Swap meets are a great place to grab a bargain or maybe spot something you wouldn't usually be looking for. I'd been thinking about making a smaller diorama with resin but I didn't know what scene I wanted to portray...until I came across the Hot Wheels Landcruiser 80s series at my local swap meet. I paid my $10 and when I got home, I started work on my river crossing diorama.
First thing to do was to customise the 4WD. I found a file on Cults3D that was perfect for the look I was after. Link here if you're wanting to make an accessorised 4WD. I scaled it down to 1:76 to fit the Hot Wheels car.
Once the parts were printed using resin and the Anycubic Photon Zero, I painted them with acrylic craft paints and attached them to the vehicle using super glue.
Now to add the mud and dirt. I used a mixture of brown acrylic paint, dirt (sifted and mixed with paint, gives more texture to the mud) and SMS "Dirt" Weathering Powder. I used pictures on the internet for reference, focusing a lot on the wheels and sides of the 4WD. I used Tamiya tape to mask off the windscreen to imitate the dirt leftover when you use your windscreen wipers. I used some round styrene, bent into shape, painted dark brown/black and attached for the snorkle. The aerial is florest wire painted black attached to the bull bar.
Unfortunately, I didn't get many photos of the build process of this diorama, but I will walk through how it was created.
The base is Bastios XPS extruded green foam from Bunnings. I choose this foam because it's easy to carve, light, easy to paint/glue and it's relatively well priced without "hobby tax". The only down fall of foam is mess when carving, but extruded foam compared to polystyrene foam - it's a lot less mess! I've never had a chance to use Knauf extruded foam, but I've heard great things. If I can get my hands on some, I will definitely be trying it.
I carved the foam down in the middle to imitate the river bed and built the sides to imitate a steep river bank. Using Woodland Scenics Rock Moulds and Woodland Scenics Hydrocal Plaster (dries lighter and quicker) I created rocks. Here is a great video on how to create realistic-looking rocks using Woodland Scenics.
The alternative option is scrunching up some foil, creating a mould by bending up the sides and pouring Plaster of Paris. It will set you back $8 compared to around $50-$60 depending on what rock moulds and plaster you purchase. Or you could try carving your rocks from foam or plaster, depending on the effect you're after. If you jump on YouTube there is tonnes of videos on different methods you can use.
While the plaster rocks dried, I prepared the foam base with Woodland Scenics Smooth It. I covered all areas with a light coat, filling any cracks in with the plaster. Using Smooth It, I attached the rocks to surface of the foam river bank. Again, fill in any cracks you see, blending the rocks together. Once the plaster was dry, I used brown acrylic paint to cover all surfaces except the rocks. Rocks were painted with a grey base, black wash and then white dry brush.
In most of my dioramas, I use things you can find in your garden. That was the case with the river rocks. I went rock/pebble hunting and a lot of the time you'll find path topping is perfect. You can also get different styles from Bunnings in the garden centre. It is also is a good idea at this point to pick up any dead twigs that will look good as dead branches/debris in the river bed.
I glue down the rocks by slathering PVA glue on the river bed and sprinkling the rocks/pebbles/twigs until I get the desired effect. I also sprinkle dirt at the entrance and exit of the river crossing, ensuring you can see the tire ruts. Once I'm happy with the rocks and dirt placement, I liberally apply IPA (isopropyl alcohol) and watered down PVA glue (2 parts water, 1 part PVA, 2 drops of dish liquid). Let it dry for 24 hours. The rocks are dry brushed with acrylics browns, greys and white.
I added static grass and flocking to areas that needed greenery. This is a good time to glue in the Land Cruiser with super glue. I made sure it was on an angle to make it look like it was driving into the deeper part of the river.
Using masking tape, I tape up the sides of the diorama, making sure there are no gaps for resin to seep through. I've had resin leak before, it's not a pretty sight, hard to clean up and it's really difficult to stop it flowing. Make sure you spend time getting the masking right.
When choosing resin, I'd highly recommend craft epoxy resin. It doesn't get hot like other resins and it's readily available online and in stores like Kmart. I used this resin from Amazon mixed with Woodland Scenics "Murky Water" . I poured the resin into the middle of the river bed and let it creep out the edges, sometimes you may need to use a popsicle stick to help distribute the resin up the river bank. Using a heat gun, I tried to pop as many bubbles as possible. I wasn't too worried about bubbles as I knew I'd be adding waves. Let the resin dry (covered) for 24 hours before touching/moving the resin.
Once the resin was cured, I used Woodland Scenics Water Effects to create ripples around the Land Cruiser. This product is so easy to use but can be pricey, alternatively, you could use PVA glue/mod podge gloss, wait until the glue is half dry then rough it up using a popsicle stick. Once the product was dry, I dry brushed the ripples using acrylic white paint, focusing a lot of white around the base of the 4WD.
Next is trees, and luckily for you I actually recorded this process. Check out how I made my trees for this diorama. You can pick up Ground Up Scenery Super Fine Trees here.
@the.train.girl I’ve been busy 🐝 Here’s a quick tutorial on some small scale gums! Follow me on FB the.train.girl #scalemodels #modelrailway #matchbox #matchboxcar #landcruiser #diorama #resinart ♬ Storytelling - Adriel
And there you have it, My Australia River Crossing diorama. Why not challenge yourself with a water scene? What should I do next?
