HMS Victory

[JCote]

You're a real all-rounder John, excelling everywhere.

[hot ford coupe]

That's a ditto for me. I'm still watching his dio thread.

[JohnReid]

Thanks guys!If it is OK ,(as I know this site is for large scale only) I could put up other pics of this build.As a suggestion maybe the admin here would consider opening a page for dioramas.
You know they really are the hot thing in modeling today compared to when I started 10 years ago when most modelers thought a diorama was a nice base!

[hot ford coupe]

If we put up a dio thread, we would need some tutorials to show many of us how to make them. So far, I know of two members who have been strong dio makers. One is Keith Scoviak (88proof) and the other is you John. there may be others but I don't remember who they are. (Sorry). With a bunch of tuts, it may stir some more builders to go in that direction. I wouldn't mind putting some dio elements into my aircraft builds. Dan, what do you think? It's your decision.

[JohnReid]

I really like this site because of the high quality of the builds shown here.Dioramas tend to add a little art to the craft side of modelbuilding.Telling or suggesting stories adds a whole new element to our hobby and helps to make it come alive.They also personalize your work and can be very creative.Cheers! John.

[hot ford coupe]

Hey John, the story is exactly what Ken Hamilton spoke about in his book on small scale dios. Just a bunch of things placed around a particular model doesn't cut it. He said something like you should be able to look at a dio and read the whole thing right there. Any help on how to develop a story and express that would be greatly appreciated.

[JohnReid]

I have written quite about this in the past on other threads.Ken and I converse regularly and are really on the same wavelength about dioramas.Another great book is by Shep Paine who I guess you could call the father of the modern diorama.
When I do my online book I plan to bring a lot of this together but in the meantime I will post some of it here on the Vintage thread.
Cheers! John.

[hot ford coupe]

That's great, John. The more info we can get, the better. I'm glad to see that you know Ken Hamilton well. I've got his book and I'm learning quite a bit from both you guys. Thanks so much for the help.

[DonnyW]

Although I have seen it before..I never tire of looking at your photos of the Victory. I made two tall ships around the same time as you made this one..but I have no figures in mine. Thanks for showing it

[JohnReid]

Rather than just posting a bunch of pics of the Victory I will start a little thing on dioramas and how I go about building them.I have only built one ship diorama but many things apply to all dioramas such as painting and modifying figures for example or weathering etc...
I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. so.........

[JohnReid]

What is a diorama?
Traditionally a diorama was a shadow box or three-dimensional picture,however in our modern era it has come to encompass just about anything where objects are positioned in such a way as to interrelate with each other and usually tell or suggest a story.The key is that it must be three dimensional.The setting can be very realistic or fanciful depending upon your own imagination.The magic of the diorama is that it takes a somewhat static object or group of objects and makes them come alive.In my mind it takes the craft of modelling and elevates it into the realm of art.I think that it is the highest expression of what we do as modellers.The whole craft vs art controvery just slips away and becomes irrelevent and even the kit vs scratch dilemma really doesnt matter because now the focus is on your creative ability to raise an emotional response in your viewer. Let your imagination run wild,contact that 10 year old kid that exists in all of us and you cant help but be a successful dioramist.Cheers! John

[JohnReid]

Best book?
I think that Shep Paine is probably the modern day master of the diorama.
His book "How to build dioramas " belongs on every modelers bookshelf or preferably their workbench.It is not expensive and is readily available. I will mention other books later but this is the best place to start especially for the basics.
Dioramas are not hard to do but they do change the focus a bit from pure model building to storytelling, using your own models.

[JohnReid]

Another great book along the same lines is "How to build car dioramas" by my modeling bud Ken Hamilton.It is out of print now but he has given me permission to use it for teaching purposes.Many marine diorama scenes could include harbors or docks that could contain any number of things worth building other than just the ship model.Wharves,sheds,figures,barn siding,bricks and masonry walls etc...etc..whatever your imagination can come up with. That is the fascinating thing about diorama making it can encompass such a wide variety of subjects and modeling techniques.

[JohnReid]

Well I guess we will start with modifying and painting figures.Ken Hamilton came up with a very good diagram of how to do this.In this case a pic is worth a thousand words.His book is out of print and he has personally cleared me to use it for teaching purposes.