hungry4knowhow Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hey all, I am wanting to do a city diorama (I have an empty basement, but no money to do the railroad thing) Im wanting to do a full city w/suburbs, and I want to start with the Inner City because I like building the "gangster/flashy" vehicles the most. Here is what im looking for maybe you can help me as this is my first diorama so I dont have a list of good suppliers: Vehicle Rims (I could just pay $20ea for the Revel DONKS kits, but I'd rather buy cheaper and add my own big rims) Figurines -Cops, Gangsters(i'd rather not use Homies) Diorama stuff - I know I can buy gas station kits, but im wanting to build some run down houses, housing projects etc...can anyone point me in the direction of where I might find these things? And also if you know of any good hobby shops in the Kansas City/Overland Park area i'd love to know, just moved down here and dont know much of the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randx0 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 check ebay for the rims I know there is one that sells a blister pack with 6 sets of wheels they aren't as nice as the revell units but may be suitable for a diorama. the figures several japanese companies have a few figures sets but none that are cops or gangsters over the years there have been a number of kits that came with figures (I think some one wrote an article on what figures came with which kits but it was awhile ago and I don't remember what magazine it was in)the a team van came with a Mr. T figure in a seated postion with separate muscular arms ,the gangbusters series came with a couple of figures in each kit there were about 4 cars in the series and they aren't that expensive plus they have a lot of extras guns knives safes etc. and more recently kits came with prepainted figures you just have to keep your eyes peeled .and then theres resin figures verlinden made a chp officer,chimneyville had a couple of different police officers ,jimmy flintstone has a bunch of figures you may want to check there first,and replicas &miniatures company of maryland has some figures also. as for buildings you will probably be doing a lot of planning and scratch building i suggest checking out rail road modelers books for techniques on building buildings and dollhouse stores . hope this helps get you started or jogs some memories that others can fill in stuff that i left out. good luck ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coopdad Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hungry, You have got to visit "The Model Builders" forum. I select group of AWESOME diorama builders have gathered there with some of the most amazing work. And the work with just about any medium... one guy is building the most amazing building front using matt board. But don't let me scare you off, they are eager to help newbees like us. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott H. Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 1/2 scale Doll House furniture and accessories scale out to roughly 1/24th - 1/25th scale. Do a search online for it and don't forget there are a bunch of doll house magazines in the stores to leaf through for ideas. The Doll House / Building kits can be expensive to purchase from the places I have seen online, but quite honestly they're not hard at all to build the basic structure of. The fun comes in the detailing of the buildings and bringing the surrounding areas to life! Hope this helps, -Scott H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungry4knowhow Posted February 12, 2009 Author Share Posted February 12, 2009 Hey guys, thanks for the tips helps to get me started. And I was definitely looking to scratchbuild the majority of the diorama. Kits just dont do it for me when it comes to buildings. I went to a local HS today and found some good deals on a few "DONK" Kits so I've got a few to get me going. I'll check out the other sites. Now off to do some research! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott H. Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 One more thing I forgot to mention is G-Scale train accessories are also close to 1/24th-25th scale. You can get figures and such from suppliers off the web by doing a search for them too. Hope this helps and don't forget to post pics when you start working on it! -Scott H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungry4knowhow Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 thanks scott, and i will be sure to post pics once things get progressing. Right now im chopping up the first couple of vehicles for the DIO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Whatshisname Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 hungry, As the guys have mentioned, G scale railroad or 1/2 inch dollhouse supplies are about the only way to go for storefronts even close to 1/25 scale. They can be rather expensive though. Your best bet is to scratch build what you want. If you decide to go that route and need some help, please ask here as there is a bunch of people that are willing to give you their input. Let's see some progress pictures as you go...good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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