22 replies to this topic

[Nick Winter]

It took me from thursday til friday afternoon to finish here's the pictures.

Thursday's work.

[Nick Winter]

Friday's work.

[Nick Winter]

friday continued.

[Nick Winter]

Friday continued again.







Enjoy

[customcreator]

wellllll, it's a decent start if this is your first.

I think your major issue is with the printed out cinder blocks. Your seams do not line up and it really throws the whole layout.

Another issue is the amount of glue you have used. You shouldn't see glue globbed on like that. Think real life man, do you walk by a fence and see globs of glue on it? OF course not, people don't glue fences, but you know what I mean.

The Popsicle stick "studs" are pretty badly done too, they don't line up and are overlapping each other.

I am not trying to tear you down because I think you have a good vision. I like that the gates swing closed, that's cool. Maybe print out your main garage sign rather than free handing it? That way you get a nice centered look? You can find some really cool free fonts online to get a nice script.

Hope you take what I say into consideration and maybe re-make this garage with a little more effort and thought. If you are going to complete a whole town, you might want to re-evaluate or search a little more on some of the great construction journals here.

Only trying to help out, as I see others have subscribed to the old; "if you don't have something nice to say" rule.

[Michigan Madman]

Only trying to help out, as I see others have subscribed to the old; "if you don't have something nice to say" rule.

Here's something not nice: TRANFORMERS SUCKED!!!! YOU LOVE CGI SO MUCH YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT REALITY SHOULD LOOK LIKE! (Of course I mean the Spelbergian ###### of late, not the original Japanimation we all loved growing up.)

Yes, that was childish and immature, but so am I. My favorite part of the build? The sign that says "We don't bring eggs to restaraunts, so don't bring car parts to us." It's missing possibly the most popular gag sign in most shops: the Labor rates post, which usually reads something like-

Labor Rates:
$50 an hour
$60 an hour if you help
$70 an hour if you watch
$150 an hour if you were the last guy to work on it

Or the placard on the front desk:
"If you are grouchy, irritable, or just plain mean, there will be a $10 charge for putting up with you." Well, some shops actually DO that! (Ever had an extra $10 fee on you car repair bill you couldn't explain, Customcreator? )

Keep them coming, Duke- I'm really loving this!

Hey customcreator? Where's YOUR repair shop dio...?

[customcreator]

Just trying to offer constructive criticism. Am I supposed to come in here and "ooooh" and "aaaaa"?

Obviously your intent was to come in here to direct your guns at me for some reason. Just trying to help the guy out. Truth hurts sometimes. I am not claiming to be the best in the world, but I have a few dio's under my belt(see my warehouse office)

Yes, Transformers did suck, but I am an old school fan, and not a fan of the new movies, so thanks for that direct attack too.

[Michigan Madman]

Customcreator... lighten up, dude!

I have seen your dios, and you know what you're talking about! And yes, I know you were helping out. You like to see realism, and so do I. I guess my CGI comment was out of line, as you are an OLD SCHOOL Transformers fan (anyone who isn't is a Commie). I'm probably the third to last guy you want to take seriously when I 'attack'- I'm more a cocker spaniel latching onto your leg than a Doberman going for the jugular -and I wish guys who fit that last group would quit building models and take up basket weaving or ballet as a hobby to calm them the heck down!

And no- you aren't one of those guys. I can't imagine you pointing out the inaccuracies of, say, the Revell Deal's Wheels Trans Um Tirebird kit. Don't laugh... I've seen guys get good and IRATE over kits like this!

On the other hand, Picasso's paintings aren't realistic at all, yet the guy is a legendary artist. Maybe by giving a guy tips on making something more realistic, wanting nothing more than to help the guy out, you are inadvertently depriving the world of the next Picasso! Then again, maybe you would also be preventing the next Van Gough... THAT would be a good thing. And, when you think about it, isn't model building- particularly diorama building- an art form? Only we're using cast styrene instead of oil paint or putty or dog turds or whatever medium 'real' artists use nowadays. Some guys shoot for ultimate realism, some guys just go nuts and stuff 1/8 scale drag engines into 1/25 scale car bodies. Which do I like better? Personally, it's all about which one of those two builds 'speaks' to me. Maybe it's one or the other, or neither, or both.

All I really want to tell you is keep the CONSTRUCTIVE criticism coming! Duke will be armed with your input for his next dio attack, whether or not he chooses to use it, and we'll all go on wishing terrible things would happen to Steven Speilberg! Look on the bright side, Jamie... at least Lucas didn't do the Transformers flicks. Can you imagine Optimus Prime transforming into an Ewok...

[Mike Whatshisname]

Dukefan,
Please don't be discouraged by the comments of customcreator. I believe he was trying to help you with his criticisms but may have come across a bit obtuse. We have all been guilty of this at one time or another. No one here is trying to discourage you from building dioramas, me included as we rely on young builders like you to carry the "diorama torch" when all of us older guys are gone. One thing that many of us don't do after critsizing is giving alternative ways of doing something. I'll try to do some of that below.

Try to "Let it roll" as they say 'cause if your temper gets out of line, as a 13 year old, your blood pressure will go crazy and you won't be building anything for much longer. LOL!

You have some good things going on in this diorama. It looks as if your ability of using your minds eye to get the right size for building in 1/25 scale. The door sizes, walls and windows, for instance, look to be on the mark. The fact that you may have taken the time to trim the curved ends from the popsicle sticks and butt the ends together for supports says you have the right idea. Using less glue and painting the supports before gluing them to the insides of the wall will be more realistic. It looks like you are using a glue gun with those glue sticks. Those are very hard to work with as the glue glops and dries too fast. White glue or wood glue is better for paper products. It is not expensive either as for a 13 year old I am sure you are on a limited budget (I know I sure was). Your models, tools, furniture and machinery in this dio look very cleanly built (no glue globs) and may benefit with a powder of chalks or pastels to tone them down a bit to make them look more "used". If they are diecast, a blackwash will help the detailing stand out.

You've obviously got skillz for making the right size signs and for making workable hinges on your swinging door on the fence. Using India Ink diluted with water will help in "aging" your fence and making it look weathered as anything exposed to the weather would do.

Dukefan, there is a ton of experience on this board and other diorama boards on the net. If you have a question on how to build or make something from scratch, please ask as there are several people on this board who will suggest ways to make them and give ideas.

I also suggest you visit the diorama forum at this link as the best diorama guys in the country hang out here:

http://s13.zetaboard...ers/forum/1045/

One thing that I always tell myself when building a diorama is to " Build each piece of a diorama as if it was its OWN diorama".

Keep up the good work Dukefan!

Edited by Mike Whatshisname, 24 July 2009 - 03:55 AM.

[customcreator]

I'm a bit confused, I thought I did follow up with some helpful tips??

Told him to line up the blocks, use less glue, and print out his shop sign.

I didn't realize he was only 13, which shouldn't change the fact that he could use some help, and I did praise him for the gates.

Perhaps I should have thought out my response a little better first.

Keep practicing, and if you keep at it, you'll be great one day.

[JamesW]

ONLY 13????? Already doing better than me . I resort to premade dio kits from scalemodelingbychris. I have yet to tackle a completely scratchbuilt dio. Pretty darn good if you ask me. But again, as was said in the last post, and this goes for model building in general, keep practicing. Practice make perfect.

[charlie8575]

Thirteen and he did this?

For a first shot, espcially given the deficit of experience his young age creates, I'd say he did a pretty good job with it overall.

It's like anything else, Nick, keep practicing! Remember, you didn't get math (especially if you're like me,) the parts of grammar or a lot of science the first time through, either, but you have a decent start at a good concept!

Keep working at it, we're all here to help you.

Charlie Larkin

[Tony T]

Good start, Nick. Where did you get the equipment (torch, tool box, jack, etc)?

[Longbox55]

Neat. If you'd like to add a bit of extra detail, check out this site. Lots of shop manuals (gotta have shop manuals) and other auto related literature and signage. I'm using some images from this site myself, resized to scale, to add manuals to a shop I'm working on. I've even got one that's going to an open manual with actual manual pages. It's an AMC manual, transmission section as I recall.
If you need pre-'60 Chevy and GMC, check this site.

[Smart-Resins]

Looks like a fun project. Yes, perhaps may not be perfect. But then again, I know personaly I wouldnt expect it from a kid your age starting out in the hobby! LOL. I think you did a cool job with what ya had!!After all, its about having fun and we can see you are doing that! Jody

[crazyjim]

I think the welding cylinders are supposed to be green and orange although I don't remember which color is for which cylinder.

[disabled modeler]

Hi Nick! i like it! you have to work within your budget like i do....taking that into account i think you did a good job with what you had to work with...everything gets better with experience. ive been building all my life and still trying to hone my skills and building style.a little constructive input helps me learn other ways to do things to find the way that works for me. i myself am on a very small income an find that at times you can build some really cool stuff from almost nothing....keep a building them and remember...one builds to make themselves happy in the end. as far as for me....I LIKE IT !!!!!! and cant wait to see the next one.....lots of cool ideas there.

[FordWagonNut]

Nice Nick!

I like the magazine rack. Its the little touches that make a diorama pop! You should put your Rockford Files Bird there, with Jimmy looking cross, while the body man is writing a laundry list of what to do on his car.

[hemithunder]

13? I remember those days... what you see aint always what others see. Budget? What budget? I know after building for thirty years I sometimes amaze myself that something I built looks that good!
For starting out, its GREAT!
I'm guessing that you don't have 20, 30, 0r 40 years worth of old builds and spare parts to draw from , the way some of us do. My nine year old son is begining to get into the hobby and I've started him on snaptite...he has already built a cardboard garage.
The only reason that alot of the Dio's and models here are as good as they are is EXPERIENCE! and some of the new of the rack stuff ...
I read somewhere on this site.. not sure who or where.. but a telling statement.. "It's not what you buy, it's what you build."

Keep Building

[Nick Winter]

13? I remember those days... what you see aint always what others see. Budget? What budget? I know after building for thirty years I sometimes amaze myself that something I built looks that good!
For starting out, its GREAT!
I'm guessing that you don't have 20, 30, 0r 40 years worth of old builds and spare parts to draw from , the way some of us do. My nine year old son is begining to get into the hobby and I've started him on snaptite...he has already built a cardboard garage.
The only reason that alot of the Dio's and models here are as good as they are is EXPERIENCE! and some of the new of the rack stuff ...
I read somewhere on this site.. not sure who or where.. but a telling statement.. "It's not what you buy, it's what you build."

Keep Building

i'm almost 15 now this is a old thread, I tore this down a while ago and I've got junkers, and builts and parts out the ying yang. but I appreciate the kind words.