My diorama idea

Hey guys, thought I'd give this diorama GB a go, wont be a heli based one though...
Its been an idea I've had for a while so with the mention of a dio GB I thought its a good time to look into it
The plan is to have 2 cars halfway out of a garage (house garage not workshop)
The cars I shouldn't have issues with as I know what I'm planning to do, however the garage I think will need to be completely scratch built, unless anyone knows of kits/pieces I could use?
So I'm asking all of you for input and ideas to get this in motion
Firstly, what to build the garage of? and what texture outer walls would be a good idea, brick, wood, etc?
Secondly, I plan to have concrete out front leading to the edge of dio, with grass either side, what to use for grass?
There wont be a house to worry about, so only the garage will be done
I've seen kits on ebay of garage accessories but not sure what ill do with them, most I wont use, so may need to make one or two things to put in the garage
Plus, the garage door will need some work, undecided if I'll have it fully open or slightly closed at almost at car roof level...
Oh and it will be 1/24 scale
Thanks in advance

Welcome to the group build! For the garage Evergreen do a range of styrene in corugated/clapboard/brick, metal sidings and structural features like beams etc. I'd probably build it of that.

As what Grant said, you can get the styrene to suit - I guess it depends on what kind/style of Garage you're thinking.

Also grass you can pick up most places, Mightyape or model shops. I have a couple of different kinds, and again, it depends on what style you want. My favourite was a games workshop type I think (I wil have to check it when I'm home) but it comes out like this (the zero pic below) Though, it's hard to see. Once again, I can take a better pic of it once I'm home.

I can help ya out with anything, though I aint the best Dio maker lol

Evergreen would be my choice of product to use also. I have used it quite a bit over the years and find it great.
They have a huge range which will cover every thing you need to build a garage.
Grass etc depends on what your after but there is again a huge range of stuff available on line and at hobby shops.

I've been doing a lot of planning on this, and have now got scaled pictures mocked up in publisher
I've worked out roughly what the evergreen is going to cost me (using Mighty Apes stock availability and prices as an estimate) and I'm looking at $100+ for the garage "box" (inner walls, ceiling and floor) then its going to be more again to add the evergreen outta walls so their not just flat boring walls, (looking at the clapboard siding) so this looking to be $300+ without a roof...

Garage walls are a 260mm wide and 106mm high (without the roof part) if that helps

Has anyone got any ideas to bring this cost down by using alternative "sheets" instead of the evergreen sheets?
Maybe MDF?
Maybe cardboard?

I used 6mm mdf and glued foam board from coin save,2 bucks for a A4 sheet

Hadley wrote: Maybe cardboard?

Anything is possible with cardboard if you want to go that route. (E.g. the guy building the Boeing 777 from card.) Most of the railroad guys make buildings from cardboard and stripwood/balsa and they can produce some awesome buildings.

Maybe try the cardboard idea. Many places like Whitcoulls and a variety of Art Supplies outlets will have a supply of card stock in various sizes and thicknesses.
Certainly much cheaper than using Plastic stock. And some model stores will also have different shapes/sizes of Balsa wood to use as beams and such. You will also need PVA or some similar "White Glue" for making things with card and balsa. Painting techniques will differ when using these types of materials also. Look around the railroad forums for ideas here.

Just found this which may prove useful for you Hadley :

1/35th Battalion wrote: Maybe try the cardboard idea. Many places like Whitcoulls and a variety of Art Supplies outlets will have a supply of card stock in various sizes and thicknesses.
Certainly much cheaper than using Plastic stock. And some model stores will also have different shapes/sizes of Balsa wood to use as beams and such. You will also need PVA or some similar "White Glue" for making things with card and balsa. Painting techniques will differ when using these types of materials also. Look around the railroad forums for ideas here.

Just found this which may prove useful for you Hadley :

You legend!!!
Started watching that video and straight away thought the foamboard would work well, googled and found some at warehouse stationary, $13 on special for 32x40" which is more than enough but too much is not a bad thing. Will hopefully get started soon
What's the best glue for foamboard? And what's the drying time like for such glue?

The reason for this dio:
My wife and I met through our cars, she had a blue 2001 Subaru Impreza hatch and I had a 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX hatch.
There are no kits available for either of these cars so I thought I'd buy the sedan versions, make a garage to have them in and that way you wont notice the fact they're sedans as easily...

Preparation:
This is what I've been working on lately, mocking up scale drawings of what I've got planned, and hunting and thinking what else I'll need for it.
Maths from school has come in handy for working out triangle lengths and angles lol
This is the final plan (at this stage)


Kits to be used:


The build has began:
Picked up a large (32" by 40" by 5mm thick) piece of foamboard on Wednesday and last night I began cutting it all up into pieces to make the garage
Foamboard:


Garage walls, garage door, floor, ceiling and roof (side door to be added later)


Tonight I've cut up some extra pieces as supports for when I start gluing it together (planning to use PVA)


Then I test fitted it all to see how it went, couldn't have done any better, everything lined up perfectly. (forgot to take photo)
Next I'll spray it all black as a base, then begin making it up

Still after ideas for the driveway and grass, for what to use if anyone can link anything? even pics of such products as used would be appreciated

Good on ya mate, very good you've found the different product to bring that cost down... rather expensive the evergreen route!

thinking outside the box can get some neat results
todays acquisitions...

Wallpaper from Resene Colourshop will be used for the exterior of the garage to give a bit of texture

Sandpaper from Resene Colourshop will be used for concrete/asphalt/etc

Woodland scenic Turf will be used as grass

4 walls glued

wallpaper glued on

sprayed walls with primer


Anyone got ideas for colours?
Brown walls, charcoal roof and doors
Grey walls, charcoal roof and doors
light coloured walls, dark roof, brown door

Yeah, you'll have to come up with your own colour theme Otherwise you'll get suggestions like this "Half blue, and half pink, side for him, and hers!"

Looking good though, might have to look into that foam myself at some point

Hey Hadley, do you have a garage? Or do you have friends that do? Go take a look - What does a real garage look like? What colours is it? What can you see inside it? What is the floor and driveway made from? What colours are they? Come on mate, get your Man Researching brain going! And the internet is LOADED with ideas and what and how to videos. You Tube it . . . . Google it . . . . It's You diorama, so make how YOU want it.

Maarten wrote: Good start.......you might want to add a Skylight(s) on your roof so you can look down on to your diorama


www.google.nl/search?q=greasy+carage&rlz...2o5NsvuRERbMBskkvmYC

Na trying to have as little of the inside showing as I can

Looking great there Hadley,
Glad you came up with a product tp use, Foam board is very usefull for this type of thing.
Looking forward to seeing some more soon

Been slowly working on this
Roof assembled and sprayed

Decided the roof needs more of a texture to it so did this

Primered ready for paint

Awesome looking really nice mate

That looks good man, and I'm looking at it, and with those dots, it could work on the roof.. like, adding a different tone to it or something... not a brand new garage... Unless that's what you were going for?

Looks smashing Hadley.
What did you use for the roof tiles ?

Tiger wrote: Looks smashing Hadley.
What did you use for the roof tiles ?

Some card I got from warehouse stationary, cut in strips of 320mm by 21mm, then cut through approx 15mm every 20mm, then trimmed each end after glueing to roof
That make sense?

Haven't got anywhere lately since my painting issues with this, so it's sat untouched for a while, but now I've started working on the cars, really need to order the wheels but at least the cars are underway

Pics ??

Sorry tiger, must have missed that comment

Ordered my wheels just before I went to Aussie, hoping for them any day now

Hers: painted exhaust and assembled and painted brakes

Hers: painted and assembled interior

His: painted exhaust and assembled and painted brakes

His: painted and assembled interior (anyone notice anything different/non standard?)

Sorry mate, no I don't notice anything not standard, as I don't know the car lol