Dio-Bolical Monday No: 1

by theimperfectmodeller, posted in Dio-Bolical Monday, Uncategorized

Welcome to the first post under the catchy little title of “Dio-Bolical Monday“.  Last week saw the last Memory Monday post for a while but it will return at some point in the future for sure but for now it is time for a change.  Let’s get started.

I thought I would kick this series off with a bit of an explanation on what you can, in theory, expect to see in the next few weeks ahead.  If you haven’t figured it out already then the “Dio” in the title is short for “Diorama”.  Every now and then I get inspired to do something on a slightly larger scale and now is one of those times.  I used to do a fair few dioramas in the past but space constraints and storage have made them a rarity of late.

Now the thing with dioramas, well mine for sure, is they aren’t done in five minutes.  With all the will in the world I cannot post a new diorama model every week so Work In Progress posts, with thanks to those of you who kindly responded to my question in Miniatures & Musings No:68, will be the order of the day up to and including eventual completion.

Now one of the things to remember with dioramas (well mine again) is that they can go wrong!  You can have all the plans in the world (although I never work to a plan, it’s all just in my head) and still something will fail to work out.  Under the worst case scenario this means starting over but more often than not it amounts to a modification of some sort.  Sometimes this is an improvement on the original idea which is clealry a good thing but alas sometimes it isn’t and the end result whilst OK is not what I envisaged.  The thing is I have no idea how the build of these dioramas will pan out so the journey I am on is not just mine but yours too.  Together we will see how things work out for better or worse.

So, what do I have in mind for you?

Well I have two dioramas planned for now and because of things like drying times I will probably flick between the one I am working on and individual figures while I am waiting around.  The one thing both dioramas have in common is they feature buildings produced by “Table Top World”. I have mentioned these models in previous posts and they are visually stunning.  The level of detail is incrediable and I am excited at the prospect of painting them and then setting them into a scene.  The only downside is they are made of resin and I hate resin more than I hate plastic.  I am an old school guy but realistic to know that metal for these buildings is a non starter.  I am therefore going to put myself through an emotional spin dryer in attempting to paint these buggers.

The first building is a little rustic cottage.

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The working title for this diorama is “Fools Gold”.   The title might stick it might not, it all depends on how things turn out.  The plan is for the building to feature an old prospectors cabin along side a gold mine entrance and I may even chuck in a tree and a little stream.  I have identified a nice little Reaper figure which I hope will bring it all together and tell the story.

The second building, and by far the more adventurous of the two, is the Wizards Tower.

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This building is huge and stands almost two feet tall.  It also cost a small fortune so I am going to feel the pressure of not screwing this one up!  The working title for this one is “The Wizard’s Tower”, catchy huh!  I don’t know if this title is going to stick.  Not only do I not like it that much but I have a horrible feeling in my water that my original idea for this diorama will not stay the course which will change everything anyway.  Time will tell and things will become clearer on why I think this as the build gets under way.

Well that’s the introduction done.

From here on in it is going to be a long haul but the journey begins next Monday!  I hope you enjoy the ride.

TIM

27 thoughts on “Dio-Bolical Monday No: 1”

  1. Those are some gorgeous buildings, I too am not a fan of resin (or plastic), we old gits have got to stick together on this!! Are they 3D printed?

    The tower is a really impressive piece, I tend to build my own buildings from scratch (but nothing like this!) mainly because I’m “tight as a gnats chuff “, looking forward immensely to seeing how you get on with these, very best of luck.

    Oh and nice to know I’m not the only one who makes stuff up as he goes along! 😁

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. That’s a good question Roger. I think the stuff is made in Croatia but I have no idea if it is 3D printed or not. If it is then there are certainly no build lines on any of it so the quality is extremely high.

      I’ve scratch built a fair few building of my own and to some extent feel like I am cheating by buying these but I had heard such great things about them that I thought I would give them ago. Was blown away when they arrived by the quality.

      Glad to know I am not the only one stuck in his ways with metal, as you say us old guys must stick together. As for plans, I start with good intentions but experience tells me that at some point I will have to deviate so as a general rule I start with nothing but an idea and see how it goes! 🙂

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  2. Look forward to seeing how these two progress, don’t have the same aversion to resin ( hardly surprising I produce in resin ! LOL) but can understand others having reservations. before basecoating do a paint test, paint a little section with a brush, and this will show if it’s going to react, if it does give it a coat of matt varnish before undercoating it.

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      1. I’m in my 50’s, just had to keep trying new things within the industry. I still like metal models, not a fan of all plastic or resin, just depends on the model

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      2. You are right to move with the times Dave. I guess for you it isn’t just about the modelling and figures but also the media too such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. There was a time when I could keep up with it all but I am 63 now and heavily reliant on my kids to teach this old dog new tricks! 🙂

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    2. Indeed, just when you think you can cope with it all they bring out a new platform, or update an existing one, which you then have to learn all over again. I do the same and get my eldest daughter to help when I’m stuck, as she’s a lot more up to date as she works in animation

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    3. Oh hello Dave, didn’t see you there! actually I love resin it’s the best medium ever 😉. Resin for buildings and vehicles (well most scenery tbh) yes, but I just cant take to resin (or plastic) figures.

      I also have an aversion to 3D modelled stuff (I know some of it is wonderful, and the wave of the future) but it just seems somehow “cold” to me like it hasn’t got the soul of stuff build by hand, silly I know , but it’s like an old sci/fi movies, when I was young, yes stop motion animation and men in rubber suits were a bit clunky but if was amazing to watch and I could appreciate the skill, but somehow now I watch modern movies and it’s just,” oh yes it CGI”.

      Sorry Dave, I really am not deliberately having a go at you family today 🤨.

      Cheers Roger.

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      1. No problem Roger, if we all liked the same thing it would be a very boring place indeed, and we are all entitled to have our own opinion

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  5. These ideas sound great, really looking forward to seeing how you progress with them.
    Regarding resin what do you hate about it? I know in the past I have had trouble with it, but normally it just needed a good whast to remove all the lubricant used in the molde.

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    1. Thank you, hopefully they will turn out OK. As to resin I think the problem is more with me. In fairness resin takes the paint well and the figures are very detailed. The problem I have had is that I find them brittle. Some of the detail can be so fine that in my hands it is easily damaged and usually is by the time I have finished with them. Of course that could be down to the figures I bought and as that was a long time ago things may well be better now. Metal on the other hand I find more robust. I’m also old school and like the tactile element of metal. All of that said if I were younger I would be singing the virtues of resin and moaning about metal! The nice thing about these buildings is they are pretty solid so I am hoping that even I can’t damage them!

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      1. I understand now, and I agree resin can be rather brittle at times, I actually preffer plastic over resin for that reason.
        I do understand you love of metal when I was getting into the hobby the cheap models where plastic and I could only get the very occasionally metal better quality model so they do have a special place.

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  6. Well, these look good! Will there be an arrow somewhere showing that “The Wizard’s Library” is actually located down in the depths of the tower! 🙂 Despite my age, I’m quite happy to embrace metal, plastic, resin and 3-D prints – all have their advantages and disadvantages!

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  9. Hey mate I’m so excited!! tis looks like a really fun adventure, I have looked at theses structures but my enthusiasm was tempered by the price as you said, a small fortune! that said I can imagine your trepidation on these resin buildings.
    Its funny that I’m an older git than you but I started on the old Airfix long ago and have only done a few metal figures in the last couple of years and cant say I have taken to them, I feel it a weight thing! and as for resin, is fine but as you say its brittle and I have lost a few hands and weapons when painting them.
    You are so right on Dio planning ,I’m with you there, looking forward to seeing more of this soon Dave . Cheers Mate.

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  10. Wow, those buildings look amazing, I’m looking forward to seeing what you make of them. Of course it would be nice if you’d just crack on and perform whatever magic is required to get these dioramas finished and ready to show us rather than spinning it out for weeks by pretending that it takes time… 😉

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  11. What worries me most is putting up several WIP posts only for the next one to come along and screw everything up. Much less pressure just going for a finished model and post if all goes well or no post at all if it turns out crap!

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  12. To add onto what Dave mentioned above, I’d recommend giving the building a scrub with a toothbrush in warm water with a bit of dish soap mixed in. You may already do that with resin stuff but if not, it really makes them a lot easier to paint.

    I can only echo what others have said, I can’t wait to see both dioramas! You made excellent purchases from TableTop World and they are going to look great, I bet. I’ll be curious to hear how painting such large objects goes and I’m already looking forward to the next update 🙂

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