Last year I spent a lot of time travelling around the country giving lectures and staying in hotel rooms with the worst views…service alleys, electrical substations, brick walls etc. So I wanted to incorporate that experience into a box diorama so that the viewer would look out of a hotel window into a lane-way. A reversal of the usual box diorama where you are looking into an interior space.
Because this was different from my other projects in that it wasn’t a piece of ground, I thought I would also include components that fellow modellers and friends had made…a blank brick wall by Howard Hazelton, a photo etch fire escape by Ken Hamilton, an empty bottle by Virgil Suarez. Usually I scratch build everything, but I wanted to honour my diorama buddies with this build.
I did a rough layout to check the composition and the idea…A fire escape, lots of plumbing and electrical lines as well as a trash chute.
And then set about cutting up Howard’s beatifully cast hydrocal walls and casting some bands of plaster to fit the architecture I had in mind
Here is how the shadow box starts to take shape. There will just be a small window through which the viewer has to peer and see the lane outside. The front wall, which in this photo only comes half way up, will cover the entire face and the small window will be the only way to see the dio.
Ken had some 1/24 scale fire escapes etched to his specs and kindly sent me a set. If you haven’t read his book on dioramas, then you are missing out on something special.
And I set about detailing and modifying it
by making individual rafts and edging them
Assembling the rafts to make platforms
And then adding railings and ladders. Its still not finished but it will give you an idea of where it is headed
And I made some doors to exit onto the fire escapes using brass sheet glued onto a plastic core
Its a long way from being finished. I’ll update as the build progresses. All thoughts/comments are welcome. Thanks for looking.
Always enjoy vespa boy updates! [:D] I can’t wait-
Any website or contact information with these 1/24 scale items? They look amazing. I thought it was strange to see you going outside the box (or inside in this case[:P]) and using pre-fab. materials but your modifications look really nice so far and I’m glad that you’re doing this as a tribute to you’re dio buddies. Are most of your dios in or around 1/24 scale? Always wondered. I really like the shadow box idea as well.
If you’re going to completely seal it off from outside lighting, I think it would look amazing if you added some kind of “street light” bleeding in from the near by road into this dark alleyway- maybe an interior light on in the apt. across the alley or something?
What an interesting concept, viewing exclusively through the window. Your builds always fascinate me. I look forward to seeing the progression of this one. Thank you for posting it.
I was wondering vespa- will the viewing wall with the window on it look like the interior wall of the hotel room? I think that’d be really cool- some campy hotel wallpaper and poorly painted trim [:P]
Thanks for the kind words gentlemen. Its always good to get feedback on a work in progress.
PO’ed: You are right about having the areas around the window looking like a hotel with wall paper/pastel paint and a below window air conditioner. The bay window looks a little nice. I may go for something more boxy.
Also I don’t know if any of the parts that I used are commercially available We all make and share bits and pieces. I’ll ask and see what they say.
Lastly I work in 1/24 scale. It makes measuring easy 1’=1/2" or in a pinch 1mm=1")
PaintswithBrush: you sound very familiar. Have we crossed paths on another forum?
Thanks for filling me in vespa- that’s very cool can’t wait to see this progress, maybe I’ll pick up a hint or two- as for all you guys making and sharing parts- that’s really cool- that PE turned out really really nice and the bricks look dead on- I like your additions of the stonework.
The railings are brass wire, so I didn’t have to worry about them folding (I used needle nosed pliers to form the corners). When I do all the piping on the side of the building it will be a concern. I have seen that micromark offers two options:1. a small pipe bender 2. tightly wound springs into which you insert the tubing and then when the tubing is bent it apparently doesn’t fold. I am going to buy both and see which works better
HVH It worked for Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window. I hope it will work for me!
Vespa, I have used the spring ones from Micro-Mark they work real good. I used them on one of Revels chopper kits made a set of “ape hangers” with them outta alum. tubing Should work just as good with brass I assume.
Oh, wow…this could be my fav piece you’ve done…reminds me of all those tenament buildings we think of in the large cities, like New York, Philadelphia, Kharkov, etc…sublime…also a good WIP for all those folks who have questions about shadow-boxing…very cool…
Vespa this is really cool. The fire escape is a piece of art all by itself.
But that door! As soon as I saw it it brought back memories of when I was a kid living in the Village in NY. The door leading out on to our buildings roof looked just like it only it was painted red.
Truly outstanding work, do you by any chance photograph these views or is this all from memory ? the modeling on this board just amazes me, thanks for sharing this is one build I’m gonna watch. Karl
Serno and Panzerguy thanks for the comments on the fire escape. PG glad to know it rings true to someone who has first hand experience with these doors. A friend lived in Chelsea (NYC) in the late 80s and had a door like this. The inside was like a submarine door, there was a circular handle in the centre which locked bars into place on all four sides!
Carl: Thanks. They are high compliments from you. Your builds have a great respect for detail. Can’t wait to see more of your current build as it evolves.
jtrace: Thanks for letting me know about the pipe benders. Good to know the simple solution works!
Manny: Thanks. I’ve not built a shadowbox dio before so I am working it out as I go. I have some true surface mirrors to add on one side and I am gooing to work out a hinged lid with glazing for the top.
Starduster: This is a composite build. Lots of details from lots of different places. I have started using photos to record details. I used to do it all from sketches and memory, but I bought a small digital camera and it allows me to record all kinds of details:
I’ve been making progress. I have built a second door and have almost finished two more platforms. Its tedious work, but necessary. More updates soon.
Narayan, it’s been a while since I peeled over here in dio’s, but I have to say that you never fail to impress, amaze, inspire. That brass door is just…well, I can’t find the words for it!
