Where art thou Model Maniac?

Alright. Seeming as you (MM) are the almighty god of diorama’s (quality and quantity), I figured you would be the ideal person to ask about base construction.

I’ve asked a lot of questions about this but I’m still not making good progress. Someone told me in another thread to do some practice runs and experiments. Ok, fine. I figured I would do several or so attepts at a completed base. By that I mean building a base as if I were to display a vehicle on it but instead, just to see what would go wrong and attempt to avoid all that for the real deal.

I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out what the best materials for me to use are and finding them. Can you please help me?

Cheers, SNG.

You won’t get much from MM,SNG. He’s a collector, not a builder.

Here’s an article I did on Armorama. It includes water effects, as well as building up groundwork. While you’re there, look through some of the features and you’ll get a wealth of informatino on all aspects of groundwork.

Also, asking as specific a questio as possible will get more and better answers.

You are serious, aren’t you?

I honestly thought that MM built all of the projects in the pictures he posts. And with how many he was pressumably producing and the quality of them I figured he was the closest thing to Shep Paines diorama tutorial book in which I can’t get my hands on.

Get a piece of styrofoam out of a garbage can some where. Take it home and attack it with a steak knife (serrated).

Put your model on it and move it around, taking pics with your trusty digi cam.

MM actually does a fair job of representing ups and downs on his items, I’ve seen worse, and some better.

But he won’t give you any tips.

For about $30, you might invest in a copy of Osprey’s Terrain Modelling, by Richard Windrow, ISBN: 1-84176-062-5. It is considerably better detailed than the old standby of Sheperd Paine’s How to Build Dioramas, at least as far as ground work techniques are concerned. You can never have too many references. [;)]

OH MY GOD!!! [:O]

Don’t let HeavyArty hear you say that! [B)] [(-D]

(I’m laughing with you Gino!!!) [swg]

Wow…you really are “some new guy”…

Hmmm. Ok then. Delete your replies so I can delete this thread!.. Now.

Nah! Leave it up…it’s too funny![(-D]

(Besides, soMMeone is conspicuous by their absence)

Yup, I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I read this one. [(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]

Should’nt this thread be titled “Were art thou Art Instuctor”.[:-^]

I wonder,does MM even show any of the feed back on these build’s to AI.

[:-^][#ditto][#toast]

But arent we all glad that he keeps coming back ? The crazy spin-offs and right angle turns some of his posts generate, are better than Friday night TV. (remember the “german shepherd” post ?) Personally, I’m glad he has a hide as thick as a rhino. If the forums are made up of a collection of characters and personalities, he sure is one of them.

I agree…it also is a great refection of the maturity level of some of the forums members!

yes, I have learned much reading the suggestions he gets, one thing I always thought that some of the “that gun won’t go with that tank,” do to time line issues.

I figured, hey the tank COULD have survived to fight later in the war. Then I realized that the German record keeping was such that they seemed to know when and where each tank was killed [swg]

There’s an old blues song that goes, in part, “They tell me Joe Turner been here and gone.” To paraphrase that, Somenewguy, “MM been here and gone.” But unlike the Joe Turner of musical legend, MM left nothing for you.

Sorry, somenewguy–I swear I literally just got back to this thread, and didn’t see your request–but don’t worry, we’re all laughing; but not at your expense! …all’s well that ends well?

somenewguy,if you wuold like a copy of sheps book p.m me your mailing address and i’ll send it.only catch is you have to stop this obsession with m.m…ok!

Thanks for your comments and inquiry, somenewguy! Also thanks to others who’ve given him some answers. I’ve been away for some time because “Art Instructor” - my main modeler - has been busy lately. Last month he’s taken another job as an art instructor in a school which was his former job (and hence his callsign) , so now he has less time for model building. Anyway, today he shows new armors and diorama in my latest page. See my new thread today. :slight_smile: