Barn Find 56 Chevy diorama - It's finished!

[Sixties Sam]

Hi, all. A couple years ago a friend gave me this 56 Chevy model he had tried to build years ago as a teenager. I planned to rebuild and repaint it, but it wouldn't come apart (he must have used a whole tube of glue!), so I made it into a junker. I painted the top white, and the body flat black, then rusted it up with rust colored primer and some real rust from a Brillo pad, and smeared a little mud on the wheels, etc. I decided to make a diorama I call "Barn Find" depicting the Chev being winched onto a trailer hooked to a pickup truck behind an old barn where it was found rusting away. The diorama is under construction, and here are a few photos.
The barn wall is black foamboard with wooden coffee stirrers for siding, painted red and scuffed up with coarse sandpaper to look weathered. Roof section is plywood. It will get paper shingles. The base will be 3/4" thick foam with grass, dirt, and gravel on it. The trailer will have a winch and cable pulling the car onto it.

Windows were drawn in CAD and printed on poster board. Framed them with basswood and glued onto the wall. No openings to cut out! Barn wall is 24" long.

Here's a close up of the barn siding. I'm pleased with the look.

I hope to have it done for a car show later this month. Comments welcome!

Sam

Edited September 14, 2013 by Sixties Sam

[Ramfins59]

That is looking really great so far Sam. Good job.

[Joker]

Coolness...

Here's a little tip I read some wheres....drag a Q-tip on the eves/car to simulate spider webs.

[crazyrichard]

looking great !!!!!!!

[PappyD340]

Looks really good Sam, but one ? what's up with the big rock is it part of the design or just helping hold the wall in place during build process?

[Sixties Sam]

It's a broken brick holding the wall for photos.

[Eshaver]

It's a broken brick holding the wall for photos.

Now that's using yer brain wisely !

[charlie8575]

I really like that barn, Sam. Nice work with the car, too.

Charlie Larkin

[Sixties Sam]

Update: Added a foam base with sawdust "grass", and mocked up the shed area where the old Chevy has sat for years. It's coming along! Thanks for the compliments so far, guys!

[Tom Geiger]

Nice diorama! Here's how I did roof shingles. I cut them out of 220 grit sand paper and glued them in place just like you'd shingle a real roof.

[Sixties Sam]

Very nice, Tom. They look real! I did mine today on this barn roof. I cut strips of poster board about 10" long and 3/4" wide, then cut slits every 1/2" to look like shingles. I glued the strips down and overlapped them like you would real shingle tabs. Sprayed them flat black, then a light coat of Rustoleum gray textured paint. The textured paint has white flecks in it. They don't look too bad, I think.

[PappyD340]

Very NICE job on the roof Sam, that looks really good. Great roofing ideas from you and Tom!!!

[Sixties Sam]

It's almost done! Here's a shot of the whole diorama. Gotta make a winch on the trailer, and modify the tongue and add a hitch to the truck.

Here's the shed area. The roof is aluminum foil, made to look like a standing seam metal roof, then weathered and dented up a bit.

I made a jig to emboss the foil to make the seams. It's just two pine blocks, one with a coffee stirrer protruding out about 1/16". and the other with a slot in it.

Here it is stamping the foil. Just squeeze it, then index the foil seam to the edge of the block and repeat.

The foil is glued onto the plywood roof with spray adhesive.

Sam

[Tom Geiger]

Thanks Sam! Your roof is looking good!

[charlie8575]

The de-bossing rig for the foil is brilliant. Really coming together nicely.

Charlie Larkin

[crazyrichard]

awsoem and awsome idea on the jig .. going to remember that

[vaughn]

Good stuff Sam !! Need to get myself started again.

[chevyfever2009]

Update: Added a foam base with sawdust "grass", and mocked up the shed area where the old Chevy has sat for years. It's coming along! Thanks for the compliments so far, guys!

What do you mean by sawdust grass? Like how exactly did you make the grass

[Sixties Sam]

Brad, I brushed green latex house paint on the foam base. While it was wet, I covered it with sawdust from under my table saw. When the paint dried, I shook off the excess sawdust, then spray painted the base with a grass green color of Krylon. The latex paint seals the foam so it isn't dissolved by the solvents in the spray paint. Later, I randomly sprayed some other shades of green and brown on it so it didn't look too perfect. Finally, I sprayed some Elmer's spray glue on some spots, and shook on some model railroad "dense cover" grass, and some gravel (cat litter).

Sam

[slusher]

Very realistic diorama Sam, very creative. Real nice work on the 56 also...

[Sixties Sam]

Well, I'm calling it done! I made a winch for the trailer and hooked it to the Chevy. I added some details like old car parts laying around, and an old thermometer by the door, a pile of firewood, etc. I'll probably add some more details later. I ordered a farmer figure with bib overalls and straw hat to add later. He'll be the guy who sold the Chevy. Please pardon the workbench junk in this pic. I'll get better photos later.

The crate filled with parts was made from coffee stirrers and balsa.

This was an enjoyable build. I hope you like it! Thanks for all the nice compliments so far. They mean a lot!

Sam

Edited September 15, 2013 by Sixties Sam

[Sixties Sam]

UPDATE: I changed from a Dodge to a 41 Chevy pickup as the tow vehicle, figuring that the guy buying the '56 would be a Chevy man, and might have a restored '41 pickup.

[Eshaver]

While either truck looks great Sam, the foliage with the tall grass an all does it for me . Very well executed .

[Ramfins59]

Sam, that looks absolutely wonderful. You did a great job.

[crazyrichard]

nice job looks great