Display Base Diorama

[djmothra]

Ok, I'm in for this comp. This has been on my list of stuff to do for a while and have even started to collect stuff for it.

I'm going to make a Mini Display Base & Diorama for my Dwarven Miner Themed FrostGrave Warband.



This is all I have right now of them, I have another 7 minis still on the sprue - so i'll have 15 in total (so I can swap out henchman as and when)

I'm going to use a block of wood as the base (exact dimension escape me right now, but it's a little smaller than a bit of A4 Paper and about 1/2" thick) and make it look like the outside of a Mine entrance. Will have a Cart Track and maybe a frost covered Pine tree too along with suitable mining stuff (picks lanterns etc) Similar to this below.



I'll be adding about 15 or 16 square 'holes' in ground so that the figures can sit in snugly and hide the base they are on.
If I have any 'holes' that are not filled, I may make some spare ones so I can also use this as a backdrop for taking pics of minis (or just 'premake' the bases for the next 7 minis that i'll make )



As I have said, this will just be a display base diorama so it do not need it to work on the gaming table.

I have made a few doodles on some paper on the layout - I have to decide on which one, so i'll post later.

Thoughts? C&Cs? Stuff?

[pendrake]

(05-07-2016, 01:01 AM)djmothra Wrote: Thoughts? C&Cs? Stuff?  

For the unused holes: you could make some "objective markers" by gluing various items to spare bases.

List of ideas: 

• a chest
• a boulder ( <== by far the simplest and least effort)
• a small tree
• a shrub
• a sign post that names the mine
• a dwarven 'oathstone'
• a brazier
• a stack of crates
  

Something attached to the spare base, that is filling in an unused slot for a mini, will also serve as a handle that will help lift the base out once you get more figures painted up.

All of the above could prove useful as scatter terrain.

[djmothra]

Awesome! great ideas - I'll have about 15 or 16 Squares that'll fit perfectly into the holes that I have just made too.

Thanks for the Ideas...will def get used

[MellyMonkey]

Great idea!

[djmothra]

So, I've at last got round to starting this - quiet time at home is perfect

So, first up is a quick doodle of my idea - you'll see how it pans out below - I do increase the size a little.


Get the Dwarves that I have and draw round their bases to make sure they all fit ok.


Start cutting out the different levels - I'm using 5mm PVC Foamboard (as usual)


Pop the Dwarves back in!


Polystyrene foam to make the start of the rock faces - don't worry, i'll cover them.


Currently sat drying - I'll do some PVA Glue and newspaper for the rock faces, then add smooth the contours a little.

I'll add the track and rails later on.

C&C welcome and appreciated.

[djmothra]

Rockface papered and spackled (well, some kind of plastery stuff that hardens ) Also smoothed out the ledges.



I may possibly add some more, we'll see in the morning.

C&Cs welcome and appreciated.

[ClockworkOrange]

Interesting......

[djmothra]

Some Crystal clumps drying on my balcony. Made from left over Dwarf sprue.



C&Cs welcome and appreciated.

[Blocky]

Sprues do make some good crystal clumps. I have a boatload of fluro green sprues left over from some GW necrons. Have never found the right project for then though...

[djmothra]

Crystal clumps placed - I'm only having a few here as the minis themselves have some on their bases.

I also have a few more things to add (Picks, mushrooms) which I'll do later on.



C&Cs welcome and appreciated