My first attempt at a diorama, I want to build a 1/18 scale garage. Not a shiny pretty eat-off-the-floor kind of place, but more the kind of place where guys hang out, drink beer and work on their cars.
I’ve found a few sources for props & such but if anyone has some links to share I’d appreciate it.
Questions:
I want this place to look well used and dirty. Cracked & stained concrete floor. Plan on buying the GMP garage set with air compressor, welding bottles etc. but they will look shiny and new, I’ll need to age them and make 'em look greasy.
Any suggestions on how to add these details would be greatly appreciated!
Thought I should add; I don’t have an airbrush, don’t know how to use one, don’t plan on buying one.
You can get decent finishes and results with spray cans. Concrete can be ‘replicated’ with sheet styrene. Either cut squares or rectangles and assemble them on your base or glue a larger sheet of styrene then engrave the ‘panel lines’. Primed in light grey. That gives you a very new, fresh concrete. Get some acrylic or enamel black and with a fine brush paint the black tar that’s often seen between two concrete ‘tiles’. Do not be too regular, particularly at the scale you’re working! Being irregular will give you the best looks. Next get some artist’s watercolors in tubes. Sepia, black, white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna is the sort of stuff you’ll need. Mix a little of the paint with some water, a drop of white vinegar and a drop of dish-washing liquid and you get a very thinned down paint that we call a wash. Use a soft flat brush to spread that wash of the concrete to give it a worn look: you may want to use the sepia for that. You may want to use slightly thinner or stronger washes (with slightly different mix of colours) on each concrete tile. Grease, petrol,… stains can be replicated with stronger washes (i.e. less thinner and more paint): dip an old toothbrush in the paint then by flicking your finger on the bristles, you’ll get little droplets of paint all over. Concentrate on the areas where the cars are parked. Larger stains can be done with a brush, painting irregular ‘patches’ onto the concrete.
A light drybrushing with light greys and white would then add a final touch.
KS… Is that Kansas…? You can order sheet styrene from Evergreen, and probably from Squadron…
Or go to a local shop/factory where they make signs for shops and the like and ask for left-overs… There’s often a side that’s ready to be painted…! The other is usually covered with plastic that can be pulled off.
Sisco, I saw just what you are talking about a couple of years ago on a site that was selling the parts and stuff. I’ll try to find it again. The well used garage looked better than the spotless ones. Some of the stuff i remember it had was a 55 gal barrel full of trash, a pizza box layed open with half a pizza in it, had the classic garage calanders and posters on the walls which were a dirty brick.Here’s a couple of sites I found that may give you some more ideas. I have also always wanted to one of these but the only one I ever did was the 1/48 with a diecast vette.
There is also a book you might could find called How to Build Creative Dioramas for Your Scale Auto Models by Ken Hamilton. Hope I helped you out a little and look forward to seeing your garage.
Yes, KS is Kansas. There is a sign shop in town, I’ll give them a try.
lizardqing2; Thanks for the links! The first one didn’t work though. The scene at the Declan O’Reilly site is the look I’m going for.
My wife is building a 1/12th scale dollhouse, I’ve found all kinds of useful stuff in her catalogs but I’m concerned that 1/12th items may be too large to use.
You’ll save yourself a lot of time and aggravation by getting to know Evergreen products and catalogue… T beams, H beams, square beams, rods, … Great stuff to build furniture, industrial-like shelving, the ‘skeleton’ of the building,… and much more…!
Here’s a link to a supplier but it has an add for them with e-mail and tel number.
If you’re not to choosy, Wal-Mart and Home Improvement stores sell styrene signs that might work for you (For Rent/Sale, Yard Sale, etc…). They come in various sizes and thicknesses. I use them as an alternate when I don’t need a high quality product such as sidings on buildings.
Did a little experimenting this morning.
Took a sheet of 150 grit sandpaper and sprayed it with grey primer. After it dried I dripped some used motor oil on it, soaked in and stained real nice. Suppose I could add cracks & imperfections with a Sharpie.