1:400 28x60cm European Diorama

[reggiehunt]

I posted this a while back on another forum, but am more active here so thought it worthwhile resharing. It’s a relatively small setup measuring 28x60cm but has found a home on my sideboard.

This is an experiment for an upcoming, larger, diorama set in 1986 Europe. I’ll be hoping to add the upcoming YuModel Lufthansa A300, and NG Aeroflot (Chartered by LOT TU-154). I also have some Panda TU-134s and NG British L1011 awaiting a parking spot once expanded.

Open to suggestions on where to source period correct GSE.

 

[bakejobb_23]

The foliage looks great! Love the addition of the lights as well.

 

[LeoMuse747]

Absolutely lovely! The grass area with bushes and trees really look stunning. Good to see a classic diorama, it's so good to see these old birds together. Finding some 1980s era GSE can be a bit tricky. The best way is to order 3D printed GSE.

 

[reggiehunt]

Absolutely lovely! The grass area with bushes and trees really look stunning. Good to see a classic diorama, it's so good to see these old birds together. Finding some 1980s era GSE can be a bit tricky. The best way is to order 3D printed GSE.

Thank you for the kind words!

The trees and grass are sourced from here, they offer some excellent products: https://modelshop.co.uk/

Unfortunately Shapeways is a thing of the past, so perhaps a custom job is in order,

 

[reggiehunt]

I'm going to try and keep this thread running as a development narrative and share the resources where I've been able to source products and elements.

I had some time this evening and managed to find a very useful site with plenty of 1/200 airport GSE STL files for 3d printing - which I assume could be scaled down to 50% for 1/400. The site is found here: https://cults3d.com/en

I'm going to purchase the files for:

• Conveyors: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/conveyor-belt-v1
• Tug: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/tug-tc-td25-26-2-in1
• Tug: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/tug-gt-110-v1-2-in1
• Fuel Tankers: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/kraz-268-truck-tanker
• Stairs: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/airport-passengers-stairs-pack-v1-4-in1
• Pallet Loader: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/aircraft-loader-pallet-tld-gse

I know they're not necessarily place/period correct, but with some custom decals to complete them in BA Negus markings (and perhaps some in Interflug, Aeroflot, and Dan Air if the results are positive) they could be a nice addition.

Does anyone have a recommendation for where to have custom order fine scale models 3D printed?
Preference would be in the UK, but open to China/Elsewhere if quality and cost are competitive.

 

[reggiehunt]

Inspiration for how I'll mark up the GSE is attached. If anyone has reference photos of other European or Middle Eastern operators' GSE from the mid-80s it would be greatly appreciated.

Image rights belong to their respective owners.

 

[reggiehunt]

Managed to find some 1/400 Land Rover Defenders I had printed by ShapeWays a number of years ago. The finish is rather poor, but I managed to paint a few up this morning as a trial run. Shall have to have some custom decals printed for windows, grills markings, etc. after that a gloss coat to give them some nice shine and hopefully minimise the appearance of the print lines.

 

[CM Aviation]

Love the grass and foils!

 

[reggiehunt]

A few more added. Will be completed as RAF, generic, and airport services vehicles. Nice to have a mix of short and long wheel base variants.

 

[reggiehunt]

Starting work on some Sea Harriers and Sea Kings to build a small Royal Navy FAA contingent to go alongside the larger diorama. Hand painting details has been very rewarding. Unfortunately the finish leaves a bit to be desired when viewed up close, but at arms length I think they’ll turn out nicely.

 

[LeoMuse747]

Starting work on some Sea Harriers and Sea Kings to build a small Royal Navy FAA contingent to go alongside the larger diorama. Hand painting details has been very rewarding. Unfortunately the finish leaves a bit to be desired when viewed up close, but at arms length I think they’ll turn out nicely.

Wow, these look wonderful! Smaller aircraft are always tricky to paint and add details in our scale, but don't worry too much. In my opinion, they don't need to be too detailed when they are only going to be part of the scenery of the diorama. I have a few general aviation aircraft which I use in my diorama and I think they look OK from a distance. Take a look:



I know my paint skills for these little planes are quite sloppy but anyway, you get my point

 

[reggiehunt]

Wow, these look wonderful! Smaller aircraft are always tricky to paint and add details in our scale, but don't worry too much. In my opinion, they don't need to be too detailed when they are only going to be part of the scenery of the diorama. I have a few general aviation aircraft which I use in my diorama and I think they look OK from a distance. Take a look:

View attachment 38406

I know my paint skills for these little planes are quite sloppy but anyway, you get my point

These look brilliant. Where did you source those Learjets?

I’m going to use decals for the canopy and markings as it’s hard to shake that perfectionist instinct.

Managed to get the landing gear done reasonably well - a great test for the eyes.

 

[LeoMuse747]

These look brilliant. Where did you source those Learjets?

Thank you! These were printed by a friend here in my city. I believe you can find some files on Cults 3D website.
Or you can try searching the work of wwwitalik, it's the username of a guy which used to have several interesting models available on Shapeways.
Here's a bit of his portfolio on Cults 3D: https://cults3d.com/en/users/wwwitalik/3d-models

 

[bakejobb_23]

These look brilliant. Where did you source those Learjets?

I’m going to use decals for the canopy and markings as it’s hard to shake that perfectionist instinct.

Managed to get the landing gear done reasonably well - a great test for the eyes.

These look incredible. Its so hard to get that amount of detail at this scale so huge props there. Where did you get the harriers? They look really great for how tiny i'm sure they are.

Keep up the great work.

 

[CM Aviation]

These look brilliant. Where did you source those Learjets?

I’m going to use decals for the canopy and markings as it’s hard to shake that perfectionist instinct.

Managed to get the landing gear done reasonably well - a great test for the eyes.

Stunning!

 

[reggiehunt]

This particular one is my test mule. Trying out different techniques, paint dilution, etc. so won’t make it onto the final diorama. Regardless, I thought worthwhile taking some snaps in the setting to provide a sense of scale.

 

[LeoMuse747]

Great progress! Looks very good!

 

[reggiehunt]

These look incredible. Its so hard to get that amount of detail at this scale so huge props there. Where did you get the harriers? They look really great for how tiny i'm sure they are.

Keep up the great work.

Harriers are from L'Arsenal. They've got a brilliant selection of 1/400 and 1/350 options. I've opted for 1/350 as there's some fantastic decals available on the market.

L'Arsenal: https://www.larsenal.com/?PGFLngID=1
Starfighter decals: https://www.starfighter-decals.com/

I've had a crack at making some custom decal sheets. The issue is finding a high quality printer with decent resolution that doesn't cost a fortune for a small print run.

 

[reggiehunt]

Test fitting some decals this evening. Canopy seems to fit rather well however will require some decal softener to get it to match the contour. I had a crack at painting it afterwards as an experiment, but am not happy with the results so shall persist with descaling the canopies.

Obviously adherence is very poor as I haven’t bothered to gloss coat the test mile prior to decal testing. On final batch I’ll gloss coat prior to decals to ensure the decal lines blend and reduces the visible shine differences.

 

[bakejobb_23]

Harriers are from L'Arsenal. They've got a brilliant selection of 1/400 and 1/350 options. I've opted for 1/350 as there's some fantastic decals available on the market.

L'Arsenal: https://www.larsenal.com/?PGFLngID=1
Starfighter decals: https://www.starfighter-decals.com/

I've had a crack at making some custom decal sheets. The issue is finding a high quality printer with decent resolution that doesn't cost a fortune for a small print run.

Thank you! Never heard of them! Unfortunately i'm not at the point of airbrushing and painting my own models yet but that quality for the price seems good. Especially with a decently steady hand which you seem to have