1/64 Farm Diorama

[PHPaul]

Thanks, Gregory!  I've been having way too much fun working on it.  I add details here and there as they occur to me.

I

[landman]

On 1/22/2020 at 12:28 PM, PHPaul said:

Dad was colorblind.  Our two main tractors were a McCormick Deering Super W6 (Wheatland version of a Super M) and a John Deere B.  I spent boucoup hours on that B cultivating corn and soybeans in low gear at half throttle...?

My little slice of heaven has a Kubota, a Pasquali and a John Deere lawn tractor.

I spent many a summer helping with the haying at my uncles'. One had a Farmall C and a Ford 8N. The other had a Case 200 or 230, I can't remember. That is where I learned to drive, on the 8N.

[landman]

On 12/8/2020 at 10:09 PM, mchook said:

WOW! That looks amazing, great job.

X2

[PHPaul]

6 minutes ago, landman said:

X2

Thank you!

[David G.]

I'm glad to have found this one again.

You've made some excellent progress. I've built a couple of model railroads so I have an idea of how much work goes into even a small diorama scene- all of it very well done.

David G.

[PHPaul]

Thanks, David.

I know what you mean but for me it's not 'work' , it's therapy!

I

[Kromolly]

As a relatively new member, I just recently found my way into the dioramas section.  Paul, I am amazed at the detail you have achieved in this small scale.  This one is a blast to follow.  Thank you for sharing all of your details.  It's also fun to follow the evolution of your technique into the 3D printing arena.

[PHPaul]

Thank you, Roy.  As/If/When I add more details and scenes, I'll update this post.

[PHPaul]

The rumors of my passing are premature...😆

Busy Summer, converted a 20x24 toolshed into a heated shop.   Hung a ceiling, insulated ceiling and walls with as much as I could fit in, covered everything with sheetrock, wired it, plumbed the air drops, installed a hot air furnace and moved all my 1:1 toys down there.  A LOT of work and put a heck of a dent in my toy fund, but I was tired of working in an unheated garage.

Now that it's late Fall, it's time to get back to modeling and working on the diorama.

Still adding details here and there as they occur (or are suggested) to me.

One suggestion was to add power lines.  I had considered it earlier but was wary of the delicate nature of scale overhead wires.  I finally settled on one 3 phase line and service drop to the shop and we'll assume everything else is fed via underground cables.  I have the poles "planted" on the layout and am working on stringing the lines.  More pix when it's finished.

Someone mentioned that with all the tractors on the diorama, the occasional flat tire would be inevitable and adding a guy working on a tire would be appropriate.  I found a suitable figure on a 3D printing website and resized to fit.

Several suggestions were made about my grain handling options and some are under construction.  A dump truck with a grain body on it was one, so I whipped the box and  up on TinkerCAD and printed it out.  The cylinder is just telescoping bits of Plastruct tubing.  Also realized I needed a gas pump for all the farm vehicles, so designed and printed a 50's-style globe top pump.

I've designed and printed out several items for a "grain leg".  Basically, this is a conveyor/auger system for moving grain from bins to the dryer and back to storage bins, as well as unloading bins when grain is marketed.  I'll post some pictures when that part of the project is a little further along.

Edited November 19, 2021 by PHPaul

[PHPaul]

I also finally finished (been most of a year in the process) a fairly accurate scale model of a Gehl self-propelled chopper.  A feller that hangs out on one of the 1:1 tractor boards I frequent suggested it and was kind enough to provide pictures and measurements.

Some other life-changes have resulted in quite a lot less clutter in my basement hobby area, and I'm thinking of  adding some more acreage to the diorama.  I can sneak in a piece 16" wide and 4 feet long which I think I'll use mostly for actual farm fields.  Still mulling that one over.

[4mula1fan]

I had to look over the whole thread. Everything looks fantastic! Kudos to you!

[PHPaul]

Got utility power run to the service entrance on the shop.

[Anglia105E]

Nicely done utility power run, Paul........ The diorama gets power just in time for the oncoming Winter !

David

[PHPaul]

Grain handling facility mostly done.  Waiting on paint to dry on the motors for the elevators.

For the non-farmer types that may be interested:

When selling grain, moisture content affects prices.  Also, it needs to be below a certain percentage to store well.  It's often necessary to harvest before the grain has dried down to the ideal level, so grain drying facilities are common on larger farms.

In this case, the freshly harvested high moisture grain goes in the bin on the right.  It is transferred via the inner vertical (bucket) elevator to the propane fired dryer on the left.  After reaching the target moisture content (which varies depending on the type of grain) it's transferred via the outer elevator to the dry grain tank on the left.  In the center is the motor control panel for the elevators, bin unloaders and bin blowers.

[PHPaul]

I decided to go ahead and add another 20 acres to the farm.  As long as I don't gain any (more...) weight, it'll be fine.

The wooded area at the top left of the original section was extended into the new area.  The new section of "forest" is about 90% done, just needs details like stumps, ground clutter and some undergrowth.  The "skipjack" (local term for a beat up junker of a truck used in the woods) is mostly 3D printed with a few details out of my junk box.  The load of wood and the pile of logs are actual twigs from the maple tree in my back yard.  Need to work on the "road" the skipjack uses to get in and out of the woods.  This helps justify the sawmill in the farm yard.

I added a derelict fence to help disguise the transition between sections.  I'll detail that with brush, vines, rock and bits of junk that always collect around such fences, and add a bent-up disused gate.

I'm working on a corn field to justify the silo-filling scene in the farm yard.  After initially looking at commercially available corn plants and literally gasping at the price, I started to make my own corn plants.  I quickly realized that I would die of old age or go insane before I made enough.  After some more searching I found some fairly reasonably priced stuff.  A package of 400 plants, arranged in 20 strips of 20 plants was around $12 which was less than a quarter of the price of some I saw.  Not horribly realistic close up, but with a little massaging and planting them densely, it looks okay.  What's in the picture is 6 of the 20 strips.  I have to plant a pair of strips for a row and then let the glue set up before planting the next row so as not to knock things over.  They're on 5/8th inch centers with is 36 inch rows in 1:64 scale.  REAL farmers are planting on 20 inch rows!

Some of the remaining area in the new section will be a hay field to support the haying operation in the farm yard.

Edited December 22, 2021 by PHPaul

[Belugawrx]

Thats a cool pic Paul..thru the corn out of focus farm in the background  👍

[Anglia105E]

Good to see that you are still working on this diorama, Paul and the acquisition of a further 20 acres of real estate is always a good thing !

David

[PHPaul]

Addition to farm now has a corn field and a hay field.  I can spend the rest of the Winter adding details.  Do need to find something for that open area to the left of the corn field.  Generally, I let things like that simmer in the back of my mind and sooner or later an idea forms.

Details include things like the hay bales (3D printed blocks covered in ground foam) the hay wagon and the old horse-drawn sickle mower.  Initially, I did a mounted mower appropriate for the early 60's then thought it'd be neat to have a rusty old horse mower parked under the tree.

Been experimenting with ways to make trees, think I've stumbled onto something.  I've been using wire armatures made from multi-strand copper wire, twisted and bent to shape and then soldered to hold things in place.  Had been giving the armatures multiple dips in latex paint for "bark" which works pretty well, but "discovered" Sculpy clay which can be formed much like playdough and then hardened by heating in a toaster oven.  I still use the wire armature, but I coat it with the Sculpy which lets me taper and detail the trunk and lower limbs much more realistically.  The tree in the picture is my first attempt.  

[Anglia105E]

I know exactly what you mean Paul, when you say that you wait for an idea to form naturally..... I find myself looking at a particular area of one of the dioramas on a daily basis, and wondering what needs to go there. Then, at some point the idea comes to me, apparently out of nowhere !

Regarding making your own trees by hand...... I did have a go at making a large tree for the 1:24 scale diorama, which wasn't entirely successful, and I discarded the tree from the scene later. You seem to have found a workable solution there, Paul...... Twisted multi strand copper wire and Sculpy clay ' bark '. What did you use for the leaves (foliage) if I may ask ? Liking your old horse-drawn sickle mower, and those hay bales look good too.

David

[PHPaul]

David, I use a variety of things for the foliage.  Probably the very best is this stuff which has either come down considerably in price since I last bought some, or they're packaging smaller amounts.  For loose foliage, Noch makes a number of sizes and colors which should be available from the same source.  I also gather up actual dead dry leaves and chop them up in a blender and mix some of those in, as well as scattering them on the ground under the tree.

I usually attach the first layer with tacky glue and when it has set up and forms a solid base, I'll hit it with some spray adhesive and sprinkle smaller material over it to fill in gaps and build up some body.

[landman]

On 12/8/2020 at 6:02 PM, PHPaul said:

 

Here's where I am as of today.  A few more details on the top and the right side and it'll be ready for primer.

That is absolutely beautiful and brings back memories of the one in my village. The owner dragged it to everybody's farm with a Fordson Major. Instant memories like this and the house are worth all the work.

[PHPaul]

Completed my collection of haying equipment with this John Deere 24T baler.

An internet acquaintance was kind enough to send me a 1:16 scale toy of the same baler which I used to get measurements from to design the 1:64 version in TinkerCAD.  The picture is of the prototype.  Printing and assembling it pointed out some areas that could be improved so I tweaked the design and printed out a second copy for the owner of the 1:16 version.  I wound up with 7 print files as the optimum balance of accuracy, easy of printing and ease of assembly.

[Rudy]

Excellent work! I very much enjoyed viewing your project, looks like many a farm in my area. I especially appreciate the scratch-built items like the thresher!

Great motivation to get going on my own project. I'll start with a small wall with a roll-up door and a man door, just a spot to photograph models in front of. I ordered a couple gooseneck lights for the building tonight.

Thanks for sharing! 

-Rudy 

[PHPaul]

Where in Michigan, Rudy?

I scanned through the entire topic and don't think I mentioned anywhere that I grew up in Michigan.  The farm pictured elsewhere is pretty much in the center of the lower peninsula, about 10 miles West of St. Johns just off M21.

[PHPaul]

A little late-night welding on the diorama.

Been sniffing around after an arc-flash simulator for quite a while, but they're stupid expensive for what amounts to about 50 cents worth of LEDs.

Found this one on Amazon for about $9 so figured I'd try it out.  Stupid simple, 2 white LEDs and one blue LED flashing at different rates.  Comes pre-wired all you have to do is connect power to it and via some magic I don't quite under stand, anything from 9 to 19 volts AC or DC will work.  I had my doubts but it works very well.

Edited December 9, 2022 by PHPaul
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