I have a 1:18 scale BMW FW24 Formula One car in a wood and glass display case. I would like to create a road racing surface to fit into the display case and simulate the car going around a corner - showing the road and some of the grass infield. What materials or methods should I use to create this base or are there any links to websites that would have useful information? I am a novice to building dioramas, so any help is greatly appreciated!
try using a sheet of wet and dry carbide paper glued to the base. If you choose the right grit it will be in scale and have the smooth even texture of F1 tracks.
Thanks Vespa. I appreciate the tip. That will make the largest portion of the base easy to make.
Hi boggs, and welcome to the Forums! [:)]
Here’s a display I made a couple years ago, which creates the illusion of the car being in-motion:
I built up the track suface with foam, overlayed with sheet styrene, and painted it different shades of gray, streaking it lengthwise. The white line is faded on either end, the wheels were turned on a lave with fine grade sandpaper. The wall is made of sheet styrene, both ends painted red, with red airbrushing where the red & white come together. The tires were mounted with the smooth side out, and the raised lettering blur was created by simply masking off the letters height, dabbing a bit of flat white in the middle, then smearing it in both directions.
I mounted this picture on the inner backside of the display case to complete the illusion.
It’s a simple technique that creates an in-motion effect for the viewer. (especially if you take a picture of it outside in the sunshine!) [;)]
Just some ideas…
Take care,
Frank
Holy cow, Oldhooker. That’s ingenious!
Oldhooker, that’s amazing!!! I serously thought, before reading it, that the first picture was real!!
Great pics and some great tips as well.
Thanks Old Hooker.
Cheers , Pete.
I’ve tried the sanding paper as well with the BMW 1200 R I built.
Still, perhaps it might be an idea to create an asphalt mix your self. I’m thinking of a mix of (fine/rough?) sand and white glue, perhaps colored in advance.
Anyone tried this? I guess it’s not much different from the mud-making the armor-builders use.
svankreijl, I’ve made my own gravel mix with different grades of carbide grit and it works well with PVA. I also mix in different coloured particles etc. Look at real road for a while and then do it in miniature. You still have to paint and weather it after its made. but the texture is right and that’s crucial.
F1 track is amazingly smooth and carefully prepared which is why wet and dry paper is a good place to start. You then have to weather it etc.
Wow.
Oldhooker,
Amazing diorama. And excellent ideas. I really appreciate the help. Time to rethink my setup.
thats not the 1st time ive seen that dio, but man, its stunning!!!
great job!