discussion Completed: Gern's new dio - and how they can so easily get out of control!

[Gern]

So anyway, I bought a set of the LOTR 'Fellowship of the Ring' figures some time ago. I got them painted up to my satisfaction and thought it would be nice to show them all together on a small base.


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I got a square of 10mm expanded foam and thought: 'They look a bit bare just on their own. I'll add a couple of extra bits just to fill out the scene a little.' You remember the scene where they find Balin's tomb in Moria?


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Then I spotted these going cheap on ebay:


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I got those painted (although they still need a wash and some bowstrings) and they came out so well I thought they would go nicely with the other figures. There was a fight between our heroes and these guys in Moria.


Meanwhile, I asked on here if anyone had some skeleton figures to go with the coffin. Bobby kindly stepped up to the plate - only now I've got so many figures, they won't fit on my original polystyrene base! So now, I had to make a new base for all of them to fit on:


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This is 600mm x 450mm (24" x 18" in old money) and has just had a couple of coats of dark grey so far - lots of painting still to do. But now I realised my 28mm figures wouldn't provide enough to fill the space - so I had to get these (I've done a brief in-box review here: http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/latest-acquisitions.10204/page-205):


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and I've started to make some other items to fill all the blank spaces on my new base:


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Before anyone asks - that's it! I'm not re-creating the whole of the Moria mines, mountains or anything else - just this room which I've found out is called the Chamber of Mazarbul.


I'd like to have some better pictures of the figures, but I find it very hard to get my little camera to focus on small objects. Can anyone recommend a camera I could use? Before you get carried away, I have absolutely no interest in photography as such, I just need something I can point at my models and click a button to get a reasonable picture. I'm also still looking for a job so it has to be cheap. I mean really cheap! Really, really cheap! Anything less than a tenner would do nicely!

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[Guest]

That's really good Dave! I've always wanted to do a big LOTR dio, but never got round to it.


Camera wise, I got my Canon Ixus 10 on eBay for less than £10. It has a macro setting of 10mm which allows for good close-ups.

 

[Guest]

That's really good Dave! I've always wanted to do a big LOTR dio, but never got round to it.
Camera wise, I got my Canon Ixus 10 on eBay for less than £10. It has a macro setting of 10mm which allows for good close-ups.

Mate that always makes me cringe and laugh. I did a short film with Canon and got a 1d mk2n... You can now get them second hand for £400 and the pictures are amazing, if only 8 mp which is still great. My 20d I bought myself, cost me a grand of student loan money and lots of long shifts in a restaurant, it's work probably sub £100 easily and the pictures it takes are still amazing.


If I'd had the money before I should have traded up but now I can't bear to part with them for so little.


On The other hand you can great amazing deals such as yours for something that does an exceptional job.

 

[Guest]

So anyway, I bought a set of the LOTR 'Fellowship of the Ring' figures some time ago. I got them painted up to my satisfaction and thought it would be nice to show them all together on a small base.
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I got a square of 10mm expanded foam and thought: 'They look a bit bare just on their own. I'll add a couple of extra bits just to fill out the scene a little.' You remember the scene where they find Balin's tomb in Moria?


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Then I spotted these going cheap on ebay:


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I got those painted (although they still need a wash and some bowstrings) and they came out so well I thought they would go nicely with the other figures. There was a fight between our heroes and these guys in Moria.


Meanwhile, I asked on here if anyone had some skeleton figures to go with the coffin. Bobby kindly stepped up to the plate - only now I've got so many figures, they won't fit on my original polystyrene base! So now, I had to make a new base for all of them to fit on:


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This is 600mm x 450mm (24" x 18" in old money) and has just had a couple of coats of dark grey so far - lots of painting still to do. But now I realised my 28mm figures wouldn't provide enough to fill the space - so I had to get these (I've done a brief in-box review here: http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/latest-acquisitions.10204/page-205):


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and I've started to make some other items to fill all the blank spaces on my new base:


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Before anyone asks - that's it! I'm not re-creating the whole of the Moria mines, mountains or anything else - just this room which I've found out is called the Chamber of Mazarbul.


I'd like to have some better pictures of the figures, but I find it very hard to get my little camera to focus on small objects. Can anyone recommend a camera I could use? Before you get carried away, I have absolutely no interest in photography as such, I just need something I can point at my models and click a button to get a reasonable picture. I'm also still looking for a job so it has to be cheap. I mean really cheap! Really, really cheap! Anything less than a tenner would do nicely!

I'm going to watch this thread, this dio is going to look amazing. Can I suggest one or 2 parts of the walls are removable for viewing and photos?


As for your question... Get a small gorilla pod tripod to go with a good second hand camera as suggested. Compacts are fine on macro and give a greater depth of field (how much of the image is in focus in the foreground to the background) due to sensor size and such.


The tripod will allow you to use a long shutter speed with no horrible flash to ruin your scene, you can light the whole thing with small lights or naturally for taking pictures and create just the shading and effects you want.

 

[monica]

wow Dave,who would of guessed you were a lotr fan,


I have been playing the online game for 8yrs,since it came out,


and have always wont to do some figures as well,


great work so far there looking great,will be watching this one,


very nice also with the doors and table all looking good,

 

[Guest]

This is going to be great, I can already see that, I know nothing about cameras but I got my cannon d10 slr with a lens for 100 quid off ebay.

 

[spanner570]

Sad I know, but I haven't a clue about L.O.T.R....even less about H. Potter!


But Dave, I do know you have learned yet another lesson on diorama building........They do expand from a small beginning as ideas come along.


This is what I love about dio's.


This is going to be a real epic from 'Gern Studios'...........Onwards and upwards Mr. 'D'

 

[Guest]

Dave mate its looking good do you have a cave troll.


scott

 

[eddiesolo]

Superb work so far Dave, this is going to be good!


Si

 

[Alan 45]

Very well painted figures Dave , LOTR is a favourite of mine and that's a good start on the base

 

[Guest]

Great idea Dave!!!


I really love it


Sorry....but one day I will copy it!! Is brilliant

 

[Gern]

Thanks for the nice comments folks!


Patrick: That's the kind of thing I'm looking for! I'll be watching on the bay.


Dougie: £400!!! That's my entire annual modelling budget - including Cosford! Far too much.


Dougie: Too late I'm afraid. All the structure is built and fixed with PVA and cocktail sticks as nails. It's only a display piece and there's no top so everything should be readily visible. Depth of field, sensor size, shutter speed - all far too complicated for a simple chap like me. I just want to take the thing out of the box, point it and press a button.


Moni: I'm only a fan of the book and film. I don't do computer or tabletop games - I just got them on a whim 'cos they were cheap!


Ken: £100!!! Still waaaayyyy too much!


Ron: Thank you kindly. I'm getting to the stage where I worry about starting a dio in case it expands and ends up taking over my life! (I may not have much of one but it suits my simple needs and I'd hate to lose it!).


Scott: No cave troll as yet, but I'm looking. If I see one at a reasonable price before I'm finished, I'll add it in.


Thanks Si and Alan


I tried to get some better pics. Not brilliant, but some are OK. I'm really trying to show there's not always a need for fancy paint jobs on the faces of small figures. All the features you see have been bought out using just a dark wash - splashed on all over just like our 'enry!


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[Gern]

Thanks Polux.


It wasn't strictly an original idea. I came across a set of plans for the chamber on this website:


http://www.one-ring.co.uk/kb.php?a=42


I can't access the site now - I suspect it's been closed but I did manage to find this:


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You'll see his version is more detailed than mine, but I wouldn't have been able to work out a suitable layout without this as a starting point.

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[bazers]

Its looking good Dave will have to watch vidio now to see the room

 

[papa 695]

It may be getting out of hand with your original plans Dave but it's looking good mate

 

[tr1ckey66]

Really interesting diorama Dave. It's great how some ideas just snowball isn't it?!


Looking forward to seeing the finished thing.


Cheers


Paul

 

[Gern]

Thanks guys.


Barry: If I'd only had the video to work with, I wouldn't have started this. I'd have had to do far too much stop, start, rewind to put together the general shape etc. The plan that other guy worked out was a godsend.


Ian: Methinks 'out of hand' is just a tad understated.


Paul: More like avalanche than snowball.


I suppose I ought to mention my original outlay for the figures was only £10. To build this though, I had to spend an extra £10 on assorted balsa, £25 on more figures, nearly £40 on expanded foam and £35 on a hot wire cutting table as I can't cut straight lines to save my life!


Still - that gives me lots of foam and a way to cut it for the future! All I gotta do now is wait for the next inspiration to strike!

 

[Guest]

Thanks Dave!!


I really love the Gandalf & Aragorn figures they are very cool!

 

[monica]

agree with Polux they both look great and ,and your technique is good and works well,

 

[yak face]

Love this Dave! great to see the Domino principle in action!! Of course you know whats going to happen next dont you? - the left over skeleton warriors are going to inspire a 'Jason and the Argonauts ' Dio , best get looking for some more polystyrene!!!!


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