#model making

Completed MG RX-78-2 Ver. Ka

Haven’t posted in a while but this was something I spent about 2 weeks working on.

tsaagan:

tsaagan:

tsaagan:

hummingyogurt:

pinksocks12-2:

tsaagan:

Do you know any websites that have tutorials for making prehistoric dioramas? Especially what kinds of plants are suitable for a Jurassic or Cretaceous diorama and how to use materials you can collect from nature like twigs?

I want to make two different dioramas (one with lots of plants and bushes and maybe some trees and one that’s more like a desert) I can use to photograph different dinosaurs “in their natural habitat”. It doesn’t have to be 100% accurate, it just needs to look “prehistoric“ so I can use the same environment for both Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.

The only problem is that I’m not at all familiar with mesozoic plants/trees & what kind of materials I can use if I make stuff myself instead of buying plastic plants.

As far as i know there are no easily accessible source site for plants per time and place in history, you just gotta do research on the ecosystem in question, if there’s no plant fossils you can research plant evolution and distribution and ecology. But most of the time i think people pick undefined species or subspecies that resemble what we find today in similar ecosystems that could plausibly have inhabited the area and niche.

When it comes to building YouTube is a great source! I’d check out Lukes Aps, Luke Towan, and Paepercuts. Realistic dioramas for model trains and gaming tables are essentially the same as what we’d like to do and the techniques and materials are interchangable.

Here are a selection of videos from each mentioned. Jump into the rabbit hole!

There are also helpful threads on the Dinosaur Toy Forum, especially those by forum member Totoro such as this one: 
http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=8813.0

And here is a video on how to preserve plant leaves:

Also I would advice to avoid Kayakasaurus, because, you know…

Thank you!

I made these two bushes today!

I really want to buy that Stony Mountain Spring Grass mat… I also like both of those Small Bushes but I think the Spring Grass mat fits better with the Stony Mountain? I’m trying to make the diorama very green so I guess the Spring Grass is the right choise.

And I try to find a fake fern so I can use it to make cycads, I think it’ll be a lot cheaper than buying multiple packs of fern leafs from a diorama shop.

I don’t even know yet what size the diorama will be… but it must be bigger than A4 paper. This would be easier if I had a lot of money and I could just buy whatever looks suitable but I must think very carefully what I buy and where I buy and what I can get for free, what things I have at home I could use, etc. I hope the diorama will be finished before the Beasts of the Mesozoic ceratopsians arrive!

Sorry my dinosaur blog is slowly turning into diorama building blog

For cheap plants I’ve had success buying plastic aquarium plants and repainting them. The proportions are going to be a bit off, especially for the eras you’re working with, but it makes excellent ‘filler’ for the mid to rear part of your shots that won’t be in focus.

I love making models and I love anything Arthurian ;;;