10mm diorama

Started by Sunray, 17 May 2020, 07:37:46 PM

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Sunray

I was inspired by Lilliput Lane Yuletide Harbour, and would like to build something of the same genre, only with a North African/ Mediterranean flavour.
Thus using available bits of real estate already purchased. 

I need harbour steps - and something to represent a small stone slipway (a stone wall in say 15/20mm?)

All suggestions welcome.    :)   

Ithoriel

Ainsty Castings () has

6cm x 3cm Sewer Flow Channel x2 (£2.50)



and

Stone Jetty Steps (4.50)



If I think of anything else I'll let you know.
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Sunray

17 May 2020, 10:10:26 PM #2 Last Edit: 17 May 2020, 10:22:55 PM by Sunray
Interesting !  Hadn't thought of using si-fi - but some useful material here.  Thank you for taking the trouble to post.

The harbour wall has a few curved features, so thought about using Javis 00 flexible walls secured to balsa wood cut and filed to shape of the harbour. I want it early 19th century looking.   Its an old harbour from the colonial past.  

The scale will be for 10mm figures - yes its a diorama, but it will end up on the table.   So space will shaped by BKC base sizes.  

I have looked at Langley and Scale Scenic as options. 

Quite often one has to think laterally and use items from other scales.

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Sunray

Ok - The Ainsty stuff is quality and high end. 

The other contender is Blotz which, coming in  MDF is cheap and cheerful- But does not do curved walls.

Now here I need wise Forum counsel.  :(

Could I "mix and match"?

I suspect the Boltz is shallower depth in terms of harbour walls,  but a hacksaw can trim the Ainsty curved sections down to the right waterline.
Boltz will do for slipway.

Now - key question - can MDF with a stone pattern be given a light paint wash so it blends with the Ainsty resin ?

Now - steps in 10mm?

Sunray

I have had a flash of inspiration or alternatively a brain fart.

Hovels cast resin walls - with a few Ainsty curves, and MDF for the "deck" of the jetty.

Streets of the village can be cobbled card. N gauge.

But if you have ANY other suggestions - please post.  This is design work in progress.


Ithoriel

Leven Miniatures have their marine section with straight and curved harbour wall sections and ends complete with step, one right handed and one left. (http://www.levenminiatures.co.uk/marine.html)

Their items with an mdf slipway covered in paper or plastic stone effect sheeting, is that a thought?

Is a "Wendy Harbour" a thing? :)

There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

Sunray

18 May 2020, 11:16:59 PM #7 Last Edit: 18 May 2020, 11:20:28 PM by Sunray
Quote from: Ithoriel on 18 May 2020, 09:54:10 PM
Leven Miniatures have their marine section with straight and curved harbour wall sections and ends complete with step, one right handed and one left. (http://www.levenminiatures.co.uk/marine.html)

Their items with an mdf slipway covered in paper or plastic stone effect sheeting, is that a thought?

Is a "Wendy Harbour" a thing? :)



Bingo !  Your tracer has nailed the harbour items I had in my memory - clean forgot about Leven's  sortie into harbours.  Didn't come up on the search engine !   If the 6mm scale is big enough on the ground, this will dispense with  a lot of expensive conversions.   Thank you very much indeed!

Hmmm.  Wendy Harbour ?   Yes, I am that boy who looked at the extensive model railway layout in the shop window.  Was overawed by the scenery - the townscape, the harbours and the bridges.  And I wanted to drive a squadron of tanks through it.

This concept came out of a game based on Wake Island.   I decided to add a Guns of Navarone  style  emplacement - and a small village.   The location is North East African coast. Every Boxing Day and Easter I stage a family wargame, my wife and adult daughters play.  There is role play characters and twee scenery.  Hence my own version of the Lilliput Lane Yuletide harbour.

The harbour/village  will have a small Home Defence Force.  I recently "discovered" a box in the garage marked "1/300 ships". and when I opened it, the contents were Wild Geese Miniatures SCW and Wargames South British circa 1986 - the Republican officer sculpt  is small and "tubby" - make a good pompous HDF captain?  In his day job he will manage the bank.   :)







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Quote from: mad lemmey on 19 May 2020, 09:30:07 AM
French Lieutenants Woman?

Do they? I knew they womanised, of course....
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Sunray

19 May 2020, 12:19:41 PM #10 Last Edit: 19 May 2020, 01:33:10 PM by Sunray
Quote from: mad lemmey on 19 May 2020, 09:30:07 AM
French Lieutenants Woman?

classical image association - the pier at Lyme Regis - induced by watching the movie during the lockdown ?

I could pose the lady from Pendraken NPX2 at the end of the pier for a little vignette like one used to see in Military Modelling ?

Sunray

Ok, now au fait with what is meant by a "Wendy" in terms of reduced scale.  (My learning for the day!)

The Leven harbour piers are 28mm wide if I remove the low wall.  I will add 10mm of balsa to the base of the pieces raising the pier height above the waterline to 22mm, so it is passable as a 10mm structure. 

The real estate is Hovels Spanish town, which is very near to low relief in 15mm. Houses only 25mm wide, so adequate for 10mm dwellings. I will "lower" the doors to 10mm.  A couple of genuine 10mm/1/150 scale buildings, perhaps a small N gauge harbour crane if I come in under budget.

The bridge to the breakwater pier (where the French Lieutenant's woman  stands).  I had originally thought of a wooden N gauge footbridge as in the Lilliput Lane model.  Now I am thinking of an N gauge hump back single span road bridge cut to fit the piers. Wide enough to allow a jeep or unmounted lorry access.  The isolated pier makes the ideal secure berth for a small patrol boat.  This might be Pendraken VV4 Marine Patrol Boat manned by the Home Defence Force (skippered by the Bank Manager/Captain Corelli. His office window - overlooking the harbour, has a very good field of fire, and I can see a GPMG barrel pointing out).

Some 1/150 vehicles and people will complete the diorama.   Harry Palmer (my budget secret agent converted Minifigs figure) is already installed in the Dhow Taverena keeping an eye on that float plane that landed in the lagoon claiming engine trouble, but with suspected Arabian Republic agents on board.  How much will they glean about the new radar and the island's defences?   Will Palmer's report get the attention it deserves ? Will the state of alert be heightened before the AR Marine Commandos come shore?  Only the dice will decide.

These preambles make for a good game, and G2 (Int Cell) gets the recognition they deserve.

Yes, I will need a matt red for the Spanish Roof tiles - has anyone used VAL 957 for this or is there a better paint in the range?

Sunray

The Leven harbour arrived today.  Nothing "Wendy" about it. The harbour steps are as good 1/150 scale and better than many N gauge.

Might even keep to the original height.

Images of my lockdown project will follow.

Sunray

Rest of the bits arrived this morning. Only the humpback bridge outstanding.

I spread the bits out on the templet.  The unknown was the Lilliput Lane Fisherman's Cottage.  It is in N gauge ! (thank God) It has a cove underneath the house. The French Resistance may well have use for such a cove in a future game....

The only task is to replace the Bangor Blue slate  with Southern European type roof tiles. Spent the morning rolling Green Stuff into pipes and applying to the roof.   Once it hardens, I will mark and paint.

The pier element of the cottage is a weathered white/grey. Might alter to a honey sandstone, as is more common Mediterranean hue.     :)

paulr

Sounds like good progress, looking forward to the pictures :)
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