS, how'd the chat go? I didn't get on till late, then I couldn't log in.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 12, 2006, 09:07 AM
Great to see this Brent. It looks like it will be a good design. I don't see a reason to miter the corners if its going to be plastered.  I just wonder if its too tall. It seems to me if it was reduced by about 3" it might work better. What are the dimensions of it?

The base frame is roughly 6" high and 6" deep.  The overhanging ceiling is about 7.5" deep.  If the consensus is that its too tall, I can make some modifications to the bottom and make it shorter.  In looking at Ryan's concept picture, I decided that it needed to be taller than the standard 4" figure; however, maybe that's not what he intended.  I t would be difficult to reduce the size of the ceiling piece w/o starting over from scratch.  ;D
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on August 12, 2006, 10:12 AM
I didn't even notice how tall it was, I think if you loose a half inch to an inch from the bottom it'd look better, then at least, they could look out the window, lol..
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on August 14, 2006, 05:39 PM
wasn't sure where this should go, but I got these today at a local Big lots.. I thought the watch towers could be used for the Imperials or something, might need to be converted a bit, to look more SW-ish.. but still, not bad for $8
These are for my Joes, but I thought I'd snap a pic for people, if you guys think they might work, i'll snag 2 more... I also got a cool bunk set and a parachute set, lol. the bunks might beable to be used in the barracks???
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/PTE2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/PTE1.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 14, 2006, 07:33 PM
I love those watch towers.  I wish we had a big lots around here!

unrelated....

I worked on my concept building last night a little.  I took about an inch off the bottom of the building to make the doors and window more to scale.  Incidently, I never noticed but 3.75" figures are actually a little taller than 4" (at least my ROTS Ki Adi Mundi was).

I didn't get a chance to take pictures last night but I'll try to update with pictures soon.  My plan is to try and get it spackled up and painted over the weekend.  I'll add the details like to door and wooden beams at the end.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 17, 2006, 01:34 AM
Here is my WIP with the smaller scale walls.  I added smaller door that is offset from the main wall.  I also added a little ledge to the window because I felt like it needed something!  I'm much happier with the scale like this.  Thanks Phruby for the suggestion.

With the Ki Adi Mundi figure in the door I think you can get idea of the actual scale.  It think the walls are about 6" tall and the roof another 2-3 inches.

I've got the walls all spackled up and drying tonight.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding2a.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on August 17, 2006, 09:47 AM
Brent- awesome!  That scale looks perfect, and good idea with the door frame being over the cut in the wall, so that you can make it any size you want.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 17, 2006, 09:57 AM
That is much better. The scale is more what I had in mind. I like the little detail of the ledge under the window. I definitely think little details like that make houses look lived in and not like office complexes. Remember, houses don't have to look the same. They can be different colors and have different architectural details. They should look lived in and reflect the personality of the occupant. That's not something you see in scifi very offend. That's probably due to budget constraints and the fact that low budget shows are often filmed in office complexes. Lets not make the final diorama look like a set of boring office buildings.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 20, 2006, 12:54 AM
Hope you guys don't mind the incremental WIPs in this thread.  If you want me to update them some where else I can.  In the meantime.  Here is the building with a coat of spackle and first layer of tan paint.  A couple of custom figures are thrown in too boot.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding3a.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding3b.jpg)


Is anyone else out there working on buildings?  Our assignments are due next Friday!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 20, 2006, 02:40 AM
Hope you guys don't mind the incremental WIPs in this thread.  If you want me to update them some where else I can.  In the meantime.  Here is the building with a coat of spackle and first layer of tan paint.  A couple of custom figures are thrown in too boot.

Not at all Brent. That's exactly what this thread is for, I'm glad someone is doing it. :)

You are off to a great start so far. I like the add-ons you put on the door and the window sill. If I had to make one suggestion on the texture it would be to sand down some of the bigger parts. If you were to translate the building into our scale some of those imperfections (which adobe buildings do have) would be almost the size of a human head. Looking at it I think there are only a few spots that need sanding on the roof, other than that it looks great.

Is anyone else out there working on buildings? Our assignments are due next Friday!

Things have been really hectic for me the last two weeks, I've been doing site stuff here, family stuff, I've spent awhile moving in and getting all situated in the new apartment, and have been getting ready for school. So I'm just getting started tonight unfortunately. :-X

As such I've decided to bump back the deadline until the following Monday, August 28th, in order to give everyone an extra weekend to work on these and finish them up. That being said Monday is going to be the deadline for sure, I'm not going to bump it back any farther, because quite frankly we are starting to run out of time, and September is rapidly approaching, so it can't be bumped back any farther.


Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 22, 2006, 11:12 AM
So far so good Brent! The spackle looks good. What else are you planning for the building? Any outside pipes or details? Any glass for the window? Cloth for the door?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on August 22, 2006, 01:48 PM
This is great brentS,  have you tried those SPray texture paints?  You can get them at craft stores.
I think that would make for an easy way to add texture to the buildings.
You could just cover the rough courners with masking tape and spray the entire building.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 22, 2006, 02:45 PM
Thanks Guys,

Glassman - I haven't tried the spray textures.  I should definitley look into that.  Spackleing takes much longer than I would like.  Maybe I'll try that next time.

Phruby - Since I'm going with Ryan's sketch as my inspiration.  I'm going to add a cloth window curtain (open air).  I'll do something similar to the curtain I put in the Gardulla's Palace project.  I'm going to go with a metal door frame (in classic SW style).  I'm also going to add Poles supporting the ceiling over-hangs.  Ryan's drawing said wood, but I'm going to go with a gunmetal gray finish.  I'm planning on using this building as part of my PN project too and I think wood would be hard to come by on Tatooine  ;)  I'm also planning on adding some greebles from my fodder boxes to give it some character.

Ryan - I may try to knock down some of the bigger spackle spots on the roof.  However, I want to avoid having to give it another coat of tan paint. 

I don't anticipate having any more time until the weekend to work on this one.  Hopefully I can come in under the deadline  ;D
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 24, 2006, 06:07 PM
Color me a liar again.  I found some time for a small update before the big weekend finish!

Here is the dwelling with the second coat of darker wash.  I elected to go with a darker tone on the roof than the walls just to try to add some extra character.  There is a picture of the front and the back.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding4a.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding4b.jpg)

I've also started the construction of some of the metal accents for the building.  There is a metal support piece that I felt like needed to be there to support the overhang.  I will add some "bolts" to this as well and paint it up.  I've also added a "Star Wars Style" door to the entry way.  Both of these additions were created with styrene strips ands sheets.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding4c.jpg)


I think its all starting to come together.  I'm not sure these are my best photos.  I think it looks better in person.



In unrelated other news.  I've been PMing other members of the diorama crew (Clone Commander, Joerhyno, Famine, and Ryan).  They are all working on their assignments.  Hopefully everyone will have something to show by the deadline of Monday Aug 28th.  ;D
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 25, 2006, 09:57 AM
This house keeps getting better and better. I like the star wars type door. Does it slide open? The coloring also has a great mix of browns. The gutter is also a good idea. Maybe some trim around the window to make it more square?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CloneCommander1 on August 25, 2006, 09:30 PM
Just wondering before I get too deep to change this, but how big are we wanting the adobe houses?  I can cut all my walls down to the sizes we want, so what is good? 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 25, 2006, 10:17 PM
I would say make it in scale with a normal star wars figure.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CloneCommander1 on August 25, 2006, 10:28 PM
But I meant how big.  Like How Deep Really.  Its about a foot wide, so what do you think on depth?  6 inches?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 25, 2006, 10:46 PM
Mine is 14 inches wide and 6.5 inches deep.  The roof overhang is about another 1.5 inches.  Hope that helps.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CloneCommander1 on August 25, 2006, 10:50 PM
Thank you!  I'll do something along those lines.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 26, 2006, 01:58 AM
Major Update.

I'm going to call this Building 99% finished.  The pictures reveal there is some touch up painting still to do.  However for all practical purposes, lets say its finished:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding5a.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding5b.jpg)


(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding5c.jpg)


(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding5d.jpg)

The sand base was something from my PNs.  I just wanted to get the floor some context.  I realize the sandbox is too small  :D

and just for fun, with some customs of mine...


(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding5e.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding5f.jpg)


(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGHBuilding5g.jpg)

Even though its actually Saturday morning, I'm going to say I hit the original deadline of Aug 25  :D

Any comments, criticisms, questions, etc, etc, let me know.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 26, 2006, 02:15 AM
AWESOME sample Brent. That turned out looking much better than my concept. I really like the add ons around the door and windows. I prefer the durasteel supports over wood too, It really helps to add some SW-ish feel, without making it look too technologicaly advanced. Nice work on hitting the original deadline BTW. ;)

But I meant how big. Like How Deep Really. Its about a foot wide, so what do you think on depth? 6 inches?

For this sample it really is up to you. Mine is a smaller building, it is 6" x 9" x 6". Really as long as it is 1:18 scale the dimensions are up to you.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on August 26, 2006, 10:24 AM
OMG. Brent- that looks fantastic!  The door and little details are wonderful!  This needs to be in the UGP, and not just a concept!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 26, 2006, 04:22 PM
OMG. Brent- that looks fantastic! The door and little details are wonderful! This needs to be in the UGP, and not just a concept!

At this point, I think most of the samples will. Brent's will certaily look great in it. :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: starkid500 on August 26, 2006, 08:00 PM
cool! heres a thought add chairs outside and put a bed  inside.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on August 26, 2006, 10:35 PM
add chairs outside

You can certainly put my relaxing spacer on the porch if you want!
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid211/p5525171d39a2d759e72804f92981e99a/ed770184.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: starkid500 on August 27, 2006, 12:10 AM
add chairs outside

You can certainly put my relaxing spacer on the porch if you want!
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid211/p5525171d39a2d759e72804f92981e99a/ed770184.jpg)
yeah he can great idea

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 27, 2006, 06:27 AM
Just a reminder to the dio team: The final deadline for these samples is Tomorrow (Monday) at 11:59 PM Mountain time, since I'm Mountain. Please do whatever you can to get them done.

I've made a bunch of progress on mine today. I got all the walls up and glued together, covered up all the corners so no foam is showing, textured it, and applied the base coat of paint. All that really leaves me to do is finish up that paint job, add on a few greeblies, finish the last few details on the roof, paint the roof, and glue it on. Baring some sort of emergency this will be done in time.  :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CloneCommander1 on August 27, 2006, 10:32 AM
Same With Me.  I have all the walls textured, so I just need to paint, add details, and finish up the roof.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on August 28, 2006, 07:15 PM
Well, I'm trying, but not being able to paint cause this horible weather we had all day really sucks.
I do have to say, I'm really lovin' my tower... I think the next one I make will have an interior, with a nice couch.. desk with a picture of Mrs. Moff and Moff Jr. lol...
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CloneCommander1 on August 28, 2006, 10:24 PM
I ran out of plaster, so I couldn't finish the roof.  As soon as I get some more, I'll finish it off, as well as add a few more metalic touches to the house.  I'm really not sure how I did on this one, I'm not as happy with it as I thought I'd be, so some suggestions and crituques would be appreciated.
(http://threads.rebelscum.com/photogallery/data//500/medium/8-28-06_004.jpg)
(http://threads.rebelscum.com/photogallery/data//500/medium/8-28-06_001.jpg)
(http://threads.rebelscum.com/photogallery/data//500/medium/8-28-06_002.jpg)
And for fun, a Stormie Raid.
(http://threads.rebelscum.com/photogallery/data//500/medium/8-28-06_003.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on August 28, 2006, 11:49 PM
Paprika is good for iron rich soil. I used it in me dio for Endor.
You can also use terrarium sand from the pet store. it comes in different colors I used it for Geonosis
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 29, 2006, 04:02 AM
I'll go ahead and explain what exactly it is you are looking at. When I assigned this project I said something simple would be just fine. I wanted to avoid any windows so I could skip making an interior. In order to do that I had to think of a building that wouldn't have any need for windows, so I elected to make some sort of water pump house/power generator building. I did a quick google image search to get some reference. From the shots I saw most were all very simple and had no windows and a fairly simple design.

The tank on the side is supposed to be some sort of coolant or gas that the generator inside would use. The little panels are supposed to be some of the internal workings. The gizmo in the ottom right of the front side is some sort of Water/Electrical line, with a little meter so the techs can take readings of it from the outside. The door unfortunately doesn't open. I cut the doorwar in the outer layer of foamcore and then scored the inside along the seam of the door, to give the illusion it was a working door but it was just closed. As for the doorway on the back, you may have noticed it was sealed off. I didn't want to have a flat wall back there, but at the same time I didn't want a second door, so I added a doorway that just appears to be sealed off, as if the is equipment behind it. The roof is supposed to simulate sheets of steel. I used poster board, and then I scored the foamcore, like I did with the door.

The texture of concrete was achieved with a spray on drywall spackling, and then knocked down with a putty kinfe. And then sanded down a little to get it closer to scale. There are a few different layers of color, and the pictures don't really show the waethering too well, but I did elect to go a little light on it.

Let me know what you guys think. :)

(http://sithlordchaos.250free.com/UGP/UGHRyan.jpg)

(http://sithlordchaos.250free.com/UGP/UGHRyan2.jpg)

(http://sithlordchaos.250free.com/UGP/PICT0263.jpg)

(http://sithlordchaos.250free.com/UGP/PICT0262.jpg)

(http://sithlordchaos.250free.com/UGP/PICT0261.jpg)

(http://sithlordchaos.250free.com/UGP/PICT0259.jpg)

(http://sithlordchaos.250free.com/UGP/PICT0257.jpg)

(http://sithlordchaos.250free.com/UGP/PICT0253.jpg)

CC1- Your's is looking pretty good. I really like how the texure and paint turned out. That's exactly what I was hopong for when I assigned that style to you. The canvas curtains and awning look great. I'm not sure that I like the walls being in four seperate pieces, it doesn't seem like there is any practical reason for it so it just looks kind of goofy. Keep us apprised of the roof, and post it as soon as you can. Thanks for at least posting what you have.

Joe and Kevin you guys have any progrss pictures at least?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on August 29, 2006, 02:58 PM
I'll snap some pics tonight, I'll try to do wha I can, I tried adding another coat, but then it started sprinkling outside, so not I think my tower is shot, unless you like small little bubbles everywhere, lol...
I think the one thing I can eake from this is we shouldn't use foamcore for imp buildings, usless you're a master at covering the edges(which I'm not) :'(
Anyway, I'll do as much as I can and then post some pics tonight, if anything, we can use mine as a DO NOT DO THIS, kinda thing, lol.

Ryan, I love the look yours has, not too primitive, not too modern, looks like it was plucked right out of a SW world...

CC1, I like yours too, the only suggestion I'd make is to connect the parts before you do the spackling/plastering... I really like the look of the texture and well, over all look, I think that if it looked like one solid building, that it'd fall right into some semi-primitive town/settlement.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on August 29, 2006, 07:00 PM
CC!

 Remember the Alamo!!!!!

I like it
 I find that paper towel soaked in paint is good for making fabric. At that scale can look like leather or canvas.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: ars30 on August 29, 2006, 07:39 PM
Ryan: I Really Like Your Building And Think That Design Would Be Best Suited To Be Around The Imp. Base, I Get The Vibe From The Pictures That It Is That Type structure.
( Trooper Dorm Or something) BTW Nice Sleeping Biker Scout Out Behind The Building ;D
BrentS: I  Feel Your Building Design Is Perfect To Be The Design For the City Housing.
CC1: To Me Your Design Is Along Track For The Adobe Style Native Huts That Has Been Discussed.
All Three Look Great.

Allen
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 30, 2006, 09:51 AM
Fantastic job guys on the buildings. If we can reach the look and quality of these buildings, this project is going to great. I like the idea of a maintence shead. Very cool mechanary on the sides. The shade over the doorway looks great and looks very tatooinish. I think this will be a great mix of building styles. The imperials put up the prefab stuff and the natives have the adobe. 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Darth_Anton on August 30, 2006, 10:33 AM
Hey, where can I post my intentions to donate troop fodder to the project and to help set up at C4?Master Phruby informed me of the goings on and I'm in as far as I can.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on August 30, 2006, 07:42 PM
Sorry guys, I've been swamped the last few days.

Ryan - I LOVE your concept model.  I just think its great.  I think the greebles you added really make it stand out (although I wonder if the rebels put the thermal detonator on the roof  ;D ).  Also the texturing and the work on the roof really stand out.  I wish you had some WIP pics to see how you put this together.

I picked up some "spray on texture" but I'm not sure its the same thing you used.  I bought some "Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone" spray finish.  What are you using??

I'm trying to envision how our buildings can mesh together.

CC - Good startup on your building.  I agree with everyone else that you should glue them together before plastering and painting.  I'm curious, what materials did you use to construct yours?  It alsmost looks like styrofoam.  Can you provide more details on the "making of..."?  I've been toying with adding a canvas style awning in my Gardulla's diorama but I haven't been able to pull it off yet.

Joe- any chance you got some photos yet?  I'm anxious to see how it turned out.


On an unrelated note, I'm thinking about making some casts of the door and the metal gutters that I made.  It would save a lot of cutting precise pieces and time and energy for gluing little bolts down.  Would anyone be interested in some of those?  I'm not sure if that is a waste of resin and silicon...
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on August 31, 2006, 01:19 AM
Brent... I was at walmart looking to see if I could find what Ryan used and I think I may have found it, it was in the spackling section, not the paint section, it came with 3 different tubes, for 3 different sized.. um.. spackle, lol..

As for pics.. I'm clearing an area to take some pics.. though, I dont know how well they'll come out cause I have to take them in the dungeon, lol.. it was taking up the kitchen table far too long...
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on August 31, 2006, 01:41 AM
Ryan - I LOVE your concept model. I just think its great. I think the greebles you added really make it stand out (although I wonder if the rebels put the thermal detonator on the roof ;D ). Also the texturing and the work on the roof really stand out. I wish you had some WIP pics to see how you put this together.

I picked up some "spray on texture" but I'm not sure its the same thing you used. I bought some "Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone" spray finish. What are you using??

Thanks guys. I was fairly pleased with how mine turned out, though there a re few things I'd have done differently if I hadn't rushed it a bit at the end there. WIPs being one of them. The batteries on my camera were dead while I was building the thing, and I was concentation on building it so much I actually forgot abou WIPS until it was too late. I'll see what I can do about getting a mock up of what I did with the texture and roof up ina few days here. I rushed glueing the roof on so I could be done with this too, as a result I didn't quite get it lined up perfectly.

As for the texture I don't remember the brand name (I'm not at home now so I can't check until tomorrow either) but it is from Home Depot. This is one product I've found that the name brand makes a difference. Some brands are too watery and will warp the foamcore if it isn't re-enforced VERY well. The brand I used seems to the best of he different kinds that are out there. I'll check out the name tomorrow, I do know it is from Home Depot.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Joerhyno on August 31, 2006, 04:53 AM
WEll, here are my pics of My Imperial Tower.  I basically build this with scraps of foam core I had laying around... The only thing I went out and bought for this was the paint.  I've never build anything like this before, most mini buildings I've built, were adobe types, so I didn't have to worry about crisp edges, or anything like that... When it came to doing this.. I tried it the way Ryan mentioned, covering the "foam" edges with posterboard, but it just didn't look right.. so I had an idea, what if I was to tape over the edges, and when I 'd paint over them, I'll make them look like steel, or some metallic edges... kinda like in Ryan's concept drawing...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/ImpBuilding.jpg)
So that's what I went with.. and while everything was still in W.I.P. stages.. it looked pretty neat... of course, after I painted the first coat, I saw the problem.. almost every little imperfection showed in the edges.. where it once looked like nice crisp corners, lol.. it turned into semi rounded in some places.. and actual corners in others.. so next one, will take a different approach for corners for sure.
Anyway.. without boring you any longer, here's the pics..
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower006.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower007.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower008.jpg)
I cobbled this radar tocether from some old modelkits.. it actually rotates which I thought was pretty cool...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower009.jpg)
My son(2.75 years old) tried helping me paint this roof, lol.. we was so into "Daddy's clone trooper house" and while I was painting the dish.. he thought he'd help the paint dry and blow on it.. and some black got on the roof :( so I had to add the little drippies, lol.. I plan on adding vents of some sort, so I'm not too worried about it... the Radar dish was from the Clone Pilot, chopped the base off, then added some model parts to the dish part so it looked a little more complicated... the dish swivels and rotates :)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower011.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower012.jpg)
This is the main reason I fell behind... I just wasn't feeling the "tower" before as imperial.. an dI saw my bunker.. and thought.. hmmm. so I made this entrance.. and well, spent a little too much time on it, lol..

I do plan on going in and adding vents on one side(like the concept) and windows on another... I'm not making the balcony.. maybe on another tower.


And of course.. a mini dio..
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower001.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower003.jpg)

I made the cool little eye scanner and entrance lever thing.. but I couldn't get a good pic of it.. it's the thing the Scout is using...

This last pic is to give you a good idea of the scale...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower017.jpg)

I actually measured out how big it's be if it was around 2 stories and had all these measurements and crap, lol.. I honestly didn't think that much went into making buildings like this.. man.. it was a lot of work.. but I guess the more you make, the easier it'll be..
Well, let me know what you guys think, I'm kinda not really happy with the way it turned out, mainly, the corners, so, I think my next building will be a smaller, shed, type of building, so I can practice on corners...
-Joe
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on August 31, 2006, 09:55 AM
This is turning our great. This is probably the biggest structure in the town and should look very impossing. Its basically the centerpiece of imperial operations. It looks like you still need to add the details to the main tower. I like the rivit strips in the concept picture and the slanted windows. Is it possible to extend out an area on the tower for a gun turet? I think the drips make it look more authentic like its rusting or just dirty but the drips need to come from somewhere.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on August 31, 2006, 05:09 PM
Very cool concept and design. Maybe this note belongs in the fodder section but you mentioned paint. If you go to a city dump that recycles. you can get free gallons of 2nd hand paint. I personally have 4 gallons just for the sand color of tatooinestone and adobe. My other suggestion for freebees, are construction sites for styrofoam. They always toss that pink stuff out
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on September 1, 2006, 09:33 AM
Great looking buildings guys. Now lets move on to the next set of buildings. Ryan, how about a shopping district complete with little shops and the JediDefender bar?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on September 3, 2006, 07:40 PM
(http://www.spraytex.com/Images/KDcollage.jpg)

That's a picture of the stuff I used, sorry it's so small, it was all I could find. :-\

It is really easy to use actually. Here's a real quick picture-less tutorial on it:

The first thing you are going to want to do is make sure that your structure is reinforced, so that it won't warp. I've noticed this particular brand seems to be much better about not warping the foamcore than other brands. Why that is I don't have the slightest clue.

The foam edges in the foam core have a tendency to absorb some of the texture and then they don't really fit in with the look of the rest of the walls. So I like to cover them with poster board first. I don't like leaving seams showing so it the edge of the foamcore is right up next to the finished side of an adjacent piece I just cut one large piece that will cover the entire wall.

If there is anything you don't want textured you can go ahead and mask it off, though it is much easier to leave off all the greeblies and other details until after the texture is applies.

When you are all ready go ahead and spray the texture on, I usually use the heavy setting in order to get more coverage. Once you've covered the entire area you want textured wait about 3 minutes before knocking it down.

To knock it down you want to use a fairly large putty knife, mine is about 3 or 4 inches wide, and wet the blade a bit. Then lightly run it over the texture several times until you get close to the desired look. You may need to scrape the excess off the knife a few times so it doesn't clump anywhere.

It usually takes about an hour or two for this to dry completely, but the process can be sped up to about 15 minutes with the aid of a hairdryer. I've found it is usually better to just let it air dry though. Once it is dry you can sand off any large clumps or uneven spots. Because this is supposed to look like concrete in 1/18 scale I usually like to give it a good sanding so the texture isn't too incredibly noticeable.

One it is all sanded you can go ahead and prime it and paint it.

This spray is really great stuff, and I've been happy with the results I've gotten from it so far. It is a little expensive $13 for a 1lb and 4 oz can, it is well worth it.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on September 3, 2006, 10:33 PM
Good Stuff Ryan.  Where do you find that stuff at?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on September 3, 2006, 10:36 PM
I've only seen that brand at Home Depot.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on September 6, 2006, 09:37 AM
What are your thoughts on the next diorama pieces? I think Ryan wants to talk about terrain.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on September 9, 2006, 06:06 AM



(Deleted so post starts the next page)



Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on September 9, 2006, 06:09 AM
Alright guys I know you are anxious to get started on the next set of samples. This time around we are all going to be making the wilderness terrain samples. This is going to be a little less structured than the last time in terms of the specifics I'll be assigning. Just so were are clear on this now these samples WILL NOT be used in the final project, they are just so we can begin to get some direction as to what we want this to look like.

So what I want everyone to do is make their own sample using whatever materials you want, just remember that it may need to be replicated on a large scale so try and avoid anything that is incredibly time consuming or expensive. That being said, don't go skimping on this either, we want to make it look as good as we can get it.

There are a few requirements for these samples, most of which will make much more sense when they are applied to the final project. The first thing that needs to be the same on everyone's sample is the base. What I want is for everyone to use a foamcore box that is 1.5" tall. This is just practice for the final product. When it is assembled we want a very sturdy base with an even height. The box also allows for the use of negative terrain. Be sure to support the box very well on the inside. Wood would have been ideal to use as a base, because it is quite sturdy, but it is way too heavy to ship. Foamcore bases will give us strength without much weight. Once you have a box built feel free to do whatever you want on top. Negative terrain is alright as long as it isn't any deeper that 1". So if you want to put a pond in the middle feel free to cut into the base and build it in.

The other requirement is the size, I'm not going to limit how big these can be, I'll leave that up to you guys, but remember they need to done by the deadline. But I am going to put a minimum size on these to insure that we have samples that are big enough to see. The smallest I want to see is 6" x 6" x 1.5" tall. That shouldn't be too hard.

Again feel free to put whatever you want on top. Remember we are going for a Dantooine type look, so try and incorporate that in if possible. This isn't going to be a sand planet so I don't want to see any samples that look like Tatooine. They aren't required but try and get some sort of tree, bush, boulder, shrubbery, or other plant life in there. What that combination is, is completely up to you guys.

Looking at the Dio-team roster I expect samples from the following people:


Anyone not on that list is also welcome to make a sample.

The deadline for these is going to be October 9th. That is a bit later than I would have liked to set it but I don’t think 3 weeks will be enough time judging by the last time. That date may change in the next few days though so keep watching the thread here. If anything it will be moved closer to the beginning of October or the end of September. It WILL NOT be delayed anymore, so don’t expect an extension.

Let's get crackin! :)
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Daigo-Bah on September 9, 2006, 10:06 AM
Sounds great, Ryan.  I'd like to suggest to everyone the use of "instant papier mache'" for ground terrain.  It works wonderfully; I used it in an Endor dio I made and the texture of the ground was perfect.  It's sold at most hobby shops in a medium tub, and looks like chopped up thick paper.  You crumble some of it into a mixing container, and pour in water to get a paste-like consistency.  Paint it onto your surface, and when dry looks like ground.  You can then paint it any color.  It doesn't look like the wet newspaper projects you did in grade school, I promise!
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: roron corobb on September 18, 2006, 03:40 AM
Don't know if this fits in the what Ryan is wanting, but I want to get some input before I continue and finish this plant. My idea was for it to be like a strawberry plant with runners to spread. If you every grown strawberries you know what I mean. Also this versatile in the sense that it can be a plant or tree.

(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/UGPPlant.jpg)

Size of it is about waist high on a Stormtrooper. If you want I can snap a shot with a figure for size. Also I have some other ideas for trees and plants, which I should have pictures for everyone to see in a week or two. What do you guys think?
roron corobb
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Ryan on September 18, 2006, 04:35 AM
 :-X

I looked at that 'detail' in the center there, between the mini chocolate chip looking items, and a strawberry type plant certainly wasn't the fist thing that came to mind.

I think if you rework the plant's special area a bit there so it looks a little less like a human body part and add some more texture and a nice paint app, and that could turn out to be a very nice looking bush shrub.

Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Nirvana on September 18, 2006, 09:52 AM

(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/UGPPlant.jpg)


Umm...
 :-X
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Phrubruh on September 18, 2006, 01:39 PM
I actually like roron's plant. It's very unusual looking and has a kind of Audrey II feel to it. What if the top part opened up and could be the home to some kind of animal? I like the idea of a 'strawberry patch' with runners to each of these plants. These vinyards could the be home to some of our native animals. I could see a whole area of these with maybe somekind of flytrap-like creature in the middle of them eating a stormtrooper.

Patreektherodian that sculpture is not funny. Please don't do that again.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Nirvana on September 18, 2006, 04:25 PM
You know what, the more I look at Roron's plant the more I like it. I'm sure with some paint and some added foliage around it that would look pretty nice, kind of Felucia-ish.

Patreek that was pretty disgusting.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 18, 2006, 06:08 PM
i.m sorry I won't do anything like that again. I would have never noticed the unique feature.  I Think Roron's plant was awesome an nothing should be changed. I was just goin for a cheap laugh.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: roron corobb on September 18, 2006, 08:09 PM
Time to move out of the gutter with the minds ::).

Anyway, I'm going to rework it a bit. Need to add detail anyway, but just wanted to get everyones take on it before I put too much time into it. I came up with some different ideas for it sense last night also. I'll make up three to show the strawberry idea and the new changes and post some pictures when done.

What do you guys think for colors? I was thinking greenish yellow with red or purple highlights with greenish brown leaves. Let me know what you have in mind.

I also have some trees to show soon also. Thanks again for the help guys.
roron corobb
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 18, 2006, 09:17 PM
I have removed the image of the peculiar mushrooms. Sorry once again. I did'nt think it would raise a ruccus.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 18, 2006, 09:20 PM
I realise now that it might not impress potential sponcors.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Darth_Ennis on September 18, 2006, 10:32 PM
Personally I have no problem with it at all, I think it looks just fine as it is.I probably wouldn't have even notices the " unique feature" had someone not pointed it out. I say paint it and lets see what it looks like from there.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 18, 2006, 11:05 PM
I meant MY image (joke) would not impress sponsors. Nuff said let's go with Roron's
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: roron corobb on September 19, 2006, 12:14 AM
Here is another plant. Like the first, but smaller and more like a cactus with added detail to the leaves.

(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/sizesmallplant.jpg)
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/smallplant.jpg)

This one is easier to make too. I might even use silk foliage for the leaves even, would save time on making them also. I just ran out of time to make the other two to show the strawbarry idea, but I hope to be able to show that tomorrow. Let me know what you think.
roron corobb
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Ryan on September 19, 2006, 12:21 AM
Very nice roron. I like this one a lot. Like the first one I think it needs some more detailing ut you are off to a great start. Maybe you could add some more veins and some sort or rigdes or cell structure to the leaves? I see you have some on there, but I think it couls till use some more.

I prefer what you have there to silk leaves, because most silk leaves look too fake. If you think you can make it look good by all means make a version with silk though.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Phrubruh on September 19, 2006, 09:47 AM
I like the purple highlights with greenish brown leaves idea for colors. The red would make it look to much like stawberries and too earth like. How easy are these to make? Can you fill an area of about two square feet?
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: roron corobb on September 19, 2006, 03:41 PM
I can get one done in about an hour or two. I trying to find the best way to make them right now and maybe have them castable incase I can't make that many or they are just to fragile. Need to work on the leaves and get the best look overall on this, but I should be able to make many for a patch or large area.

Also planning something for that man eating plant idea of yours. I should have something to show by next week. Thanks again for all the help.
roron corobb
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: roron corobb on September 20, 2006, 11:22 PM
Had to take a break from the plants, so I don't know if I'll have them done by Thursday for the chat. I did however whip up a tree in about 15 min. munis drying time. This is only one idea I have, so I still have more if no one likes this one.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/UGPTree.jpg)
What do you guy think? Plus keep in mind it's only a mock up (15 min time to make) and I only had one color paint to use. Thanks
roron corobb
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Ryan on September 21, 2006, 03:20 AM
Do you by chance have a picture of the tree next to a figure? I'm interested to see the scale on it.

It certainly is different, and I do like it, but it isn't exactly what I had in mind for the wilderness area, mainly because of the white leaves. I was thinking something green that has a real Earth-like feel to it but with a few obvious alien twists, like the type of shrubs you made. The trunk is pretty cool though, I think that is definitely something we could work into the various tree types. I think the thing that gets me with the white is that it seems to have no purpose. Trees on earth are [generally] green because they have chlorophyll in them that helps with photosynthesis. Flowers usually have colors to attract bees and other pollen carrying insects.

The tricky thing about making this dio is that the purpose of things will have to be almost immediately apparent, but at the same time it can't be exactly earth-like. We don't have narratives and a moving story so the dio itself will have to be able to convey the purpose, if it doesn’t it suddenly becomes nothing more than some randomly cobbled together pieces with a few plastic men standing around. At which point people lose interest and walk away. But at the same time we need to be careful not to make this look too much like earth, or there wouldn't be any point in saying it is supposedly from the Star Wars Galaxy. It's a delicate balance but I think we'll be able to pull it off.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on September 21, 2006, 09:50 AM
I like the tree... I'd also like to see the scale as well as a  brief tutorial in how you made it!

I wonder if you can you die or paint the cotton green in color and address Ryan's concerns.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: roron corobb on September 21, 2006, 10:24 AM
I would have to agree with the white, but as I stated that I only had one color to work with at the time. I think my sister last time she was visting robbed me of my paints. She likes to do that stuff >:(, and I only have blacks and whites until I can get some more. For the trunk I found some red primer, so it was just thrown together with whatever I had at teh time :).

On scale it is about 6 inches or so, but again it was a mock up. I can make them as big as we need if you would like to have them twice that size or bigger. Or even smaller if you want to go that way.

Brent, here is the link again on how to do these tree: Wire Tree Tutorial (http://armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=135). I did my own thing for the trunk using paper mache glue and paper towel to cover the wire frame. I might try something different for next time. And the white leave stuff is that Halloween decorative spider web stuff. It could be painted no problem.

The colors I had in mind was an autumn look with reds, oranges, and colors like that over a green tree. What would you think of those type of colors? Thanks again.
roron corobb
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Phrubruh on September 21, 2006, 03:58 PM
I can see mixing the white with some regular tree colors might look pretty.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on September 23, 2006, 01:11 AM
Here are some WIPs for my current assignment.  I'm choosing to make a cave :) 

I started with a very rough, random shape out of foam core:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/CaveFrame.jpg)

Next I added some layers of Instant Paper Mache Sheets.  I ran out pretty quickly so I added some instant Paper Mache on top as well.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/CavePlaster.jpg)

Here's a figure to show the scale:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/CaveScale.jpg)

I've never really painted "scenary" before.  Any tips for painting realistic looking rocks??????
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Daigo-Bah on September 23, 2006, 11:33 AM
Looks cool!  I built my base last night (don't forget to raise your cave base up 1.5 inches around the edges :P)  I plan to make a ruins scene with my assignment.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Nirvana on September 23, 2006, 11:37 AM
Keep in mind that not all of us can incorporate a special scene like Brent's or Daigo-Bah's- if we do, the landscape would look too overcrowded. Some of us should just focus on making a plain landscape box with a few shrubs or something.

Just a thought.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 23, 2006, 01:42 PM
Here is what I got so far. It's simple to make and remind me of a combination of th pod race sceene and utapau
I'm thinkind dark soil raging from black, brown to rust. vegetation will be a drabby kaki. I think I might of bent the rules in terms of negative and positive terrain but I think it would be compatible. Please note, I posted the pics in reverse order by accident. so start from the bottom.
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car046.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car036.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car035.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car034.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car033.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car031.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car030.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car029.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car028.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car026.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/car025.jpg)
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 23, 2006, 01:46 PM
I have some leeching hoanging plants that will hang from the cravaces and what not . Next i'm going for a crackled dried up riverbed in the canyon part. a heat gun will provide more relief
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on September 23, 2006, 02:56 PM
Keep in mind that not all of us can incorporate a special scene like Brent's or Daigo-Bah's- if we do, the landscape would look too overcrowded. Some of us should just focus on making a plain landscape box with a few shrubs or something.

Just a thought.

DN,
I think that is a very good and very important point!
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Darth_Ennis on September 23, 2006, 04:51 PM
I saw a couple of gnarley looking black Halloween trees at Walmart yesterday, that are in pretty good scale. They look like nothing of this world, so I figure with a few modifications it should suit our purposes. Has anyone else seen them? If not Ill see what I can do about getting a sample and posting it.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 23, 2006, 08:37 PM
Any comments about my submission?
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Daigo-Bah on September 24, 2006, 10:42 AM
Wow, your portion is gonna be huge!  By the way, remember that Ryan's instruction on these is that they won't be used in the final dio, but are just tests for final look.  So at this stage people can really combine any elements they want without worrying about clashing.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 24, 2006, 12:43 PM
Ya no prob but I wanted to get a canyion/plateau look. like i said i did not follow the rules but just wanted to see what others would think. this portion was done in 1 hour.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Nirvana on September 24, 2006, 12:47 PM
Keep in mind that not all of us can incorporate a special scene like Brent's or Daigo-Bah's- if we do, the landscape would look too overcrowded. Some of us should just focus on making a plain landscape box with a few shrubs or something.

Just a thought.

DN,
I think that is a very good and very important point!
Thanks Brent, but Daigo-Bah's right too- I guess now we're just seeing what they could look like and when we really get started on final production we'll have to worry about overcrowding and clashing.  :)
  By the way, remember that Ryan's instruction on these is that they won't be used in the final dio, but are just tests for final look.  So at this stage people can really combine any elements they want without worrying about clashing.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 24, 2006, 02:36 PM
still confused

just tell me where to go from here
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Daigo-Bah on September 24, 2006, 04:40 PM
still confused

just tell me where to go from here

No, it looks great!  I was actually responding to DN about being too overcrowded with stuff on each scene- you should definitely keep it in the direction you're going.  The only thing you'll have to do to meet any rule is raise your base up an inch and a half with a foamcore edge.  I made some progress on mine today, and should be done next weekend.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 24, 2006, 08:32 PM
I believe it's on a base already That first layer of blue styrofoam is two inches. does that qualify?
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on September 25, 2006, 11:27 AM
Patreek - looks like a good start.  I've heard of using this technique for making rock faces.  I'm looking forward to seeing this one play out.  As far as the base goes.  Ryan asked that we build all of these on a 1.5" tall foamcore box. 

Daigobah - looking forward to seeing what will likely be an awesome entry!  I'm going to add the base to mine next.  I want to add a bit of a back wall and a floor entrance.   Since I'm going to the effort of making this cave, I want to be able to use it for my own purposes too.  I'm hoping to make two bases for it - one for Tatooine (my photonovel) and one for UGP.

DN - I still think your point is valid - we should have someone make a "plain" area so that we can start to visualize that as well
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Joerhyno on September 25, 2006, 03:26 PM
I think Ryan's mention of the 1.5" tall foamcore was meant so that if we wanted, we could make a "negative" surface area, like a small dip in the ground, or a stream of some sorts... I personally am not gonna use foam core either, I have some foam that's roughly 1.5" and plan on using that as my base... that way I can carve into if needed and build it up too.

Anyway... I'm liking the look of yours so far P, maybe take a couple "chunks" out of your base so it's not too level and looks more realistic for innards of the canyon...

I like the construction foam.. if I'm correct, that's how they made geonosis arena(well, I'm sure Lucas didn't raid any construction sites), they basically had these huge blocks of foam, and carved their arena out of it.

Diagobah, I'm liking your cave so far, it looks totally different from the first pic, to the mached and covered one, good job on that... as for painting.. the best thing I could suggest it to find your base coat you want to use.. then seperate into different parts.. one for the base, then another part where you'll lighten it with for highlights.. and a third part where you darken it and water it down...
Lay your base coat... then take the watered down "darker" color.. and lay it on letting it get into the cracks, and after a min or so, wipe away the excess... then finally, go over some raised areas with the "lighter" color dry brushing, try to start out as light as you can.. you dont want too drastic of a change in color..

I'd also recommend going to a hobby store and getting some lichen or other mossy looking material.. and put it in some corners.. maybe even getting some watered down grey/brown/green mixed colors and paint them in some of the areas where water would sit.. where you'd have some mold growing/staining the cave...

Hope that helps... I should have some WIPS up of my section this week, I'm going with a hill and a path that leads to a cliff, nothing too big.. it's gonna be roughly 12" x 12" might get a little bigger with the cliff on one side.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Daigo-Bah on September 25, 2006, 05:10 PM
Joe, you're probably referring to BrentS's cave- I haven't put pics up yet, but I hope to finish mine by this weekend.  I forget who all is doing which thing too!
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on September 25, 2006, 09:08 PM
Thanks for the feedback every body!

As for the canyon, I got a sweet yet simple surprise coming this week end.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Joerhyno on September 26, 2006, 10:31 AM
oops, yeah..that' swho I meant  :-[
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Daigo-Bah on September 30, 2006, 08:32 PM
Ok guys, my entry is done.  I decided to make a 'ruins' in the woods type scene, and with the instructions of 6" by 6" by 1.5" I opted for an 8 inch by 8 inch platform.  The structure is styrofoam coated in plaster of paris, given a wash and a drybrush.  The ground is instant papier mache' (which took 4 days to dry!) and the logs on the ground are real twigs.  The standing tree is fake, and the moss is decorative moss hot-glued to the ground or logs.  Hope you guys like it!

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid215/pab22d0014a98dfa750311cd9ce0721ca/ecbd305d.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid215/p187910d44c2c53cde4df2eab51a71f82/ecbd2f9e.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid215/p79fa4c763f765fb3d26d9dd229b66387/ecbd2eea.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid215/pf8cec5263d7d81e9b34d27011ff0dd34/ecbd2e4d.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid215/p1e400d78ef3b9a3d679df0882719cf08/ecbd2d89.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid215/p61c010626284c7f0417b209430b884db/ecbd2cca.jpg)
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Daigo-Bah on October 1, 2006, 10:31 AM
A few indoor pics:

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/p625bed1977b5773fc4b24624c9c9d78c/ecbb36ab.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/pbe996322255a7357131f415a4f109f28/ecbb359b.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/pae56616493f4fef593f57459ed4fc9be/ecbb342e.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/pfc46ab3c007cb7c14f24cdf08261e973/ecbb3311.jpg)
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Darth_Anton on October 1, 2006, 11:38 AM
Daigo-Bah, that's a work of beauty.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 1, 2006, 03:45 PM
Patreek is stunned speechless!
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 3, 2006, 09:05 PM
I got a bad feelin about this !
 Maybe I need to make a few modifications if you have some suggestions?
Something is not right.
I know I'm not happy with it. Hey it happens.
This is one pic
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung030.jpg)
I will send a link to the other pics on photobucket in my next update.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 3, 2006, 09:08 PM
Here is the link to the other pics

http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on October 4, 2006, 10:54 AM
Patreek, I think this came out pretty nice looking.  I like that technique for making rock walls.  I really does work.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: roron corobb on October 4, 2006, 02:50 PM
Patreek,
I like it also. What or where did you get those purple/pink things on the last 2 shots? Eucalyptuas you used looks good too. I might have to try some out myself now for one of the trees I'm working on.

I would change the white flowers you have in the canyon. Make them more curvy, like they grow up, but do to the weigh they arc down.  Also maybe next time you can add a filler to the foam-core to give that more of a natural rock look. Foam-core just doesn't look right without some filler or covering IMO. Other than that it looks really good.

roron corobb
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 4, 2006, 08:42 PM
       Ya something is not right about the foam core. I got an idea for that later. I looked at some of the landscape  pics (Daigo-bah and another from Yackface .com)and noticed greyish type (limestone type rocks). What do you guys think? Right know it looks too Geonosis.
       All the flowers are from the dollarama. Do you have that chain of stores in the US? I'm sure You can get them at any dollar store. I also used Stake spice from the dollar store for some vegetation on the plateau. Can you be more specific about the plants that you have resevations about. (Which ones are the white ones).
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: roron corobb on October 5, 2006, 04:52 AM
I haven't here of that store before. The dollar stores around me don't have much in that type of stuff. I might be able to find that at Michaels or some place like that.

Anyway, this is the one I'm refering too white flowers:
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung039.jpg)
They would look really live like with an arch to them.

And this one I want to know about:
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung044.jpg)
Looks really cool.
roron corobb
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Phrubruh on October 5, 2006, 03:24 PM
What a great looking canyon. It looks like real rock and I like the plants. The scale is very much in line. Are those real flowers. Is this going to require watering? I think what would be cool is to have a small stream going thru the canyon. Some kind of clear plastic might work here. Maybe a waterfall? It would be even better to have real water.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Sarge on October 5, 2006, 05:44 PM
Wow! Really excellent work on the canyon. Hopefully I can get off my butt and get involved in the project now that I got some time to customize.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Smartypants1635 on October 5, 2006, 09:11 PM
Cool, Sarge, either send Clone Comander 1 or I a PM giving us your first and last name, Email, and screen name, this way we'll get you hooked up with a newsletter
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 5, 2006, 09:33 PM
I've made a few modification's myself

I fixed the dried up river bed
I changed the iner canyon to limestone
I made the hanging white plants point more straight down
 ...and few surprises.

should I add more of the same foliage on the plateau?
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on October 6, 2006, 08:47 AM
Patreek, did you take more pictures?  I'd like to see the modifications.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Phrubruh on October 6, 2006, 09:51 AM
Yes, more foliage on the plateau.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Darth_Ennis on October 6, 2006, 09:56 AM
This is coming together excellently Patreek. Though I still see a little pink foamcore from a couple of spots, I think its looking sweet so far. I agree with Phruby though, you should add a few more plants.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 7, 2006, 09:47 PM
I think it's time to take charge (at least as far as my  contribution is concerned). I don't think I can make it to C4. Therefore  i need to figure out what I can commit to. I noticed at Yack face some dude showed an expencive version of a rock face from Michaels. I am here to tell you that I can offer something very similar with very litle cost in production. Being in Canada, I can mass produce the following item and ship for a reasonable cost (it styrofoam). It took one night to make it. To be very honest I don't know who the top man is but I think if you view my step by step  pics of the following, it would be nice if I could get approval to be responsible for making these rock faces.  Hang on here we go.


(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung046.jpg)

Steped layered Styro

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung047.jpg)

Exacto knife magic

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung051.jpg)

Just a layer of latex paint mixed with water. I need a protective layer to reduce the effect of what I call the mega step.

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung050.jpg)

Gauge with a knife to also  prep for the mega step.

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung054.jpg)

MEGA STEP!!! A harsh layer of spray paint to corrode the styro to make it more rocky.


(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung055.jpg)

I used plaster of paris but nextime I will use dry wall compound and more of it in order to reduce the step effect of the styro sheets.


(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung058.jpg)

Layer os Tatooine sand paint

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung060.jpg)

Layer of brown for fun (spray)


(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung093.jpg)

Final layer of gey spay then drybrush of black and white.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Ryan on October 7, 2006, 11:12 PM
That may be something I'll take you up on patreek. We are going to need to figure out exactly what the terrain will look like so we can get the right shapes and the right ammount of rocks, etc. Stay tuned though, I think that you will probably end up prefabing a lof the rock faces for us.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on October 8, 2006, 02:11 AM
Those look great.  I'd love to get some for my own purposes (aside from the UGP).  I'm going to have to study your tutorial closely.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Ryan on October 8, 2006, 03:40 AM
Another thing for rocks that will work as well is making plaster casts using some of the molds you can find at a hobby store near the model trains. It may be a tad more expensive, but it is faster.

Mine mini-dio is 99.5% done now, I'm just waiting for the glue to dry so I can put on one or two final touches and get some pictures up. I'm really happy with how it has turned out so far. :)
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 8, 2006, 09:17 AM
I can take that even one step further and make the casts. However,casts would not allow for uniqueness.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 8, 2006, 09:31 AM
Novel Idea!!!
Another thing I would like be able to do would be a web page that would be linked to the ugb site. It would consist of a map of North America with thumb tacks that would indicate the location of members. click on a thumb tack and get ***OPTINAL ***member info such as: a picture, screen name,  location, real name, phone number?, Rank in the team? Email and most importantly projects (custom figs, terrain, vehicles)

Reasons for this:

1) A network can easily be visualy created in that products can be relayed to L.A.
ex I drive to Buffalo NY and meet somebody who will take his and my stuff to Illinoi and so on to Colorado then South to L.A.

2) More concreate organization to keep track of members and progress.

3) It would be cool !
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Sarge on October 8, 2006, 07:05 PM
Looking at my overall schedule between now and C4 it looks like I can contribute pretty good to the UGP. I will PM the managers and get on the ball. I'll cruise this thread over the next week and see what I can add. Is there anything pressing / or current focus right now for a "Noob"?

Mike
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Daigo-Bah on October 8, 2006, 08:37 PM
Sarge, I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier that glad you're back too!  Thanks for the comments on the DS gun dio I just finished.  We can definitely use more dio builders for this.  I think the current project is about to finish, but the next assignment will probably be starting in a couple weeks.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Ryan on October 9, 2006, 01:33 AM
I was finally able to snap some picture of my sample tonight. I've got more shots if anyone is interested but let me know what you think:




(http://www.jedidefender.com/news/images/7-06/Deserted.jpg)

(http://www.jedidefender.com/news/images/7-06/FrontStormtrooperPatrol.jpg)

(http://www.jedidefender.com/news/images/7-06/RightSideStormtrooperPatrol.jpg)

(http://www.jedidefender.com/news/images/7-06/RearStormtrooperPatrol.jpg)

(http://www.jedidefender.com/news/images/7-06/LeftSideStormtrooperPatrol.jpg)

(http://www.jedidefender.com/news/images/7-06/LoneGunmanFront.jpg)
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Ryan on October 9, 2006, 01:34 AM
Round 2:
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 9, 2006, 08:01 AM
Awesome tree

any comments about my last message can i start athread on it to get member info?
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Sarge on October 9, 2006, 09:26 AM
Ryan,

Awesome work, very realistic feel.

Count me in on the next round of diorama UGP assignments. I'll keep in touch via here and Yak for the next mission.  ;D

Mike
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on October 9, 2006, 11:43 AM
Awesome tree

any comments about my last message can i start athread on it to get member info?

Patreek, I think its okay to start gathering info on the builders.  I'd suggest working with the secretaries of the project (Clone Commander and SmartyPants).  They should be able to help get started.  Also, I'd keep this discussion on one of the other threads since it's not strictly related to diorama building.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on October 9, 2006, 11:47 AM
Ryan,
I commented a bit over at YAK.  I love this.  It looks so cool.  I know there has been a lot of conversation on "continuity" of being able to get this put together.  I think its a real concern and we should definitely pow-wow on it.

However, in the meantime, you really need to give us a recipe on how you made this awesome piece!

Oh yea, my entry is still lagging behind.  Sorry I'm going to be late I got distracted with other Custom projects.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 9, 2006, 02:09 PM
ROGER ROGER! on That


Oh on the subject of continuety, my opinion is that each member should specialise in a specific area   Example if we took Ryan's tree, then lethim be responcible for that specific tree. Did not mean to speak for you Ryan.

OK here is the big surprise

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung098.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung103.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung104.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung100.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung099.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung105.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung106.jpg)


(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung108.jpg)

I added a bunch more foliage on the plateau and made a few changes with the hanging plants in the ravine. I also changed some color. I am particularly hapy with the dried up river bed.
wadaya tink
 By the way if your woundering why my speeling is so bad, my first language is french.
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on October 9, 2006, 02:13 PM
Patreek that really does look amazing.  For the first time since this project started, I'm really starting to believe that we can pull this off.  I've got a lot to learn from you guys at building outdoor terrain!!
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 9, 2006, 02:21 PM
Somebody called me a genius. Actually I'm not very smart at all. I'm just ver knowlegable everything i've leaned is from small tips from several dozen other geeks like me. Example, the sand along the sides of the riverbed is saw dust. A trick I pickicked up from Niub Niub. Sparpainting Styro was from  Henri an employee at legends action figures(the best place to get sw stuff in Canada). He did dios going back at least 8 years ago in Montreal
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 9, 2006, 05:03 PM
I know floor plans have been made I was wondering if canyon and rock faces could be positioned in the following manner?
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/submission.jpg)
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Ryan on October 9, 2006, 09:20 PM
Thanks for the comments guys. I was tired and had other things I needed to do last night so I wasn't able to post a recipe at the time. Get ready this is going to sound like an add for Woodland Scenics (http://www.woodlandscenics.com/index.htm)...

The first thing I did was to build the little foamcore platform. Originally I had intended for these to be used as a way to find a 'zero' elevation we could use to piece the real pieces together at. But for these samples it really was just a way of making the presentation look better. And because I'm anal about things like this I covered all the little foamcore seams on the outside with mat board, like I do for all of dioramas that involve foamcore edges. I hate the way the foam and the paper stand out against each other, so I always have to cover the edges.

Next I used a ready made grass mat from Woodland Scenics and cut it to size and with a spray adhesive I attached it to the base. I only purchased the small project sheet size, which was more than enough to cover my space, but was more expensive per square foot. I used the summer grass variety so that it was a little darker, and had some browns in there as if it was being seared by a hot summer sun. At this point i had a flat box with a flat grass mat on top.

I wanted to put a dirt road on the edge there, so I wet the mat where I wanted my road, and used a utility knife blade to scrape away all the grass. These mats are some of the coolest things I've seen. :) Now I had a flat box with a flat mat on top that had one little strip of the grass missing. I saved all the grass I shaved off BTW, it will come in handy later.

Looking at the dio so far, it looked like nothing more than a box. Which to me is incredibly boring and were I a regular old person at C4 and I saw a completely flat roughly 50 square foot diorama I would immediately move on. Looking at anywhere around here on this planet it is hard to find anywhere that is COMPLETELY flat, with no little hills or valleys or mounds, especially in a wilderness area. Water erosion, the wind, plant roots, decaying plays etc simple don't allow it. So I decided I needed some sort of elevated area to break it all up a bit.

I got out some old newspaper and scotch tape and made a little disk shaped object out of the paper and covered in the tape so it would hold it's shape for me. I then cut a square of the Woodland Scenics grass mat, from the excess I had from earlier, so that there was plenty of overlap. I then used a hairdryer set on high, a heat gun would have been preferable but I don't have one, and blew the hot air onto the mat. I put an oven mitt on my hand so I wouldn't burn it in the hot air, and began to shape the mat to contour the paper.  These mats are made out of vinyl so they can actually be heated reshaped and then when they cool they will retain their new shape, all without losing the grass on top. So I continued with the heat until it was formed so the edges lay fairly flat to the ground while the center sat on my paper.

Think ahead I wanted to be able to pose someone walking on the hill, or standing on it, and I figured it would be near impossible to stand a figure on it all alone. So I flipped my hill over took the paper piece out and cut a tiny little hole in the mat just big enough for the peg of an action figure stand. I then used on of the little white stands that came with the Early Bird Kit, and glued it so the peg was sticking through the whole. I then glued the newspaper in place just so I would have more support underneath when pushing the figure's foot onto the peg. I then used scissors and trimmed around the edges of the hill just so here were no sharp corners or an obvious pattern so I could cover the seams easier later on.

Because I didn't buy the Mat adhesive from Woodland Scenics, I had to find a different way to attach my hill to my dio box. I decided to use some Gorilla Glue. The stuff works great and is incredibly strong but you have to be careful not to put it too close to the edge or it will seep out and when it dries it is all yellow and bubbly. I had that happen it two spots, but it is easy enough to cut the excess off with a knife and then cover it later using a bush or a tree or something. It would just be preferable not to have that happen. Be sure to weight the area you are gluing too.

So now I had a flat little box, covered in grass with a little hill in the middle. Looking at the grass it looked far too plain again. Texture wise it looked like a golf course green with a darker color. Not at all the look you'd want or see in a wilderness area. So I decided it needed to be layered with a few toppings to add depth, texture, and something a little more interesting. So I sprayed the whole mat with Woodland Scenics' Scenic Cement in a spray bottle. I had a bag of Woodland Scenics fine turf, the soil variety. So I sprinkled the area with a light coat. Really in areas where I wanted erosion, so mainly around the hill i a few places and then where I was going to place my tree. I then sealed it with another coat of the Scenic Cement Then I used Woodland Scenic static grass, the wild honey color, and covered the area with it, not too thickly so it didn't completely cover my mat, but also thick enough to add some really color and depth. I avoided adding any where I was going to put my road.

At this point I had a nice grassy area but if you walk out into any grassy field around you'll notice there is more than just one type of grass and some bushes. There are always weeds and sometimes other grass types. So I added some Woodland Scenics coarse turf, the Yellow grass variety. Rather than spreading around the entire landscape I put in on in clusters so it was a little more sporadic and the lighter grass was still dominant. I spread it out around the base of the hill in distinct but random looking clusters and putt a little on the front hillside and on the top. I sealed it with that Scenic cement. And looking at it I thought it could use a little more color depth so added the scrapings I tool off my mat for the road. They had the same consistency as the coarse turf but worked well as a darker weed type. I then sealed that again with the Scenic Cement.

Now that the majority of the turf work was done I moved on to my road. I used Woodlands Scenics Ballast, the dark brown fine grade. I covered the area I had scraped for my road with it. At this point it was a very even road and had a straight edge along the turf area. I rolled over the road with a round glue bottle to even it out and make it have more of a packed, man-made look to it. I then wet it with water that had a small concentration of dish soap in it, so it would soak up the scenic cement better. Once it had absorbed most of the water I sealed it with the scenic cement. While it was still wet with the cement I used an action figure and pressed in footprints all along the road, they are hard to see in the pictures but they are there. I then lightly sprinkled the road with that fine soil turf to erode it some and sealed that. In the future I think I'd like to mix grades of Ballast for a better looking road but this works for now, since it is just a small area.

The road still had that fine sharp edge that dirt roads never have. So I used the ballast and the fine soil turf to erode the edges over the grassy area, so a little grass still poked through. I just sprinkled it on to get an uneven look, and then sealed it with the cement again.

At this point the grass portion was done enough that I could add my tree and some bushes. The bushes are lichen, Woodland Scenics brand natural color lichen no less, attached with Woodland Scenics Hob-e-Tac adhesive. This stuff is pretty cool. It starts out white and pasty, like plain old white Elmer's glue, after being exposed to air it will turn clear, but it doesn't dry so it stays nice and tacky. It works wonders for trees. Anyways, I attached several bushes with that.

My tree was fairly simple to make. I took a big wad of newspaper, taped it up with scotch tape in almost a cylindrical shape. This served as the core of my tree. I then used some galvanized steel wire and formed the trunk, the roots, and the branches out of it.  I wrapped it around my news paper to start so I had something to go off of. I left the core in there to help it hold its shape and strengthen it some. The tree is modeled after some of the trees that were seen on Dantooine in KOTOR, since that is the type of landscape we are looking for. So it has got the thick trunk and then five big branches coming off the top. I believe two or three of those split at the end into two parts. Once I had a frame built I covered the outside with Instant Paper Mache. The stuff looks great but it is quite messy and at first doesn't adhere too well, I didn't have the sheets either so that didn't help. But after fussing with it for a bit I got it all covered. Being rather inpatient I stuck it in the oven at 170 degrees F for a few hours to speed up the drying process. Once it was completely dry I painted the whole tree country tan, let that dry. Then I gave the whole thing a black wash and let that dry. Then I went back and dry-brushed it with a flesh tone.

Once the paint was dry I applied that Hob-e-Tac to all of the branches at let it set for about 15 minutes until it started to get clear. I used Woodland Scenics light green Foliage clusters for the leaves. They come in cubes and are kind of sponge like. You just tear them into uneven pieces and press they into the Hob-e-Tac. And it should stick right away.

I then used some Gorilla Glue to glue the tree to the base. It was kind of tricky but I found a way to weight it down. Then once the glue was dries I blended the edges in with an additional bush and more turf/static grass.

Then I wanted some longer grass, and this was actually really easy. I used Woodland Scenics Field Grass, both the Natural Straw and Harvest gold varieties. What you do is just take a little pinch of it with a cluster of strands, hold them at uneven lenghts and snip one side with sciscors so it is all even. Dip that end into some Hob-e-Tac and then press it into the ground on the dio and hold it in place for 5 seconds or so and then let it go. It's that easy. The Hob-e-Tac will turn clear and the grass will look like it grows up through the mat.

Just as a finishing touch I wante dto add some color so I added some wild flowers. So I used some Woodland Scenics purple flower foliage, tore off a few pieces stuck them on and sealed them with scenic cement.

I'm going to contact Woodland Scenics and see if they might be interested in sponsoring us, and might be able to hook us up with the landscaping materials for free. They are a Model Railroad company and that is their primary market. But I really think we could convince them they have a sizeable cross market in action figure dioramas, and this would be a great chance for them to get that market's attention.  :)

Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 9, 2006, 09:57 PM
Any Pics?
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: Ryan on October 9, 2006, 10:39 PM
Unfortunately no. I should have taken some WIPs but I forgot. But you can check out some of the How-to demo videos on the Woodland Scenics site. (http://www.woodlandscenics.com/index.htm)

As for continuity and seam covering which I know has been a big concern for some folks, and rightfully so. That is all really easy to do actually, especially with the mats. That being said I still am debating where we try to build it on site with pre-built trees, rocks, caves and whatnot or build it in two or three large pieces and transport it to LA, and then all we have to do once they arrive it piece them together and cover the seams. At this point the big thing I'm waiting on is how much time we actually get to set up. I'm thinking it's not going to be much more than a day, as I think that's what it was for C3. And I'm going to continue assuming that until we hear otherwise. And with that little time there is no way we can get it done. The dying time on the glues takes too long. And not gluing the stuff on is just asking for trouble. One little breeze or bump and we have to redo a large area of terrain. Plus it the gluing helps it set a bit and it doesn’t look like each layer is just sitting on top on the previous, as opposed to growing out from under it. Actually laying the stuff on there is really quick, but the glue takes almost 24 hours to dry completely and be completely clear. And I won't go for not covering the mats... it looks bush league IMO, it just looks incomplete.

I'm not knocking CHEIWE’s entry because I know how busy he has been with work and that he didn't get as much time as he would have liked to spend on it. But right now his looks like a really flat golf course green with some stuff just kind of sitting on top of it. Nothing on top seems to flow into the ground, the lichen included. It needs some elevation and layering of colors and textures. There is a gap between the rock and the ground that should not be there.

All that being said I'm with you in that I'd prefer to do it on site but if we don't have the time to do it right, we are going to pre-build it. Covering the seams between pieces will be really easy actually. With strategically placed dirt roads and natural boundaries we can make it seem like it is one piece. Another way is to have one piece with the grass matt coming about 1/2" short of the edge of the base it sits on and mat on the adjacent piece hanging of the edge by about 2 inches and then when we are putting them together we can trim it to an uneven shape and cover the edge of the mat with course turf, trees, rocks, bushes, etc. Or the dirt roads can sit right on top of seams. Once we have two pieces next to each other we cover the seam with masking tape just to cover the crack and the put the dirt or ballast right over top.

As for continuity goes if everyone uses the same stuff there will be no problems, and since I'm driving out to C4 I can get there early and be with the team that sets it up. If for some reason there are problems, we will have extras of all the materials to cover seams, fix discrepancies etc.

Hopefully we can get in Monday or Tuesday to start setting up in which case that is all a moot point and we will just build it all on site with various prefab-ed items such as trees and rocks and maybe some hills made from the grass mat with support underneath.

Until we find out what the deal is with the booth and how early we get in, we can't decide anything. Paul have you heard anything on that front yet?
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: BrentS on October 10, 2006, 09:38 AM
Ryan,
Thanks for such a great in depth tutorial.  I really need to print it out and study it next to the pics.  Your entry came out so good.  Between yours and Chewie's, I'm convinced that the base needs to be one of these "mats".  I totally agree with you that it is imparitive that we have enough changes in elevation to make it look believeable.  The elevation changes can still be quite subtle but they are necessary.  It sounds like that by using common materials we can strategically place seams and make this work.

I had a random thought last night.  We are going to have to be careful how big we make this.  It it is too big, how the heck to you "populate" the middle of the diorama.  We may be better off with a longer "thinner" diorama representing more of a slice of a planet.  Something that is 6-8 feet wide would be about as big as we could go don't you think??
Title: Re: UGP - Diorama Construction/Design Updated 9/8 With New Assignments
Post by: patreektherodian on October 11, 2006, 07:04 PM
If I sound energetic, it is because I think I found a question that has not been asked.

Big question!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will any of the of structures   have the interior exposed ?!?!?

reason: I have a some of the left over decal sheets used in Niub Niubs Death Star Diorama.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on October 25, 2006, 10:06 AM
I picked up some Woodland Scenics materials recently and have started to experiment.  I've got the base of a model built and just need to pick up some extra details to include.  I really like it!  I'll get some picture by this weekend (hopefully).

I haven't forgotten about my Cave yet but I was really impressed by Ryan's sample so I wanted to give it a go!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on October 25, 2006, 02:25 PM
Don't forget the power of spices

I used steak spice from the dollar store. For my canion scene.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on October 25, 2006, 03:36 PM
Silly question, but is there a chance something perishable (like steak spice) would attract bugs?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on October 25, 2006, 03:51 PM
Silly question, but is there a chance something perishable (like steak spice) would attract bugs?

I was originally going to use green tea as a grass base but I found Woodland scenics instead. I think you could use spices in the short term, but over long term I would think it would attract bugs...
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on October 25, 2006, 05:57 PM
Looking back I realized there have been a few samples I never commented publicly on... and I feel pretty bad about that, and don't think I'm doing a very good job as a team leader if I don't critique every submission.  So I'm going to go back through and cover what I have missed.  :-[

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/JoeRhyno/Star%20Wars/SW%20World/IMPtower007.jpg)

First off is Joerhyno's tower:

Joe for a first timer you really did a fantastic job. I really like the bunker type entrance and all the little greeblies you added to it. The radar dish and satellite dish on top look GREAT. The paneling on the sides of the bunker entrance looks pretty neat.

The tower itself though is kind of plain. I know my concept was too, that's why I added the window type vents and the riveted metal corners. I see you do plan on going back and add some vents or something to the tower which is good. It seems like you spent a whole lot of time on the entrance and the radar dish that you didn't really get to the tower itself. I'm not saying you need to add any of the details I had in my concept there, but it needs something. Perhaps you could extend the paneling/wires you have done down around the entrance there to cover the sides of the tower. I think that would help it flow together better, right now it almost feels as if the tower and the entrance are two separate buildings. The radar dish and the satellite dish up on top there are great but they bend in a little too much with the tower in my opinion. Perhaps you could paint them a slightly darker shade of grey so they stand out a little bit more. Other than that the detail and design looks great.

On the actual construction techniques, it looks like you found out masking tape doesn't work really well on the corners. Paint is a bitch like that, in that it will show every little imperfection you had prior to painting that you may not have even noticed. That being said leaving the foam edges exposed has a very similar effect as the foam absorbs paint differently than the paper that covers it, you will get two different shades of the color you painted on and it will be even more noticeable. The best way I've found to cover the corners is to use a piece of matboard. Rather than just covering the foam edge and having one little strip that is elevated from the rest of the wall, unless you can incorporate that into your design, I usually cover the entire side that has exposed edges with the matboard. Matboard is thick so scissors don't really work too well. The same utility knife that you would use for foamcore will work wonders though. You can get some really sharp precise cuts with it. Draw out the shape of the side you need to cover with matboard in the exact scale it needs to be then cut it out with the utility knife, using a metal straight edge wherever possible. Once it is cut you can glue it on with plain old white Elmer's glue. Be sure to weight it for the best adhesion. If the edges lift up you can just squirt a little more glue in the crack and hold it down for a bit and it should be fine. If any excess glue leaks out either wipe it off quickly or wait until it dries and cut it off with a knife. This technique may take a little longer, but in the end it will give you a far more professional looking piece.


(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid215/p79fa4c763f765fb3d26d9dd229b66387/ecbd2eea.jpg)

Next is Daigo-Bah's terrain piece. I don't know how I missed this one. :-[

Greg this really turned out very nicely. The ground is fantastic. Did you use sheets or the pulp? That type of dirt would be an excellent look for the ground if we had more time, the only concern I have is that you said it took four days to dry, which would end up being most of the convention if we build this on site. But I do really like how you were able to incorporate the logs and the moss into the ground as if they are growing out of it, or partially covered by it. The little ruins turned out great and that may be something we want to recreate for the final diorama. I can't quite decide on whether or not I like the leaves on the tree. I guess they could be that big, but is hard imagining that since I know where they come from in real life and they just seem out of scale. At the same time when I'm able to block out what they really are it looks great. So I'm still kind of on the fence about the tree. If we do go pre-built for the terrain, we may need to incorporate your ground technique into it.


(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/fung098.jpg)

Patreek somehow I forgot your canyon as well :-\

You really did a nice job on that canyon. I think that the revamped version better, it looks great. I really like the vegetation on the canyon walls you put there, it's a real nice touch. That dried up riverbed looks pretty cool. I love the cracked effect you have going on. Those purple berry bushes are excellent, that shot of the two-headed podrace announcer picking berries is perfect.  :)

Looking at the river bed it is pretty easy to pick out the hard line between the saw dust and the river bed itself. I think I would try to cover the edges a bit to try and fade that line out so the two surfaces blend into each other and feel more natural. If that canyon was cut by water erosion it wouldn't have so many sharp ledges and corners. I think that the technique you used for that rock you showed a page or two ago would have worked really well here to break up the edges a bit. If you can't really go back and change that now you could add a few big loose rocks in the canyon that have sharp edges as well that look like they may have broken off of the wall. I like the updated version with the grass on top, I think I would have given it less of a grey color though; right now it looks a little too rocky. But I like what you have going on with grass gradually fading to dirt and then the rock around the cliff face.

Everyone keep up the great work, stay tuned for another little assignment coming up in the next few days, in the mean time help with the website. :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on October 25, 2006, 08:25 PM
Thanks for the comments Ryan!  I don't want to speak for everyone, but I think we could all cut some slack on the job the leaders are doing.  I really think the whole purpose of this is to have fun showcasing our creations, and if we get too concerned about everything being perfect (as if this were a submission for a job) we would lose the fun aspect.

To answer about the instant papier mache', it was the pulp type.  The layer I put down was pretty thin, but it did take a few days for the "sponginess" of the terrain to dry out.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on October 25, 2006, 10:00 PM
Don't mean to bug ya but  any of the smells of any of the spices dies down after a while. Mixed with spray glue and paint, I have not had any problems with bugs and that is while I work outside in the garage. Just for me, I find it a lot cheaper and also more realistic than woodlant scenics ( which is of just shredded colored foam) But hey we can debate on an a lot of things till we are blue in the face. I don't mind working with anything.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on October 27, 2006, 11:38 PM
I used my newest diorama piece to show off some custom wookies in my other thread.   However, the diorama was actually created based off inspiration from Ryan's work.  Here are a few other shots:

I used the ready grass mat and created a few rolling hills.  I added some extra turf cover and then added some of the green grass features.  I'm going to finish the tree and then add some more stuff.  I'll clean up around the edges of the whole thing when I'm done.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/Group01.jpg)

Work in progress on a tree.  I used the tutorial that Roronn pointed out for a wire frame and its covered in plaster cloth strips.  Waiting for it to dry and then I'll add the "foliage"using Woodland Scenics stuff.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP_landscape01.jpg)

Here is a close up of the grass with a figure in the background.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/Grass01.jpg)


I have to agree with Ryan that I really think this Woodland Scenics stuff will be great for the diorama.  I'm not sure how well the trees will turn out but for the basic "floor" I think this stuff will be great.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on October 28, 2006, 11:42 PM
Very cool!! :D  I particularly like the tree. What if you did not add foliage to it? I like the knarlyness of it.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on October 30, 2006, 11:11 AM
What a cool set of wookies. They are very unique looking. The grassland and tree look great too. I can totally see this look between the city and mountain. The canyon would also be great as a path to the rebel mountain.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on October 30, 2006, 03:41 PM
Would you see that on the plateau of the canyion?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on November 2, 2006, 11:35 PM
Not my best pictures (needs more light) but you can get the idea:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/Jedi%20Temple/UGP-landscape01.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/Jedi%20Temple/UGP-landscape02.jpg)

I lost a lot of foliage during the drying process.  I need to figure out a better way to keep the folliage clumps to stick.  The Hob-e-tac is pretty good but you still need a little extra something I think.

The landscape isn't finished but I wanted to show a little incremental progress.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on November 3, 2006, 02:19 AM
Something to consider if you have a Big Lots around, they have X-Mas stuff out and there are some very nice wintery-decoed Pine Trees that would look good in this scale...  Just food for thought.  I think it was like $7 for 3 of varying size, but all 3 fairly large.  Cheap and easy to use.

There is also a set of sidewalk/cobblestone walk for like $1 a piece or a set or something...  Very cheap, very realistic.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on November 4, 2006, 05:13 PM
Looking good Brent. The little subtle elevation changes really sell it in my opinion. Even without any big hills the tiny changes in elevation really give it a realistic feel. I like the large grass clumps you've got there too. All the clusters on mine are smaller than that. I like the effect the big clumps have. That tree looks pretty good as well. I like the smaller tree. I think we are going to want to have a few different kinds of trees in the final product. How long did that one take to make? I agree on the Hob-e-Tac, at first it was great, but in the month since I've finished mine a few clumps have fallen off my tree. I can stick them back on and they will hold for a few days but it seems to be the same little clump that keeps falling off, for the most part all the clumps stay on fine though.  Did you mix any coarse turf on top of your grass mat? It looks a little thicker and layered than the mat normally would be by itself.

I like the color scheme you've got there, we should decide sometime soon if we want a green color like yours or a more yellow color like mine.

Something to consider if you have a Big Lots around, they have X-Mas stuff out and there are some very nice wintery-decoed Pine Trees that would look good in this scale... Just food for thought. I think it was like $7 for 3 of varying size, but all 3 fairly large. Cheap and easy to use.

There is also a set of sidewalk/cobblestone walk for like $1 a piece or a set or something... Very cheap, very realistic.


Thanks for the tip Jesse. I'll have to check it out next time I'm near a Big Lots. Do they have anything besides winter deco trees? I suppose they could alwyas be painted to cover the snow. Even as is they make work well in large clusters of other trees, just to vary up the landscape a bit.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on November 4, 2006, 05:21 PM
hmm ryan, I'll stop by tomorrow and see if there are any at all in our area, if so I'll get a few and give you a heads up.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on November 5, 2006, 12:12 AM
Ryan,
Thanks for the "props".   To answer a few of your questions.

The tree took probably 5-6 hours total.  I made the wire frame in about 45 minutes (since it was my first time).  I then covered all the wire with the plaster cloth (very time consuming, probably 2 hours).  It took a day to dry.  I think painted the tree with "vermin brown" and then Brown Ink wash. (~ 45 mins).  Waited for it to dry.  Attached layer one of the the Foliage using the Hob-e-tac.  I had to wait for those to dry overnight.  Then I attached layer two.  In the meantime, I let the tree dry for several days.  Many of the foliage still fell off (grumble).  I used a combination of Hob-e-tac and spray cement to attach the tree to the base.  Its glued down but its not super sturdy (it would never survive shipping).

Grass Mat - I used the rolled up newspaper trick to create the "rolling" terrain.  The problem with mine is that I didn't put a flat base of grass mat down first.  I just sort of crinkled up the whole thing.  It really makes the edges difficult.

Turf - I did mix a few different turf types that I got in my landscape beginners kit.  I'm not done adding turf too it.

Tall grass - I think the tall grass should be the staple of the Dantooine type environment.  Its the image that sticks out the most in my mind.  It seemed to attach relatively easily with the Hob-e-tac.  The downside is that it really does need 24 hours to dry.

Color scheme - nothing personal but I think the colors I picked out remind me more of Dantooine than the yellowish color you've got.  However, since I'm colorblind, I'll defer to others greater wisdom :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on November 8, 2006, 03:09 AM
Ryan, I don't recall anything but pine-ish trees for the holiday sets they go with, but the 3 or 4 tree set is pretty nice...  If you guys have a "mountain" area it's worht a look at these, or you could try stripping the white coatings off them, or just repaint them green over the white...  All options.

Lots of good holiday bits though I think.  Also if I may make a suggestion, the small pre-wired lighted pieces have lots of uses in dioramas.  From lighting homes, to street lamps, to landing pad lights, to spotlights on a vehicle (AT-AT's had them for instance), etc... 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on December 1, 2006, 07:00 PM
Just wanted to say that I am still in and waiting to be told what to do (I'm a follower).  Because of the lack of action going on I will wait t'ill somebody tells me what to do. Don't get me wrong I still have faith but the clock is ticking. When can I get some dimensions of the landscape to work with?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on December 2, 2006, 09:56 PM
As soon as I get them and can come up with a floorplan. ;)

I've been tinkering with a few plans based on how much space  we will be getting based on booth size estimates, but so far I haven't had one that I'm satisfied with. If anyone else would like to draw up some blueprint ideas feel free, complete with actual measurements. Try and use Glassman's concept art as a starting point, and remeber to be sure to leave room for one or two us to sit.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on December 4, 2006, 10:06 AM
Where the heck is Glass' at these days anywho? :-\
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on December 4, 2006, 11:35 AM
I'm still here.

Ryan, post your ideas. they may help spark some more ideas from others or you could get
good suggestions on refining your ideas.
I was thinking of the same thing about dimensions and was trying to lay a grid over the project.

 (http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/Customs/juddelulos-grid.jpg)

I gave the space port alot of room since ships take up more space.
remeber each square is 2' x2' so we can massage it a bit to allow more or less space to certain areas.

plus room to stand...not sit.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on December 4, 2006, 07:13 PM
I bet we could fit some little folding chairs in there, the kind you use for the 4th O'july, But this looks good, I think as far as layout this is nice, and the most feesible
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on December 4, 2006, 11:17 PM
Not to be a jerk, but will 2' wide be enough for the space port? Seems most ships are about 2' long...

Actually, how many ships have we got anyway? And will there be a space post building/tower ? Sorry if this is covered somewhere - I'm kinda late to the game  :-[

Oh, and can we sit in chairs just on the out side of the booth?

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on December 5, 2006, 10:47 AM
I like the layout.  However, I think we need think about compressing the booth even a bit more.  I'd be worried about taking up the full 10'   The other thing to consider, we need to be able to set up the whole booth too.  If we don't have room "around" the whole 10x10 area I don't think we can set up the back parts.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on December 5, 2006, 11:35 AM
2 very good points from both pen and brent

So do we do a 9 x 9 layout? 
Shave off half a foot on each side. 

Pen, ships can sort of hang off the edge as long as the landing gear is on the 2' piece. then if you turn them diagonaly like parking, you could get longer ones there.
Baby's crying..i'll be back


Also, in my initial sketches, i had inlcuded some towers and and a gatweay into the city from the spaceport.
And back to pen's question, The hasbro millenium falcon is about 2' long. So i cant see us making any ships bigger than that,

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on December 9, 2006, 02:59 PM
I definately like the layout and how the people can walk into almost the center of the dio. Thinking a 9x9 dio is probably the best considering the number of active people we have on this project it should be enough for each of us. Lets make a list of what buildings we want to create and place them on this grid. Then we can assign a building with certain dimensions to each of us.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on December 28, 2006, 03:11 PM
Layout has been modified. to a 9x9 layout.

Check the art/concept thread for updated illustrations for the resume' ( if its not too late :( )
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on January 2, 2007, 01:38 AM
I'M STILL WAITING FOR APROX DIMENSIONS FOR WHAT i HAVE COMMITED TO!  I HAVE ONE WEEK OF VACATION LEFT TO GET STARTED. JUST GIVE ME # OF RAVINES AND SIZES THAT CAN BE PLOPPED ON THIS 9X9 DIO. OTHERWISE  I MIGHT HAVE TO DEFFECT TO NIUB NIUB'S EXPO AT C4. oH BUY THE WHAY I HAVE SOME INSIDER NEWS ABOUT HIM BUT MUM IS THE WORD.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on January 2, 2007, 10:11 AM
Real big! but I will wait t'ill he anounces it on his site.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on January 2, 2007, 01:34 PM
DAMN!!!!!!!

Tellllllllllllllllll mmmmeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

*I must know!*
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on January 2, 2007, 02:27 PM
Looking forward to hearing what the news is going to be... hmmm...?

Also Patreek, sorry that we haven't been able to verify dimensions.  I think we've kind of had our hands tied as of late because we don't know 100% for sure if we are going to have the table.  We don't have the "influence" I guess that Niub Niub has, since he's already been able to announce officially what he's doing.

For number of ravines/etc, I don't know how many will fit.  How big are each ravine that you make?

 ;)

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on January 2, 2007, 03:23 PM
Ok. Here is what needs to be done. A map of the city needs to be drawn out on a grid. Each building needs to be identified and how many grid squares its going to take. After we are happy with the listing of buildings, we will assign each building to someone. I know Glassman wants to do the large sail-like tower for the center.

I think Glassman is working on the mapping right now.

As I stated in another thread, the large tower should be at the back of the dio. Since we are sure we will have a backwall, we can create a forced perspective background so the tower looks like its in the center of the dio instead of just the back.

We could also setup above the model a series of pvc pipes that we will use to suspend micromachine ships from to give more scale and a feeling of traffic.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on January 3, 2007, 02:28 AM
There's a GOOD likelihood you'll have a backwall to work with too, so a roll-out background definitely is a good idea to consider, Paul.  Something to give some extended depth to the scene.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on January 3, 2007, 10:34 AM
Maybe, the background could include all the terrain we couldnt fit.  Mountains, an extended spice mine.
Since it will be in perspecticve. it could go on forever.... ;D

Seriously. We could include an atmosphere, skyline with more cities/mining towns, I'll get to work, Anyone have/know someone who has a large format printer??

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on January 3, 2007, 05:50 PM
Glass, I do but I don't THINK it prints color...  I'll ask though.

What I'd look into if I were you is seeing what Kinko's even might be able to do if you format it.  You'd be amazed what they can get done for you.  I print out meshes and stuff for custom vehicles routinely, and full size or even overscaled for detailing.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on January 6, 2007, 10:14 PM
The big news was that Niub Niub now works for ILM!!!!  I knew firts ha ha ha.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on February 22, 2007, 11:42 PM
A while ago we had discussed more in depth about the Dantooine feel to it.  check out this link -

http://www.starwarsknights.com/images/Dantooine_1280.jpg

It's of a tree that is within a city wall.

Now, check out what is being made by Scheich -

(http://www.schleich-s.de/cms_schleich/cms_bilder/detail/30655.jpg)

But the darn tree won't be available until May.  If it were available now, I'd buy a few.  I'm pretty sure they are at least 10 inches tall, cost about $30.00 each (not cheap but I'd buy them).... Grrr.... anyone think they could make something like that on their own?

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on February 24, 2007, 08:03 PM
Alright Dio team, be checking your PMs. Assignments are going out in the next few days here. :)

Patreek, I just sent you yours. I included the blueprints for your cliffs. your due date, and all the specifications.

If anyone of you have any requests to do a certain structure or if you have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on February 24, 2007, 08:12 PM
A while ago we had discussed more in depth about the Dantooine feel to it.  check out this link -

http://www.starwarsknights.com/images/Dantooine_1280.jpg

It's of a tree that is within a city wall.

Now, check out what is being made by Scheich -

(http://www.schleich-s.de/cms_schleich/cms_bilder/detail/30655.jpg)

But the darn tree won't be available until May.  If it were available now, I'd buy a few.  I'm pretty sure they are at least 10 inches tall, cost about $30.00 each (not cheap but I'd buy them).... Grrr.... anyone think they could make something like that on their own?

 :P

I'm pretty sure I could make several of those trees.   Do we have any recommendations for sizes?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on February 25, 2007, 02:05 PM
I don't know about the size, I'd say anywhere from 8-10 inches tall?  If you could make something like that, awesome.

Also here are dimensions of a couple of things that I have -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/022507ugp.jpg)

The Turbo Laser is something Owen is working on right now, measurements will most likely be about 7 inches x 7 inches for width and length - height, anywhere from 12 inches to 18 inches.

For the Imperial Tower, is is shaped more or less like a triangle.  So I measured the length of each of the sides - approximately 13 inches on each side.

 :P 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on February 26, 2007, 11:32 AM
Oh yeah - by the way here's what that tower looks like again, which is two feet tall.  It's about 90% complete, I have to do some more detail painting, add just a "touch" of weathering and then seal it.

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/011706tower.jpg)

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on February 26, 2007, 06:55 PM
I still think that tower's incredible, Chewie.  I'm going to start my structure in a couple weeks and send it with a couple more figs to MP.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on February 26, 2007, 07:09 PM
This may sound like a stupid question but, is there a door?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on February 26, 2007, 08:07 PM
Just my opinion

 I love the tower but I see it on top off a more functinal building (IE to scale with figures that could fit figures inside )
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on February 26, 2007, 11:41 PM
Thanks Dagobah.  And it's pretty simple - this is only a repaint of a DC Heros Tower playset.  You can find them at Big Lots for $20.00 each.  There's not a door on it, but there are some "play features" that open up on it, but I think they're a bit funky.  I just leave it as it is with them all closed up.  There's no door on it.  If you guys don't want this in the UGP, that's totally fine, doesn't matter to me.  I do think it makes for some good filler though.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on February 27, 2007, 01:30 AM
I'm thinking I need to make a trip to Big Lots...  Some interior work could help it become a nice industrial piece.  Interesting.  Never seen that before...

Anyway I knwo my random thoughts are OT there, so basically I think it's decent for filler too.  Looks very Industrial to me.  Not livable...  Industrial.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on February 27, 2007, 03:04 AM
Good filler sore sure. I think it will fit in nicely somewhere in the city. Maybe we could try and come up with something else for the tower though? Like Jesse was saying it looks great as an industrial piece. But as far as the Imperial tower goes maybe we should try some thing that looks like it could be a command center of some sort?

Or something like Patreek suggested could be cool too.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on February 27, 2007, 09:45 AM
Have we decided on a color-scheme and a wall-texture for the various buildings yet?  I've sketched out a design for an open air cantina in the market area.  I'm going to try to build the base structure this weekend and need to decide how to texture it. 

Also, any general tips that you'd prefer for basic building size?  I can see a 7 x 9' area filling up very very fast with buildings.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on February 27, 2007, 07:06 PM
Would my test dio be needed for outside the city walls?  I'm not going to need it, and maybe it can fit between some trees or something:

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid215/p79fa4c763f765fb3d26d9dd229b66387/ecbd2eea.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 1, 2007, 11:47 AM
Greg - we'll have to wait for Ryan to chime in on your test piece. 


I started working on some trees last night.  All of the cores and the armature wiring is finished.  I'm going to plaster them up and paint them this weekend.  I'll post pictures then.  We can decide if they are usuable and how many more we'd want.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 1, 2007, 02:57 PM
I love that piece Daigo-Bah, it's beautiful.  But I really don't see how we can piece things like that together.  I'm afraid the whole landscape is going to look like there was a massive earthquake and different pieces of land are crunched up together.  I wish we could do just one large piece of the landscape, with a basic material base and add on the trees, bushes, cliffs, etc. on site.  I think that's the only way the landscape will appear uniform.  If we can't do that... crap.  I honestly don't see how the land will look right at all. 

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on March 1, 2007, 05:48 PM
**** my god damn internet. I just spent 45 minutes typing up a real nice reply to the last few posts and it is so sporatic I lost it. I clicked on post, it said 'cannot find page', and i clicked refresh a few times and got nothing. I clicked back a my whole post was gone. If I have time I'll repost it later tonight. >:(
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 1, 2007, 06:31 PM
**** my god damn internet. I just spent 45 minutes typing up a real nice reply to the last few posts and it is so sporatic I lost it. I clicked on post, it said 'cannot find page', and i clicked refresh a few times and got nothing. I clicked back a my whole post was gone. If I have time I'll repost it later tonight. >:(

LMAO (sorry)!   ;D   :-*

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 1, 2007, 07:14 PM
... said 'cannot find page', and i clicked refresh a few times and got nothing. I clicked back a my whole post was gone. If I have time I'll repost it later tonight. >:(

That sucks...
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 6, 2007, 12:36 PM
Any update on your thoughts Ryan?

BTW, I bought the insulation foam over the weekend, going to try and start working on the wall this weekend.  Of course my wife is all over me as I need to be working on our basement and baby room too.  I hope this will be an easy material to work with!

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Darth_Anton on March 7, 2007, 09:39 AM
I just wanted to chime in and say how cool everything was looking so far. I finally got to get caught up and I love what I'm, seeing.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: NiubNiub on March 7, 2007, 08:55 PM
Daigo-bah rock entrance diorama is indeed awsome looking.
if it doesnt fit together with the rest of the dioramas, bring it for display seperately along with the other single smaller dioramas

too nice not to show off.

Niuib
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on March 9, 2007, 08:17 PM
Thanks Frank!  Nice of you to say!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on March 12, 2007, 03:32 PM
Things look like they are definately shaping up. Very cool stuff Daigo-Bah and Chewie.

How close are we on Patreek's Cliffs? Due date is in 5 days.  :o
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 12, 2007, 04:52 PM
Well things took over this weekend to where I couldn't work on the wall like I wanted.  To have the space I need to really cut it/measure it right, I need to do it on my driveway, and it was too wet out Saturday.  I'm sure when the neighbors see I'm out doing that, they'll think it's actually for my house. ;D

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 13, 2007, 09:13 AM
I've got two of the trees sculpted and ready to be painted... I should be able to get them finished this weekend (I think).  My entire month of April is much much much better than Feb and Mar has been.  All of my free time will be devoted to UGP stuff.

I've got some good ideas on how to crank out the little 6" x 8" "shacks" as well. 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 18, 2007, 02:56 PM
I started on the wall today... it's not going to be easy at all.  It's probably going to look mostly like a stone wall, with bits of technology included in it.  I  just don't have know-how to use styrene for this (or the funds), have too many problems with foamcore in making things match up, etc.  So I am using the insulation foam for this. 

I've got it cut into 5 walled sections, and am seeing how bad this stuff frays up on the edges.  So I am attempting to smooth it out some... I'm thinking the tops of the walls will be somewhat rounded off like a smooth triangle instead of sharp angles.  Also I do have I think a pretty good idea for the gate that will be easy to do, and should look ok.

I'll try and have this finished up in the next week or so, that way if you guys don't like it hopefully there will be time to make another one or someone else who is better at this sort of thing can give it a shot.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on March 18, 2007, 04:32 PM
Keep it simple .  What about some vines from the dollar store?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on March 18, 2007, 09:33 PM
Ugh sorry about that delay. Midterms were last week so my brain was pretty much fried and I was running on very little sleep. Spring Break was this week, and I didn't really want to be around the computer much at all.


Anyways,

It actually would be possible to incorporate Greg's structure, fairly easily too. It would be fairly time consuming though. I had typed up a whole tutorial on how we would go about it if it were something we wanted to do, but it I think honestly would take too long, considering we only have a month and a half now. As far as the terrain goes, I have it covered. I was originally going to break it up, but because Brent and CHEWIE are the only other people with experience working with WS (that I know of that is) and both are too limited on time to really get a significant piece built. So I'm just going to tackle the whole base myself, with the exception of Patreek's cliffs and Brent's trees. Brent if you could just keep cranking out trees over the next month that'd be fantastic. Depending on the size/style you are making, we will need between 8 and 20. The thicker Dantooine type will take up more space so we won't need as many, but a nice little grove of them will really help cover some seams up. I liked the thin tree on your sample, maybe you could whip up a few of those too. If you are feeling like you are running out of time I may be able to make a few as well. Feel free to come up with some other kinds too as long as they aren't too wild and alien looking, IE not bright yellows, reds, pinks, blues, blacks, whites, etc. If anyone else would like to make a few trees you are more than welcomed to it. Just try and make at least two of the same kind so we don't have one lone tree of any certain variety amidst a bunch of others. Trees should be between 5" and 12" tall. They do need to be able to stand, we have glue on site but that may not be enough for some of the bigger trees. So if you want you can build in a peg to the bottom. A nail, screw, or a small dowel would work, don't make it much longer than 1" though. We can drill a small whole into the base at the setup and stick the peg in the whole for added support. And then we will touch up the base with WS turf products to blend them into the ground so they look like they are actually growing out of the ground. I've got the rest covered as far as prefab goes.  :)

Here is what I have so far. It is a rather crappy picture, I rushed them and they all came out blurry save for this one which was at a bad angle. This is the front 2' x 2' piece of the terrain. It is still incomplete and needs more layering, as well as bushes, and Brent's trees. I'm going to clean up the edges too, so the blue foam isn't visible and it looks more professional.

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/tn_PICT0919.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/PICT0919.JPG)

Other than the terrain we are of course left with the city. The city will be built on a platform of sorts. This will set it up to the level of the terrain. For the city floor we are going to be using 12" x 12" stone tiles from Lowe's or Home Depot. These should give us a nice uniform Imperial looking floor. We will also be able to return most of them to the store after we are done with them so they are essentially free. :) With the exception of the ones that will be cut in half of course. They are 1/4" thick however, so they won't be thick enough on their own. Underneath we are going to use two layers of 3/4" thick particle board. I guess Phruby or whoever you local put in charge of this can get some thing else, as long as the total thickness is 1.5” not including the tile. The seam between the terrain and the city will be covered by the city wall. The seam should sit right under the middle of it.  Here’s a quick cutaway of what I mean:

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/tn_FloorCutAway.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/FloorCutAway.jpg)

Glassman’s new layout looks great but for simplicity sake we are going to go with something more along the lines of mine, with a denser, more random city area, like in his mockup. The curved walls aren’t going to be easy to make, especially with the foam that Justin hasn’t settled on. That and I had already assigned Patreek his cliffs based off my design and started to design up the rest for myself. Curved tiles are not easy to make unless you have the right tools and plenty of experience cutting tile. I had wanted my city to have more density much like his, but it didn’t end up that way. Part of the reason mine had fewer buildings was because I wasn’t sure how many builders we would have who would be willing to build multiples. And I wanted to make sure we could at least fill up the space, even if the roads were fairly large.

As for the buildings I’ve decided on a concrete(ish) and steel mix for the color/design scheme. I say concrete(ish) because we need to add some kind of twist to it to make it interesting. The stone fleck paint Jesse suggested in the Concept thread could work. Against my better judgment here I’m going to give much more leeway than I had originally intended, in the way of individual construction and design of the buildings. If we had been guaranteed space back in October/November, we really could have done this right, and had a perfectly laid out city that was better designed and built. Since we don’t have that kind of time I’m going to allow more freedom in design of individual buildings, with the exception of some basic color standardization. You guys will have your choice of any material to build your buildings as long as it looks like concrete when it is painted. I think as far as paint regular paint. We need to make sure we have enough of each or it will look very unbalanced. When designing your buildings try and give them an old future look, i.e. having a technologically advanced door on and adobe type building. Be sure to look through the various sketches in the Concept thread for ideas on your buildings. Also look back through this thread for ideas too. Feel free to come up with your own ideas too as long as they fit the given size requirements.

I’ll have a complete assignment list in the next few days, hopefully tomorrow. If it isn’t up you all are welcome to start on a 6” x 8” shack, or a little vendor booth for the open-air market. The booths should be about 4.5" x 3" in size. These little booths will offer the most creative freedom as they don’t have to be built to match the rest of the town. They can be selling fruit, vegetables, trinkets, guns, or about anything else you can think of.

Let me know if anyone has any questions, or problems with anything I posted.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 19, 2007, 12:38 AM
Ryan,
I think your terrain looks outstanding.  I also think the cross-section of the diorama is a great idea to make sure people know what we are dealing with.

A few things from me.  I've started two trees so far.  These are BIG trees.  Here is a WIP shot:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/UGPTrees.jpg)

I tried to model these after the trees that picture taht Chewie showed.  I need to clean up the trunks a little bit to hide some of the seams in the plastic cloth.  After that, the plan is to paint the trunks with various browns and add clump foliage to the upper branches and where the wires are still sticking out.  How does those look?  How many trees this style do you think you'd want?  I'll put a screw in the bottom of them so that they can be attached to through the mat and into the Polystyrene.  You may need to add some clump foliage around parts of it.

As far as buildings.  I've got a good idea for cranking out several of the 6" x 8" dwellings.  I'm going to use 2" thick Polystyerne and glue posterboard to the edges and spray with the textured paint.  Add some SW style doors and some technolgy and it should look outstanding. 

Now the downside, I've got another major project at home that will tie me up the next 2 weeks.  I've got all of April lined up for UGP stuff so I can certainly crank out as many trees and those 6 x 8 buildings as you want.  If you need me to do some other things too, I'll do my best.  However, we are really going to need to muster the troops and get some people making buildings!!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 19, 2007, 12:48 AM
You two ROCK!!! WOW!!!  I can really see things coming together, whoooooooo-hoooooooo!!!!!

(http://www.princeroy.org/HomerGP15.gif)

Ryan, thank you for taking on the landscape.  I can't express how much nicer it will be with you doing that!  You're great at it, and now we lose the fear of there being an inconsistent base for it.  Wow!

Brent, I just about fell out of my chair when I saw those trees!  Those look great so far, very very impressive.

Patreek - good idea on vines... I might try to do something like that.  But, I did get a LOT done on the wall today.  I think I might need to make a few more sections that are shorter in lenth to give the "on site" team flexibility to move the walls around on site to see what really works best.  The gate, I think will look cool... it's very simple. but I think it will look like a logical type of gate.  I have a lot of painting to do on the wall, at least 5 coats of paint I'm thinking, and am going to seal it after each coat.  That should help keep it from chipping/breaking apart on the edges.


Great work guys... great work!

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on March 19, 2007, 08:10 AM
Got the cliffs done. I just need to touch up the rock formations and figure how I'm going to ship it.

 here they are.

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/clif001.jpg)

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/clif005.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on March 19, 2007, 08:27 AM
That is beautiful, Patreek!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on March 19, 2007, 12:29 PM
Nice job on the terrain so far Ryan! This stuff is really coming together.

Brent, those Baobab trees look amazing, a group of Baboons would look right at home in that if you ever did safari type dios.

Patreek, OMG those cliffs looks great, one thing I thing would look better is use that melt and pour plastic water stuff, to make that waterfall pop.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 19, 2007, 12:35 PM
Wow Patreek, great work on the cliffs... they look awesome!  The waterfall is nice... I think that I spot a section of pink insulation foam in there... or am I wrong?  Even if the waterfall were converted into a rock section it would still look great.  Awesome, simply awesome work man.

For shipping what I would suggest is carefully wrapping each piece in a plastic trash bag, then putting them into a large box with a few plastic baggies squeezed in to protect the contents.  At least it will be lightweight, so shipping shouldn't cost TOO much I hope.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on March 19, 2007, 12:44 PM
WOW! These are fantastic! Those cliffs look like real rock. It would be cool to have a real working waterfall. Maybe your could take a part a battery operated table top fountain?

I love those trees Brent and the landscape looks great! This is really happening is it? The world is really coming together. My hat is off to you guys. We need to show these pictures on the front pages of Yak and JD to get more people over here to help out.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on March 19, 2007, 01:18 PM
Thanks i feel relieved from the feedback.

Please dont post that pic. Let me send you better ones. The blue is just an indication of where the fake water falls are going. Ryan is the one doing the water so ask him about real water.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 19, 2007, 04:27 PM
Patreek - I LOVE the cliffs.  Outstanding work.  I like how this project is starting to show some life and come together!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on March 19, 2007, 11:03 PM
Just wanted to let you guys know what I will be doing at C IV. I am teaming up with Niub on a little side project. In the last few months I have been experimenting with rubber molds and plastic castings. I've made 5 models of Ewok figures so far. My goal is to make 200. Fans will be able to pic and paint an Ewok and display it in the Ewok Village. Fans will pick up their figure on the last day (Monday).  Niub showed these pics to ILM and they are going to feature these pics on Star Wars .com

Here they are

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/Marley655-1.jpg)
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/Marley654-1.jpg)
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/Marley653.jpg)
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/Marley656.jpg)
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/Marley659.jpg)
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/patreektherodian/Marley658.jpg)


Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 20, 2007, 09:23 AM
Sweetness!!  I love the ewoks, very nice.  I'm definitely going to do one of those.  However, I may need someone from the UGP to help me out on Monday for shipping it home  ;)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on March 20, 2007, 09:50 AM
Very cool. These will look great in the Endor diorama. It's funny starwars.com showing off effectively 'bootleg' ewoks to help hipe C4. I'm sure Hasbro must be thrilled.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on March 20, 2007, 10:45 AM
I've already looked into the issue of bootleg. As long as I don't sell them
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 22, 2007, 11:37 PM
Update on the city wall - I got to thinking, and changed the material on the wall from insulation foam to wood.  I went to Lowes, bought some stuff, and did a lot of cutting and nailing pieces together tonight.  It will cost more to ship, but ultimately it will be a lot more durable and I can put more detail into it I think.  I don't have the best tools in the world and cutting it with a hacksaw was a pain in the ass... but I think it will be better off that way.

Here's what the layout is looking like right now - I really hope this is ok with you guys -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/032307wall.jpg)

The bars on the gate will be removable, and will actually be about 36 inches long, just 26 inches will show if the dimension is squeezed into 6 feet.  Of course it could be stretched out too.

Now... IF I have time, I'll add an option center piece that can stand as a tower between the two walls, and connect the gate - that way one gate could be open, another closed.  I don't want to commit to that though, but if I can get to it I will.  Right now I'm still in the process of finishing my basement and the baby room so time's limited.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on March 25, 2007, 12:46 AM
Question: Does the city have a name?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on March 25, 2007, 03:01 PM
Hmmm, I don't think so.... Just a name for the Planet :-\
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on March 25, 2007, 03:41 PM
How about     Ugpipolis   or Ugpapolis or Ugpanapolis (memories ov C3)?   LOL  :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on March 25, 2007, 04:55 PM
Sure if you can pronouce it for me at C4.  ;D ;)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on March 25, 2007, 05:54 PM
I was just joking but it would be pronounounced

UUHHG panapolis.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on March 25, 2007, 06:05 PM
 ;D

Oo'j Papolis
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on March 26, 2007, 12:46 PM
How about Niub.  ;)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on March 26, 2007, 12:58 PM
;D

Oo'j Papolis


Etamitlu?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 26, 2007, 01:05 PM
Any thoughts on the layout of the wall guys?  Are you ok with it?

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on March 26, 2007, 01:40 PM
Any thoughts on the layout of the wall guys?

Looks good in the sketch, Justin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on March 26, 2007, 06:41 PM
Any thoughts on the layout of the wall guys?  Are you ok with it?

 :P

To be honest, sort of the thickness and the height, I don't think it is going in the right direction so far.  :-\

I think that the gate may be a bit too large. 26 inches is quite large considering that wall is only 34 inches wide. But I think at the moment that is the least of our concerns. 

Which brings me to my next point... 72 inches won't even be enough wall to cordon off one side of the city. It will only go up in a straight line. Considering the blueprint that I drew this won't work. It won't cover the triangle section that I've made to add more terrain. Not to mention it makes for more city buildings to build, which is the my big concern right now. And more importantly none of the terrain I've made so far will even work with a straight wall. The edges of both pieces are all 1/4" too tall. I was fading the height so it is tall outside the city but as it reaches the wall it is the right height. The wall won't even be able to stand correctly as it is now. Not to mention the path to the gate would be way off, as would a lot of the little hills I've placed. I would almost have to start over on the terrain, something I don't have time or money to do. Considering I've already spent at least $200 on terrain materials already.

The wall needs to look the way I originally drew it up. I hate to sound like a dick, I'm not trying to, it's just that we have a lot riding on the wall and it really needs to be done correctly. Including the back wall (red on this new BP) which is  6' 10". That wall is crucial so we cant leave it off, but I do realize that it won't be cheap so we can compromise there easily. The back wall can be made out of 1/2" thick foamcore instead of 4" thick wood. Just cut the foam core to be the same height as the rest of the wall, cover the foam center with posterboard, and paint it like you did the rest of the wall. We can attach it to the backdrop so it really serves more as a piece of the backdrop than the rest of the wall. It will just help it pop a bit. This will look better than the background itself could, because it adds a bit of depth. Go ahead and make that in as many pieces as you'd like as long as 6' 10" is the total length.

And as for the rest of the wall, it still ends up being only 100 inches total. I drew up a diagram of the exact sizes various pieces need to be. Now if you want you can go ahead and break each of those pieces, A, B, and C, into smaller segments. But they need to be able to be arranged in that order. If you do break them up be sure to label them somehow so we know how they go together when they are being assembled. Those three 45˚ angle cuts are critical. All those measurements are rounded to the nearest 100th of an inch, do your best to get them close to that. I did leave off the gate on there as well. Go with whatever you feel is a good size. I do feel 26" is too large, and I wouldn't have it much bigger than 16" if I were making it. My reasoning behind that is that it takes up a huge portion of the bordering terrain there and makes it hard to really put anything there ahead of time. I'll let you decide on the gate size there, just don't go too big with it.

You should be able to incorporate the sections you are already working on into this if you break up the 3 main pieces, so hopefully this doesn't add too much more work.

Here is the wall diagram with all the measurements you need. The height is still the same as you had it, as is the thickness. Let me know if any of that was confusing, or if you have any questions.

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/tn_wall.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/wall.jpg)


Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 26, 2007, 07:21 PM
I have to admit I'm pretty concerned now regarding the wall.  I had not planned on there being a back wall section.  I thought that the "back wall" section was being taken up by a backdrop.  I am wondering if a backdrop is 100% necessary now?  Also I thought that a 72 inch wall would eat up one side (6 feet) as the dimensions to my knowledge were 6 feet x 9 feet.

I do not know when the latest dimensions of this were drawn up -

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/wall.jpg)

I'm concerned that if the wall is jagged like in the diagram, how will the tiles be laid out then, how would they follow that pattern?  Somewhere I saw a picture in one of these threads that was a recent one that showed the approximate thickness of each section - I can't find the pic now, it was what I was going off of.  I understood it to be that the actual wall was being converted into just one long strip. 

My problem is that I can't just cut apart what I've done already into sections.  I don't have the necessary tools to do so, and don't have the money to buy a nice saw, and if the walls have to be a perfect 45 degree angle on the cuts, I can't get that done right in time with what I have.  I'm not a carpenter and did not foresee the wall to need such precision - I had thought that the wall could be modular all along, and that if it needed to be rearranged some it could be done on site. 

I am either going to have to start the whole wall from scratch or see if someone can take this over.  The insulation foam will not work for such a wall, it's just too fragile/no way that sharp angles can be made with it (and I have my doubts with foamcore as well).  It looks like I've got a pretty big problem here because I have got to prioritize a baby coming first - I have worked on the wall now for at least 12 hours of time, and thought that I was close to having it nearly ready but now it looks like this is not the case... I have to get started on the baby room this weekend and I am getting carpet installed/finishing my basement next week, and am getting nervous as hell that I'm not going to have the wall to the standard that is wanted. 

As for the thickness, what if the wall was only two inches thick, would that be ok? 

- OR -

Could we modify it to look like this -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/032607wall.jpg)

If I can modify it to be like the second diagram without all the angles, I can still get this done on time.  If the angles need to be 45 degrees, I can tell you that I'm not going to be able to get it done correctly with what I have... If someone has a suggestion or an idea on what to do, please post your thoughts.  I think that wood is the best way to go with this, even though shipping what adds up to about a 14 foot wall is going to be tough.

Thank you!



Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 26, 2007, 08:46 PM
UPDATE - Ryan, Kevin and I just had a discussion through AIM - working through how to get this done.

EDIT - looks like Ryan just posted the same thing.   ;)

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on March 26, 2007, 08:46 PM
CHEWIE, Famine, and I are discussing this online at the moment, I'll post my thoughts later. ANd Phruby keep an eye on your PMs.

In the mean time Patreek check your PMs, I sent you one in regards to your cliffs...
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on March 26, 2007, 09:25 PM
Master Phruby please read my pm.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 27, 2007, 01:15 AM
Although I understand the way I was doing the wall isn't to specifications, I figured I would give a glimpse at what I was doing.

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/032707wall1.jpg)

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/032707wall2.jpg)

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/032707wall3.jpg)

It was 100% constructed from wood. I had only actually made about 4 feet of the wall to this point.

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 27, 2007, 01:34 AM
Ryan - I got to looking at the pieces some more that I've already made.  I think that what you are proposing is definitely doable for me now that I think about it some more.  - but I have a proposal that we didn't discuss via chat tonight... what if I construct the entire wall - everything except for painting/detailing it?  I ship the pieces to Phruby and either paints it (if he has time) or this is done on site - making this wall more of a group thing?  Then since it's in separate sections, perhaps people could take pieces home with them as a souvenir or use as a backdrop for their dioramas at home.

If we can do that, I feel a lot better given my time restraints.

So - here's what I think I would be committing to -

1) the wall (construction only, I am proposing)

2) finishing the tower

3) the gun tower (waiting to hear back from Owen right now his site is down)

4) sending a lot of figures and a small vehicle or two

5) sending a couple things that COELI has graciously letting us use, including an awesome binary loadlifter (seen here in a photonovel I made) -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/v20.jpg)

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 27, 2007, 02:20 AM
Geeze, I just thought of something else.

Is this diagram -

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/wall.jpg)

Piece A - is the left side where it's 33.94 inches including the whole left length, OR just where it meets with Piece B?  I'm thinking this should be the whole length of the left side of Piece A - am I correct?  But in that case, the left side of the wall would need to be more than 33.94 inches as it would need to be longer than the right side.  Oh God, my head is hurting.   :-[

Also I will point out that IF someone reliable does want to take on the wall, I am more than happy to hand it to someone who is confident in their craftmanship on this.   ;D

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on March 27, 2007, 02:30 AM
****. Forget those measurements for now. I was reading for my sociolgoy test tomorrow while I did that, and I rushed them. The math/labeling on there is wrong, at least for Piece A, Maybe B too. I'll redo them tomorrow or later tonight if I get distracted again. That left side of Piece A should be 37.94", 33.94" of it before it intersects Piece B. The city side there should be shorter.

I'll try and get a piece by piece breakdown done tomorrow too.

Good catch Justin.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on March 27, 2007, 09:52 AM
I will help out in any way you guys need. If you need me to finish some painting just let me know what you need. Just get the pieces here in enough time for me to do this.  (ie Not night before)

Remember guys we have 58 days left. I sense the stresses of the due days are getting on some people. Please keep the project in prospective and keep pushing thru. Things do not have be perfect especially in a group setting but they do need to be finished. The goal is something to show at C4. We have alot of work to do.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 27, 2007, 07:03 PM
No worries Ryan.  I am going to concentrate on the back wall section right now (the red wall), and am discussing with Phruby a plan for the "jagged" portions of the wall.

It looks like I need to create 36 more inches of the back wall - right?

Right now I have the following complete for the back wall -

Section 1 - 22 inches
Section 2 - 24 inches
Total - 46 inches

46 inches + 36 inches = 82 inches

Sound right?

Also, I agree with Phruby - we need to keep pushing through, don't get mad at each other, just remember if you committed to something please do your best on this.  If you have something ready, please ship it ASAP to who it needs to go to (either to Phruby or to Ryan).

If anyone sees a problem with doing something they committed to, NOW IS THE TIME to bring it up.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 27, 2007, 11:28 PM
Update - bought the wood for the remaining part of the back wall.  By next week I will have 6 feet, 10 inches of wall that consists of 4 pieces.

Section 1 - 8 inches tall, 4.25 inches wide, 24 inches long, and has 6 sides (top, bottom, front side, back side, left side, right side)

Section 2 - 8 inches tall, 4.25 inches wide, 22 inches long, and has 6 sides (top, bottom, front side, back side, left side, right side)

Section 3 - 8 inches tall, 4.25 inches wide, 18 inches long, and has 6 sides (top, bottom, front side, back side, left side, right side)

Section 4 - 8 inches tall, 4.25 inches wide, 18 inches long, and has 6 sides (top, bottom, front side, back side, left side, right side)

Each one after assembled will be sanded down by me, caulked to fill any gaps, and then sanded down again.  I will then pack them up and send to Phruby and it looks like these will be painted/detailed by him or on site if needed.

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on March 28, 2007, 11:41 PM
Quick question for you guys. I don't know if I'll have time to make anything, but I can always try or send the item I have in mind to someone with time. Anyway before I loose people, is there going to be a town square or something like that? If so, Chewie said something about fountains and dio accessories around the city, so I thought of this Dagobah globe I have would make a cool center piece for a town square. Maybe in turn it into a fountian. If anyone likes the idea let me know. Also what would be the colors of the planet from space, or would you think a stone color sculpture would look better? If I find some time to work on this, I see what I can come up with. When will you guys need it if you like the idea? If I don't have time would someone want to take this on? If the idea is liked. Just shoot me a pm or e-mail me waht you guys think. Thanks
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on March 29, 2007, 09:22 AM
Lets see a picture of the globe first :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 29, 2007, 10:14 AM
I think it sounds like a good idea.  I'd sugest a stone sculpture look.  I think we are going to need all the buildings we can get.  So if you can make it, please do.  Post pictures and then the project leaders can decide how and if to include it.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on March 29, 2007, 10:57 AM
Lets see a picture of the globe first :P

Smarty,
It's the POTF2 complete galaxy of Dagobah. So I believe you have seen them before. I was thinking of removeing the henges and filling in the gaps so it won't open anymore. Would give it the bast look to be a sculpture.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 29, 2007, 11:29 AM
Oh - so it would be a sculpture of the planet then?  That's a pretty creative idea actually...

(http://www.rebelscum.com/potf2/potf2cgyodadagobahfr.jpg)

(http://www.rebelscum.com/potf2/potf2cgyodadagobahbk.jpg)

The only downside I see is the darn hinge on it... is there a way to dremel/sand it off, and sculpt over the sanded down area?  If it didn't look right, it could always be rotated on the base and put that section on the bottom.  Also it says "Dagobah" on the front of it... so I think that a custom made pedestal would be necessary...

The other option is a sculpture of something, like a tribute to Palpatine... it would be really, really cool I think.

You know another idea would be to get a few POTF2 "salt shaker" Royal Guards, and paint them gray... really making them look like stone... I might do that, and see what you guys think.  Sounds like a fun little side project.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 29, 2007, 12:54 PM


(http://www.rebelscum.com/potf2/potf2cgyodadagobahfr.jpg)


The only downside I see is the darn hinge on it... is there a way to dremel/sand it off, and sculpt over the sanded down area?  If it didn't look right, it could always be rotated on the base and put that section on the bottom.  Also it says "Dagobah" on the front of it... so I think that a custom made pedestal would be necessary...


I think you could hide that with a bit of modeling putty.  I like the idea of a statue like that.


The other option is a sculpture of something, like a tribute to Palpatine... it would be really, really cool I think.

You know another idea would be to get a few POTF2 "salt shaker" Royal Guards, and paint them gray... really making them look like stone... I might do that, and see what you guys think.  Sounds like a fun little side project.


Those sound cool.  You could also use a POTF Emperor as a Statue and do something very similar.  That would look really cool!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on March 29, 2007, 03:48 PM
I was planing on removing the henge and filling in the line around it so it looks whole over the two halves. The stand or something like that, I was thinking of maybe three poles and have it elevated. I could even work in the Royal Guard idea, with moving the planet up higher and placing the like three of the Guards on the three sides towards underneath the planet? I don't have any of those POTF2 Guards any more, but I'll see if I can get a picture of what I mean tonight.

Also, I'll work on the filling and henge tonight also, but I don't know how much time I can spare. If I start it would someone be willing to finish if I can't? Thanks
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on March 29, 2007, 06:56 PM
Okay, here is what I had in mind with Chewie suggestion. Rought picture, but it gets the point across.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/Globe.jpg)
If you don't like the Royal Guard idea, the globe can be lowered. Maybe if someone wants to build a round or so base of steps to set it on, that would bring it out more.

I had another idea if the Royal Guard don't work is maybe add some Stormtrooper helmets (casts or whatever) to each of the poles, like a Empire trophy or something like that. If the fountain idea comes back to play maybe have the water come down out of the bottom of the planet? Using the railroad water making stuff, not sure how to use that stuff. If this sounds cool, maybe someone could make it using a clear straw or tube of some sort and coat it. Then it could be cut to fit the finish piece. Anyone else have any ideas? I'm going to find some time for the henge and gap tonight. Thanks
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 29, 2007, 07:54 PM
Okay, here is what I had in mind with Chewie suggestion. Rought picture, but it gets the point across.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/Globe.jpg)
If you don't like the Royal Guard idea, the globe can be lowered. Maybe if someone wants to build a round or so base of steps to set it on, that would bring it out more.

I had another idea if the Royal Guard don't work is maybe add some Stormtrooper helmets (casts or whatever) to each of the poles, like a Empire trophy or something like that. If the fountain idea comes back to play maybe have the water come down out of the bottom of the planet? Using the railroad water making stuff, not sure how to use that stuff. If this sounds cool, maybe someone could make it using a clear straw or tube of some sort and coat it. Then it could be cut to fit the finish piece. Anyone else have any ideas? I'm going to find some time for the henge and gap tonight. Thanks
roron corobb

Concept is pretty cool... I might suggest holding off a couple days to see what everyone else thinks.  I really like the idea of the planet for sure.  As for something holding it up, if you can get any, wooden dowels in the arts/crafts section at Walmart are super cheap and might look better -

(http://www.orbitals.com/self/survey/chain/big/dowels.jpg)

There is also the chance that something like a "base" to it might work as well... such as some sort of pedestal...

(http://www.photographyprops.com/ProductImages/Large/PedestalScamozzidiplaycapweb.jpg)

Not that a Greek pedestal is what I am really thinking of, just as an example.

For the Royal Guards... if you want to hold off for a bit, I think I have some POTF2 ones somewhere...

(http://www.rebelscum.com/toys/potfroyalguardfront.jpg)

While I never liked the figure much, I think it's the perfect look for a statue because of how the robes are sculpted... I would like to try and experiment with a couple of them...

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on March 29, 2007, 08:17 PM
The dowels were my plan. The pencils were just for muck up as were the Royal Guards. Why I came up with the three poles to hold it was that there are two holes already there and I added the third for the picture.

The pedestal would work too, but it would kill the idea of the fountain in the center underneath the planet. If anything I'm only going to work on the henge and gap, then wait to see if everyone else has to think. Thanks
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on March 29, 2007, 09:16 PM
You could always, and this is just a different take on the same idea, get an acrylic plastic (clear plastic) ball from the craft store, paint it up like a "holographic projection" or something too...  I didn't read everyone's thoughts, I just saw the basic gist of the idea and posted a different take on it... 

Deco it up with some glass paint (translucent) to make it holography and it's a possible alternative if you guys wanted to go that route.  Save all the sanding/puttying of the hinge issue too.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 30, 2007, 12:52 AM
I think I could put together a round pedestal base using the pink foam insulation (I've got a hot wire cutter).  If you want me to try something like this, let me know.  You may need to the first part to me and have me finish it up?!?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on March 30, 2007, 01:34 AM
Quote
While I never liked the figure much, I think it's the perfect look for a statue because of how the robes are sculpted... I would like to try and experiment with a couple of them...

 


Here's an idea for those as statues too CHEWIE, spray them with that textured granite spraypaint...  Might be an easy way to make them look like statues.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 30, 2007, 01:39 AM
Good suggstion Jesse, I was kind of thinking I'd prime these gray, them spray them just a bit, - then repaint some more and add just a very very slight amount of weathering to them.

What would be cool is to have these at the doorway of a building or something.

Roron, what you're suggesting sounds great... if you want to start on the globe, and let BrentS finish it, that's appreciated (any help you do is, including back when we were in the concept phase, you were a GREAT help so it's nice to see you involved again).

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on March 30, 2007, 04:05 AM
On the globe the henge is gone and the gap is filled. It didn't take very long, so that is cool. I was going to pick up some paint and see if I missed anything. I might work on the legs next. Once I do that I should be alble to do some more test pictures of ideas. I might try a pedestal too.

Brent,
If I start to run out of time to work on this, I would be happy to have you finish it up. Let me know how much time you would need to finish it in time to get it in before the dead line and I can set that for my goal to finish it.

Chewie,
Thanks for getting me back into this. I haven't had time to customize in a long time and it's fun. That would be a greaqt idea for the Royal Guard statues, placing them outside a door way. Maybe a Imperial government building.

roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on March 30, 2007, 08:38 AM
RC - If you want me to do the pedestal.  I'll need it by April 19th.  That gives me a week or so to work on it (among other UGP activities) so that I can send it to Phruby by the May 1.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on March 31, 2007, 03:34 AM
Okay, I wasn't able to work on the globe much today, but I had some free time at work. So I came up with this:

Overall side look with base:
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/display.jpg)
Idea I had about the legs to hold the globe:
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/globelegs.jpg)
The base which I would need someone to make for me as I don't have the tools or time to make, but I though it would be cool to add:
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-4/1166799/globebase.jpg)
picture is not to scale for size, but if you take the picture Chewie sent me and scale it up to the 7 1/4 inches all the other sizes fit in. Also I thought for the center, maybe a fountain or just put some of that train water in there.

Let me know what you guys think and if someone wants to help with the base (if everyone like it) let me know. I would not even know what to make it out of to get the right scale step for the figures. Thanks
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on March 31, 2007, 12:28 PM
Love the globe idea, but I have an idea for the project managers.

I have been trying to find a contribution to add to the project that is feasible for me with my new job and taking care of my wife. Here is my suggestion, please let me know.

I have a boxed AMT Palpatine model kit from the SOTE line that is in my fodder box. It is complete and comes unpainted in a grey color. I think it stands around 10-12 inches tall. I could slap it together and shoot some stone texture paint on it giving it that Palpatine homage look, reminiscent of the statues being pulled down at the end of ROTJ. I have a full woodshop and could make a base like Roron was discussing out of MDF. Beat the idea around and give me some feedback today. I can knock this out tomorrow if given the go ahead. Let me know.



MIke
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on March 31, 2007, 02:25 PM
I could slap it together and shoot some stone texture paint on it giving it that Palpatine homage look, reminiscent of the statues being pulled down at the end of ROTJ. I have a full woodshop and could make a base like Roron was discussing out of MDF. Beat the idea around and give me some feedback today. I can knock this out tomorrow if given the go ahead. Let me know.

I was hoping ther might be a way to go that route :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on March 31, 2007, 03:30 PM
I think that is a WONDERFUL idea Sarge... if you are able to do it, I really think it would be outstanding...

Is this the model you're referring to?

(http://www.modelprisoners.com/kit.ht1.jpg)

Also it's great of you to try and contribute, I know you have quite a bit going on buddy.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on March 31, 2007, 06:40 PM
Chewie, that's the one. It is gathering dust in one of my fodder boxes. I'll dig it out tonight, glue it together and post a pre-texture paint pic of it with a figure beside it for scale. The picture on the box is a painted version of the model. As mentioned, it is a dull grey colored plastic and would look (IMO) really cool with a stone texture sprayed on. More to follow tomorrow.


Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on March 31, 2007, 09:10 PM
Looking great guys! I'm really impressed with what everyone has shown in these last few days.

I need to start piecing together the final layout for the city, and I need to figure out the number of buildings we will have and whatnot. I went back through this thread and noticed I didn't explicitly state any assignments, thought I did, but I guess it was mere suggestions, or it was lost in that long post I typed and lost. At least there is still a month here to get this done. Anyways the entire city layout is going to be dependent on the number and size of the buildings we have, so I'm going to need measurements from anyone who has started on buildings, statues, etc, unless I gave them to you in which case you are fine.

Here are the final assignments for all dio team members. If you guys have any problems or questions let me know immediately via PM or here in the thread and we will get them worked out ASAP.


Standard Sized Buildings - These are going to make up a large portion of the city. Rather than type this several times since a lot of the dio team will be assigned one of these, I'll type it once here, and this is what I am referring too if I assign you a standard. These are going to be the bread and butter of the dio, so there is no need to get too fancy with them. They are going to be fairly simplistic structures that serve either as dwellings for poorer inhabitants, industrial type buildings, or storehouses, potentially even little shops. Size-wise these need to be between 6" x 8" and 8" x 10". They can be two stories if you'd like but one story is ideal. I'm not going to put too many constraints on the design; I'll leave that largely up to you guys, but don't go with anything too wild. Look through the concept thread to get some ideas, or check out Tatooine type housing and imagine it grey. We want the buildings to have almost a primitive look, but with some obviously advanced technology subtly mixed in, to really give it a SW world type of feel. As for materials use what ever you are comfortable with, as long as the end result looks like concrete/stone. You can use my spray texture method, the stone fleck paint, or something else. We want a light grayish color for the buildings possibly with darker smooth steel mixed in. You can make these buildings partially open or give them open windows/doors, but if you do you are responsible for complete internal works, or at least as much as you can see inside, and you still need to finish by the deadline. Remember to try and keep these simple. Check with me if you want to do anything a little different with them. And please send me final measurements and whatnot as well. Also try and keep me apprised on your progress, ideally with WIP pictures. So we can make sure we are all headed in the same direction with this. Feel free to also look at my sample on page 5 of this thread for an idea of the color/texture we are shooting for.

Small Market Stalls - As with the standard buildings these are something a lot of you will be assigned so I'll make a general post about it here too. These little guys are for the open-air market. There really are going to be very few restraints on these as they are meant to reflect the individualism of each of their vendors. That being said don't go wild and come up with something completely alien here either. These should be no bigger than 4.5" x 3", they can be smaller if you'd like. Most of these should be selling small little trinkets, fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. Kevin (Famine) is already taking care of a gun dealer so there isn't much need to have more than one in a small Imperial controlled space. The idea behind the market is that it is A) a place for residents to shop, much like Tatooine’s street vendors, B) it should be a great place to display a large crowd of customs, and C) With their size they should be relatively quick to build but will help take up a good amount of space. The vendor for you stall can either be inside or outside of the booth. Feel free to build them out of whatever material you'd like, while trying to take your vendor's personality into account. You don't need to make the vendor itself if you don't want but it would be great if you could. As with the Standard building be checking in with me on these to make sure we are on the same page.


roron - I'm really liking what you have shown so far. So have you decided whether or not you are going to go with copper or stone? Either way I'm looking forward to it. Are those the final measurements you plan on using? If not try and send them to me in the next few days here, including the overall height. Other than that, get this done before May 1st, or have it to Brent by April 19th if you can't finish. Sarge will be making the base for you. Would you prefer he ships it to you so you can fit each of the supports exactly in the whole or would you rather have him ship it to Phruby and have him do it? Let me know your preference in the next few days here and we can start hashing out the details.

Sarge - I really like the Emperor statue idea. Why don't you plan on doing that then? I think it should look great in the diorama. So go ahead and throw that guy together and ship him out to Phruby. If you skipped over roron's assignment above I'd really like for you to make that base for his globe as well. I believe his measurements there are final, but if you two could coordinate that together, make sure you are both on the same page, that'd be great. Just keep me apprised as to what is going on between you two, and what size you decide on. And try not to go much bigger than that, we need to save room for buildings. Oh and can you give me the diameter of the base of that Emperor statue at some point as well?

Brent - For now if you could crank out a few more big trees, I really liked where those other ones were headed, that'd be fantastic. Hopefully around 8-10 for the whole dio. If you need the time to spend on buildings let me know and I can do a few trees. Other than that, if you would still be interested in making the open air cantina let me know. If it helps in your thought process I was thinking it should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 14" x 18". I'll give you some freedom to make that a little bigger or smaller as you see fit, just don't exceed 24" in either direction. Looking back I think we should be able to include your building sample into the diorama with some minor modifications. If you could just sand down some of the bigger adobe spots so it looks more like concrete and less like adobe and then repaint it grey, that'd be fantastic. If you don't want to do the cantina, you can make a standard building instead. And you can do both of course. I'd like a market stall as well if you have time.

Glassman - I know you aren't strictly on the dio team, but if you could whip up a standard building and a market stall that'd be fantastic. Especially since we elected not to make a backdrop correct?

Darth Ennis - Ennis if you could please also make a standard building and a stall.

Daigo-Bah - Greg I'll give you a choice on what you want. You can either do a standard building, or be in charge of all the little accessories throughout the city. By accessories I mean little planters, benches, trees in planters, etc. Justin has done some cool things with the little Bar stool/table things that came with the cantina figures this year. So something along those lines would be cool.

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/an09.jpg)

We were thinking about a having small Imperial Motor Pool in the dio as well so the accessory job would also entail providing greeblies and accessories for anything you might find in a motor pool. Like say the Box/hose that came with the POTF2 deluxe Snow trooper, tools, lights, etc. You would have to build everything you could potentially find an assortment of pre-made accessories, and make a few more. So you can choose from either of those choices, or both of them would work out great too. Let me know what you want to do so we can figure out if someone else will need to head up city accessories.

Famine - I already gave you two market stalls, but if you would like to make a few more plus a Standard building that'd be fantastic. Let me know via PM or AIM if this is a possibility for you.

Phruby - You and your local crew are taking over the grey section of wall that separates city from terrain correct? I'll have the corrected measurements for you here in a second. If you could also try to whip up a standard building, and a market stall that'd be great. And if possible maybe you and Anton can help with motor pool accessories? I'll also have a list of all the on-site materials we will likely need for set-up.

CHEWIE - When we chatted last night I got the impression you are still in for the droid junkyard. If you could just finish that back wall and whip up the droid junkyard that'd be awesome. You can coordinate something with jedistyle on this one if you need help due to your schedule.

jedistyle - If you could please make a standard building and a market stall. Also be ready to help Chewie with the Junkyard.

Smartypants - I'm not sure whether or not your parents are letting you work on any buildings for the project. If they are I need a market stall or two out of you.

Myself - I'll be building all 16 sq ft of terrain, as well as contributing my sample building. I'm also going to make a market stall or two, and will be on-site to build addition buildings as needed at set-up, which hopefully will not be very many, if any at all.

I think that is everybody. If I left you off the list here, or you are interested in doing more, be sure to let me know ASAP, so I can get you something to do with enough time to do it before the shipping deadline, which is May 1st. Again let me know if you have questions, concerns, or anything like that. I think that about covers it. Let's get to work and hammer out one hell of a diorama. :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on March 31, 2007, 09:37 PM
Ryan brought up maybe copper for the globe. Wondering what everyone else thinks. Also chorme might look cool. If I can get the right type I might even be able to buff to shine. Also opinions on the support legs, is the modern art type look work for everyone. Let me know when you can. I would like to start them soon. Thanks
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on March 31, 2007, 09:45 PM
Modern artsy-fartsy sounds good to me. I don't have any problem with copper, stone, or chrome for the globe, you can pick that unless someone feels it needs to be a certain color.

BTW- The Deadline/Status Sticky thread has been updated with all the new assignments. If everyone will keep me informed as to how far you are on your assignments, I will update it regularly to show our status.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on March 31, 2007, 09:52 PM
Sounds great, Ryan. Roron has been in contact with me and I'll work on the globe base and get you those measurements on the Palp statue tomorrow in the a.m.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on March 31, 2007, 09:55 PM
Good to hear! :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 1, 2007, 12:22 AM
Hi Ryan- I think the best assignment for me would be a standard building, a market stall, and one or 2 accessories.  I have the foamcore and few other things for the building, but not very much stuff that could work as accessories.  Is that ok?  Maybe if each person who is making a building and/or stall could whip up something for an accessory too?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 1, 2007, 12:25 AM
Sounds good Greg. I'll put you down for a Building and a stall then.

I was hoping to give the accessories all to one person so there is some similarity between them, but maybe if we can't find anyone who wants to do this we will have to break it up like you suggested.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 1, 2007, 06:30 PM
Ok, here is the promised pic from me showing the AMT Palpatine model / statue. This pic gives you scale of the model.

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/Linked%20Pics/PalpUGP.jpg)

Have to excuse the crappy photo, now you realize one of the reasons I haven't posted pics of my work lately, my camera decided to rearrange some of the Iraqi sand that is lodged inside it.

Still mulling around what kind of base to put this on. The base of the model is an oval shape. Ryan, I think I can make something that is substantial for Palp's ego and should have a footprint of around 6in X 7in. My question on this is: how tall to make the base for the statue?

Next issue: Texture for the statue. In the pic I display what I have available to me. The most recognizable is the spray texture. My feelings on that are it might go on too thick and I will lose the detail on the face and such. Another option is the Patio Paints Texture. I can pick up a bottle at Michaels this week. My plan is to use a Xizor AMT model I have in my fodder bin to test both type and see how it looks. My plan is to have this done by Wednesday, 4 April.

Next question: What color do we want the statue to be, as in, grey, brick, black stone, etc?

Until later,


Mike

Roron, I'll drop you an email reference the base for the globe, look for it sometime immediately after this posting.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 1, 2007, 09:15 PM
Its funny sarge, I had that same idea yesterday but couldnt find where i his my palpy.  I'm glad you thought of it too.
Grreat minds!!!!

Ryan, i'll whip up a few buildings/markets for ya.  I have been hesitant to say what figures i will contribute, but i got some ideas floating around in my head for some citizens.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 1, 2007, 10:20 PM
Its funny sarge, I had that same idea yesterday but couldnt find where i his my palpy.  I'm glad you thought of it too.
Grreat minds!!!!

Ryan, i'll whip up a few buildings/markets for ya.  I have been hesitant to say what figures i will contribute, but i got some ideas floating around in my head for some citizens.

Sounds good. :)


Still mulling around what kind of base to put this on. The base of the model is an oval shape. Ryan, I think I can make something that is substantial for Palp's ego and should have a footprint of around 6in X 7in. My question on this is: how tall to make the base for the statue?

Next issue: Texture for the statue. In the pic I display what I have available to me. The most recognizable is the spray texture. My feelings on that are it might go on too thick and I will lose the detail on the face and such. Another option is the Patio Paints Texture. I can pick up a bottle at Michaels this week. My plan is to use a Xizor AMT model I have in my fodder bin to test both type and see how it looks. My plan is to have this done by Wednesday, 4 April.

Next question: What color do we want the statue to be, as in, grey, brick, black stone, etc?

A 6"-7" diameter base sounds good to me. As for the base height go with whatever you feel is appropriate. I think a 4" tall base would be cool, that way most figures are right at the Emperor's feet, metaphorically and physically.

I was thinking that grey stone would look good, both for the base (at least parts of it) and the statue would look good. You can pick the shade you want. I think it'd be cool to try and make the base and the statue look like it was carved from one piece of big stone. I'd fill in the gaps at the bottom of the robes with some sort of putty so there aren't any gaps between the statue and the base.

Go ahead and test those two paints and pick whichever one you think works better without washing out too much detail.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 2, 2007, 10:11 AM
Sorry to be absent over this weekend - looks like a lot of good stuff has come up!


Brent - For now if you could crank out a few more big trees, I really liked where those other ones were headed, that'd be fantastic. Hopefully around 8-10 for the whole dio. If you need the time to spend on buildings let me know and I can do a few trees. Other than that, if you would still be interested in making the open air cantina let me know. If it helps in your thought process I was thinking it should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 14" x 18". I'll give you some freedom to make that a little bigger or smaller as you see fit, just don't exceed 24" in either direction. Looking back I think we should be able to include your building sample into the diorama with some minor modifications. If you could just sand down some of the bigger adobe spots so it looks more like concrete and less like adobe and then repaint it grey, that'd be fantastic. If you don't want to do the cantina, you can make a standard building instead. And you can do both of course. I'd like a market stall as well if you have time.

Trees - I'll commit to at least 6 for sure.  I'm afraind I'll get burnt out on trees if I try to commit to making many more than that.  Keep in mind the trees are probably going to be around 8" in diameter (around the canopy).  I'm not sure how many you'll be able to fit onto the display.

Buildings - I'm planning on making at least 6 buildings that are roughly 6 x 8 inches.  I expect these to be sort of low cost housing buildings.  I think I should be able to make these relatively easily so I'd like to commit to making several.   I should be able to make one larger building also.  All of my buildings are going to use the textured/flocked spray paint.  I'll post one finished before diving into all of them.

Cantina - I've got some plans for a cantina drawn up. The dimensions are consistent with what you suggested.  I'll do everything I can to pull this off but its the one piece I can't 100% commit too.  I think I can do it, if I don't get to elaborate.  I'll be able to give you a firm commitment after this coming weekend (seeing the progress I make on the trees and buildings).

Market Stall - I've actually already started a Stall for another Diorama project.  I'll see if I can modify it and use it.  If not, this will probably be the last thing I make. 

My Existing Building - I think I'm not going to include it.  I've already got some plans/needs for it in my PN story (which hasn't been completely abandoned).  I don't think its worth the efforts to go and get it sanded and repainted.  I'd rather concentrate on newer, better buildings.

How does that sound?

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 2, 2007, 10:34 AM
Ok, here is the promised pic from me showing the AMT Palpatine model / statue. This pic gives you scale of the model.

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/Linked%20Pics/PalpUGP.jpg)



I love this idea.... I'm wondering, would it be worth considering having a group of imperial-type construction workers actually working to assemble the statue.  Given that this is still early in the Emperor's reign, perhaps not all colonies have their statues completely in place??
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 2, 2007, 03:05 PM
Trees - I'll commit to at least 6 for sure.  I'm afraind I'll get burnt out on trees if I try to commit to making many more than that.  Keep in mind the trees are probably going to be around 8" in diameter (around the canopy).  I'm not sure how many you'll be able to fit onto the display.

8" eh? Didn't realize they were that big. I think we should be good with at least 6 then. Perhaps I'll make 2 or 3 shorter and skinny ones for more variety then.

Quote
Buildings - I'm planning on making at least 6 buildings that are roughly 6 x 8 inches.  I expect these to be sort of low cost housing buildings.  I think I should be able to make these relatively easily so I'd like to commit to making several.   I should be able to make one larger building also.  All of my buildings are going to use the textured/flocked spray paint.  I'll post one finished before diving into all of them.

Wow. There goes a lot of my worries about not having enough buildings. That'll be fantastic to see that many from you. Like I was saying just be sure to shoot me some dimensions, especially for the larger one, at some point so I can put together that layout. I'm looking forward to these. :)

Quote
Cantina - I've got some plans for a cantina drawn up. The dimensions are consistent with what you suggested.  I'll do everything I can to pull this off but its the one piece I can't 100% commit too.  I think I can do it, if I don't get to elaborate.  I'll be able to give you a firm commitment after this coming weekend (seeing the progress I make on the trees and buildings).

Alright. I decided to give you this one since you requested it, also because I didn't plan on giving you other buildings. If you do get to all 6 of them I think we will be ok without it. Just let me know sometime after this weekend and we can adjust the layout accordingly.

Quote
Market Stall - I've actually already started a Stall for another Diorama project.  I'll see if I can modify it and use it.  If not, this will probably be the last thing I make. 


Works for me. I think if everyone else does their's we should have enough, so if you don't get to it, it is no big deal really. It'd still be nice to have, but it won't be a huge loss without it.

Quote
My Existing Building - I think I'm not going to include it.  I've already got some plans/needs for it in my PN story (which hasn't been completely abandoned).  I don't think its worth the efforts to go and get it sanded and repainted.  I'd rather concentrate on newer, better buildings.

Fine with me. I just thought it would save you some time, as well as giving us another building when I thought we would be short, but I didn't realize you'd be down for so many standards. So you can feel free to leave this one out.


I love this idea.... I'm wondering, would it be worth considering having a group of imperial-type construction workers actually working to assemble the statue.  Given that this is still early in the Emperor's reign, perhaps not all colonies have their statues completely in place??

Hmmmm... that could be kind of cool too. What were you thinking of exactly? A few workers raising it with a rope or carving it by hand or with some sort of laser? Either way I think it should look great. we need to discuss whether we want it done or being worked on at some point soon here.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 2, 2007, 04:13 PM
That statue is going to look great. Too bad we can't have a really working fountain around it with black water. I could dream.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 2, 2007, 07:39 PM
Well, my priority focus is getting the Globe base made for Roron. I plan on shipping it to him on Monday, 9 April, so he can finalize his project and get it shipped out on time.

Palp statue: I would prefer to have a complete statue as opposed to having it in the construction phase. My belief is that if our era has a rebellion growing then Palp has solidified his hold over the area. But, I am a flexible man, so let me know.

On the statue, I am going with a 4 inch base so the overall height will be 15 inches. I'll blend the model into the base; route out the top layer so the model sinks in a couple of millimeters, green stuff or milliput the base edge so it looks like it is all one piece. I plan on shooting the base with the fleckstone spray to give it a rough texture, then paint the overall statue with the craft bottle paint to bring it all together. Will post pics when I get cranking on it.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 2, 2007, 07:57 PM
Quote
Palp statue: I would prefer to have a complete statue as opposed to having it in the construction phase. My belief is that if our era has a rebellion growing then Palp has solidified his hold over the area. But, I am a flexible man, so let me know.


Complete statue it is then.  :)

You building technique sounds solid. And having Roron's base you first priority is also great. Keep it up Mike.  :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 2, 2007, 09:42 PM
Yeah, and then I hashed this out with a couple of people and am being swayed to a statue in progress idea. So let it sit with me a few days and I'll post some pics with both looks. The more I think about this coming from a solid block of granite, the more the idea seems kewl, maybe with some enslaved Wookiees (which I will provide) pounding this out of a large stone. I'll kick something out by Thursday and see what we think.

The official flip-flopper,

Mike

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 3, 2007, 06:01 AM
Here's a little spectrum I made for what we want to shoot for as far as the base coat goes on the standard buildings:

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/WallSpectrum.jpg)

Really kind of shoot for a little left of center there somewhere, but a little lighter or darker should probably be ok.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 3, 2007, 09:42 AM
That spectrum should be very helpful.  My spray/flocked textured paint may be a bit dark.  However, I think I can dry brush on top of it and lighten it up.

Incidently, I built the cores for 2 more trees last night.  I'll get two more done tonight and then get them all plastered this weekend.  Hopefully I can have two finished trees by the end of the weekend and 4 more trees ready to be painted.  I also hope to have one "test" building to show before I dive in and make the other 5-6.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 3, 2007, 02:42 PM
Yeah, and then I hashed this out with a couple of people and am being swayed to a statue in progress idea. So let it sit with me a few days and I'll post some pics with both looks. The more I think about this coming from a solid block of granite, the more the idea seems kewl, maybe with some enslaved Wookiees (which I will provide) pounding this out of a large stone.

I think the in process statue is a great idea. Any figures actually doing something rather than randomly milling about will make for much more interesting viewing for attendees.

Since it's an Imperial construction, this could be a great place for those awesome Imp Officers that Fritz made. They could be overseeing the Wookie prisoners during construction. Just a suggestion of course.

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 3, 2007, 02:54 PM
That's a good idea. I'll have to remember to setup that little scene.

By the way, the web site looks great. Great work elmeaux!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 3, 2007, 07:11 PM
Wow, the Palpatine statue looks FANTASTIC!!!   :o

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 3, 2007, 08:46 PM
Just a couple building concepts; I'm trying to think of a few different designs:

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa5ffc62ace5e2b6aa2054ebd52d146d1/ea10f4d1.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 3, 2007, 10:12 PM
How does this work? Do you just make a building? Does it need a base? What dimensions should it be? Is there a list of criteria somewhere?

I'm interested in doing something for this part while I have some free time.

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 3, 2007, 11:24 PM
How does this work? Do you just make a building? Does it need a base? What dimensions should it be? Is there a list of criteria somewhere?

I'm interested in doing something for this part while I have some free time.

E>

Some good FAQs there since I do need to send some to you web guys... :)

Standard Sized Buildings - These are going to make up a large portion of the city. Rather than type this several times since a lot of the dio team will be assigned one of these, I'll type it once here, and this is what I am referring too if I assign you a standard. These are going to be the bread and butter of the dio, so there is no need to get too fancy with them. They are going to be fairly simplistic structures that serve either as dwellings for poorer inhabitants, industrial type buildings, or storehouses, potentially even little shops. Size-wise these need to be between 6" x 8" and 8" x 10". They can be two stories if you'd like but one story is ideal. I'm not going to put too many constraints on the design; I'll leave that largely up to you guys, but don't go with anything too wild. Look through the concept thread to get some ideas, or check out Tatooine type housing and imagine it grey. We want the buildings to have almost a primitive look, but with some obviously advanced technology subtly mixed in, to really give it a SW world type of feel. As for materials use what ever you are comfortable with, as long as the end result looks like concrete/stone. You can use my spray texture method, the stone fleck paint, or something else. We want a light grayish color for the buildings possibly with darker smooth steel mixed in. You can make these buildings partially open or give them open windows/doors, but if you do you are responsible for complete internal works, or at least as much as you can see inside, and you still need to finish by the deadline. Remember to try and keep these simple. Check with me if you want to do anything a little different with them. And please send me final measurements and whatnot as well. Also try and keep me apprised on your progress, ideally with WIP pictures. So we can make sure we are all headed in the same direction with this. Feel free to also look at my sample on page 5 of this thread for an idea of the color/texture we are shooting for.

Small Market Stalls - As with the standard buildings these are something a lot of you will be assigned so I'll make a general post about it here too. These little guys are for the open-air market. There really are going to be very few restraints on these as they are meant to reflect the individualism of each of their vendors. That being said don't go wild and come up with something completely alien here either. These should be no bigger than 4.5" x 3", they can be smaller if you'd like. Most of these should be selling small little trinkets, fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. Kevin (Famine) is already taking care of a gun dealer so there isn't much need to have more than one in a small Imperial controlled space. The idea behind the market is that it is A) a place for residents to shop, much like Tatooine’s street vendors, B) it should be a great place to display a large crowd of customs, and C) With their size they should be relatively quick to build but will help take up a good amount of space. The vendor for you stall can either be inside or outside of the booth. Feel free to build them out of whatever material you'd like, while trying to take your vendor's personality into account. You don't need to make the vendor itself if you don't want but it would be great if you could. As with the Standard building be checking in with me on these to make sure we are on the same page.

Now too add to that Standard description, because I left it out before:

There shouldn't be any obvious base. Your building should be able to sit flat onto the city floor, which will be made up of stone tiles. You can leave the inside of your building hollow if there aren't any open windows/doors that would require an internal view. So really as long as the building sits flat you are fine. On page 5 of this thread I believe there is a good example of this. My building is just that, a building that sits flat and has no base. Brent's building on that same page however has a base, which was fine considering it was a sample and that wasn't against the rules at all for the samples.

Now of course you need to let me know if you decide on a certain type you would like to do. I need to be able to add you to my lists. And when you decide on your exact dimensions send those to me as well, and make sure they are from the widest point on either side if your walls have any curves, pillars, drain pipes, etc.

For the Market stalls you don't need to make the vendor, but the items being sold should be included.

Here's some info on the color for those standards:

Here's a little spectrum I made for what we want to shoot for as far as the base coat goes on the standard buildings:

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/WallSpectrum.jpg)

Really kind of shoot for a little left of center there somewhere, but a little lighter or darker should probably be ok.

I think that should answer your questions, if not let me know, and I'll do what I can to answer them. :)

And Greg, those concepts look great!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 3, 2007, 11:47 PM
Greg - I love those concepts. They are more ambitious than I'm trying for my "rank and file" buildings.  Anyway, more on that...

Here is a QUICK mock-up of the building style I'm thinking.  Its basically a 6" wide by 6-8" deep single family dwelling.  Its supposed to represent more of the low-class areas.  I based loosely off of the Glassman's original concept:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/juddelulos-sketch3-mod.jpg)

Please keep in mind, I'm just trying to rough something together.  So use your imagination a little bit!  The final piece will reflect more straight lines (less nicks in the corner  ;) ).  I plan to finish it with a textured flock spray paint.  I'll follow it up with some dry brushing and adding approrpriate SW style technology and other finishing touches.  This model is only about 6 inches deep.  The final ones will be a bit longer.

If people think this works in the basic sense, I'll plan on making around 6 in this basic layout (some subtle changes from model to model).

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/BuildingMock1b.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/BuildingMock1c.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/BuildingMock1.jpg)

The door and figure are there purely for reference.  The door sample I have there has a little lip on it that causes the building to raise.  It does sit flat right now.

Also, I finished the cores of the other 4 trees.  Here is a WIP shot of our little forest.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/forestWip.jpg)

Ryan, Do you think you'd want more trees than that??



Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: jedistyle on April 3, 2007, 11:53 PM
wow brent, nice work...

building - looks very good. a row of these will look very cool together, like apartments.

trees - now those are very cool, they will look awsome finished up with vegetation around them and figures.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 4, 2007, 12:41 AM
Brent, the savior of the UGP!   8)

Excellent work my friend... more and more is coming together, whoo hoo!

You did a great job with that insulation foam too, you are better at that than I am by a long shot!

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 4, 2007, 12:33 PM
I don't know if this would be overkill, but I have a ton of Palpatine holofigures (I'm sure everyone else does too, lol) that could be painted for small statues that could be peppered throughout the city. When you cut off his saber it doesn't look half bad.

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 4, 2007, 07:20 PM
Quick update on my part for Wednesday, 4 April.

Roron's base: I have it templated out in MDF and Roron and I have discussed it via email. My wife and daughter are going to the big city on Saturday for 'chick day out' so me and my workshop will be in full swing. I am still tracking on mailing it to him on Monday for him to complete on his end. (pending final pic approvals on Sunday, hint..hint.. Roron, I will be pesty on Sunday). I have a post office 1/2 block from my work so sending it will be a snap.

Palp Statue: Didn't get a chance to drop by Michael's today, but will make it tomorrow to pick up texture paint. I started sclupting a stone work look using 2 inch styrofoam. Will shoot you guys a pic midday Saturday to show you the rough look (much like BrentS did for his buildings) before finalizing it with texture paint effects.

That is all!


Mike

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 4, 2007, 09:27 PM
Another idea might be to use a wooden plaque for the base, just would need to be painted; if you want to simplify things for yourself any.

(http://www.aabawards.com/WoodPlaques/Graphics/GenuineWoodPlaquesSmall.jpg)

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 4, 2007, 10:30 PM
Okay, I had to redirect my approach to the legs. My first attempt failed do to the weight they needed to hold up. Anyway, I started my new set and waiting on glue to dry, so I should be able to post some pictures tomorrow of at least one complete leg. Tried to stick with around the same set up as before, but instead opted for a thicker main support with one minor support. It also looks less cluttered than the first ones, so it has it's pluses.

As for the paint, I'm going with a copper with a hammered texture. I didn't care for the chorme look and it showed major sanding lines which I couldn't fix. I should have that to show also tomorrow. One reason for the hammered texture is it covers up little flaws from my filling and sanding, and should cut out the need to weather. At least that is my hope.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 4, 2007, 11:28 PM
Sounds great Roron.   :)

As for the wall, I got all 4 of my sections finished (not painted yet though)!  Total length - 6 feet, 10 inches!  4 inches thick, and 8 inches tall.  I am mailing it to Phruby tomorrow, the sucker weighs almost 20 pounds.

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 5, 2007, 12:03 PM
Just thought I'd throw a few things out for reference here that could really good material for inspiration in making some things for the city.  As usual, www.owenscustoms.com has shown some more awesome additions.

Look at this wall that Owen made - the wall I started looks nothing like this, I wish it did.  Once Phruby has it, maybe he can try and add some detail to it like this -

http://www.owenscustoms.com/PNWalls.html

(http://www.owenscustoms.com/PNwalls93.JPG)


Now, here's some accessories he's made recently that I would love if we could try and emulate in some capacity -

http://www.owenscustoms.com/furniture.html

(http://www.owenscustoms.com/furniture5.JPG)

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 5, 2007, 01:33 PM

If people think this works in the basic sense, I'll plan on making around 6 in this basic layout (some subtle changes from model to model).

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/BuildingMock1b.jpg)

Anybody who knows, what is best to use on this material for sturdy construction? Glue? What kind? I've got an idea for something similar to this and I may be able to 4-5 buildings if it works, but I want to try one before I commit. More rank and file, but I think the project probably needs that. Not everyone/thing needs to be "special" in my opinion.

Also, is there any kind of cantina/night club yet?

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on April 5, 2007, 02:38 PM
I like to use hot clue to bind foam together. I also use drywall compound to make it uniform espesially the dome.  Once dry, reactivate it with wet hands play around and experiment (dry/wet dry/wet afew times) tap areas with one or two fingers to make it a pucked textured area. Use a hair dryer to speed up the process. Paint with latex or acrilic then dry brush with other shades.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 5, 2007, 02:49 PM
Hot glue. Thanks!

I see Brent has a Cantina, so another question. Could we use a small power plant? I have something that might come together quickly that would fit the bill. Round and about 8" diameter / 6" tall. I'll probably put it together for myself anyway but...

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 5, 2007, 03:34 PM
Wow! Owens work just blows me away. I might have to commission him for another project after he finishes my current custom.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 5, 2007, 05:12 PM
I like to use hot clue to bind foam together. I also use drywall compound to make it uniform espesially the dome.  Once dry, reactivate it with wet hands play around and experiment (dry/wet dry/wet afew times) tap areas with one or two fingers to make it a pucked textured area. Use a hair dryer to speed up the process. Paint with latex or acrilic then dry brush with other shades.

This is very similar to what I'd suggest as well.

Could we use a small power plant? I have something that might come together quickly that would fit the bill. Round and about 8" diameter / 6" tall. I'll probably put it together for myself anyway but...

I think we can use any and all building types.  If you are so inclined, I say build it and hopefully we can use it!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 5, 2007, 11:24 PM
Feedback was all positive so far so I took a leap of faith and did some work on the buildings.  Here's a shot of all 6 in their rough form.  I still need to add the domes to many of them.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP-Buildings.jpg)

Each one is slightly unique but based on the same basic features.  4" wide main structure with sloped edges.  All will feature a single door on one face.  I hope to add several bits of various technology. 

Comments or suggestions, please let me know.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 5, 2007, 11:32 PM
Brent, those look GREAT!  Well done!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 5, 2007, 11:45 PM
Dude, those are snappy. Make sure you avoid the strange seams, and you'll be stellar. Fantastic designs. Let me know if/when you get your figure.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 6, 2007, 02:34 AM
Looking great so far Brent! Like Famine was saying cover up those seams a wee bit aznd they will be great. And just out of curiosity how big is that table there, 3' x 5' maybe?

As for the trees... Would you mind trying to make maybe two more? I was thinking that we can try have about two for each 2' x 2' section of terrain. If you don't want to that's fine too. Let me know either way.

I see Brent has a Cantina, so another question. Could we use a small power plant? I have something that might come together quickly that would fit the bill. Round and about 8" diameter / 6" tall. I'll probably put it together for myself anyway but...

That should be ok. Just follow the building guidlines and be sure to let me know in the next few days if you are actually comitting to this, so I can keep track of it.


I don't know if this would be overkill, but I have a ton of Palpatine holofigures (I'm sure everyone else does too, lol) that could be painted for small statues that could be peppered throughout the city. When you cut off his saber it doesn't look half bad.

As for that.. Maybe if you want to paint up a few extras if you have time that'd be fine. Personally I think it will be overkill. But if you want to, make them so we will have them in case we change our minds on-site and decide to use them afterall.


Now, here's some accessories he's made recently that I would love if we could try and emulate in some capacity -

(http://www.owenscustoms.com/furniture5.JPG)


I've got a few cargo crates made from pudding cups I was planning on sending. They should work for the motor pool, or the more industrial looking area near the big building Justin is sending.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 6, 2007, 09:05 AM
As for that.. Maybe if you want to paint up a few extras if you have time that'd be fine. Personally I think it will be overkill. But if you want to, make them so we will have them in case we change our minds on-site and decide to use them afterall.

Nah, if it's something that has a good chance of not being used I'd rather not waste the time.

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 6, 2007, 09:33 AM
Kevin/Ryan - I'm definitely planning on hiding the seams.  I'm wondering which would be the most efficient way.  I was thinking I could use some posterboard but that would need to be carefully cut and arranged.  I could also use Masking Tape which would be much faster.  Anyone have any experience with masking tape peeling off after spray paint is applied?  I seem to recall that one of our early test buildings used this approach.



Looking great so far Brent! Like Famine was saying cover up those seams a wee bit aznd they will be great. And just out of curiosity how big is that table there, 3' x 5' maybe?

As for the trees... Would you mind trying to make maybe two more? I was thinking that we can try have about two for each 2' x 2' section of terrain. If you don't want to that's fine too. Let me know either way.


I checked the table - its 3.5' x 5.0' - good eyes!  I don't know if you are thinking the same thing I am but I'm actually worried that the diorama space will be too small  :-\  I know that seems like its counter-intuitive to everything we've said recently.  However, with 6-10 buildings, plus the large items from Chewie (including the junkyard), plus the market.  Are we going to need more real-estate? 

I think my buildings will be fine for the diorama, but like I've said all along - these are "rank and file" type buildings and not intended to be the "stars" if you know what I mean.  We really need to have enough room to show off some of the extra special buildings.  I know in your standard building description, you said mostly single story.  However, I think we'll need some larger (i.e. taller) buildings to really comform with Glassman's original concepts.

As far as the trees go.  Let me finish the 6 I've got started.  I think I'll be able to do two more but I want to get these first ones completely finished up.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 6, 2007, 11:33 AM
Things look like they're really shaping up guys.

As for tall buildings, I'll be sending two things that are two feet tall each (regular tower and the gun tower) so that will add a bit of height to it at least.

Also this probably isn't somethign that we have time for, but I think a sentry tower would really look cool in an Imperial deco -

(http://www.owenscustoms.com/outpost7.JPG)

Regarding the junk yard - Ryan, can you send me measurements again of what you'd like to see? 

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 7, 2007, 09:24 AM
Update time.

I painted up two of the trees and and started to add some foliage to one of them.  I also spray painted one of my buildings.  Here are the results:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Building-Tree1.jpg)

Close up of the tree:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Tree-Close-up.jpg)

Question for the group - how much additional foliage do you think these trees should have?  I wasn't thinking that these trees would be "super-lush" but more sporadiacally covered with foliage.

Here are some more shots for the building:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Building-2b.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Building-2.jpg)

Here's a close-up of the texture:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Building-Close-Up.jpg)

I'm not 100% sold on this building.  I used masking tape to cover all the parts of the foam.  For the most part, its completly hidden.  There are a few places (like the dome) where you can see it a bit.

Question for the group -    What do you guys think?  What additional painting should I do to make it more "realistic"?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 7, 2007, 09:28 AM
Hey Guys I put toghether a building last night. I made it from Styrofoam. What should I suse to paint it?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 7, 2007, 09:37 AM
Another Question? I have somthing that looks akin to some sort of planetary defense cannon. I'll post a pick tonight, but is this something I should even consider when we already have an Imp Turbo laser from Owen?  Also the color of the buildings, should they all be gray or are tans and white options?

Sorry for all the questions but I have not spent much time reading this thread. I did not think I was going to contribute any buildings until I was hit with some inspiration last night.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 7, 2007, 10:31 AM
Hey Guys I put toghether a building last night. I made it from Styrofoam. What should I suse to paint it?

Styrofoam can be painted with acrylic or latex house paints.  If you are going to spray paint it, you need to first "seal" the surfaces or the propellent will dissolve away the styrofoam.

Another Question? I have somthing that looks akin to some sort of planetary defense cannon. I'll post a pick tonight, but is this something I should even consider when we already have an Imp Turbo laser from Owen?  Also the color of the buildings, should they all be gray or are tans and white options?

Ryan has stated that they should all be gray colored.  We'd like them to look like concrete.  Here has a color palette here:
Here's a little spectrum I made for what we want to shoot for as far as the base coat goes on the standard buildings:

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/WallSpectrum.jpg)

Really kind of shoot for a little left of center there somewhere, but a little lighter or darker should probably be ok.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on April 7, 2007, 10:44 AM
Brents, If it can Have a Bit More foliage to it in the higher branches it will look better. Even in trees that have very little foliage like the Thorn Acacia or the Boabab tree, there is still a fairly large amount at the top. Add a little more and I think they will be perfect.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 7, 2007, 05:22 PM
Brent- looks great.  Since fleckstone is so uniform, maybe you can brush paint some weathering details over it.  The way your sample structure looked; kind of like stucco!  I was inspired by mentions of the hologram Sidious becoming a statue and pudding cups becoming storage/generator boxes, that I put these few together for Judde:

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pfdea8594c3216fc3fb999c033ff0594d/ea066462.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5d1e31bc3fcaf5841ffd1d3c8114fd3b/ea0664db.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc5d67491d8bbe60e9253488d64fd31c9/ea06649e.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p38316d52c9d75057ef0b23f446266556/ea066525.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 7, 2007, 06:35 PM
  I was inspired by mentions of the hologram Sidious becoming a statue

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pfdea8594c3216fc3fb999c033ff0594d/ea066462.jpg)

 :P

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5d1e31bc3fcaf5841ffd1d3c8114fd3b/ea0664db.jpg)

Is that the corner piece from the Commemorative Tin packaging? I've got some of them I was going to use in a very similar fashion for my buildings!

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 7, 2007, 08:58 PM
Just a blanket WOW to all the posts above. Onto the Sarge report:

I finished cutting the base for Roron's globe. Remember, these are unfinished pics. Sunday is paint day. I'll post pics as it comes along on Sunday. Here's the mid weekend update.

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base2.jpg)

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base.jpg)


Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 7, 2007, 09:22 PM
MIKE - That looks AWESOME.  What did you make that from?? 

Greg - I love the city "greebles"  we are going to need a bunch of these kind of things.  I think you do a great job with this things.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 7, 2007, 09:25 PM
Sarge,
Question, have you glued everything together yet? One thing I see that needs to be different is the top step should be twisted where the tabs are in line with the notches. Anyway, other the the position of the step everthing looks awesome. Great job and I'm grateful for the help. I need to get some of my picture up now.

I might be over-ruled on this, but I would like to have that center filled with that rail road water. Maybe just a layer with some depth look to it. Or is that just me on this? Thanks
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 7, 2007, 09:34 PM
I might be over-ruled on this, but I would like to have that center filled with that rail road water. Maybe just a layer with some depth look to it. Or is that just me on this? Thanks
roron corobb

I think that would look pretty cool.  You'd probably have the change the bottom base.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 7, 2007, 09:38 PM
Okay, good catch on the top level. Not glued yet, it's just stacked on top for the pic. I will paint each layer and then assemble.

Construction is from MDF (multidense fiberboard), my weapon of choice when I build stuff. I have a top from a pond fountain somewhere in my storage shed out back (too dark and scary to go out there tonight) and will post a pic of it in the middle tomorrow morning. It is in scale and I didn't think about it until I had the pieces sitting on the shelf for the picture.

I do have some railroad modelling water that I can melt and make a really good fountain effect. Maybe a light wash of metallic blue pearl paint would really draw out the water effect.

Brent, the bottom base is a 1/8 sheet of hardboard. There is ample space to have a water area.


Mike

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 7, 2007, 09:56 PM
One more pic and the old guy has to go to bed. I went through my fodder box and found one of those radar dishes that came with the figures. Cut the dish off and flipped it upside down. I think by dremelling out the indents (the blue arrow is pointing at) I can make the water flow in streams through that and pool in the bottom area. Here's a pic.

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base3.jpg)

Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 7, 2007, 11:56 PM
I like that idea too, but you might have to wait until I get these legs done. Not sure the heighth under the globe yet. I should have them done tomorrow I hope.

I would like others opinions on this though.

roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 8, 2007, 08:19 AM
That's cool, I think I can push mailing day for a couple of days. As I have stated, the post office is right across the street from the federal building in Savannah where I work. I can wander across anytime at lunch and get it out priority mail. For your reference, the measurements for the setup is:

Base + 3 layers of MDF = 1-5/8 inches (1/8 + 1/2 + 1/2 + 1/2)
Visible part of fodder (fountain) pictured = 1 inch
Overall height = 2-5/8 inches.

Now, let me get back to painting.


Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 8, 2007, 09:08 AM
Happy Easter everyone!  My kids are already on candy overload. 

More Updates -

I tried a different Spray Texture.  I like this one much more.  I got 3.5 buildings finished before the can ran out.  Here's the WIP:

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/Building3c.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/Building3d.jpg)

I also started upgrading the first building with some paint and the modern technology.  I'm still not completely sold on this building. I have a lot of detail painting to finish up.  I'll finish it and maybe it can find a spot in the back.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/Building3a.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/Building3b.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on April 8, 2007, 11:27 AM
So what Kind of Foam did you make it out of again?? I want to try and make one. No promises. But If I do make one, and its good I'll donate it.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 8, 2007, 12:06 PM
I think both textures look pretty good Brent, but go with whatever you prefer since you are the one working on them and you see them in person. Maybe the second texture you're doing here does look a little better but both look fantastic in my opinion.

The add-ons so far really look great and add quite a bit of life to the buildings. 

Sarge, what you're doing is just amazing, no other word I can think of can describe it.  AMAZING!

On a side note, I'm going to try and start on the droid junk yard this week if possible and also I did start on a new custom junk yard dealer - you guys are going to like him.   8)

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 8, 2007, 02:37 PM
Brent, Sarge, these look fantastic.

Brent, i too like the "finer" texture better also.  I think the Solid styrofoam buildings are gonna be amazing.
I started a building with foamcore.  I am including a bit of a how-to so the  construction is uniform.

What i am doing is taking a wall ( pre-cut to the size i want)
Then I am taking a NOTCH out of the corners.  The notch should be as wide as the foamcore you are using. ( 1/4" in this case)

Here is the wall sliced at the edge.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg.jpg)

Then the notch is cut out, leaving the cardboard that covers the foam.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg2.jpg)

Then this piece is glued to the next wall which is NOT cut or notched.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg3.jpg)

When glued together, they make a pretty tight seam.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg4.jpg)

You can see you only have to notch 2 of the 4 walls.  The other two walls fit right in place.
Remember to cut windows and doors first, before glueing in place.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldgcorners.jpg)

Adi is just there for scale.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldgscale.jpg)

The notches cut out can be used for details.



Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 8, 2007, 02:37 PM
Sunday Update:

Okay, got the layers painted. Here they are stacked (not glued). I also included a top shot so you can see the Imperial logo detail. I dremelled out the fountain fodder I mentioned in an earlier post. Roron and I haven't locked down the fountain aspect yet. Enjoy.

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base4.jpg)

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base5.jpg)

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base6.jpg)


Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 8, 2007, 03:57 PM
Looking good guys...

My internet is on the fritz again here so I have hardly been able to get online these last few days, the tech is coming out tomorrow so hopefully it'll be sorted out soon. I'm going to keep this brief in case my connections times out when I try to post this, but everything is looking good so far. I'll get to all these PMs here in the next few days too.

I do have one quick comment as far as the fountain goes... Do NOT, I say again, do NOT paint the area under the water blue. Paint it just as if you were painting it if there wasn't water there. You can go a shade or two ddarker, but don't add blue. The fake water will magnify any bright colors underneath it, and the blue won't have the look we want. Any bright colors always need to be toned down when putting them into scale or it just doesn't look quite right.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 8, 2007, 05:10 PM
Totally agree, Ryan. The current 'pool' area is the lighter grey that you see on the outside. Roron and I have been in email contact and I am making some modifications to the fountain (adding another step). I will post when it is complete in a couple of hours.

Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 8, 2007, 05:50 PM
Not sure if this could be used.

I call it a PDC (Planetary Defense Cannon)

LMK what you guys think
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/PlanetaryDefenseCannon.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 8, 2007, 06:49 PM
Definatly!! Weather it up.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 8, 2007, 06:51 PM
Fritz,

Not my decision, but that is awesome. I also like that styrofoam structure in the back. I have a shelf of fodder styrofoam from TVs and stereo equipment and they do make great structure.

And now a base update. Roron suggested the painted dark grey area on the first level would make a great additional step, so here we go.

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base7.jpg)

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base8.jpg)

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base9.jpg)

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base10.jpg)


Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 8, 2007, 06:59 PM
The Structure behind it its from a Flat Screen Monitor Box. I just painted it but It's not looking so hot. I'm goint to put another coat on and see if it works out. I also goofed on the glue I used. So it looks like some of the structure is crumbling ama around the doors and windows. I could use some typ of puddy to fill the gaps. We'll see
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 8, 2007, 07:11 PM
Sarge,
Perfect, now that pops. I like the extra addition and it also breaks up the light grey on the lower section.

Now the fountain part would need to be elevated, but we can worry about that when I know how much room we have to work with. Unless the idea gets voted down.

Plus I like the dark grey over a solid black. Looks more like art that way, but again I would love to hear what others think.

Fritz,
Same here on that dish. That thing looks cool, I would like to know parts you used. Those customs are the best when you take whatever you have around and throw something together. Awesome, maybe use that styrofoam block and mount it, like a fire control center.

roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 8, 2007, 07:14 PM
Here is the structure I was going to use as a base
What do you think

(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/Building.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/Building2.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/Building3.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 8, 2007, 07:30 PM
Fritz,
Great googly moogly... That is awesome.


Roron,
added a 1/2 block under the 'fountain' since we added a 1/2 step. Here is a pic.

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/roron%20base11.jpg)

So here is the question: Are we ready to glue the levels together? If so, I can clamp it overnight and it should be nice and dry by morning. We can make a decision on the fountain tomorrow (Monday) as my model railroad water is too old and not coorperating with me. Besides the post office beside my work, I have a craft / model railroad store on the other side of work. So I can wander over tomorrow and get some more water effects if we go with the fountain or water inside the base.

Inquiring minds want to know...



Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 8, 2007, 07:55 PM
Sarage - I love the way your base turned out.  100x better than what I had in mind.

Fritz - I absolutely LOVE your building.  However, I have to be completely honest, as cool as the gun looks, I really don't think you should include it.  This city is not a military installation.  Too much artillery just wouldn't look right.  However, I think you building has all the little nuiances that will really, really make it stand out.  It just looks great!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 8, 2007, 08:41 PM
Sarge,
Yes, you have a go for glue. I'm waiting on glue right now myself, so in a bit I should be able to post pictures and let you know what we have to work with on the fountain. Looks great.

Fritz,
That is awesome and what I thought of when I suggested mounting the dish. I like the M113 APC parts used. They really work on that building. The texture is even cool looking and looks perfect.

roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 8, 2007, 09:04 PM
Wow Roron your good. I thought Chewie would have guessed the parts pretty quickly because he used one for his Imp Tank.

I have it assemble now and the 1st wash is drying. The dish can be removed if you guys don't want to use it. I just have to figure out what to put in it's place.

 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 8, 2007, 09:25 PM
Roron,

Glued and clamped for the night. This old guy has to get some sleep. I will check the thread again in the a.m. from work.

Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 8, 2007, 09:39 PM
Thanks Fritz. I collect that stuff too. Not so much into the Modern, but am big on the WWII stuff. When it comes to 21st C stuff, I can almost pick it out right away.  

Okay update
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w65/roroncorobb/Globe.jpg)
I still have much sanding and adding minor supports, but overall the globe is complete.

Need some suggestions on weathering. I was thinking of a green chalk sense of the copper, and the paint didn't weather like I would have hoped. I really like the hammered look, but would like to hear what others think. I don't really know if my weather skills are up to par, but I can alway try and if it isn't liked have someone else give it a try. Anyway, let me know what you guys thinK. Thanks
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 8, 2007, 09:56 PM
Here's my Buildong all weathered up. I can't figure out what to put in the hole where I was going to mount the cannon. Any ideas?

(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/ImpBuilding.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/ImpBuilding2.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/ImpBuilding3.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/ImpBuilding4.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/ImpBuilding5.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/ImpBuilding6.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on April 8, 2007, 10:40 PM
How about the Satellite without the long barrel on it, Make it like a Sensor array for the Turbo laser or something.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 8, 2007, 10:45 PM
Looks pretty good Fritz, I do have to agree that I like it better without the cannon too, just because it seemed a little more like a rogue group base with the cannon like that, instead of Imperial.  We do have one large cannon that WILL be included on a tower though, which is this -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/040707guntower.jpg)

Owen almost has it finished up, he just has some painting to do.  This is made for my personal collection but will be on loan for the project.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: DarkKnight2k4 on April 9, 2007, 09:06 AM
Got a bunch of weapons, Rocket Launchers, etc. that  I could contribute if you guys like.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 9, 2007, 10:17 AM
I'd rather have small non weapon things to scatter thru the city. Wouldn't it be cool if there were little trash cans waiting to be picked up by the garbage droids? How about some left over newspapers? You know, some little bits of trash blowing thru the city.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on April 9, 2007, 10:34 AM
Excellant idea Paul. Garbage droids hmmm Sounds like an Item for Yakfinities this month. Would these be smaller droids that would compact or incinerate the garbage from the cans?? Or do you want a larger vehicle like droid?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 9, 2007, 10:45 AM
Roronn - I think that Globe looks great.  The support structure is really cool.  I'm looking forward to seeing this merge with the base that Sarge made.  I'm not convinced that you even need to weather the copper at all.

Fritz - Looks good.  There are a few spots on the end that still look a bit too much like Styrofoam (fifth picture down where the little circles are).  I wonder if there is some greebles that can be put there.

Concering random things in the city.  I had an idea of using the bases from those little cannons that came with the clone pilots as the bases for a some street lamps throughout the city.  A City needs lights in the dark,m right??  I'm not sure I'll be able to get to it though.  I already think I'm over committed for the end of the month.   However, to Phruby's point... its the little details around the city that will totally sell this project.  We are going to need a lot of little bits and pieces to form things around the city.  I would encourage everyone associated with the UGP to be thinking about making these little "city-greebles". 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 9, 2007, 10:54 AM
I can't figure out what to put in the hole where I was going to mount the cannon. Any ideas?

Cut a piece of clear plastic from a package and make it a skylight?
E>

man, everyone's stuff is looking fantastic!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 9, 2007, 11:20 AM
Glassman- somehow, I missed your entry over the weekend.  Glad to see that another building is making an appearance. 

Anyone else making progress on the "Standard" Buildings.  What about Market Stalls.  It really looks like we are gaining some momentum!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 9, 2007, 01:15 PM
What about Market Stalls.  It really looks like we are gaining some momentum!

God willing, I should have one up to show off today.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 9, 2007, 04:11 PM
If anyone has a templet for a news paper, I can scale it and print them. I might have a trach can or something that can be used for one, but that is the problem I only have one. I'll see try and get a picture on it. Maybe someone can cast it, if liked.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 9, 2007, 05:17 PM
I think news paper might be a little Low Tech for Star Wars. How about some hollow screens on some of the buldings. We could have them running wanted posters of some of our Rebel customs.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 9, 2007, 06:14 PM
I think news paper might be a little Low Tech for Star Wars. How about some hollow screens on some of the buldings. We could have them running wanted posters of some of our Rebel customs.



I think the holo screens is a cool idea.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 9, 2007, 07:44 PM
The little tables that came with the Cantina figures this past year too can work out well for little city accessories.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 9, 2007, 08:45 PM
Drill out the top, instant trash can.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 9, 2007, 09:04 PM
Here's a few WIP I took this evening.

(http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n136/elmeauxdotcom/powergen.jpg)

That's my mini power plant. I plan on having clear plasitc windows and a clear plastic cover. I'm planning to have a bunch of electric currents on the inside via those force power dohickies every Jedi and Sith came with. Hoping to have acontrol array on the side there and other details.

(http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n136/elmeauxdotcom/holocom.jpg)

Funny you guys are talking about holoscreens because I put this together a couple weeks ago as a little holo projector. I figured a screen could come off the top. I have four of them primed and waiting for painting.

(http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n136/elmeauxdotcom/building.jpg)

I have four of these building put together. Still need to add doors and other details.

Hope this stuff is acceptable.

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 9, 2007, 09:14 PM
That stuff is cool. Would love to know parts used on that power building. And the array is cool. Never would have thought to use POTF2 R5 like that.

I couldn't find that thing I was hoping to use for the trash can. I think my kids walked off with it.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 9, 2007, 09:23 PM
E> - I think that stuff looks great.  Especially your buildings and the power plant.  What size are those?  This is really starting to come together!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on April 9, 2007, 10:28 PM
That stuff is cool. Would love to know parts used on that power building. And the array is cool. Never would have thought to use POTF2 R5 like that.

Thanks!
I really liked this Naboo wall Delaton did over at ffrurg:
http://www.ffurg.com/FForums/index.php?showtopic=2978

I want to do one eventually, so I bought three PotC sets on clearance and stripped them down. As you can probably tell now, it's three wheels stacked together. The top is some plastic cap from the packaging to a cosmetic product my wife had. I saved a bunch of them because I thought they'd be useful (there's another on my building.) And the other bit is a wall adapter for an old phone.

Really glad you like the R5! I was afraid it might look too much like him. I have been wanting to find a use for that figure since we finally got a good version. I need to figure out how I'm going to paint it. Hopefully it'll minimize the likeness if I do it right.

E> - I think that stuff looks great.  Especially your buildings and the power plant.  What size are those?  This is really starting to come together!

Thanks! The plant is 8" in diameter. The buildings are 8"x10", the cylinder part is 6" tall. The building proper is a little shorter than I should have made it (about 1/4-1/2" taller than a figure), but I suspect you step down into the interior which is partly underground so it's ok.  ;)

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 10, 2007, 12:09 AM
My internet is mostly fixed... Looks like I've got a lot to go through here:



I checked the table - its 3.5' x 5.0' - good eyes!  I don't know if you are thinking the same thing I am but I'm actually worried that the diorama space will be too small  :-\  I know that seems like its counter-intuitive to everything we've said recently.  However, with 6-10 buildings, plus the large items from Chewie (including the junkyard), plus the market.  Are we going to need more real-estate?  

Yup. That was my thought too. I thought that looked a little small as I eyeballed it. I think Niub had said we can have up to 24' wide... we would need to confirm that with him though. Luckily the city will be easy to expand length-wise so pending his approval we should be ok. I really thought we'd have the opposite problem too, but it seems a lot of people not originally on my diorama team lists have expressed interest lately, and others like yourself are making multiple buildings so we suddenly have more than planned. For this reason I haven't come up with a final layout yet. I need to see exactly what we have in terms of numbers and sizes, that's why it is so important that everybody is letting me know exactly how many buildings you are making and what size they are. I'm think I'm going to have to cutoff all unassigned buildings at some point here if it still looks like we are going to have too many.


I think my buildings will be fine for the diorama, but like I've said all along - these are "rank and file" type buildings and not intended to be the "stars" if you know what I mean.  We really need to have enough room to show off some of the extra special buildings.  I know in your standard building description, you said mostly single story.  However, I think we'll need some larger (i.e. taller) buildings to really comform with Glassman's original concepts.

Point noted Brent. I was going off something Phruby said (I think) awhile back that no buildings should be taller than two feet and that the Tower should be the tallest building. I took that and because of the smaller area decided fewer taller buildings might help to make everything visible. If you get to another building go ahead and make it multiple stories. I'll do the same, and Glass can too.


As far as the trees go.  Let me finish the 6 I've got started.  I think I'll be able to do two more but I want to get these first ones completely finished up.

Sounds fair, I'll try and whip up a few smaller ones myself.


Things look like they're really shaping up guys.

As for tall buildings, I'll be sending two things that are two feet tall each (regular tower and the gun tower) so that will add a bit of height to it at least.

Also this probably isn't somethign that we have time for, but I think a sentry tower would really look cool in an Imperial deco -

Regarding the junk yard - Ryan, can you send me measurements again of what you'd like to see?  

 :P

I actually had a sentry tower on my original BP. If I have time I still plan on making it, and sticking it on the west end of the road. The measurements on that junkyard are about 18" - 14" on the outside of the building with 1" thick walls maybe? I'll let you hammer out the exact measurements, just try not to go too much smaller than that or there won't be room to walk around inside through the junk piles. The dealer shop should be about 5" deep, you can either make this internal or external. I think external would look better, but I'll leave that up to you.


Update time.

I painted up two of the trees and and started to add some foliage to one of them.  I also spray painted one of my buildings.  Here are the results:

...

Close up of the tree:
...

Question for the group - how much additional foliage do you think these trees should have?  I wasn't thinking that these trees would be "super-lush" but more sporadiacally covered with foliage.

Here are some more shots for the building:

...

Here's a close-up of the texture:

...

I'm not 100% sold on this building.  I used masking tape to cover all the parts of the foam.  For the most part, its completly hidden.  There are a few places (like the dome) where you can see it a bit.

Question for the group -    What do you guys think?  What additional painting should I do to make it more "realistic"?

I think I would have used some sort of putty/spackling compound that could be sanded down to be flush with the foam. I've had bad luck with masking tape either showing throw paint, or peeling off under texture as it loses stickiness. Though that is over the long term, short term it should be fine. As for the weathering, a like what you have going in your later post...

And I agree with Smarty in that the trees should have more foliage. I'll PM you more about that in response to the one you sent me. Overall though your stuff is looking great so far.


Brent- looks great.  Since fleckstone is so uniform, maybe you can brush paint some weathering details over it.  The way your sample structure looked; kind of like stucco!  I was inspired by mentions of the hologram Sidious becoming a statue and pudding cups becoming storage/generator boxes, that I put these few together for Judde:

...

...

...

...

Looking good Greg! If you want to go ahead and whip up anything else like these little guys that'd be fantastic, you don't have to if you don't have time though. And elmeaux, if you want to whip up a few Palpatine statues on similar bases I'm sure we will find a spot for them. :)


Sarge and roron- Both of your sections are looking fantastic so far, keep it up! And roron, I think if you want to weather it I'd go with a whitish-green like you were suggesting.


Brent, Sarge, these look fantastic.

Brent, i too like the "finer" texture better also.  I think the Solid styrofoam buildings are gonna be amazing.
I started a building with foamcore.  I am including a bit of a how-to so the  construction is uniform.

What i am doing is taking a wall ( pre-cut to the size i want)
Then I am taking a NOTCH out of the corners.  The notch should be as wide as the foamcore you are using. ( 1/4" in this case)


Looking good Glass. I'm glad to see you modern architects still use foamcore on occasion, as opposed to nothing but the computer.  ;)  :-*

I've used that same technique a few times, personally I think I prefer double layering the foam core and then using matboard to cover up the exposed foam center, but I like that method as well.  What do you plan on using to texturize it? I've found that spray on spackling (aerosol based) works wonders. Just spray it on, knock it down, sand it, paint it up and you have instant concrete. I'm looking forward to seeing the end result.


Here's my Buildong all weathered up. I can't figure out what to put in the hole where I was going to mount the cannon. Any ideas?

I'd suggest another generator over the hole, or some other little gizmo. I think if possible you should try and find a way to cover the seam that is right down the middle of the two pieces. Right now they don't really flow into each other; it looks more like two smaller, skinny buildings just sitting next to each other. Normally I'm not a fan of regular styrofoam either, just because it doesn't translate scales very well, but I think the greeblies help this one a lot. And you did a pretty good job on the paint app too.


Got a bunch of weapons, Rocket Launchers, etc. that  I could contribute if you guys like.

Like Paul was saying we really don't need any weapons because this is a city as opposed to a military zone. But thanks for the offer.

I think news paper might be a little Low Tech for Star Wars. How about some hollow screens on some of the buldings. We could have them running wanted posters of some of our Rebel customs.

If anyone wants to Photoshop a few holoscreens, I think we could use some. They are going to need to be printed on photo paper, if not on a laminate with light behind it... And of course they will need some kind of framing/projector. Be sure to use Aurebesh font face too.

As for other accessories, if anyone happens to have a bunch of the crates that came with wither the SAGA 3PO or the SAGA Outlander Anakin we could use those as well.

Here's a few WIP I took this evening.
...
That's my mini power plant. I plan on having clear plasitc windows and a clear plastic cover. I'm planning to have a bunch of electric currents on the inside via those force power dohickies every Jedi and Sith came with. Hoping to have acontrol array on the side there and other details.
...
Funny you guys are talking about holoscreens because I put this together a couple weeks ago as a little holo projector. I figured a screen could come off the top. I have four of them primed and waiting for painting.
...
I have four of these building put together. Still need to add doors and other details.
...
Hope this stuff is acceptable.

E>

Looking great E! For the power plant if I may suggest a dark shade of grey for the color on the outside?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 10, 2007, 12:21 AM
I want to do one eventually, so I bought three PotC sets on clearance and stripped them down. As you can probably tell now, it's three wheels stacked together. The top is some plastic cap from the packaging to a cosmetic product my wife had. I saved a bunch of them because I thought they'd be useful (there's another on my building.) And the other bit is a wall adapter for an old phone.

Really glad you like the R5! I was afraid it might look too much like him. I have been wanting to find a use for that figure since we finally got a good version. I need to figure out how I'm going to paint it. Hopefully it'll minimize the likeness if I do it right.

Cool, I might have to see if I can find a few of those. Where did you find them? And what was the price?

Also I wouldn't worry about the R5, because even the white paint you have you don't see him that well. To us customizers we look at stuff that way ;), so we notice it. That is all good though as we see the parts, but can also pull back and see the custom as a whole. Others normally only see the whole ;) and sometimes see what was used.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 10, 2007, 02:42 PM
Roron, the planet sculpture looks great.  Like Brent, I'm not sure it needs to be weathered.  It looks really good as is to me.

Elmeaux, the power plant really is looking cool, very creative!

Ryan, sounds good on the junkyard... I'll see what I can do.  I'm thinking that there shouldn't be a "floor" to it, save for the shopkeeper area... what do you think?  I am thinking something with two walls (modular perhaps?) the are shaped like an "L" and an area with a countertop for the junk dealer's "shop" area/desk.  I'm thinking I'll create this, take pics of how it can be presented on site, and send with it a bag full of loose droid parts, pieces from ships, etc. junk stuff that can be laid out on site however looks best.

I made these droids for it over the weekend -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/041007greeddroid.jpg)

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/041007junkdroids.jpg)

I am planning on several more to go into the junkyard as well.  These will just be a few of the 'better shape" droids.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 10, 2007, 03:57 PM
I was acutally thinking of something enclosed, more like Watto's. To deter shopplifting and all. I think you could still probably make the walls modular if you wish and they wouldn't have to be much taller than 4". As for the floor that sounds fine and was just what I was thinking as well.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 10, 2007, 04:08 PM
Ok, that should be doable.  Think it would be ok to have a small vehicle that is in disrepair inside it?

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 10, 2007, 04:18 PM
I hate foam core.

Pictures coming soon.


Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 10, 2007, 05:03 PM
(http://www.jedidefender.com/hosted/ugp_002.jpg)

Booth...I dunno if I like the design.


Kevinn
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 10, 2007, 05:08 PM
Ok, that should be doable.  Think it would be ok to have a small vehicle that is in disrepair inside it?

 :P

Fine with me if you can fit it in there.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 10, 2007, 06:42 PM
Famine- that design is really cool!  I think you're going to need a much sharper x-acto blade, and cut your lines using a metal straight edge (if you don't already).  My cuts would be jagged if I used worn blades and/or if I tried to cut all the way through on the first pass.  Anyway, here is my market stall: Empire collectibles!  Get your 1:4 scale Imperial troops right here!  ;D

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p999c8ff0be47f29fc3d24a0c21d7483d/e9f7f2c2.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa38b32460128dab180b07d5e5a4f8fd3/e9f7f1fd.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pdd63fd54f41c97b886077c21757a260e/e9f7f120.jpg)

I was thinking this guy could be the proprietor:

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid211/p61789d056da215885c808d414d49bdc9/ed7703f6.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on April 10, 2007, 07:03 PM
That's hilarious!  The Imperial Collectibles should definitely make an appearance! :D

Famine & Daigo-Bah - nice work guys! I love the idea of the market. Funny thing, I was gonna ask about the possibility of having a canvas top to the stalls in the market. Not that I don't like yours, Famine. I actually quite dig the shady market stall you've got there - reminds me Watto's place in Ep2. Or something out of the middle ages like so:
(http://www.historic-uk.com/MarketplaceUK/marketplace.jpg)
And if you painted it up in earth tones, (maybe make it look like it's made of stones?), it'd be totally believable as is.

Are you guys going for something like the scene in the following pic?
(http://artworks.avalonweb.net/excellence/thumbnails/marketplace_125b_WinCE.jpg) (http://artworks.avalonweb.net/excellence/marketplace_125b.jpg)
Or are you going for something less spread out - more like a market place out of Indiana Jones?


Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 10, 2007, 08:09 PM
I voted to either make this stall beautiful, or mask it down, and paint it up and keep it for my collection.

I used a mess of brand new razor blades, and I sliced my grandmothers new table cloth cover to ribbons. I sliced the thin cutting board to ribbons too. :-[

I need to try the metal straight edge. Diago, that's phenomenal work on your project!

I'm loving it mate!

Kevin


Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 10, 2007, 08:18 PM
Those look great guys.  I think having different style booths is more than acceptable.

RyanEDIT: Kevin, good start.  Maybe you can texture up the final model to allow for some "rough" edges.

Daigo-bah, you never fail to impress me.  I love your finished booth!!  Absolutely fabulous.  I've got my WIP booth that I should show some pictures of.  It has a "canvas" backing as well.  Mine was made using Plaster Cloth sheets.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 10, 2007, 10:58 PM
Okay I've added some more greeblies and stuck an Antenae in the big hole in the top. LMK what you think.

Imp Structure
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/FinalBuilding.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/FinalBuilding2.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/FinalBuilding3.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/FinalBuilding4.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 11, 2007, 12:15 AM
Much better I think... also really like the rail, I hadn't seen that earlier.  The antenna is a great looking addition.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on April 11, 2007, 12:37 AM
Quote
Anyway, here is my market stall: Empire collectibles!  Get your 1:4 scale Imperial troops right here! 

hah, so I'm not the only one who's used a MM figure as a "toy" for a child SW figure to carry around? :)  I think I used a wookiee like a stuffed thing sort of, but the principle is the same.  THat's classic DB, I love it man.  I always find it amazing how certain ideas carry over among customizers like that.  Dumb little crap that a lot of people have looked at and thought of the same thing and then someone posts it and it's just friggin' funny and cool and great...

That just rocks though. 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 11, 2007, 11:28 AM
Haha- thanks guys!  I just thought it interesting when I saw them in my fodder bin; it kinda makes sense that on an Imperial controlled world, there would be people making a profit while "kissing up" to the local authorities!  Fritz, your Imperial building looks great!  It has a fabricated look as though it was quickly assembled while more permanent structures are underway.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 12, 2007, 12:33 AM
Since we've seen a flurry of activity on the Market Stall front.  I thought I'd show my WIP.  Its no where near as beautiful as Daigo-bah's.  I was originally making this to be a stall like you'd see on tatooine. 

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Market01.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Market03.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Market02.jpg)

Obviously I have only put a bit of painting on this.  Its no where near finished.  However, I wanted to put it out there just for more ideas.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 12, 2007, 01:16 AM
That does seem much more like something for Tatooine... at the least, if you go with that design, I might suggest the canopy to be a different color?

Here's my suggested layout on the Junk Yard -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/041207junkyard
.jpg)

Not sure when I'll be able to get started on this or if this looks ok for a layout...... hopefully I can begin on it soon. 

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 12, 2007, 01:33 AM
Great work fellas. I'm gonna stone fleck my booth, add some carbon scoring and some electronic doo-dads on the back. Do we know of any 3 3/4" scale gun racks? I think this is where my blaster dealer will reside. I figure in order to protect his merchandise, he'd need a stronger building.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 12, 2007, 01:58 AM
3-3/4 gun racks... came with the Commtech Stormtrooper.  I know I'm behind on sending you a box of stuff - looking for those two troopers still.  When I send them (soon!) I'll see if I can find a gun rack or two to send your way.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 12, 2007, 10:09 AM
Where was a gun rack with the Death Star accessory set too and if I'm not mistaken with the Imperial Force Multi-pack. I think this is the one  (http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/toys/potfstormtroopercommtechblastrack.jpg) Chewie is talking about? I have one of these (http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/swsaga/saga-deathstaracc_3.jpg) from the accessory set that I can send. It is smaller than the other one, but would give you are range of weapons to sell. Let me know if you need it.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 12, 2007, 12:04 PM
Chewie - I like the layout for the junkyard.  Looks just about right.  We'll have to make sure that when its put on the actual diorama that the dealer shop faces out so that it gets enough visibility.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 12, 2007, 12:43 PM
I'm going to send a vintage Cylon along with Twiki from Buck Rogers we can tuck in the junkyard as easter eggs.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 12, 2007, 03:14 PM
Any racks to help would be swell fellas.

My goal to carve one out of foam core didn't turn out so hot.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 13, 2007, 09:28 AM
I have an extra one or two from Marauder I can bring.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 13, 2007, 09:53 AM
I'm going to send a vintage Cylon along with Twiki from Buck Rogers we can tuck in the junkyard as easter eggs.

You read my mind. I'm thinking of adding a star tours REX-24 to the junk yard.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 13, 2007, 12:03 PM
Hey guys, just a heads up.  I received the Gun Tower from Owen yesterday.  Didn't have time to snap pics yet, but here's what it looks like before it was painted.

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/040707guntower.jpg)

Now, it's quite a bit shorter than this one that I already have -

(http://www.owenscustoms.com/comtower1.JPG)

(http://www.owenscustoms.com/comtower18.JPG)

You'll see that this one has OPEN ROOMS in it.  But also, please not that the communications dish at the top, is now replaced by this turbo laser -

(http://www.owenscustoms.com/towerfigs2.JPG)

- Basically, the communications dish and the turbo laser are interchangeable.  However, I do NOT want to send the communications dish - it's way too fragile, in fact one piece has already snapped off, and I had to glue it back. It's just too fragile to send.

So - what I want to know is do you guys want the new tower that is shorter, or the taller one with some open rooms showing in it?  I'm leaning towards sending the taller one for the project.  I think that the open rooms would be a nice addition, plus you can show some "activity" with it in having a trooper climging the ladder or something.

Thoughts?

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 13, 2007, 12:32 PM
The only problem I see with the larger tower is that I don't think that we want to completely dwarf everything else in the diorama.  I think the smaller one, might be better.

BTW, congrats on the great addition to your collection!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 13, 2007, 12:42 PM
I see what you mean.  However, the other tower I'm sending (not a gun tower) is also the same height.

One thing I like about a tower being so tall is that it would give the military an observation point for possible approaching enemies, and imposing over the city as a sign of Imperial domination.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 13, 2007, 03:18 PM
I think news paper might be a little Low Tech for Star Wars. How about some hollow screens on some of the buldings. We could have them running wanted posters of some of our Rebel customs.


I think i have the holo billboards thing solved.  I took those "Join the empire" artwork with the female troopers, and printed them on Transparency film.
I added some navi-screen linework from the general riken deluxe pack. I'll take pics tonight or tomorrow and post. But they look good,
And you can see them from either side.

Should finsih my buildings this weekend too.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 13, 2007, 05:00 PM

I think i have the holo billboards thing solved.  I took those "Join the empire" artwork with the female troopers, and printed them on Transparency film.
I added some navi-screen linework from the general riken deluxe pack. I'll take pics tonight or tomorrow and post. But they look good,
And you can see them from either side.


That sounds great!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 13, 2007, 06:48 PM
Okay, here it is complete and waiting for the base. I might have to add or change the legs some to mount on the base. I’m just not sure of the steps are going to be in the way or not. If they are I have one of two ways to fix it.

First I was thinking of adding a post straight up and down to the base where the legs would have mounted. Bringing up the height to clear the steps.

Or second I could notch the legs where they would hit the step as if the supports are going though the step.

Any ideas if I run into this problem or any other suggestions?

Here is a shot of the legs. I went with less supports that I wanted do to them not working out as well as I like, but it looks less jammed up which is a plus.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w65/roroncorobb/Completelegs.jpg)

I went without weathering, because I like the effects of the paint. If I weathered it I don't know if they would have changed is the main reason, but a few others suggested it. Here is a picture showing some of the effects. It has multiple light sources with flash. The shadows that are created are cool looking and I think they give off their own weathering to some point.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w65/roroncorobb/CompleteGlobe.jpg)

Let me know what you think? Thanks
roron corobb

PS:
Chewie I think the tall one would be better for the same reason, the dominating presences.

Glassman, look forward to seeing what you have done.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 13, 2007, 07:15 PM
Whoa, Roron that turned out GREAT!!!!

I really, really like that.  If after the project is complete, and you don't want it back, I would love to add that to my collection... if we could work anything out please let me know.  What a great addition this is man, the leg stilts are awesome, and the paint looks perfect just as it is. 

If you can leave the legs as they are, I don't see any problem with them at all.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 14, 2007, 12:11 AM
Whoa, Roron that turned out GREAT!!!!

I really, really like that.  If after the project is complete, and you don't want it back, I would love to add that to my collection... if we could work anything out please let me know.  What a great addition this is man, the leg stilts are awesome, and the paint looks perfect just as it is. 

Thank you for the compliments. Funny for you to ask that Chewie, as I was wondering the same thing as to how that was going to work sense Sarge and I both have work into this. I liked this idea so much I had to get a few more Complete Galaxies to try some of the other ideas I had on. Was able to get one of each so far. This project moved fast too, so I could always make you one if nothing comes from the UGP one. This one was a trail and error, so the next should be a breeze. Was even thinking about different emblems for bases and fountains. I would love to set one up on an axis and motorize it to spin, something like the World at Universal Studios. Maybe in my next venture on one.

roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 14, 2007, 10:50 AM
Roron, great job!  Geez, I can't WAIT to see the pics of this whole thing when complete.  I'll have WIP pics of my structure later today, too.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 14, 2007, 11:34 AM
Roron, That looks Great.


Here are a couple of the holo screen advertisments.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/holo1.jpg)

Adi is behind for scale.

These are free standing, and can be put ontop of buildings or on the ground.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/holo2.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 14, 2007, 11:43 AM
SweeT!! :D
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 14, 2007, 12:38 PM
Glassman,
Those are cool. Would also like to hear how you made them step by step. How many did you make? If you make any more I would suggest changing the lettering, but I really like them and will have to try this one myself down the road. They one with the side mount I think looks the best, as I thing the rail on the other takes away from the picture some.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 14, 2007, 12:42 PM
Glassman, great job dude! I love the effect. My only suggestion is the lettering...did they use the English alphabet in the Galaxy Far Far Away?

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 14, 2007, 02:42 PM
I really don't mind the English wording. The old West End Games Imperial Recruitment adds had english words in them. Maybe English is the native tongue on or little world.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 14, 2007, 05:00 PM
I really don't mind the English wording. The old West End Games Imperial Recruitment adds had english words in them. Maybe English is the native tongue on or little world.

Good call Fritz!

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on April 14, 2007, 06:00 PM
I hate to be a nerd here but should it not be called Basic???
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on April 14, 2007, 06:26 PM
Well this really isn't english. But Basic has its own set of letters. 26 of them very similar to english. Its called Aurabesh
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 14, 2007, 07:59 PM
I made 6 of them. I used all the existing adds.  I have to print 2 of them over again so if you all think i should change the text, i will redo them all.

Roron,

I took the linework from this...
(http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/swsaga/sw04ultrarieekanloose.jpg)

GENERAL RIEEKAN (Hoth Evacuation) (http://www.rebelscum.com/sw04ultrarieekan.asp)

I fit it over the original artwork, then reduced the opacity of the linework by half so the image showed through more.

Then i just laser printed them to Transparency film. ( like for an overhead projector)

Thats it. Simple, but it gets the point across.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on April 14, 2007, 08:53 PM
Maybe make an Incom or Blastech or cybot galactica poster, industrial automaton, things like that for a billboard
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on April 14, 2007, 09:08 PM
Can I get a life size poster of that for my bedroom?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 15, 2007, 12:58 AM
Glassman - the graphics look great!  I think I'd be in the camp to have the text in Aurebresh (or however you spell it).  However, I don't think its essential.


Maybe make an Incom or Blastech or cybot galactica poster, industrial automaton, things like that for a billboard

I think that is a great idea Smarty. 


Roronn - I think I comments how much I like the Globe.  However, if I didn't then here it is - I love it!

I'm nearly finished with 3 of the 6 buildings.  I wish I would not have used the masking tape but I think they'll still be okay.  I'm going to take some pictures of them outside in some natural light tomorrow.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 15, 2007, 02:03 AM
I fit it over the original artwork, then reduced the opacity of the linework by half so the image showed through more.

Glassman,
Did you use the picture of Rieekan's Tactical Screen on Rebelscum? Or did you scan your the original Tactical Screen on a scanner? Also do you have a program for reduced the opacity of the screen's lines? Thanks for the walk through.

Roronn - I think I comments how much I like the Globe.  However, if I didn't then here it is - I love it!

I'm nearly finished with 3 of the 6 buildings.  I wish I would not have used the masking tape but I think they'll still be okay.  I'm going to take some pictures of them outside in some natural light tomorrow.

Thanks Brent, and I was thinking of the same thing about the globe once it's complete with base. I think that copper paint look cool in natural light.

roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 15, 2007, 09:48 AM


Beautiful sunny morning.  Here are the buildings.   I still need to add doors and domes on the roofs, otherwise, these 3 are finished.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Buildings4.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Buildings4b.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Buildings4c.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Buildings4d.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 15, 2007, 11:02 AM
Whenever I'm  putting together a custom and adding the little Greeblies. I try to think of a function for the pieces I add. With my little building project for the UGP I first set out to make some sort of Fire Control center for a Planetary Defense Cannon. That Idea was a little too distracting given the overall design of the Dio. So I reworked my building into, in my mind, what would be a type of imperial barracks.

So here is a little visual key to what is going on with my little building.
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/FinalBuilding-1.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/FinalBuilding2-1.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/Order66Customs/FinalBuilding3-1.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 15, 2007, 01:28 PM
Jesus Christmas on a pear shaped cracker! :o You guys are putting my building/booth to shame. Painted pics to come soon.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 15, 2007, 05:58 PM
Aw, Brent- those are fantastic!  Here's my building; the lighting sort of mutes the paintjob so I'll try to get a clearer pic up later.

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p1d57f19db20651855b7c4a3dd6bf07ac/e9e65ef9.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p9701892c43dd12d77a0e912339998f8c/e9e65e3d.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 15, 2007, 10:14 PM
Applause all around guys. I can't really go into too much detail tonight as I have a big term paper due tomorrow that I should probably start on...

Glass- Fantastic work on those holo screens. I believe the Reekien holo screen is more of a military radar holo, as would been seen on a battle ship, but I wouldn't have really even noticed where it came from since the focal point is on the picture as opposed to the lines. The finished pictures look awesome, and the lines blend in wonderfully and have a great holographic effect. I do kind of agree on the English/Auresbesh deal, but I don't think it is a huge deal. Feel free too whip up more of these if you want.

Fritz-  The newest update looks great. I really like the added greeblies. I still think that something should be done too cover that seam though. Perhaps some sort of connectors to make it look like two smaller parts have been bolted together? At this point I still feel it looks like two similar buildings right up next to each toher.

Brent- All of yours are looking great. I love the added greeblies and rust colored weathering. I'd like to see some shots of the doors if you have any.

Daigo-Bah- I love it. Judging by the size I'm guessing it is a two story? I love the angle cuts and the sloped cuts on the bottom sides.

I made a good chunk of progress on the terrain this weekend. I managed to get all the rest of the base foam cut and shaped, I mounted the grass mat on them as well. Patreek's cliffs were mounted on the back piece and the greenery was stripped. I also layed down a coat of plaster for the riverbed. 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 15, 2007, 10:36 PM
Painted pics to come soon.

OK. Tragedy struck tonight. I picked up what I deemed to be safe spray paint, and put on some coats on my booth. I walked away.

I came back downstairs an hour later, and you could hear my cries of horror. The paint ate all the foam in the foam core, leaving cardboard scrap, stuck to the newspaper I used to protect the floor. It also ate my hot glue.

I'll have to build another one tomorrow morning. This gives me a better chance to use a steel straight edge, and make some lighter incisions, so it doesn't look like I took a saw to it.  I guess this is a redeeming chance at a better booth. :) In hindsight I should have masked the seams with stuck-o or masking tape.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 15, 2007, 11:18 PM
Sorry to hear that Kevin - you can seal off the foam with a layer of white elmers glue as well.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 16, 2007, 01:26 AM
Glassman - those are AWESOME!  I'd be in the camp of Aurebesh writing too, if it's not too much trouble.

Kevin - do you have a Target store in your area? If so, try looking at the BLACK foamcore there - you'll find it easier to work with, I promise. 

Regarding the Junk Yard - I am so busy guys, but still working on this. 

With how much I have going on I didn't get to start on it until midnight Friday night, and had built it out of wood.  When I set it on a flat surface, I realized the wood I had bought (for the surface) was warped more than I though.  I looked at Lowes and Home Depot for a flat piece of board, and finally got one that seemed like it would work... but low and behold, it started tottering on a flat surface once the entire thing was assembled.   

Frustration took over because I had worked on this for 5 hours, then got pissed and threw it in the trash.  I actually got a hammer and pounded it to scrap, I was pretty mad.  And tired. 

Had to go to two 30th birthday parties yesterday and had our first baby shower today, I didn't even get home until 8:30pm - ran to Target and bought some black foamcore.  End result will be a different looking junkyard than I originally planned on.  Smaller, but will have a more Star Wars feel to it I think.  Also the walls will be curved - it's one large wall, shaped like a U - an open area with a shop up front.  Won't be huge but there will be no problems fitting a lot of droids in it with ample walking area.  I think it will turn out pretty good, or at least I am hoping so.  This is going to be classified as a junk yard area so be ready for some dirty weathering on a few areas.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 16, 2007, 09:56 AM
Some great looking buildings guys. I can't wait till they arrive. I'd sware Daigo-Bah's building looking like its made out of poured concrete.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 16, 2007, 10:22 AM
Daigo-Bah, that looks so real. Phruby is right, it looks like concrete. Impressive.
It rained all day where i am so i couldnt paint. 30-40MPH wind today, so no go after work either... So hopefully this week.
I'll get on those bilboards asap.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 16, 2007, 11:41 AM
I'd sware Daigo-Bah's building looking like its made out of poured concrete.

I totally agree. 

Daigo-Bah, it looks great!  Are you calling this building finished or are there any more greebles to add?   I think it could go either way.  When you take new pictures, can we get a figure in there for scale also?

Ryan - the doors aren't finished yet.  I made them all out of plasticard (sheet styrene) and started painting them up. 

Chewie - sorry to hear about the troubles with the wood.  If it helps, your post made me laugh out loud as I envisioned your beating the crap out of the wood.  I'm looking forward to seeing the end result of the Junkyard.  It sounds promising!

As far as a further update, I also sprayed the last 3 buildings (I sprayed over the first one, I just didn't like it).  Most of the greebles are ready.

I made a display stand for my Market Stall - its going to be a food/meat vendor.  I thinking of scrapping the WIP I showed entirely and going with something a bit more like Daigo-Bah's style.  I need to figure out the best way to put an overhanging stand.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 16, 2007, 11:52 AM
Ha Ha, yeah I was so mad Brent.  I felt quite a bit better afterwards though.   ;D

Phruby, I know you received the packages I sent so far, but did you happen to open the big one with the portions of the wall that I made?  Any questions on moving forward with it?

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 16, 2007, 04:16 PM
Thanks so much for the comments guys!  I think better pics will illuminate the paintjob a little better.  Brent, I think you're right about greeblies and I'll add a few more to it, thanks!  By the way, it's no where near as large as it might look; definitely not a 2-story, and figures right next to it might look disproportionate  :P

Edit: told you it was small!

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p7d359dcdb7c69a0843bcbe2711f3b240/e9e1b1dc.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on April 16, 2007, 07:44 PM
Something maybe to consider on a building or two...

One, perhaps a painted-on mural/propoganda painting...  A picture of Palpatine, maybe with it fading some from weather...  Something akin to what is seen in countries from Hitler's Germany to Iraq's Sadam Hussein...  Having imagery of the dictator is a popular way the dictator keeps his presence in the minds of his people, but usually it's done with a tone of "Hey look at me, I'm a cool guy" to it, so nothing sinister/evil looking.

Also...  A little graffitti might look cool on a building or two.  Nothing overdone, but it's a subtle kind of thing people might notice when looking over a scene.  Especially if there's a "lower class" portion of the city you guys are doing?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 16, 2007, 08:59 PM
Thanks so much for the comments guys!  I think better pics will illuminate the paintjob a little better.  Brent, I think you're right about greeblies and I'll add a few more to it, thanks!  By the way, it's no where near as large as it might look; definitely not a 2-story, and figures right next to it might look disproportionate  :P

Edit: told you it was small!

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p7d359dcdb7c69a0843bcbe2711f3b240/e9e1b1dc.jpg)

Daigo-Bah,
Still looks cool. I would suggest making another door part maybe 2 parts (open like storm doors) and lay them flat in front of the door you have there, simulating an underground type dwelling or on part? Just an idea to fix the size problem.

Jesse,
I like the idea of graffitti, but the picture would be to low tech. If you could would up some holo type pictures that would be better.

roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Sarge on April 16, 2007, 09:16 PM
Heeby Jeebies! Those buildings rock!

Well, three 30 foot trees went down around my house this past weekend and ate up a lot of my time. Roron and I are working behind the scenes to get the globe / fountain complete. I should have final pics of the base posted this time tomorrow night. I think you guys are gonna love the overall look. It is kicking ass!

And now for a Sarge update. I finished the base of the Palp statue and will start the 'rock texture' on Wednesday. Here's a little teaser for ya.

(http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/palp001.jpg)  (http://www.sarges-customs.com/UGP/palp002.jpg)


Mike
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 16, 2007, 10:11 PM
Sarge,
That statue rocks. That solid base looks too cool. I wonder what you have in store for the next up date.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 17, 2007, 01:16 AM
Sarge - FANTASTIC.  I love the base for it.

I'll try and get working back on this thing soon -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/011706tower.jpg)

Here's an early WIP of the Junk Yard -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/041706junk.jpg)

And I'll get an Owen D Gun Tower mailed soon too.

After that, including the stuff I already sent Phruby, I think I'm done on contributions?

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on April 17, 2007, 02:36 AM
Roron, I hear you on the low-tech aspect but I think the visual tie-in helps...  Holographic signage though is a great idea I think as well, something that could tie the city in with the look of the films too. 

The thing about the painted image is that it's utilizing existing facades...  That's always been the point of painting a wall or something to advertise a product (common in the late 19th, early 20th centuries by the way), or to subconsciously promote the person in power...  I think you guys should consider it, but only on one building...  Or, perhaps this'll maybe sound cooler to you, a fading image from the Clone Wars...  Something like a painting of the Clone army that was used as Republic Propoganda? 

It's different...  Low-tech though, I agree, but I don't think it's something that would be abandoned either, as holographic signs cost money and all. 

It's just an idea though, I'm merely a bystander. ;D  I enjoy tossing ideas at people about customizing in general though...  I miss the chats at FFURG we used to do all the time in mIRC.  Man those things got some grand ideas bouncing off from all directions.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 17, 2007, 09:27 AM
Sarge - that Emperor Statue looks great. You'd really made it look like its coming out of the stone.  However, to be completely honest, I think it may be too big (tall).  Based ont the figure scale, it looks like it must be almost 16-18" tall.  That is 2.5 - 3x taller than the base of the buildings that we've already seen made.  The outer wall is the 8" tall so it is at least twice as tall as that.   I'm all for including it, as long as it doesn't look too out of place.  Anyone else have any thoughts?

Chewie - I think that Junk Yard is looking great.  Any thoughts on how your are going to paint it and hide the foam seams?  Are you going to leave it on the black foamcore base?  I know that it is smaller than you originally planned but I think it is a nice looking size.  It will take a lot of junk to fill that area up.


Now something for the group - As this is starting to come together.  I think there are a few things that will need to be addressed.

1 - City-wide Greebles.  We really need to think about addiing more city type greebles.  Things like benches, trash cans, planters, etc.  Daigo-bah has made a few and Glassman has the great holo-projectors but we'll really need more things to give the city some life.

2 - Taller buildings.  I'm curious, does anyone else thing we need a couple taller, more "regal" looking buildings?  Glassman's original concept buildings showed several very tall elegant buildings.  We've got a great number of smaller, industrial type buildings.  I think those are perfectly fine but it sort of goes back to my point on the Emperor statue.  If this was a mostly industrial type city. Do we think the emperor would spend the "money" to erect and HUGE statue in a very "low class" area?    Thoughts?


One last thing - May 1st is TWO WEEKS AWAY.  All building shipping deadlines is May 1st. 
Remember the deadlines.  We are making great progress but there is still a lot to do![/b]
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 17, 2007, 10:38 AM
Daigo, I like your building. The fact that it is "short" only implies the majority of the building is underground.
So i dont see it as a problem.

Sarge.... DAYUMN!!!!! That is a sweet statue.

BrentS... you are right about bigger buildings.  I am hoping to get 1 or 2 done. but we need a few more.
Remember we had a cantina, some sort of city hall and a govener building.  Those wont be 1 story, adobe type buildings.( well maby the cantin, but it wont be small)

2 week huh?  better get crackin.   
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 17, 2007, 11:13 AM
Well, two of the buildings I'm sending are pretty tall.  The basic tower and the gun tower.  If someone else makes another large building that's great, but I know these things take time.  One thing to consider might be a modular level building, that might be easier for someone to assemble.

The height of the statue to me is fantastic.  I know not all the buildings we have are that tall, but an imposing statue of Palpatine, to me is a good thing.  Indicating the Imperial domination and shows who is boss.

On the junkyard, I have a lot of painting to do on it.  For the seams, I haven't figured out just yet how I'll go about it.  I've painted foamcore before with seams showing, just painting them a different shade of gray - it 'might" look ok like that but I'm going to see what I can do about it.  I wasn't overly concerned with it since this is probably the nastiest part of the city and least kept.  I'll probably paint the walls gray, with some texture added, and add some little greeblies to the wall, perhaps some electronic boards, that sort of thing.  And pretty heavily weathered since it's a junk yard... I wasn't planning on including the black base board for it, I don't think it would look right with it.  Now, if I have time I **could** experiment with something other than foam core on this, but I've either finishing it this way or have to bow out.  I have way too much going on outside of the project to stay at the level I have been.

For additional stuff, I really think we need to have someone look into the following:

- creating benches (probably anywhere from 5-10 of them)
- small potted planets or something (anywhere from 10-20 of them)
- public drinking fountains

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 17, 2007, 11:26 AM
If someone else makes another large building that's great, but I know these things take time.  One thing to consider might be a modular level building, that might be easier for someone to assemble.


I'm thinking about taking one or two of my smaller buildings and making them taller by creating something modular in nature. 

BrentS... you are right about bigger buildings.  I am hoping to get 1 or 2 done. but we need a few more.
Remember we had a cantina, some sort of city hall and a govener building.  Those wont be 1 story, adobe type buildings.( well maby the cantin, but it wont be small)


I'm still planning on making the Cantina as well.  It will be in a simlar style to my other buildings but should be open air.  I've been talking with Ryan a bit about this behind the scenes.




The height of the statue to me is fantastic.  I know not all the buildings we have are that tall, but an imposing statue of Palpatine, to me is a good thing.  Indicating the Imperial domination and shows who is boss.


I agree with you Chewie to some extent.  I just want to make sure that everything blends together as seemlessly as possible.  Its quite likely that it will look perfect.  I will definitely be an eye catcher and I'm all for anything in the diorama that will attract attention!!!

On the junkyard, I have a lot of painting to do on it.  For the seams, I haven't figured out just yet how I'll go about it.  I've painted foamcore before with seams showing, just painting them a different shade of gray - it 'might" look ok like that but I'm going to see what I can do about it.  I wasn't overly concerned with it since this is probably the nastiest part of the city and least kept.  I'll probably paint the walls gray, with some texture added, and add some little greeblies to the wall, perhaps some electronic boards, that sort of thing.  And pretty heavily weathered since it's a junk yard... I wasn't planning on including the black base board for it, I don't think it would look right with it.  Now, if I have time I **could** experiment with something other than foam core on this, but I've either finishing it this way or have to bow out.  I have way too much going on outside of the project to stay at the level I have been.

I'm sure you'll make it look great!


For additional stuff, I really think we need to have someone look into the following:

- creating benches (probably anywhere from 5-10 of them)
- small potted planets or something (anywhere from 10-20 of them)
- public drinking fountains

In addition to this list.  I think Streetlamps.  I had an idea of taking the bases from the Cannons that came with the Clone Pilots, add a styrene tube to them and top them off with some suitable looking lamp.  I've got enough Clone Cannons and some Styrene tubes but I've got a million other things I'm trying to finish for the project.  If I do make some streetlamps, how many do you think we'd need/want??


Oh my, so much to do, so little time....
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 17, 2007, 04:51 PM
Streetlamps are a good idea Brent, at least I think so.  Maybe if you have time, make a mockup of one?  I'd say anywhere from 4-6 of them would be ok?

Also on the junkyard, I might swing by the store this evening and look at some alternate ideas for the wall section (still going to go with with same design, just might go with a different material if possible).  But I need to have it finalized in the next night or two on design/construction so I have time to paint and ship it.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 17, 2007, 04:59 PM
I had a big term paper due Monday so Sunday I wasn't around much, I actually never went to bed Sunday night. I was going to pop in here and comment on all of this yesterday but I only made it until about 5:15PM until I had myself a nice 13 hour coma. Anyways things are really looking great so far guys, I'm impressed more and more everyday.


Something maybe to consider on a building or two...

One, perhaps a painted-on mural/propoganda painting...  A picture of Palpatine, maybe with it fading some from weather...  Something akin to what is seen in countries from Hitler's Germany to Iraq's Sadam Hussein...  Having imagery of the dictator is a popular way the dictator keeps his presence in the minds of his people, but usually it's done with a tone of "Hey look at me, I'm a cool guy" to it, so nothing sinister/evil looking.

Also...  A little graffitti might look cool on a building or two.  Nothing overdone, but it's a subtle kind of thing people might notice when looking over a scene.  Especially if there's a "lower class" portion of the city you guys are doing?

That's a really cool idea there Jesse... I love it.  :)

I think it is definitely something we should use on a few buildings. I think I'll try and add some graffiti to my building. Not necessarily an emperor painting cause I don't know that I could pull that off. Clone Wars Era posters could be really cool as well... If anyone else wants to try some let me know. We have to keep track of this so we don't have too much around town.


Heeby Jeebies! Those buildings rock!

Well, three 30 foot trees went down around my house this past weekend and ate up a lot of my time. Roron and I are working behind the scenes to get the globe / fountain complete. I should have final pics of the base posted this time tomorrow night. I think you guys are gonna love the overall look. It is kicking ass!

And now for a Sarge update. I finished the base of the Palp statue and will start the 'rock texture' on Wednesday. Here's a little teaser for ya.

Pic Removed


Mike

I can't wait to see the finished globe guys it sounds great. Sarge that statue looks awesome. I think you pretty much nailed the based height right on. I'm really looking forward to finished prodect.


Sarge - FANTASTIC.  I love the base for it.

I'll try and get working back on this thing soon -

Pic Removed

Here's an early WIP of the Junk Yard -

Pic Removed


After that, including the stuff I already sent Phruby, I think I'm done on contributions?



The layout looks good so far there Justin. That dealer shop looks nifty, I like all the curves. I think the grey heavily weathered look should be fine for that. Personally I'd cover all the foam with either thin mat board or even regualr typing paper, as I think that looks better, and it will seal the foam too. Brent suggested to Kevin using a thin layer of Elmer's glue to seam it, I personally have never tried that, but if it works that'd be fine too since this isn't supposed to be a pristine looking building by any stretch. Do you still plan on sending that box of crap you had to help fill out the junkyard or should we have someone pick up a few old model kits we can throw in there? Either way is fine with me. And if you can, would you mind throwing together some of the accesories you suggested? If you need time with the Mrs, and the future mini-Chewie this isn't required.

Sarge - that Emperor Statue looks great. You'd really made it look like its coming out of the stone.  However, to be completely honest, I think it may be too big (tall).  Based ont the figure scale, it looks like it must be almost 16-18" tall.  That is 2.5 - 3x taller than the base of the buildings that we've already seen made.  The outer wall is the 8" tall so it is at least twice as tall as that.   I'm all for including it, as long as it doesn't look too out of place.  Anyone else have any thoughts?

I think it should be ok. As long as it goes more towards the center and we have some other decent sized buildings it should be alright. Personally I think it would make a good center piece. Maybe if it is too tall we could tak 3" or so off the base on site.

Now something for the group - As this is starting to come together.  I think there are a few things that will need to be addressed.

1 - City-wide Greebles.  We really need to think about addiing more city type greebles.  Things like benches, trash cans, planters, etc.  Daigo-bah has made a few and Glassman has the great holo-projectors but we'll really need more things to give the city some life.

2 - Taller buildings.  I'm curious, does anyone else thing we need a couple taller, more "regal" looking buildings?  Glassman's original concept buildings showed several very tall elegant buildings.  We've got a great number of smaller, industrial type buildings.  I think those are perfectly fine but it sort of goes back to my point on the Emperor statue.  If this was a mostly industrial type city. Do we think the emperor would spend the "money" to erect and HUGE statue in a very "low class" area?    Thoughts?

I totally agree with you here Brent, and I like Justin's breakdown. I'm not going to be able to afford shipping more than my building and the terrain. I was thinking I might have time to whip up a bigger building or on site if I can prefab most of it before hand, aside from gluing the walls together, and then ship it flat with the terrain. I'll make some accessories as well.

Here is a list of the people that are going to need to make some more accessories:

Daigo-Bah
Famine
jedistyle
Glassman (keep up with the holoscreens, and you can work on the other types too if you want)
Phruby
CHEWIE (If you have time)
myself

Let know in the next day here if you have any specific requests as to what type you'd like to make, if you don't have a preference I'll assign something in the next few days.

Keep in mind we want to shoot for something like this:

For additional stuff, I really think we need to have someone look into the following:

- creating benches (probably anywhere from 5-10 of them)
- small potted planets or something (anywhere from 10-20 of them)
- public drinking fountains

And if anyone thinks of anything else that might be a good thing to have be sure to chime in.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 17, 2007, 05:14 PM
Thanks Ryan - and yes, I definitely will add lots of junk pieces for the junkyard.  I'll try to conceal the edges of the foamcore like you suggested if I don't go with another method (considering Balsa Wood).

On the curved thing in the middle, Owen made that for me a long time ago - it's from styrene and part of the Bespin junk droid room... I need to paint it.  I figured it would fit in well for the junkyard.  Here's more unpainted pics of it - http://www.owenscustoms.com/smelter.html

I'm not sure how much I like the little shop on the right side... I like the top to it but am not too happy with the rest of it.  I'll do some more work on it.

Glad you are ok with the basic layout too, and sounds like you've been very busy yourself with classes, not something I am envious of. 

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 18, 2007, 12:32 AM
Chewie- junkyard looks great!  Sarge, I LOVE the statue, that is going to pop!  Ok, count me in for about 5 benches then...
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on April 18, 2007, 12:54 AM
Might I also add that I love the Emperor Statue from Sarge as well...  That is a pretty neat touch on the whole thing I think.  :)  Might be one of the coolest ideas in the project  I think.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 18, 2007, 11:11 AM
Thanks Daigo-Bah... and guess what... last night I took my first step into a larger world.  I went to a hobby shop and purchased some styrene.  Messed around with it until about 3:00am.  I am trying to see if I can make the wall out of styrene, but think I might run into some issues with the curved section since I'm so new with styrene.  But I did get the back wall pretty much constructed and glued together and this morning it looked kind of cool!  But really this is a very time consuming process and my knowledge and tools for this are limited, so in the end I might have to stick with the foamcore.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 18, 2007, 11:17 AM
Thanks Daigo-Bah... and guess what... last night I took my first step into a larger world.  I went to a hobby shop and purchased some styrene.  Messed around with it until about 3:00am.  I am trying to see if I can make the wall out of styrene, but think I might run into some issues with the curved section since I'm so new with styrene.  But I did get the back wall pretty much constructed and glued together and this morning it looked kind of cool!  But really this is a very time consuming process and my knowledge and tools for this are limited, so in the end I might have to stick with the foamcore.

 :P

Welcome to the world of styrene.... one GREAT tip that I picked up here at JD (I'm pretty sure it was Jesse James).  Buy "For Sale" signs as a source of styrene sheets.  They are much cheaper than the Evergreen sheet styrene.  I still buy styrene rods, tubes, and "sticks" but I use these much more ecomomcial sheets for everything else.  I buy the larger signs because they are thicker.  I think they are like $2 for a huge piece.

Another think I've discovered - it is sometimes difficult to paint directly onto the styrene.  You may have better luck spraying it with a primer.

As far as Styrene - keep in mind you can use the plastic model airplane glue.  It will form "permanent" bond between the plastic sheets.  I find it much more effective than superglue but it does take a bit of time to dry and cure.

Last thing - Daigo-bah uses "foamies" a lot.  I've also started to use them a bit.  They are great for adding details to things but you can't use them for building per se.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on April 18, 2007, 06:11 PM
Yup, signs like "For Sale' and things are in WM's hardware area and sometimes they even get clearanced.  I just got some back at the holidays, pretty thick too (thicker than hobby shop styrene sheets) for like $.50 a sheet, and larger than hobby shop styrene too...  It was like 1'x2' or so I think.  CLeaned them out...

Better though is finding a plastics distributor in your area...  Nothing beats finding that, as you get it by sheets you need a pick-up to bring home.  If you've got the work space/area, you really can't go wrong with that since you have unlimited supplies almost, and can basically cut single pieces the length of a wall like you're working on and such.

For curving styrene, styrene heats easily and takes shape.  If you have a "heat gun" you should be able to work with it, if the thickness isn't too great.  I've worked with styrene in everything from 1/16" thick to 1/4" thick...  Great differences in HOW you work with it depending on thickness.

Also if you're gonna work with styrene, buy plastic welder at the hobby shop.  It's invaluable.  Also get 2-part Devcon Plastic Welder.  They're invaluable tools for bonding the plastic and actually fusing it together instead of just "gluing" it together.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 19, 2007, 11:54 AM
In the short amount of time I have to finish the junkyard I doubt I'll be able to learn too many techniques or use some of those methods or tools, but awesome ideas.  Thank you.

Regarding the "For Sale" signs - do they cut and "snap" just like styrene does?

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on April 19, 2007, 04:40 PM
Are you talking about those help wanted signs also?. Black background and yellow writting? You get them at Canadian Tire   I mean home depot or
 Wahl- Mart?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: jedistyle on April 19, 2007, 10:10 PM
that junkyard looks like it's coming along really well chewie, great work!

here a few pics of one of my market booth's. i figure some of the market booths must be legitimate businesses that are actual buildings, so thats the style i went for. i need to add a few more greebles and i haven't decided what to put in it yet, so if you guys have some ideas i'd love to fear them. i'm thinking mabey a travel agency booth, that sets up trips off world or a stim booth, selling strength, power and speed stimulants, like you get in the kotor games. i'm doing 2 booths, so i will probably use booth ideas, but i'm open to suggestions. let me know what you guys think.....

(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/battlemunky/dio/erik8035.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/battlemunky/dio/erik8036.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/battlemunky/dio/erik8037.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/battlemunky/dio/erik8038.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 20, 2007, 12:36 AM
jedistyle,
If you add some smoke stacks to the top you could make it a fast food type place. Add a grille in the back, as most food to places would be more permanent than some others selling odds and ends.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 20, 2007, 01:18 AM
Jedistyle,

That looks great so far

I'd suggest maybe some type of lighting fixture or possibly a fan hanging from the ceiling. You could add some type of shelving or racks to the back of the wall and fill them up with all kinds of little dodads.

Keep up the great work.
Fritzkrieg
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 20, 2007, 11:17 AM
Replied more at Yak, Jedistyle this is a work of art and easily one of my favorite additions to the structures.  Fantastic design.  I'd add some supply boxes or something maybe something electronic to the interior wall(s), and really like the idea of this guy selling stimulants and the like (like in the KOTOR games).  Awesome.

Also, I made some progress on the junk yard the past few nights.  Going with styrene for sure on this now, it will be more durable and since this is something I am going to want back, that's probably the safest material for me to use.  The main reason I'm wanting it is because of the smelting pit that Owen made, I'm eventually going to use it for my Bespin diorama at home.   :)

This is my third design now and the LAST, thank goodness.

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/042006junk1.jpg)

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/042006junk3.jpg)

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/042006junk2.jpg)

This took a while to build... nowhere near Owen D quality, but I learned a LOT with this the past few nights.  It's modular - 3 pieces for the wall.  I really am liking it, I think considering this is my first attempt with styrene it's much better than I thought I could do.

I need to sand it down still, and add a few greeblies, some more junk droid parts, then paint it.  I'll try and add some sort of dealer shop to it if I can, worse case scenario is the smelting pit area is rearranged to look like a shop and the roller cart is moved to the side with junk droid pieces on it.

If you look closely you'll see a few WIP customs in there too.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 20, 2007, 12:13 PM
Just a friendly reminder, we have

10 days left!

to get your buildings done. I've already received packages from Diego_bah, Chewie and Fritz. Feel free to start sending them now. PM me for address. I don't want to be receiving things the night before C4. That would be bad and probably will guarntee that the item doesn't make it into the dio.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 20, 2007, 05:18 PM
JediStyle - looks really cool.  I do think you need to fill the insides with some greebles.  I think shelves would be best.  I'm making a meat vendor for my Market Stall, so I don't care what you use for an idea as long as its not that!

Chewie - WOW!  That looks great.  You've picked up quite a bit of skills already with the styrene sheets.  Looks great!  Just remember what I told you about priming that.  If you paint directly on it, the smooth surface of the sytrene makes paint chipping very easy.

I've got a HUGE update planned but I can't get my images into photobucket.  Stay tuned.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 20, 2007, 05:29 PM
As soon as I posted the last update, my Photobucket account finally unfroze.  Anyway, here is my Big Update.

All six of my little buildings are done.  They are not perfect but I think they will suit their purposes.  These images were taken outside on a very bright day which really accutentates the flaws (around the masking tape).  Indoors from a slight distance I think they will be fine.


I tried to make a larger building using a piece from one of these smaller ones but I couldn't make it work right.  Given everything else I've got brewing for the UGP, I just don't think I'll be able to make any taller buildings.  I really wanted too but I'm stretched pretty thin right now!

Anyway, on with the show... Lots of pictures sorry  ;)

Group Shot - the streets of Judde Lulos
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Judde01.jpg)


Building 1 -
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build1a.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build1b.jpg)

Building 2 -
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build2a.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build2b.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build2c.jpg)

Building 3 -
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build3a.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build3b.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build3d.jpg)

Building 4 -
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build4a.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build4b.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build4c.jpg)

Building 5 -
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build5a.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Build5b.jpg)

Building 6 -
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/build6.jpg)


Now, as far as street greebles, I made this street lamp.  What do you think of it?  I could easily make about 6 total.  If you guys think we can use them, I'll make more.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Streetlamp.jpg)


A few Diorama-type shots for fun:
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Judde04.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Judde03.jpg)

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 20, 2007, 05:52 PM
Brent, WOW!

Those buildings all look fantastic.  What a great job you did on them.  Sure you can see a bit of the masking tape outlines here and there but they don't detract from the appearance. 

I wouldn't worry about the height of them, I think it's fine as is.  I like these little dwellings a lot.  What did you use for the doors?  They look great!  I really am impressed.

The greeblies really add some life to these too.  I encourage everyone to try doing that on their buildings. 

As for the street lamps - PERFECT.  Please make a few more if you can.

Awesome Brent!!!

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: roron corobb on April 20, 2007, 05:57 PM
Chewie,
Great work, and I really like the droids you made for it. That one with multiple legs looks simple, but is really cool looking. If it just a FX-7 used? Do you have enough droid parts? I have a few more if you need them, like some of those mouse droids, and a interrorgation droid if they can help. Oh and a few of those C-3PO piles from the Bespin Chewbacca. I can shoot them to you or just send them with the globe. Let me know.

Brent,
I don't see any problems with the buildings. If you see problems with the tape you used, I think I see what you are talking about, but it gives them character over something that would be perfect. I really like that add ons you used.

I wish I could see this in person. Once complete, everything is going to be awesome.
roron corobb
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 21, 2007, 09:05 PM
Brent- I love those buildings!  It's funny because I used that same Naboo weapon piece or whatever it is on my building generator box!  Here are some pics of the benches I made; I wanted to make 5 but I only had time for 3.  I gotta go out of town in the morning too for a few days, so I guess this finishes me up  :-[.

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p3ad80b8616b1098e7b7a1b3944a70d3f/e9d1fbf9.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p6a30479baa4a2afc10841344901f4ef0/e9d1fbba.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc15d5bf7203c12821cd2c876d30ea4ee/e9d1fb6d.jpg)

And here are a few pics of my building with a couple more greeblies added:

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd91b4343274e4ec2f809c60165e16a94/e9d1fd4d.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p0e88c87bc95a87bf7e0c5f441f4a84f3/e9d1fd00.jpg)

(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p09eb50265d4180075dad98e43351b5e0/e9d1fc7a.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 22, 2007, 12:25 AM
Looks great Daigo-bah.  Those benches will look fabulous around the globe and statue areas.   


I've been making more progress - 4 Trees are completely finished.  The last two just need some foliage glued on.  I'll post some pictures tomorrow in the light.   I've got the framework for my Market Stall finished - I scrapped the old one and am going with a new one. 

Phurby - I've got some stuff to mail out so I hope to put a big box together for you.  I'm ready to get some of this out of my house!!!

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 22, 2007, 05:06 PM
Wow, this thread has been very quiet this weekend.  I hope that means everyone is hard at work!

Here are the finished trees.  I'm pretty sure that some of the foliage will not completely survive shipping.  I'll provide some extra but I'm guessing that some superglue and foliage will be needed during set-up.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Trees01.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Trees02.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/Trees03.jpg)

I wanted to get more pictures but the wind was really blowing these guys over.  I was afraid of permenant damage!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Smartypants1635 on April 22, 2007, 05:19 PM
Looks good Brent, I like em alot, do we have smaller trees and such that fill in between those??? I don't remember if those are in the plans or not. I was thinking that we dont have enough buildings...... So i went to home depot and the only sheets of that large insulator foam was like 20 dollars and it was huge, I didnt need that much so I decided to try something with foam core. This isn't a for sure but If I get it done and its approved I'll send it off.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 22, 2007, 07:23 PM
It's funny because I used that same Naboo weapon piece or whatever it is on my building generator box! 

ME THREE!!!  I had planned to use all those naboo things. 

Daigo,  Your benches look great. I hope to have a few also.

BrentS...you are on fire!!!  Fire i tell you!!!  Buildings look great...trees look great...Fire!  I'll get some pics up tonight. Finished a building and MArkets stall.  Hoep to get to the holo screens in the next couple evenings.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 22, 2007, 09:10 PM
Here are a couple of my additions to the project.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg1a.jpg)

The idea behind the market stall, is that the seller is some ex-madolorian/bounty hunter who is selling
off his trinkets that he has collected over the years.
If i dont get to finish the figure, anyone will do.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/mstall1.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/mstall2.jpg)


Here is everything i used.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg2a.jpg)

The rest of the building.
(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg3a.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg4a.jpg)


Here are some wips.

(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg-wip1.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg-wip2.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~glassmancustoms/UGP/bldg-wip3.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 22, 2007, 11:52 PM
Glass, if need be, I've got a Mandolorian who could fill in for yours if he goes MIA?

Let me know, I'll be sending him any way.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 23, 2007, 12:19 PM
Glassman, that's awesome buddy.  Really fantastic work... the building looks stellar, great work on all the details on the building.  The market stall looks great as well!  Awesome!

Thanks Brent for making those trees... they look great to me.  I like the size of them, and they are detailed well.  Will really add life to the landscape.  Great work man!

FULL SIZE

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk0.jpg)


JUNK YARD OWNER

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk13.jpg)

This guy was made from a POTF2 Ponda Baba, and the Rodian band member in ROTJ.  I actually made him a while back but thought he would look ok as the owner of this place.



THE DROIDS

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk9.jpg)

Gonk - just a repaint
Repair Droid - made up mostly from POTJ FX-7


(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk10.jpg)

Artillery Droid - made from some Capcom robot parts and a STAP piece
ASP Droid - just a repaint


(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk11.jpg)

Sensor Droid - made from the Chameleon Droid and a couple thermal detonators
Medical Droid - made from  Firespeeder pilot backpack, SAGA research droid, POTJ FX-7 and OTC IG-88 - made this one a few months ago for the project.



(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/041007greeddroid.jpg)

This is just a droid I made a couple weeks ago for the scene, should fit in well for it.


(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk12.jpg)

This is just a box of junk that I made, and a little droid from one of the old EPI accessory sets.


DIORAMA PICS

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk1.jpg)

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk2.jpg)

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk3.jpg)

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk4.jpg)

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk6.jpg)

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk5.jpg)

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk8.jpg)

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk7.jpg)


===============================================

Overall, I'm very pleased with how it turned out!

( 1 ) For assembly, it was mainly styrene.  Measuring, cutting, gluing together.  Then a lot of sanding - wihtout sandpaper, I don't know how this would have looked.

( 2 ) Once I was happy with the appearance, I took a towel and cleaned the entire wall sections.  Then I went ahead and sprayed a primer spray on it from Krylon. 

( 3 ) After it dried, I cleaned it with a towel again, and glued on little greeblies (like the commtech chips).

( 4 ) Then, I added just a touch of another coat of primer, and cleaned off again after it dried.

( 5 ) At this point, I got a regular can of Krylon spray paint (not the cheap $1 cans, I used the $4 stuff and painted it - two coats.

( 6 ) Then I sprinkled on just a bit of black spray paint here and there.

( 7 ) Next step was to clean it off with a towel again, and then start dry brushing some details here and there (like the gray strokes all over the edges), add a few orange strokes, black strokes, etc.

( 8 ) Finally, I gave it a good paint wash with black in some areas and let it run down the walls, and a couple areas with a gray wash to let it soak up a bit of different color. 

( 9 ) For the smelting pit area, I did several washes - black, orange, gray, and black again. 

( 10 ) Once it was dry, I did a light spray of matte acrylic finish over the whole thing.

That's the process in a nutshell.  Fun project to work on, I can't wait to get it back after the project for a photonovel.   8)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 23, 2007, 12:52 PM
Glassman - GREAT building!!  I'm very excited by how this project is coming together!  I never really thought about adding all the geometric shapes to the building before spraying it.  Great idea - it really works.  I love your Market Stall - I think this little market area is going to be sweet.

Chewie -  I responded over at Yak earlier - but I just want to echo - this is AWESOME.  I know it wasn't the intention, but at this point, I think the Junk Yard is the highlight of the whole diorama (pending the Statue :) ).  Great job!

Smarty - Ryan was talking about making some smaller trees.  I don't know if that is still in the cards or not though.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 23, 2007, 02:21 PM
GEEZ Chewie.... I'm at a loss for words. Your  droid junk yard is incredible!!!
I cant get over how well done this is. And you buy playsets from Owen?  Dude make your own. Not taking away from the masterfull work of owen, but this is equally impressive.
The details are phenomenal. 

BrentS, thanks buddy.

Fammine. Deal!! Your custom can be the merchant. That gives me more time to get the holos and benches done and hopefully another building.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: NiubNiub on April 23, 2007, 02:48 PM
GREAT WORK GUYS !!!!
i cant imagine how cool it will look all put together

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Jesse James on April 24, 2007, 01:06 AM
I wanted to say that I too think a lot of great things are coming together by seeing your work on the project posted...  The buildings look outstanding, and if I may say so, I think the stone-flecked paint is amazing looking and gives the buildings all that perfect "Star Warsy" feel. 

The Emperor statue is probably one of my favorite pices I've seen so far.  That's such a great idea...  The shops and stalls are all looking great too, as are the figures I think.  Short of denizen filler needing to be a bit more substantial I think everything is going great for you guys it seems.  The streets should be pretty busy I think...  Given what we saw on Tatooine, a small outpost, you guys hsould have some busy streets I think is all...

Things are looking great though.  Looks like you guys managed to stay on the same page in terms of looks/feel too, very important I think.  Kudos to you all.

BTW Brent's trees...  Friggin' marvelous looking. :)  A+ work there man.  Too bad you guys couldn't do a whole forest of them, haha.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 24, 2007, 09:33 AM
I wanted to say that I too think a lot of great things are coming together by seeing your work on the project posted...  The buildings look outstanding, and if I may say so, I think the stone-flecked paint is amazing looking and gives the buildings all that perfect "Star Warsy" feel. 

The Emperor statue is probably one of my favorite pices I've seen so far.  That's such a great idea...  The shops and stalls are all looking great too, as are the figures I think.  Short of denizen filler needing to be a bit more substantial I think everything is going great for you guys it seems.  The streets should be pretty busy I think...  Given what we saw on Tatooine, a small outpost, you guys hsould have some busy streets I think is all...

Things are looking great though.  Looks like you guys managed to stay on the same page in terms of looks/feel too, very important I think.  Kudos to you all.

BTW Brent's trees...  Friggin' marvelous looking. :)  A+ work there man.  Too bad you guys couldn't do a whole forest of them, haha.

Jesse,  I really want to say thanks for all your encouragement.  It means a lot!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 24, 2007, 09:33 AM
I've got to say that I'm totally blown away by all the fantastic pictures I've been seeing over that past few months! My biggest worry is how these pieces will all fit together. It should be alot of fun setting this up. So far, most everything has survived shipping. There are some little problems but nothing right now I can't put back together.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 24, 2007, 11:29 AM
Thanks guys, I'm glad most everyone seems to like the junk yard.  It was a fun piece to do but I think it will surely be overshadowed by a lot of other things in the project.  It's not quite Owen D. material in my view but for my first experience with styrene, I'm excited about it.

Phruby - How is the wall coming along?  Any questions about it?

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on April 24, 2007, 04:00 PM
I have a ship that I made and I will post pics soon. I think it is worthy. Question!!  Is there some thing I could hang it from with fishing line or does anybody have any cheap suggestions for clear styreen tubes to make a stand for it?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 24, 2007, 04:44 PM
Do you have a pic of it? 

I'm thinking that it will be pretty hard to hang anything.  If on site it appears that something can be hung, then that might work, but I'd say the best bet is to make some styrene tubes as stilts.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 24, 2007, 05:27 PM
I've got a clear tube that might work.  Its about 2 inches in diameter and about 10" tall I think.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on April 24, 2007, 07:51 PM
 Thanks and I appreciate the responce and thanks for the offering but I would rather be prepapared with the fixture aspect ahead of time so I'm looking for cheap ideas. If worst come to worst I will go to the aquarium store and get the solid tubing.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 24, 2007, 08:01 PM
Thanks guys, I'm glad most everyone seems to like the junk yard.  It was a fun piece to do but I think it will surely be overshadowed by a lot of other things in the project.  It's not quite Owen D. material in my view but for my first experience with styrene, I'm excited about it.

Phruby - How is the wall coming along?  Any questions about it?

 :P



Havn't touched it yet. I'll be working on it this weekend.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 24, 2007, 08:06 PM
Thanks and I appreciate the responce and thanks for the offering but I would rather be prepapared with the fixture aspect ahead of time so I'm looking for cheap ideas. If worst come to worst I will go to the aquarium store and get the solid tubing.

If you want me to send you the tube I have, let me know. 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on April 24, 2007, 08:27 PM
Nah don't worry I'm sure it would cost you more to ship than for me to pick one up after work. I was just hoping somebody had an idea about something they may have seen at the dollar store or something.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 24, 2007, 10:23 PM
Just a reminder guys I need exact measurements of all your buildings....
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 25, 2007, 10:24 AM
Just a reminder guys I need exact measurements of all your buildings....

Dang it!  I knew I forgot something.  You'll have to get those from Phurby for mine - they shipped out on Monday.  They were all basically 5" x 8" (plus or minus a bit).


Phruby/Ryan -
I just wanted to warn you a bit.  The trees will be a bit tricky to deal with.  The way they were made they sometimes have a hard time standing straight up.  You'll probably have to fiddle with them a bit as you add them to the overall terrain.   Ryan suggested to maybe use screws of some sort but I didn't have anything that I thought would work for sure.   I think guys may have to work on assembly of that onsight a bit.  Sorry!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 25, 2007, 03:17 PM
Not a problem Brent. It shouldn't be a problem since I'll be adding them to the terrain. I'll bring some thing wooden dowels or even toothpicks that can be used to help support the trees from the inside. Are you going to want them back or can I use adhesive on the bottoms?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 25, 2007, 03:48 PM
Not a problem Brent. It shouldn't be a problem since I'll be adding them to the terrain. I'll bring some thing wooden dowels or even toothpicks that can be used to help support the trees from the inside. Are you going to want them back or can I use adhesive on the bottoms?

Nope, I don't need them back.  Feel free to take whatever liberties are necessary to attach them to the terrain!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 25, 2007, 04:04 PM
Adhesive - good idea.  Double sided sticky tape might work out well for that.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 25, 2007, 04:26 PM
I was thinking more along the lines of Hob-e-Tac. It should be stronger than the tape, and shouldn't have any problems holding up the trees. And if it leaks out at all it is clear, and will adhere the ground cover I'm going to put by the base of the trees to help blend them in.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 25, 2007, 05:23 PM
I was thinking more along the lines of Hob-e-Tac. It should be stronger than the tape, and shouldn't have any problems holding up the trees. And if it leaks out at all it is clear, and will adhere the ground cover I'm going to put by the base of the trees to help blend them in.

Ryan, You've been building more terrain than me recently, but I had bad experience with Hob-e-tac.  It seems like it never completely dries.  I the weight of the trees might be too much.  Hot glue might work though.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 25, 2007, 05:36 PM
Either one would work I'd think. I hate the damn strings on hot glue so I often avoid it. Hob-e-Tac isn't supposed to completely dry, it is supposed to remain tacky. It should work if I us it along with some other internal supports. I'll figure something out though, it shouldn't be a problem.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 25, 2007, 05:39 PM
I've never used the Hob-e-Tac, so I have no idea how it works.

But, just in case it *might* be a good idea to have a roll of this stuff on hand -

(http://www.gadgetspage.com/wp-content/P1000292.jpg)

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 25, 2007, 07:09 PM
Either one would work I'd think. I hate the damn strings on hot glue so I often avoid it. Hob-e-Tac isn't supposed to completely dry, it is supposed to remain tacky. It should work if I us it along with some other internal supports. I'll figure something out though, it shouldn't be a problem.

Ryan,
I think you are right.  If you use some dowels or toothpicks as support, it might work out just fine.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 30, 2007, 08:57 AM
I had a completely unproductive weekend (from an UGP perspective).  My son had his first communion and we had a bunch of relatives visiting all weekend.  As its stands now, I can finish the market stall and the street "lamps" (but they will be mailed by the 7th I'd guess).   I just don't see being able to finish the cantina because I haven't been able to start it yet.  If the leaders think we have enough buildings then maybe I shouldn't worry about it. 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 30, 2007, 11:38 AM
I think we're ok without the Cantina Brent.  It would be a great addition, but I think that space is filling up pretty quickly.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on April 30, 2007, 12:10 PM
I had the same type of weekend brentS, Veroncia's baptism.
So, i'm gonna be scrambling tonight to get a few more pieces done.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 30, 2007, 12:39 PM
Same here... just prepping for the kid to get here.

I went out and picked up the baby cradle, crib, and changing table.  Then put them together and in the baby room.  Now I have to go buy a dresser.  This is getting expensive.

Last night I weathered the tower some - looks a lot better now, and it's in the mail.  So it will be to Phruby this week.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 30, 2007, 12:48 PM
Welcome to Parenthood you guys. Remember it just gets more expensive from here.  ;)

But it's all worth it. :D
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 30, 2007, 01:34 PM
Welcome to Parenthood you guys. Remember it just gets more expensive from here.  ;)

But it's all worth it. :D

Amen
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 30, 2007, 02:45 PM
Quote from: YAK_Chewie
Great looking stuff Danielb!

(http://chewie34.250free.com/043007fruit2.jpg)

(http://chewie34.250free.com/043007fruit3.jpg)

The fruit stand area really adds a lot of life and realism to it. It's nice seeing a building that has an everyday citizen function to it.  Very well done, thanks for the contribution!

 :wink:

This is a nice looking building and the fruit looks great. I do have a few questions though:

A) Who is this guy?
B) What are the dimensions on the building?
C) Has it already been shipped, cause the color will make it stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe Phruby can repaint it with this guy's permission? A bunch of grey stone buildings with one random tan adobe thrown in won't look right. I want to include this cause it is a great looking building, but that color won't work with what we are going with... :-\
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 30, 2007, 03:52 PM
He's a relatively new contributor over at YakFace.  He was inspired by all the UGP and wanted to contribute.  I think he made and shipped this to Phruby before any of us knew it was coming.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 30, 2007, 05:07 PM
Reply from Daniel over at Yakface:

Quote from: Danielb
not a problem. The main building is just a couple passes of two different krylon spray paints. Krylon dry's fast so it'd probably be best to go over it with a light gray spray of krylon. the metal trim stuff is mostly just wet and dry brushing over a silver spray base.  So taping it would probably be a bad idea.

Of course if someone wants to hand paint it in gray that'd really make some of the adobe pop up.

Any way do what you need to do to make it fit.  I'm fairly easy going.
 Can't wait to till C4 pics are up.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on April 30, 2007, 05:12 PM
I'm pretty sure he sent me a PM a while back asking what we needed, and I told him some sort of market building and I think I told him to PM Phruby for his address.  This was a while back.

Either way, it's a great looking building.  If it can be turned into a more gray tone I think it will be a very, very nice addition to the city.  Also nice to see another contributor, this kind of came out of the blue!

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: jedistyle on April 30, 2007, 06:12 PM
here is a couple pics of my other market stall that i put together. it far more simple that the first, but i actually like it better. on the canopy i was running a lighter around it to give it that singed dirty look and well, it lit up a bit. there a good sized scorch mark and about a quater sized hole on it now, but it still looks decent. thie one is a rare stone and antiqueties merchant. id love to hear what you guys think. know what you guys think.


(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/battlemunky/dio/erik8035-1.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/battlemunky/dio/erik8036-1.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/battlemunky/dio/erik8037-1.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on April 30, 2007, 06:41 PM
JediStyle - That is freakin' sweet.  I love it!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Daigo-Bah on April 30, 2007, 07:28 PM
LOVE IT.  I think I recognize the items in the stall as some fancy beads at Hobby Lobby.  Awesome!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 30, 2007, 07:45 PM
I really like the Fruit Market, It's ashame we did not very the building colors more to better reflect the feel of a true city or town.
 
The antique dealer Stall is great and the merchant running the shop has a lot of character. Great work on both.

Fritzkrieg
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on April 30, 2007, 08:38 PM
The fruit market arrived today.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on April 30, 2007, 09:52 PM
here is a couple pics of my other market stall that i put together. it far more simple that the first, but i actually like it better. on the canopy i was running a lighter around it to give it that singed dirty look and well, it lit up a bit. there a good sized scorch mark and about a quater sized hole on it now, but it still looks decent. thie one is a rare stone and antiqueties merchant. id love to hear what you guys think. know what you guys think.

I love it Erik. I like it better than the first one too. I really like the open feel it has and that rug is a great touch. The little antiques are great, this will be a unique one for sure. Do you plan on sending the Mon Cal as the dealer? He works perfectly with the booth. I could see it being able to fold up and close over night so that nothing got stolen. Great job man.

I really like the Fruit Market, It's ashame we did not very the building colors more to better reflect the feel of a true city or town.
 
The antique dealer Stall is great and the merchant running the shop has a lot of character. Great work on both.

Fritzkrieg

Part of the reason we went with very similar colors for all of the buildings is that it has been established there are a lot of cities like that in SW, for example Mos Eisley, Mos Espa, Theed, Corellia city even, Chandrilla, even Coruscant to a degree.

We also wanted to make sure that the buildings would fit next to each other, color is great but you need to make sure it flows from one to the other without vast contrast, I.E. bright pink buildings next to lime green buildings. That is of course a rather extreme example, but you get the idea. If we had more time and were able to physically meet up get the colors flowing we could do it no problem. As is though we only had a month so controlling the colors to a degree makes more sense since there isn't a whole lot of time to fix building colors that don't work.

Maybe next time we will try to vary the colors more, but I think it should still look great this time. :)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on April 30, 2007, 11:03 PM
Quote
I.E. bright pink buildings next to lime green buildings

You need to drive through a few of our neiborhoods down here in South FL. That kind of stuff is all over down here. The guy down at the end of my street painted his house Bannana Yellow.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Famine on April 30, 2007, 11:25 PM
You have not put a stop to this man, why?


I'm pumping out a few more things, and some merchants for the booths, and then sending everything at once, as I've said. Some set backs and family issues have come into play, but I've taken care of those things the best I can and now I have some time. Rest assured.

Kevin
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 1, 2007, 01:47 AM
Quote
I.E. bright pink buildings next to lime green buildings

You need to drive through a few of our neiborhoods down here in South FL. That kind of stuff is all over down here. The guy down at the end of my street painted his house Bannana Yellow.

Ah, in Missouri we're not very flashy people.   ;D

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on May 1, 2007, 01:54 AM
Weeeeee! Finally got this stuff done.

(http://www.elmeaux.com/ugp/IMG_2738.jpg)

(http://www.elmeaux.com/ugp/IMG_2736.jpg)

(http://www.elmeaux.com/ugp/IMG_2746.jpg)

What was great about these was it was a group project in a group project as my wife participated in the building and painting of probably 50% of this. Had a lot of fun.  :)

More close ups in this directory. (http://www.elmeaux.com/ugp/)

Anyone want to share some mailing tips? lol!

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 1, 2007, 02:28 AM
Wow, bang up job there E. That's some really nice work. I really like the clear windows around the tops. And that power plant turned out better than I was hoping for. There are some great looking greeblies on all of those too. Do my eyes decieve me or do I see deodorant caps on the roofs?


I'm curious, do we have a roron/Sarge update? I'm really excited to see the final results there, but I haven't heard from Sarge in a week or two. I heard his wife is having some health problems and that may be the cause of his absense. Has anyone tlaked to him? I hope all is well...

EDIT: BTW I think we are going to have to expand the city area for sure...
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on May 1, 2007, 08:30 AM
You need to drive through a few of our neiborhoods down here in South FL. That kind of stuff is all over down here. The guy down at the end of my street painted his house Bannana Yellow.

Oh yeah, I remember the gaudy colors of FL. I can't stand that place ;) Not that it's much better up here where we have to worry about the a certain percentage of the population painting their houses bad mint-chocolate-chip green, deep electric blue & bright "gooseberry" purple-magenta...

Erm, anywho, nifty low powerstations, E. The the bronze peice is pretty damn cool indeed. Especially the workstation part.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on May 1, 2007, 08:49 AM
Elmeaux - that is sweet!! 

I'm so excited about this project.  We really are going to need a bigger place for the city.  Everyone should be VERY proud of all the work you've done.  I know this project is months old but there has been an unbelievable amount of progress made in only about 6-8 weeks!!!

As far as mailing tips - I wrapped everything in bubble wrap and mailed Priority Mail.  From the looks of Phruby's patio - it seemed like everything arrived relatively safely. I went ahead and insured the box with my buildings.  It would be tough to make a financial claim for them but I was hoping the insurance stamps would have them treated with a bit more care.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 1, 2007, 11:16 AM
I've found that if you write fragile on the box, you are guaranteeing it will be bashed up. Also, if you write, this side up, it will end up on its side or upside down. Things arrive well as long as you put enough padding in the box no matter what way it ends up on my doorstep.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 1, 2007, 11:26 AM
elmeaux - fantastic work.  Really a creative design with the curves and whatnot.  Very good addition, thank you!

Ryan - as for extending the city - would this mean the wall needs to be extended further?

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 1, 2007, 03:36 PM
elmeaux - fantastic work.  Really a creative design with the curves and whatnot.  Very good addition, thank you!

Ryan - as for extending the city - would this mean the wall needs to be extended further?

 :P

MAYBE, but hopefully not. I've been working on a few ways to expand the city without needing to build any more walls. The first would have used your original gate method, with dowels as the gate to expand the wall, without actually expanding it.

We also may be able flip one section of the wall around 90 degrees, turing the table into an 'L" shape and then we can expand out to the right indefinitely and to the top by either one foot or two feet. And the illusion of an enclosed city should still exist. Here's a quick sketch of what I'm talking about:

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/tn_expandingBP.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/expandingBP.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Fritzkrieg on May 1, 2007, 03:56 PM
With all the customs we've made to populate the city what are we going to be puting in the wilderness area?

Fritzkrieg
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 1, 2007, 04:00 PM
I think we need to talk to Phruby about the wall - he was going to try and make very specific angles on it... I'm all for maximizing the space, whatever you guys come up with is up to you!

As for the wilderness area, I don't see why we couldn't have a couple of the vehicles out there, and a few figures too.  If we end up with more Rebels than expected there's no reason why we could't have the Rebels all out in the wilderness fighting the Imperials, and as far as battles go - have only the Jedi in the city or a mix of Jedi and Rebels. 

If we end up using the Rebel speeder, it could go in the wilderness - and I think that both AT-ST's should be out there as well.

Also - CRAP!  I forgot to send the BARC Speeders.  I'll do that tomorrow.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 1, 2007, 04:03 PM
We (we being Justin and I) were thinking a BARC or two out on patrol, maybe an AT-ST, and maybe a small stromtrooper recon team would work. We could also have one of the civilian speeders approaching the gate and some troopers could be checking their papers. I think Justin included some animals with his packed too that could be out in the woods. We may also want a small Rebel recon team, scouting Imperial movements, or your heavy trooper aimed at the AT-ST...
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 1, 2007, 04:09 PM
I think we need to talk to Phruby about the wall - he was going to try and make very specific angles on it... I'm all for maximizing the space, whatever you guys come up with is up to you!

Well the front part of the city wall, the part he is working on, would still be exactly the same. You made your part in sections correct? All this method would require is rotating one of your pieces 90 degrees and then painting the exposed side. It would be very little work and shouldn't require any cutting.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 1, 2007, 04:29 PM
I made three sections... can't remember exact measurements, but I want to say they are 24 inches, 24 inches, and 22 inches... at least I think.  They do still need to be detailed/painted however.

As for animals - yeah I included a couple - nothing too major though.

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/ugpchewie19.jpg)

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/ugpchewie20.jpg)

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/ugpchewie21.jpg)

...but they should add a bit of life to the environment.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 1, 2007, 04:50 PM
One of those 2' sections should work perfectly to rotate. We definitely are going to want to limit what we put in the landscape area, it is only 16 sq ft so we don't want it to look over crowded.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 1, 2007, 04:58 PM
Yeah - if anything, I'd rather the diorama have a few less figures/vehicles in it rather than look TOO crowded.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on May 1, 2007, 05:09 PM
I was planning on sending a Nexu (the cat thing) to put in the wilderness too.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 1, 2007, 06:23 PM
I think we need to talk to Phruby about the wall - he was going to try and make very specific angles on it... I'm all for maximizing the space, whatever you guys come up with is up to you!
 :P

Has the specs for this wall changed? Right now, I have four sanded down boxes of various lengths and it seems to spec has changed. Can I get one definitive version of the spec before I put these boxes under my midder saw? Personally, I would rather leave them uncut and just add some texturing, paint and some little accessories.

Please come up with one spec and send it to me.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 1, 2007, 06:40 PM
Paul, the specs I gave you a month ago are still the same nothing has changed on your part of the wall. Just to be clear these are the ones I'm talking about:

(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/tn_WallCorrected.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/WallCorrected.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/tn_SectionA.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/SectionA.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/tn_SectionB.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/SectionB.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/tn_SectionC.jpg) (http://www.jedidefender.com/image.pl?http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/SectionC.jpg)

Yours HAS to be like this. The terrain and city won't fit together any other way. The back part, Justin's part, is the part that changes. Even then it doesn't involve any extra cutting or even any additional work.

 
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on May 2, 2007, 07:40 AM
Can we get some pics of what you have done Ryan? (landscape)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 2, 2007, 09:45 AM
Ok. Let me get this straight. The four boxes Chewie set are not these wall segments. I shouldn't do any cutting to the boxes Chewie sent. Just texture them and paint them.  Correct?

For these, I need to hand make these three new segments for the front wall. Right?

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 2, 2007, 10:42 AM
Correct.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 2, 2007, 11:34 AM
Cool.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 2, 2007, 04:58 PM
Hope you don't have too much trouble with the angles Paul.  I had a terrible time with my part of the wall due to my lack of having a good workspace for this or a good saw, plus I was in a crunch to get things done and shipped...  I had to do my part with a regular handsaw, and to be honest I can't build things worth a crap.

Do you need some greeblies to add to it?  I'm not sure what you are planning on adding, but with my experience with the junkyard wall, things like commtech chips worked really well.

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on May 2, 2007, 05:29 PM


Do you need some greeblies to add to it?  I'm not sure what you are planning on adding, but with my experience with the junkyard wall, things like commtech chips worked really well.


I really liked those comtech chip additions.  A number of us also used pieces from the EP1 accessory kits.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 2, 2007, 09:42 PM
I've decided not to use wood for the front wall. It's made out of foam core simular to the construction of Brent's buildings. I've bought a number of styrfoam balls that I will cut in half for domes that will go all around the top of the walls. All the walls will be painted in a rock-like finish simular to Brent's buildings. Black plastic H sticks will act like gerders. Finally, I'll spray paint some comtech chips for kibble. I just need to figure out how to do the gate. I would like to make one that opens and closes.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 2, 2007, 10:05 PM
Phruby, do you think the foamcore wall will look similar at all to the wood wall then?   Or do you just want to trash what I did, and make the back wall out of foamcore too?

For the gate, wooden dowels would work pretty well - somewhere there's a pic of a drawing that I made of what I had planned...

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 2, 2007, 11:29 PM
I intend to plaster over both the foam core and the wood with some texture and paint them the same color. I think that way they will look very simular. I just went with the foam so I would be able to handle the cuts easier.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on May 3, 2007, 12:10 AM
Can we get some pics of what you have done Ryan? (landscape)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 3, 2007, 01:34 AM
I intend to plaster over both the foam core and the wood with some texture and paint them the same color. I think that way they will look very simular. I just went with the foam so I would be able to handle the cuts easier.

Plaster will warp the **** out of foamcore and won't stick. Be forewarned. I think Niub has said plaster cloth works if it is stapled on, but regular plaster will just **** up all your hard work, trust me on this one. It's not fun.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 3, 2007, 01:44 AM
Just my personal opinion - I think the wall might look better if it appears to be more of a metallic appearance - the kind of walls we see Imperials have is usually metal.  But at this point, I'm not the one detailing it of course.  But for weathering it, it would be a piece of cake doing it if it had a metallic appearance.

Now, in theory Phruby - you could do the wall in wood, with the "ends" where the angles are being done in foamcore if that's easier.  The reason I went with wood was because it's very durable, there's no chance of it warping, and you don't have to create an internal support system for it like you do with foamcore.  If you are able, I'd go with wood but I can certainly understand your concerns.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 3, 2007, 01:55 AM
Personally I think a metallic look would be better than stone as well. It is up to you though.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on May 3, 2007, 12:48 PM
Ryan?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 3, 2007, 01:19 PM
I do have shiney metalic black and that would look cool with the plastic girders on the outside looking like supports. The half balls on the walls could then be turned into turrets.

What if I took thin cardboard stock (ie like comic book backer board) and covered the foam core with it? That will make the foam core wall smooth feeling just like the wood.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on May 4, 2007, 11:07 AM
I vote metal too. I have always invisioned it like that.
Paul, i dont know if you got my message, but my box should be there tomorrow/Monday.
PM me when you get it about 2 things... the extra holoscreens and the unpainted helmets.

Hopefully everything survives the trip.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 4, 2007, 11:27 AM
I'll pick up some black gloss metalic. The only can I have is a small can made for plastic.

Ryan, got any work in progress pictures? It would be helpful to see where to place little accessories on the wall if I saw where this thing will be placed.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 4, 2007, 12:05 PM
I'll pick up some black gloss metalic. The only can I have is a small can made for plastic.

Ryan, got any work in progress pictures? It would be helpful to see where to place little accessories on the wall if I saw where this thing will be placed.

I don't have any pictures at the moment. I'll get some tomorrow. I had another all nighter last night writing three different papers for the same class that are all do today, so I think I will probably crash ealry before I get them done tonight, but tomorrow I can do. I've been putting off taking any since I'm about 90% done and I just wanted to get the finished pictures up at the and of the weekend/begining of next week. All I really have left to do is pour the water and then add some tall grass.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on May 4, 2007, 12:28 PM
I do have shiney metalic black and that would look cool with the plastic girders on the outside looking like supports.

Just a suggestion:
http://rustoleum.com/product.asp?frm_product_id=643&SBL=1

I used this on several plastic parts (door panels, verticle pipes, "a/c unit" in back) of my buildings and the adhesion and dry time was excellent. I used the "dark bronze" which looks grey to me, but they also have a black. Got the stuff at either Wal-mart or Home Depot.

E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 4, 2007, 12:43 PM
You know, this might or might not be how you want to go about the painting Phruby, but when I was referring to a metal look, I really didn't mean for it to be overly metallic, just the texture to not look like concrete.

What I would suggest is the walls having some sort of "border" on them - you could use strips and glue them to the top and bottom of it - almost like what is done with base boards on a real wall in a house.

For example, on the junkyard wall if you want to look at that you can see the "border" that I made on it -

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/042006junk3.jpg)

(http://chewie34.250free.com/042201junk0.jpg)

When painting something like this - I've found that a base coat of a Krylon gray primer works best... then you can use another Krylon gray paint after it dries, and then add a bit of weathering to it.  For weathering, all you need is some water, acrylic paint and a couple brushes.  It's very easy if you have the right kind of base paint coat down first (again I'd suggest Krylon but the Rustoleum might work too).

Also - I've found that using the cheap 99 cent paint from Walmart is a huge mistake, it's better to buy the Krylon stuff that costs about 3 or 4 dollars per can. 

Just ideas though, how you go about this will be up to you - I wish I could have done more on the wall, but as you know my situation I was afraid to possibly over commit on it.

 :P

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: elmeaux on May 4, 2007, 01:03 PM
(again I'd suggest Krylon but the Rustoleum might work too).

The Rustoleum didn't require priming on plastic; it had a very good bond too.
I don't think I looks overly metalic but I guess ymmv:

(http://www.elmeaux.com/ugp/detail.jpg)

Anyhow, Paul should have my stuff now so he can take a look it and see if it's a direction he wants to go or not.  ;)
E>
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 4, 2007, 03:42 PM
I picked up the Rustoleum hammered black. (no metalic black) That should give a nice texture to it.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 4, 2007, 08:03 PM
Sounds good Phruby... what I'd suggest is possibly making a small "test" wall - just one small piece of whatever final outside covering is going to be on it and making sure you're satisfied with how it looks painted.  Up to you though.

Also I got something cool in the mail today from a forum member at Scum - pickintheblues sent me some casted custom CZ droid parts - I'm going to ***try*** and do something with them for the junk yard and ship out to Phruby ASAP... probably can't mess with it until Sunday though.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 4, 2007, 11:14 PM
Cool CZ droid parts. I wish I had one of those. I guess Hasbro is giving us one so I'll have to wait for the official version. I painted one of the wall pieces with the hammered black. It looks good but still looks like wood. I'll have to give it a second coat. Once I get them all painted and cut the rest of the walls, then I can think about all the little accessories and trim.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: BrentS on May 5, 2007, 01:35 AM
I think I got credit for finishing and sending a market stall.  However, I haven't shipped it yet.  Here is my stall.  Its a Meet vendor in the spirit of Garga.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/MarketStall.jpg)

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cerius31/UGP/MarketStallb.jpg)

I know that it is late but I'll send it along with some of the "steetlamps" that I made on Monday.  Phruby, you'll have them by Wednesday/Thursday I'd imagine.

Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 7, 2007, 04:11 AM
Looks great Brent! I think All the stalls have turned out great so far.  :)

As requested here are some final WIPs of the terrain, note that I've since added some long grass. I just need to pour the water, and attach the waterfall then this should be ready mail out (finally.) I feel like a schmuck for missing my own deadline :-[. I've had so mush **** come up I've been running on fumes lately. That and I've had to modify the layout a few times cause I wasn't happy with it at all. That first piece has changed significantly since the first time I posted it.
Oh and a few other quick asides-

1) The blue foam edges will all be covered in a nice black edge, I was going to do that here at home, but I think it may be easier to just do it onsite, especially since we have 2 days to setup now. You can see a partially attached piece on the side of the cliffs there.
2) The seams fit together fairly well here but I can't blend them completely until we get onsite.
3) The Thumbtacks are stand-ins for Brent's trees.
4) Due in part to the size of this and lack of proper lighting the pictures are in fact quite ******. It looks better and brighter in person.
5) The City wall will hang 2" over the right side of the terrain there, hence the flat boring edges over there and the abuptly halting cliffs. that will be blended on site as well.
6) I was lazy and didn't want to thumbnail these, sorry. :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 7, 2007, 04:12 AM
(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/PICT1603.jpg)



(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/PICT1598.jpg)



(http://www.jedidefender.com/rphipps/UGP/PICT1594.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on May 7, 2007, 07:49 AM
Very well done. Looks good.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on May 7, 2007, 07:51 AM
Are you still going with a water fall?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 7, 2007, 07:59 AM
Are you still going with a water fall?

As requested here are some final WIPs of the terrain, note that I've since added some long grass. I just need to pour the water, and attach the waterfall then this should be ready mail out (finally.)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 7, 2007, 10:03 AM
Very cool! That terrain came out great. I think I missed it but what about the streets and city ground?

As for the walls, I've painted chewies walls but they still look like they are made out of wood. I think that will be ok though because I'm adding some half round trim to the top for a pipe and some little additional accesories. For the front wall, I've made the center piece out of foam core but I don't like the texture even after wrapping it in paper. The paint didn't work very well with the paper. What I'm going with instead is the thin foam boards that most of you used for your buildings. That makes it easier to cut (instead of carve) and should be very clean and match the back walls better in texture. Good news is my wife and kids will be out of town this weekend so I'll be able to finish it by next monday.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on May 7, 2007, 11:01 AM
Is it to late to rotate the center rock piece in the other dirrection? If water is flowing from the falls, the blunt round end is what gets pounded (erroded). As water flows by, waterslows down and deposits in a sharp tip. Like a tear drop falling.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on May 7, 2007, 11:01 AM
No big deal though
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 7, 2007, 11:13 AM
Ryan, fantastic work buddy!  That really is looking professional!   Honestly, I knew you were going to be doing a good job on this, but I truly am amazed!   :o

Phruby - Sounds like you're doing good, I understand the trial and error that you might have to go through some on it.  I had a very hard time with the junkyard getting it to look how I wanted.  You could maybe do some sort of wash on it - and if there really are two days on site - I don't see any reason why on site that a bit of dry brushing with some light gray, then a metallic silver, and then a bit of black can't be done on the edges.  Might give it more of a look that you'd like.  Are you 100% sure you're not going to use wood on it at all?  I painted some wood last night and was able to get it to look like metal - I'll try and take a pic tonight or tomorrow.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 7, 2007, 12:03 PM
Maybe I need more coats of black?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 7, 2007, 01:08 PM
Well, I think that the way to go about it is to use different colors here and there - for example, when I paint something like this, I use several different colors.

1) First I spray a base coat with a dark color.

2) Then with a lighter color, I spray lightly back and forth, but not too heavy - I still want the first coat to be seen some.

3) Then with a different color, I spray back and forth a bit more - now I have hints of three shades on the item being painted - adding a level of "real world" wear to it.

4) I might go back and use the base color again here and there, always spraying in a motion moving back and forth lightly - and never letting it get too thick in one area.  I might even hold a can in each hand so the two colors mix some.

Now, you might really like this stuff that Walmart carries - there's different colors -

(http://www.dpmhi.com/imagedisplay.php?dir=product_group_imgs&url=325.jpg&max_width=200&max_height=200)

Perhaps a mix of black, tan and a gray would work out and give the effect you're trying to achieve?  I think that if it looks "glossy" at all it won't look as good, so I usually go with a flat paint type.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on May 8, 2007, 02:02 PM
Ryan, the terrain looks incredible.  I cant wit to see it with the trees and such.
Paul multiple coats will get rid of the wood texture.
Add a layer of primer then re-spray with the black. The primer should be heavier and fill in the grain of the wood.

Looking great guys!!!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 12, 2007, 05:19 PM
Ok. The walls are constructed. They just need painting and decorating. Chewie's walls are primed and ready for a new coat of black. Which side of the walls is facing the outside where the grasslands are?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 13, 2007, 12:01 AM
Walls are painted and steel cross beams are being added. I want to print out some decals of graffitte for the outside of the wall. (kind of a Berlin wall feel) Just need to know what side is outside.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on May 13, 2007, 10:22 AM
Any comments about my request on rotating the center rock of the cliffs?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 13, 2007, 08:44 PM
Any comments about my request on rotating the center rock of the cliffs?

Can't be done. I was in a hurry then because I was trying to get it all done by 27th of April, becasue I knew if I didn't that it would be late. When I glued it and weighted it, I came backa few hours later and noticed it was backwards. Without destroying it I couldn't have removed it. Luckily it isn't a huge difference between the two sides so it should be alright.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: patreektherodian on May 13, 2007, 11:57 PM
Yah, sounds like it's not worth the risk.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 14, 2007, 07:32 PM
Got the 9" Emporer figure from ebay today. I'll paint him up and make a stand for him. The walls are done except for some crossbeam detail on one of the wood boxes. I'll get pictures up as soon as I can.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Ryan on May 14, 2007, 07:36 PM
Good to hear. The terrain is 100% done now, I got the water poured and the waterfall attached today. I've just got to find a big old box and mail it out via DHL tomorrow.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 14, 2007, 08:38 PM
Have you figured out the size of the city board we need? What should I buy?
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 14, 2007, 11:16 PM
Any pics of the wall Phruby?  Can't wait to see it...

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 15, 2007, 09:43 AM
My wife just got home last night and hasn't unpacked the camera. I should be able to get pictures up tonight. Also the Emporer is painted a nice metalic shiny black. He stands on a large rectangle blood red base.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: findswoman on May 15, 2007, 11:25 AM
Can't wait to see, Paul!  I'm already very impressed by the contributions I've seen so far on this thread, and I just feel sorry that I didn't have more time to contribute more.  Looking forward to seeing the whole thing live in 3D at the con, too!

... the Findswoman
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Darth_Ennis on May 15, 2007, 07:00 PM
I wish I were able to see the whole thing in 3-D at the con. :'(

Man poverty sucks! >:( ;) :P ;D
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 16, 2007, 12:00 AM
All in all, it's just a another brick in the wall....

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/phruby/UGP/wall1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/phruby/UGP/wall2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/phruby/UGP/wall3.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/phruby/UGP/wall4.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/phruby/UGP/wall5.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/phruby/UGP/wall6.jpg)

As you can see one wall still needs its crossbeams. I just ran out of wood before my wife and kids returned. I'll have that one finished before the show.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 16, 2007, 12:02 AM
And our patron Saint of Pain and Suffering...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/phruby/UGP/statue1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v308/phruby/UGP/statue2.jpg)
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: findswoman on May 16, 2007, 10:01 AM
Great statue!  That 9" figure (or however big it is) is just right. A really neat touch!

... the Findswoman
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Glassman6 on May 16, 2007, 10:39 AM
Nice work paul, love the  details in the gate.

I would add some dirt/weather the statue. Its stands exposed in our dusty dirty town( remember mining operation town).

I love the cleaness of the black but it needs to be dirty.  Maybe even some place where the paint is worn/chipped off. Cause of people throwing rocks at it and such.( not everone likes the emperor  ;) )
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 16, 2007, 11:29 AM
Thanks guys. I got better at the foam board as I worked with it.

Since this is an imperial outpost, the imperials would keep the statue of their ruler clean and maintained. Imperials to me are very intense on cleanleness and order and that is the way they keep all of their equipment when they are not in a battle or in deep desert patrol for long time. I can see them having a couple of stormtroopers assigned to keeping the statue clean. In fact, I'm planning on adding some graffitte to the outside of the wall and having a stormtrooper standing there with a paint brush painting it over.
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: PenDragon on May 17, 2007, 12:39 PM
I'm planning on adding some graffitte to the outside of the wall and having a stormtrooper standing there with a paint brush painting it over.

I love it!
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: CHEWIE on May 21, 2007, 01:09 PM
I've been very much out of the loop the past week due mostly to not having computer access.

The wall didn't come out exactly like I had envisioned but with all we've had going on lately, I think it's a miracle that the wall even got made!  I would have preferred to not have used the straws for design, but I know this was a pain to make Phruby, so thank you for stepping up and putting it together.  I really like the door way - great work on that.

The Palpatine statue looks good - for the base, I might suggest if on site tryting to rework that, as some of the edges look frayed from what I see.  I do like the concept though.

 :P
Title: Re: The Ultimate Group Project - Diorama Construction/Design
Post by: Phrubruh on May 21, 2007, 01:18 PM
It won't be changed.