The Imperial Shipyards
Imperial Creative Engineering => Resources and References => Topic started by: Darth More on March 08, 2018, 05:03:46 AM
-
On this topic we'd like to show you which materials we use for our projects and where to find them.
You can also see what I found on AliExpress by clicking here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10896.msg224521#msg224521).
List of Contents:
Page 1:
-Fantastic Plants and Where to Find Them... - Reply #1 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg205459#msg205459)
-- Which materials do I use? - Artificial Plants with examples - Re-post from my Diorama topic
- More plants: Endor & Felucia - Reply #5 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg205493#msg205493) & Reply #7 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg205646#msg205646)
- NiubNiub's Universe: Frank Diorio shows you which plants he uses in his Diorama Workshop - Reply #10 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg210814#msg210814)
- JDeck shares some candy barrels and why you want to check your local dollar stores, too! - Reply #14 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg213074#msg213074)
--Resources for random parts & accessories such as crates, boxes, generators, antennas, machines etc.
Page 2:
- Lipstick containers make some nice lanterns or furniture, too! - Reply #19 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg213133#msg213133) (continued on Page 3, Reply #30)
- My long hunt for Candy Fizz' Trio Soda Cans in Germany - Reply #23 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg213249#msg213249)
Page 3:
- Lipstick Containers arrive from China - Reply #30 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg213505#msg213505)
- Don shares how he makes crates from bottle lids - Reply #33 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg214070#msg214070)
- How to turn trash into custom gold - Reply #35 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg214301#msg214301)
-- shampoo bottles can provide some nice furniture for your dios!
-- lighting up your Mos Eisley Cantina tables
- Surpise Dice - way too much plastic foil, but useful parts for 3 bucks! - Reply #40 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg215553#msg215553)
Page 4:
- JDeck shares his new stenzil for making leaves & foilage for forest or swamp dioramas in seconds - Reply #46 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg215596#msg215596)
- What you can find out in the woods to make cheap, but most realistic dioramas - Reply #50 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg215941#msg215941)
- Dollar Store finds #2 & Backdrops for your action figures - Reply #52 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg216095#msg216095)
- Painting figures with fibre-tip pens? - Reply #55 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg216110#msg216110)
Page 5:
- Pigments by vallejo - Reply #62 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg216160#msg216160) & how I use them for my Utapau diormas - Reply #62 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg216248#msg216248)
- How-to: A recipe for 1/18 scale Palm Trees - Reply #68 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg216633#msg216633)
Page 6:
- Source for palm tree leaves and more miniature soda cans to use as barrels and to give your vehicles some cargo - Reply #75 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg217283#msg217283)
- How perfectly those candy barrels actually fit onto the Imperial Combat Assault Tank! - Reply #83 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg217890#msg217890)
Endor: Making rafts & boats for your Ewoks - Reply #85 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg218618#msg218618) & Reply #87 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg218860#msg218860)
- DIY superstores, building supplies stores and why they're home for all creative maniacs out there - Reply #88 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg218861#msg218861)
Page 7:
- Dollar Store report #3 - Reply#91 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg218996#msg218996)
- 3D printed parts, crates and accessories by Legacy Arts - Reply #92 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg219703#msg219703)
- JDeck discovers amazing aquaristic parts for your flooring, framework and fences - Reply #97 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg220416#msg220416)
- JDeck finds scaled grating - Reply #102 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg220436#msg220436)
Page 8:
- Uncle Milton's Xcavation Crates: Some great goods to load your Imperial Hovertanks with and why you should get them while supplies last! - Reply #106 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg220697#msg220697)
- Uncle Milton: Cancelled Wave 2 for Xcavation Crates & Skeletons that never reached the market - Reply #116 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg220818#msg220818)
Page 9:
- JDeck shows you why you'll probably buy Bubble Gum just for the packaging... - Reply #120 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg221075#msg221075)
- JDeck paints Uncle Milton's Xcavation Crates - Reply #122 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg221088#msg221088)
- JDeck loads his Imperial Combat Assault Tank with his painted & weathered crates - Reply #129 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg221118#msg221118)
Page 10:
- Tamer got the orange spray-paint you're looking for to paint prime those crates on Reply #139 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg221165#msg221165)
- Primer, brushes and sculpting clay: Here's what I found at FantasyWelt plus a general guide of acrylic paints and primers - Reply #145 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg221276#msg221276)
Page 11:
- JDeck got even more inspiration by watching some Warhammer videos on YouTube - Reply #152 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg223796#msg223796)
- JDeck show you why you don't want to throw away your empty spray bottles ever again and why your wife will probably hate you for that - Reply #156 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg223829#msg223829)
Page 12:
- JDeck found some metal paint that will make your beskar armor and silver droids look so much better - Reply #165 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg223969#msg223969)
- JDeck goes hunting for gold: Your golden droids will like that AK INTERACTIVE TRUE METAL GOLD! Reply #172 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg224023#msg224023)
"These ARE the plants you're looking for!"
So let's talk about artificial plants! Why? Because I think it's worth it! You might have noticed that it can be quite hard to find suitable material like (artificial) plants for your dioramas. That's why I would like to talk about this here!
During my time as exchange student in Michigan my host mother took me to Hobby Lobby a couple times. I can only remember this store as source of artificial plants. Most of them were not suitable for model building though, but more for decoration purposes. The second disadvantage was that Hobby Lobby or similar craft stores are not located in every city in the U.S. - for all of you living in the U.S. you might have better sources for model building supplies (like dollar stores maybe?).
Just let me know in the comments!
I also went to a model train store that didn't have much and was quite expesnive. Here in Germany it is pretty much the same thing:
Craft stores and model building stores have become pretty rare. But if you find one here it's likely that you also find some good stuff for your projects!
I've been "collecting" artificial plants for almost a decade by now and gained some experience on this topic. I would like to share my latest experience with you guys so that all of you can profit from it regardless where you live!
In November 2016 I found a good source for artificial plants online!
There are many stores on eBay that actually sell artificial plants in all scales! After ordering some items from two of these stores I can almost say for sure that they all belong to one and the same seller or company! The two stores I made experiece with are sfcdirect and schmuckshop88 (which is focused only on the German/European market). So in any case I recommend to you to go with sfcdirect because they send worldwide and are cheapest.
All in all I am pretty contented with the plants I got from them. Here is why:
Advantages:
- you can get many for cheap
- most of them are shipped for free or just a low shipping cost (BUT: They do not combine shipping!)
Disadvantages:
- the items are sent from China and take about 3 weeks to Germany (and probably to the USA, too)
- as already mentioned above they do not combine shipping costs
- the communication with one of their several assistants of their customer service is a little difficult sometimes...
- they smell! I highly recommend you to wash them when you receive them!
- Most importantly: Colors vary! The plants sometimes come in a different color than shown on the pictures. You might have to repaint them. Which leads to my last disadvantage:
- Artificial plants (most of them in general) are pretty shiny/glossy. You might have to paint them in a matt color or just a clear varnish
My advice: Compare prices! I got the feeling they try to deceive the customer by selling the same item for different prices. Sort all items on eBay with the tool "show lowest price + shipping first"!!
Here is the link to the Chinese seller on eBay! Just type in "model tree" or "model diorama":
sfcdirect:
http://stores.ebay.com/SfcDirect/_i.html?_dmd=2&_nkw=model+scenery&_sop=2&rt=nc
uptogethertek:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=diorama&epid=16007290133&_ssn=uptogethertek&hash=item2370f2e6a4%3Ag%3ALTcAAOSwubFaceAV&item=152218822308&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.H1.Xmodel+scenery.TRS0&_nkw=model+scenery&_sacat=0
Intentionally I do not post the direct links to their auctions/offers because they all end after 30 days. Just check out their eBay store.
I know they have a lot of crazy stuff and over 66.000 items, but if you just look for the target words mentioned above you will soon find what you are looking for!
So these are the first three items I got from schmuckshop88: By now sfcdirect sells all items sold by schmuckshop88. Seems they have reacted to my orders...It's not my intention to advertise for them here, but it's a source all of us can profit from!
I put all the plants in plastic bags and labeled each one of them with source, price and where I got them. I will post another topic about this later on...
(http://i.imgur.com/TDzVWwX.jpg)
I would have never expected to even find bamboo in this scale! I was very surprised when I found this and at this point I was sure I just had to share this with you! That's why I post the bamboo first here...so as you can see the tallest one is about 5.25"/14cm high, while the smallest one measures about 3"/8cm. You can buy a mixed set of 100 for about 8,59€/~$8.93.
(http://i.imgur.com/kXmSdGd.jpg)
I also really like these plants because you can use them for many environments like Endor or Kashyyyk. You can get 50 for $4.69+$0.52* - so about $0.10* per piece.
(http://i.imgur.com/KdJ1VCl.jpg)
These palm trees are sold as "Cyad trees". The color varies a little bit from the description. You can get 10 for 3,49€/~$3.63* + free shipping! So $0.36* per piece. There are other offers, too. The cheapest I could find is 50 of them for 10,75€/~$11.18* ($0.22* per piece). If you need so many of them visit gudongtoy:
http://www.ebay.de/sch/gudongtoy/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
(http://i.imgur.com/ebMRlXO.jpg)
They are about 2"/4,5cm tall. Keep in mind that these measures include the tip of the plants.
(http://i.imgur.com/kHoXkrE.jpg)
As mentioned above I highly recommend to you to wash them with water and soap before using them for your dioramas! They ship from Shenzhen, Guangdong or Hongkong where the air pollution is really bad. When I took the plants off the bowl I could even see particles of fine dust in the water which had turned grey .
(http://i.imgur.com/jAkkBTQ.jpg)
You can get different kinds of these "carpets" to use them seperately or to fill big areas on your diorama! They are arranged in 9x9 so you get 81 pieces for $4.99+$0.52 for shipping - so about $0.07 per piece. Again, please compare prices carefully before purchasing them!
They start from $2.74:
http://stores.ebay.de/SfcDirect/_i.html?_dmd=2&_nkw=81pc&_sop=2&rt=nc
Here is a selection of three types I bought. I will use them for Endor and Kashyyyk dioramas.
(http://i.imgur.com/MG3Vcig.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/l7KLx2u.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/irLQQTj.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/9seqB8h.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/vHf2lY1.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/gw8X7so.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/tO2HZmG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/zkTi3TO.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/hSu0JCQ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ddB4pde.jpg)
You can get a mixed set of 100 of this kind for $9.20+free shipping! You can also order a bag of 100 pieces in one color, which is cheaper. Since I don't need a hundred of one color I paid a little more to have 20 of each. I will use them for dioramas of Felucia, Kashyyyk and Ryloth.
They are actually smaller than I expected, thanks to the long tip! They measurure about:
1.25"/3,5cm - or: 0.75"/2,5cm without the tip. Just wanted to let you know. I don't think this is a diadvantage. The actal plant is just smaller than told in the description.
(http://i.imgur.com/zby46hh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/mwv1vFp.jpg)
Here are two kinds of plants I would like to tell you more about:
The one on the left is sold as "Lotus leaf". 50 of them are sold as cheap as $3.89+$0.52 for shipping. BUT: They are actually much lighter than pictured on eBay. I wanted to use them for an upcoming Endor diorama inspired by the new Star Wars Battlefront videogame...so will have to paint them darker. I think they look like the leafes of a water lily, too.
The one on the right looks like a bunch of leafes from a banana palm tree. They measure about 1.25"/3,5cm. They're sold as "50 Traveller's model tree" for $4.74+$0.52 for shipping.
(http://i.imgur.com/1G98xxs.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/pvYjTXT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/1fPi84h.jpg)
These plants look also very obscure and therefore interesting and perfect for recreating the fascinating worlds of George Lucas' Star Wars!
(http://i.imgur.com/x5xf4LB.jpg)
This one sells as "50 Model Heart Leaf" for $4.49+$0.52 International Shipping - so $0.10 a piece.
(http://i.imgur.com/csQe1VM.jpg)
These here are alomost my favorite ones for Endor. They sell in two sizes (see picutre's center and right). They sell as "50pcs-Model-Grasses-Train-Railway-Wargame-Scenery-Landscape-HO-Scale-4-5cm" for $4.61+$0.52 for Worldwide Shipping.
(http://i.imgur.com/zmiVlug.jpg)
How to turn Palm Tress into Fern...
What I also found on sfcdirect are Palm Trees in many different scales. Here is a selection of them:
"20pcs Coconut Palm Tree Scale 1/150" sell for $3.99+free shipping. Height: ~3"/10cm
(http://i.imgur.com/7GQ6ntg.jpg)
"20pcs Coconut Palm Tree" sell for $2.77(offer)+$1.25 for Worldwide shipping. Height: ~4.5"/12cm
(http://i.imgur.com/ECxWpud.jpg)
"14 Multi Scale Model Coconut Palm Tree" sell as cheap as $4.35+$0.52 for Worldwide shipping. Height: from ~2"/3,5cm to ~7"/18cm
(http://i.imgur.com/y8e7fzx.jpg)
Of course you can use them as they are for your environments. What about a diorama of Scarif along with an AT-ACT model kit from Revell?
Check out this one built and excellently weathered by FialaFernbrugg:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=1625.210
So when I told Christoph about these palm trees and how much I was looking for fern in 3 3/4" scale he came up with the idea of using just the biggest ones by taking them apart.
And I have to admit I am really contended with the result:
(http://i.imgur.com/qHMNgU0.jpg)
By the way this is also a hint at an upcoming project...stay tuned for some action on Endor!
So these are just a few examples of artificial plants you can all buy at the moment on eBay from sfcdirect.
The nice thing about STAR WARS and its diversity of worlds is that you can just use your full imagination! You can utilize all the artificial plants for your dioramas in several scales and to recreate the fantastic environments of STAR WARS! Some are more, some are less useful. It's up to you and what you would like to create in which scale! I think the secret to make your diorama look authentic and natural is to use many different plants. There is a structure but no regular order. Just mix them all together!
I hope I could help and give you some inspiration for upcoming or already existing projects. I wish you a lot of fun and joy for our beloved hobby!
Best regards from Germany!
- Philipp
* All prices are in the current EUR/USD exchange rate (1€=$1.04). Prices and currencies vary. They should just give you an idea of prices in general. Some items may be cheaper or more expensive in your countries. By the way you should come and visit Europe! The Euro is still quite cheap!
Here are some examples of plants from local craft stores:
This one was quite expensive (7,99€/~$8.30*). I found this at a German chain for gifts and decoration supplies called "Nanu-Nana". I took it apart and already used some parts on my "Swamp Speeder Display" - seen on Page 1.
(http://i.imgur.com/TiLFAAR.jpg)
You often find mixed bags. Here is an example of a bunch I got for 3,95€/~$4.11* at my city's biggest decoration store! These bunches contain 60 pieces which makes 7 cents per piece. And they got a MASSIVE selection of diffeterent plants. I check them every few weeks for new/seasonal stuff.
(http://i.imgur.com/JwtXNfc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mRWEFLP.jpg)
I collected these plants and sorted them after planet/theme. These are meant to be used on Endor dioramas.
(http://i.imgur.com/USZ3cFA.jpg)
I found this one for about $2 in a home good & decoration store:
(https://i.imgur.com/OxJdadm.jpg)
Aquarium plants: Can be found cheap on eBay, too!
(http://i.imgur.com/79I1vRD.jpg)
Another source is...IKEA! They also sell artificial plants mostly for decoration purposes of course. This one costs 4,99€/~$5.20*(Germany). This is also quite much for a single piece, but it might pay off if you need trees in scale 1/18 on your dioramas...
(http://i.imgur.com/hrJEX3P.jpg)
* All prices are in the current EUR/USD exchange rate (1€=$1.04). Prices and currencies vary. They should just give you an idea of prices in general. Some items may be cheaper or more expensive in your countries. By the way you should come and visit Europe! The Euro is still quite cheap!
And of course all plants and diorama pieces of proffesional companies for model building like Games Workshop, Army Painter, BUSCH, Noch etc.
(https://i.imgur.com/wnn2igh.jpg)
And here are some examples of what I made with them so far:
Kashyyyk:
(https://i.imgur.com/BpM3Xot.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/quHudlo.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/z8rJ85v.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7zJcOwG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Mmgexuc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WpJydTz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZI5mDpN.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/e12oIZs.jpg)
Endor:
(https://i.imgur.com/rh7jKuu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vJBOKxY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DSvCztg.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vjQ1UNT.jpg)
You can check out my dioramas by following the hyperlink below:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10155.0
Best regards from Germany!
- Philipp
-
Awesome Guide! I like the Palm tree fern conversion. I may have to do that with my Endor dio when I redo it. Speaking of which, what would you recommend for conifer branches in 1/18 scale? The preserved sea grass i used i think is too small and delicate for that scale. I thought of using artificial cedar garland, but i haven't really tried it.
(Edit) I see you will be using the aquarium plants for conifer branches. That looks like it would work great.
-
The ferns in particular are a great idea! If I haven't mentioned it already, I love your picture frame dioramas.
-
I remember seeing this before. Great stuff.
-
What an amazing resource, Philipp! Thanks so much for putting this all together!
I'll definitely take advantage of some of those ebay sellers when I find time to work on some Scarif/Endor/Kashyyyk set ups.
-
@all: Thank you for your feedback guys!
@JDeck: I actually had to do some research on google images :D Usind artificial cedar garland for conifer branches sound like a good idea! I also have some artificial plants from a local craft store which I haven't posted on here, yet. You probably mean these parts here, which are also from a local craft store here in Germany:
(http://i.imgur.com/USZ3cFA.jpg)
These are actually not aquarium plants. But I will add some more pictures of aquarium plants which I bought a lot of over the last 5 months...
My suggestion to you for sources:
1) Look online and in craft stores for suitable plants of Endor. Stores like Dollar Tree might not have what you're looking for, but there might be some specialized craft stores in your area.
2) This leads to my second hot tip: hemple know A TON about artificial plants! He actually uses the best artificial plants I've ever seen! If you write him a PM you will definitely find what you're looking for although it might be a little more expensive than these plants I bought from Asia.
3) Depending on where you live you might find some useful stuff out in the woods! If you live close to the Redwoods you might even see some Ewoks tolling around, too! 0/
Coconut fiber is also suitable for Endor in particular. And here're a couple links to two nice Endor dioramas shared on YouTube:
This here might've been shared on here already and is one of my favorite Endor dioramas:
I subscribed to Nihilus 911000 on YT - he does awesome stuff - the plants he used for his dio look very similar to those I'm going to show you.
@Jaeger45: Thank you so much, mate! Yes, FialaFernbrugg had this great idea when we talked about the plants I had found on eBay and how I could find fern in 1/18. The palm trees work perfectly - I just need to put some more effort into the paint apps to make them look more realistic.
@Tamer: Yes, you're right! Remember back then I didn't really know where to put this topic, but now I found this thread here - I hope it fits better, now - what do you think? - I'll also talk about some other materials on this topic down the road. I thought it would be nice to share it on here and make a little summary of what I made with the plants so far.
@talonreap: Thank you for the nice words, mate! I can really recommend these to you and will post the three sources I can recommend most to you here:
Again, comparing prices pays off! Sort by "price: lowest first". Just look for "artificial model tree", "railway model scene" or "artificial plants" on eBay and you'll find these sellers quickly:
Most of them send from Shenzhen, China.
http://stores.ebay.com/SfcDirect/_i.html?_dmd=2&_nkw=model+scenery&_sop=2&rt=nc
https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=diorama&epid=16007290133&_ssn=uptogethertek&hash=item2370f2e6a4%3Ag%3ALTcAAOSwubFaceAV&item=152218822308&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.H1.Xmodel+scenery.TRS0&_nkw=model+scenery&_sacat=0
Best regards
- Philipp
-
wow
So much detailed information about plants.
Thank you so much for sharing all the information.
I hope I can use some of these plants in a project some day.
Keep up the great work.
-
@FialaFernbrugg: I'm glad you like them, mate! You got a couple of each of them and it would be awesome to see how you include them in your projects!
Here're some more:
Aquarium Plants:
During the second half of 2017 I found some plants on eBay which look nice and suitable to use on a diorama of Felucia or Ryloth:
(https://i.imgur.com/84cWG0w.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MeM6fZG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/98JoYqv.jpg)
I have to include this, again:
These plants smell - some of them really bad! There's no way I would use those for a fish tank!
But they look really great in water! With the right lighting they look just amazing! But who knows if and to which extend they contain components that are toxic to organisms.
(https://i.imgur.com/TAwlULx.jpg)
I really like the bright colors, different shapes and am looking forward to finally make my first diorama of Felucia!
(https://i.imgur.com/rTasjdi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6pyHc2O.jpg)
Some are made of soft silicone and hard plastic parts...
(https://i.imgur.com/JYU8SHl.jpg)
...others are poured in solid plastaline:
(https://i.imgur.com/AMcJkqp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rhM8MrO.jpg)
They were all well packed - most of them were shipped for FREE!
(https://i.imgur.com/6VsAuqb.jpg)
These here are made of very soft silicone - in water they would look bright & beautiful, but if you use them out of water you'll need glue to make them to make them stand up.
(https://i.imgur.com/gELZq7M.jpg)
These here were most of expensive of them all and I wouldn't have bought them if they didn't fit well for the diorama I'm going to build. They also shipped from China via a seller that only sells in Europe, but I'm sure they also got a store for each continent just using a different nickname...
(https://i.imgur.com/M977Yxw.jpg)
I'll add prices for each number here.
I'll use these here to make palm tress for Scarif. That's gonna be fun!
(https://i.imgur.com/m2JGu8B.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6JdgWME.jpg)
And here are the sources on eBay where I found them:
lucky.warm - best prices, I was most contended with this one. Just look for aquarium plants in his store and list all items from lowest to highest price. Comparing prices pays off!
https://www.ebay.com/sch/lucky.warm/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from= (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5575055288&toolid=10001&campid=5337373868&customid=&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Flucky.warm%2Fm.html%3F_nkw%3D%26_armrs%3D1%26_ipg%3D%26_from%3D)
onfineshop: - ships from HongKong, China
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_sop=15&_nkw=aquarium&rt=nc (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5575055288&toolid=10001&campid=5337373868&customid=&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_sop%3D15%26_nkw%3Daquarium%26rt%3Dnc)
Various sellers: There are just too many to list them all. And I wouldn't be surprised if they actually all belong together...
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=plant&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xartificial+plant.TRS0&_nkw=artificial+plant&_sacat=0_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xartificial+plant.TRS0&_nkw=artificial+plant&_sacat=0 (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5575055288&toolid=10001&campid=5337373868&customid=&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_odkw%3Dplant%26_osacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xartificial%2Bplant.TRS0%26_nkw%3Dartificial%2Bplant%26_sacat%3D0_trksid%3Dp2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xartificial%2Bplant.TRS0%26_nkw%3Dartificial%2Bplant%26_sacat%3D0)
Shipping for most of them is FREE and takes 8-30 days at least to Germany.
Have a great weekend everyone!
- Philipp
-
Looks like you found the perfect material for a Felucia diorama.
Thank you for sharing.
-
Great resource. Let me go share some of this.
-
If you want to make your plastic plants look more realistic and less glossy, Frank from DioramaWorkshop.com has the solution for you!
Go check out one of seven of his latest videos with brilliant ideas and tips for your dioramas:
Please, also check out his YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/dioramaworkshop
And here is the direct link to the Diorama Workshop on Imperial Shipyards:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?board=124.0
Big thanks to Frank for sharing his creativity with us. I’m very excited to see how his next Mega Diorama if Scarif will turn out! I wish I could go to Celebration Chicago. If you can, make sure to contribute your part to this awesome project!
- Philipp
-
Frank is just full of great dio knowledge. Let me go share this video too.
I can't wait to see what he gets into at Celebration this month.
-
That is a very helpful video.
Thank you very much for sharing.
-
Tamer: Absolutely! Thanks for sharing his video! Frank is always so positive and I really enjoy listening to his videos.
FialaFernbrugg: Any time bud!
-
Miscellaneous stuff and where you can find it...
So the current diorama project of JDeck inspired me to share this.
Special thanks go to JD for sharing his work. Check out his current work in progress here:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=9462.465
I was going to add to this topic anyway after my holiday. I spent a few days at the beach and had some ice cream with my family - and I kept the packaging to make some cargo containers by giving them a repaint.
Here are a few tips of where to find random parts for your dioramas. If you have any resources to share, please let us know!
My girlfriend thinks I collect trash. So if you’re coping with the same accuses, that's something you should take into consideration here.
But the take-home message of this post is:
You can find a lot of awesome stuff FOR FREE!
Dollar Stores
Have you ever bought stuff just for the packaging..?
(https://i.imgur.com/rV2Id68.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2N4HgDB.jpg)
You wouldn't believe how long I've been looking for CLEAR straws here in Germany...I use them to display hovering vehicles. Even better than that but also more expesive are clear acrylic rods:
(https://i.imgur.com/twZoGe2.jpg)
Currently even old Star Wars figures show up at dollar stores here in Germany - they sell for 6,00€ 5,50€.
(https://i.imgur.com/J1ZyPD4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/pZwoN9d.jpg)
Candy Shops and assortments in Super Markets:
JDeck shared the brilliant idea to make gas tanks out of those mini soda cans. It's not lipstick, but I remember seeing those cans in my childhood back in the 90's. And this is the cheapest offer I could find: So take yourself to the Candy Shop de de...dede 50 Cent that only makes 23 cents per can!!
They're called "Soda Can Fizzy Candy by Kidsmania Candy":
https://www.zurchers.com/products/soda-can-fizzy-candy-6ct
They also have a case of 72 cans for 22 ct/piece:
https://www.zurchers.com/products/soda-can-fizzy-candy-12ct?_pos=1&_sid=7e63fd9f7&_ss=r
(https://i.imgur.com/TpLNfJR.png)
Source: ZURCHERS
URL: https://www.zurchers.com/products/soda-can-fizzy-candy-12ct?_pos=1&_sid=7e63fd9f7&_ss=r
(https://i.imgur.com/159X1YZ.jpg)
Source: ZURCHERS
URL: https://www.zurchers.com/products/soda-can-fizzy-candy-6ct
They also have this candy here in a little wider cans called "Bubble Crush" by Kidsmania Candy:
(https://i.imgur.com/TLJD9sp.jpg)
Source: ZURCHERS
URL: https://www.zurchers.com/products/bubble-crush-gum-nuggets-12ct?_pos=1&_sid=f1298db4d&_ss=r
(https://i.imgur.com/bMJxpLl.jpg)
Soruce: Candy Warehouse
URL: https://www.candywarehouse.com/bubble-crush-bubble-gum-nuggets-soda-cans-4-packs-12-piece-box/
(https://i.imgur.com/xPU3aUG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XOZrRHE.jpg)
Walmart and Hardware Stores:
So JD, this is the cloest I could get compared to your awesome tiny boxes from Walmart!
I suppose those mini storage boxes don't sell well here in Germany because people consider them unpractical or just buy bigger boxes or zipper bags.
(https://i.imgur.com/yl8X3be.jpg)
Those storage boxes are also useful & cheap:
(https://i.imgur.com/Pi9rnxw.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/PcXSVZO.jpg)
Thank the maker for those "magic erasers"!
(https://i.imgur.com/ora3Ynk.jpg)
Trash and other useful Stuff for free:
(https://i.imgur.com/uCxw759.jpg)
The ice cream we shared was delicious - aaand I wanted to keep the packaging to make some cargo containers or generators out of them. Styrofoam can be found in all kinds of shapes so keep your eyes open in the dumpsters!
I came to this conclusion: You get most ideas right in the moment when you find stuff by chance/randomly. Because there's so much stuff out there you would've never guessed exsisted unless you see it.
And I also think looking for this random stuff gives you an idea what to look for. If that makes sense. I mean JDeck taught me to see stuff differently when I walk through the hardware store. If you got the time, you can look at different stuff in different departments (even at construction stores) and think about what you could possibly make out of it!
Pretty creative stuff going on. BIG THUMBS UP for JD! Thanks for making me aware of those mini candy soda cans!
Big thanks also go to The Spectre who provides us with all the latest finds of good stuff from Michael's and such!
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=7112.1050
- Philipp
-
You found some really cool stuff. Actually I like those candy cans better than the ones I found. The styrofoam is a really great find, you could add to it, and "stucco" it for a Tatooine look. The possibilities and limitations is up to your own imagination. I'm glad I could inspire you, but you determine what's in your own "head Canon". That's what I always liked about Star Wars. It opened up my imagination. It was a new Galaxy to explore. Whether it's Canon or Ledgends, or "head Canon" star Wars is yours. It's ours.
-
Hey JD, thanks for coming by! I’m glad you like my little photo collection of random stuff! I’ll defintel add a lot of different parts and shapes here and please feel free to add your ideas, too! I got my collection of miscellaneous pieces stowed away back home.
For Tatooine I’ve collected some different shapes as well. I’m gonna share those in October. I will definitely smoothen the surface of these ice cream containers and might even make a mold of them (hollow of course). I just like the shape of those so much and if I can reproduce them, there will be several versions of those - guaranteed. And if they turn out good enough I will be happy to give some to you, too!
Yeah, I remembered those soda can candy from my childhood, but have never seen lipstick in this design before. I found 18 cans for 17€/$18 here shipped, I might buy three sets of them and repaint the cans.
They don’t seem to be sold at local stores anymore, but I’m excited to fill up that Imperial Tank from Rogue One with those cans!
Your containers from Walmart would look even better on that tank!
Have a good Sunday & thanks for your comment!
-
Wow Philipp, I missed this thread. I really like the Felucia appropriate plants you found. I think the Chryssalid figure will fit in nicely:)
I agree with JDeck, the boxes are a good find. The Styrofoam packaging is great. These are great leads. Thanks for sharing!
-
Thanks Starchaser! I'm glad you found this thread, now. Feel free to add to it with your ideas and suggestions!
I'm very thankful for your suggestion for the Chryssalid. I would've never learned about it woithout your post - so thank you once again! I'm happy about mine every day and for $8 I even took it out of the already damaged packaging.
As soon as I get to build my first Felucia diorama (test build on picture frame, before I go modular) the Chryssalid will find a place on it. And the Battle Rancor will eat that creature for breakfast on the modular one. I can already see these projects in front of me. The picture frame one will depict Order 66 and the modular one will go towards The Force Unleashed videogame.
I will add to this topic and share more of my "trash" and what I make of it as soon as I get home in October. So stay tuned for that ;)
-
So on my search for lipstick in soda cans I came accross these intersting pieces here on ebay:
As always: Compare prices and make offers (if possible). I got 6 of them for $1 each - FREE shipping from China:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=lipstick+container+red&_sacat=0&_sop=15 (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5575055288&toolid=10001&campid=5337377665&customid=&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3Dlipstick%2Bcontainer%2Bred%26_sacat%3D0%26_sop%3D15)
If you want to repaint theme (maybe in a metal color), you could add them to dioramas of Coruscant, Jedha, Tatooine, Dantooine or whatever you got in mind. You could also light them up!
When I first saw them, I immeditely thought of drilling a hole into the bottom and add a LED - maybe some white, translucent silk paper to the inside to make Chinese lanterns of them - definitely a nice accessory for your Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Indiana Jones, James Bond or Super Hero diorama!
More to come...
- Philipp
-
Seems like a great idea to me. I could see you doing all kinds of things with this one.
Off to share on the front pages.
-
Those are pretty cool decorative boxes, I could even see stacking them for pillars. Thanks for sharing.
-
Tamer: Oh yes, a great design, indeed! Definitely something I wouldn't buy for my lipsticks if I was a woman, but for dioramas? Hell yeah! It seems as if they were only produced just for this purpose! Thanks for sharing! I saw the reception on Facebook was quite good, too! By the way they are available in red metallic and black as well, but for 6 bucks each? No thanks - I can repaint them myself for that money.
Starchaser: Yes, indeed! Thanks for the comment. I'd love to see how you'd use those.
- Philipp
-
It happened!! I finally found them here in Germany after a week of intensive research! I almost ordered a whole case of 72 cans in the USA, but a friend of mine found them at a Dollar Store, which I also have in my area. I couldn't find them at the first one, but was lucky at the second store.
And let me tell ya, I had never expected to be so happy about a packaging!
These cans are awesome! The candy inside isn't bad, either.
I paid 75 cents for a pack of 3 cans here in Germany.
I even went to a vendors' retail store, which you can only access with a vendor card and is similar to Sam's Club - and even they don't have them!! But if you need candy in large quantities and sizes, this is the place to go. (I can recommend German candy!)
(https://i.imgur.com/gsAOc1t.jpg)
Can you see them already??
(https://i.imgur.com/U91tSDk.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mi85AHD.jpg)
There they are and I took 4 packs of them! Left 5 packs for the kids...so I got my candy for today and am I a happy boy! ;)
(https://i.imgur.com/uvG6kEU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZJ6W0zl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kbOVQ31.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OvvXVgM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WDIsdxf.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/LilK0tj.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xPU3aUG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ENEfBGu.jpg)
- Philipp
-
Cool! I do like those better than the ones I found. It has the vac plastic label, rather than the paper/glue, making it much easier to remove. They look a bit bigger, the top looks cool, and they even look good unpainted. I found them on Amazon, 18 for 6 bucks! Thanx for the tip, I'll have to get some the next time I need supplies.
-
Nice finds. Off to share your story.
-
JDeck: Thanks for checking back JD! Yes, your barrels are smaller, indeed. I need to add the exact sizes of those candy cans. Thanks for reminding me. A friend of mine found them in his local store and gave me the hint. He is going to use them for his 6 inch figures and plans a small diorama of SOLO with Han & Chewie.
Tamer: Thanks so much! I was hoping you'd take this exact piture to the frontpage. Have a good Sunday Tamer.
-
So glad you found these! It sounds like it was quite a hunt. Its funny how we take for granted things around us - like candy packaging.
-
I'm glad you found the cans. They are definitely useful for SW dios and custom figures.
I wonder if I can get them here in Austria.
Can't wait to see them in a DarthMore diorama.
-
Starchaser: Exactly! I actually checked 17 stores of 9 chains/brands or local stores (candy shop). I could’ve found it in the second store I went to, but I must’ve either missed it or they didn’t have it there. It’s a dollar store and I actually found these barrels in the second store of that chain. 25 cents a can is only 8 cents more than the cheapest offer I could find in the U.S. - and there are many more offers with a much higher price tag per pack. Can’t beat that! So again I’m a happy boy and you made a very good point: we take everything for granted - everywhere at any time. That’s the American concept. I figure those candy cans were more popular back in the days, but they still exists unlike some others...thanks for your nice words mate.
FialaFerbbrugg: You should know me well enough by now to know that I got more packs of which some are for you anyway. Just let me know how many you need! And you’ll definitely see some of those in one of my future projects ;) Cheers!
-
So I found the aforementioned "lanterns" better known as lipstick containers in my mailbox today.
(https://i.imgur.com/bYQQMz2.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/FkHIbVN.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yI2Zlbr.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/txiaYa1.jpg)
To my surprise those lipstick bottles are part of the containers...well, and they're NOT removable...that's a little bummer, but I will try to get them out of there somehow.
Initially I supposed that both halfs were hollow/clear. But obviously they are meant for lipstick customizing ladies...
you can still make one latern just with the lid. Or make one of two lids...which costs you $2 then.
So next time I wait until the stuff arrives, before I share something like this on here, again.
I apologize if you're not happy with those after having ordered them.
-
Well if worst comes to worst you can just use two lids to make one lantern. I hope you can figure out a way to get them out though.
Off to share, thanks for keeping us updated.
-
Thanks for posting the follow up. I'll bet you can get the tubes out with some patience. BTW - saw some of the same design in black.
-
Thanks for this the thread. Definitely going to have to get some plants before the scale-bar opens in my home office. ;)
I mentioned this in my customs thread; I've been using soda lids to make scale scifi barrels.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/W46LBhAtL6ppgvFjFv7ZvI480pjYSLTLQUWyp571EcBoJEMUBHokGsOYQTFqSBnEo-LvZTSry5B6v5W63a6okWyhnxKpmYYkvOyPeAEPPdu4OXlxIVYfp43H6CyQERueGGhlhM4Dk-Sn7wB5TcFw3kbWSCz1vJ5ypCu7fin3xmneUm1pVR7pfGk9muzbpEwzeZfNa5wkWI6tJML2tBbWN3YEA9CcRqbV8NAjmmdXBDwRTDqmIFcOulasw3w2C7e81Ada9Za0RuAfafR8SgoIKasbv5UjRIlp-EcUyecLJkSCoR5XaPCNbUv-IUCy-T__U6ErVoBmh6a4PYVPaxRl1MaIjVJ0LcNBZs1aNyRb5-g_0tYP9bUP1iRRzT5OFzfv3hOLQGoFGIlo2Y-g-lB6ZJryxOC7pS9uHM-3-WmMSynGZbll--ZzPk79y7YHb9g9DwIbAdrx9nynmQvNEA4lZLvYOOdeFD3mcpbpKcdCFN_Sv7RpLQgUqYW6YnZuqOyiIvh8fWdTLFwFk-yTlNrvA1UZ1N99XON1Jy1dSCYeNNQZLVeGrQsdhIfyjGDPq9RbK4O5hNKrXZ8jdDzsF0j8c9oCe9VMyft358qslxaT56-HfWTw4j7gEgb2jo1e7IgUiuolJrK3mgcysShL14gPzHPKe1e6hwGDhOJH6aNkyErkQ-7RySt1c-4ELCP1uBjIMP9n-DcTuWwq-m_bS38aybgW86tdU0yvbn7JfLffo_DadRI=s934-no)
-
Thanks for your feedback gentlemen.
Tamer: Yes, you're exactly right! But this means double the cost for one latern ($2). Still I think those parts are very useful! Looking at the latest TROS products I think those red laterns will fit nicely in some Episode 9 themes dioramas. I will use them for my Tatooine, Jedha, Mygeeto, Kashyyyk or Utapau dioramas.
Starchaser: Indeed, they're available in different colors. I'm going to repaint mine. Just shared the cheapest offer I could find for you guys on here. If you can use the black ones more, I'm glad you found them and I apologize for not having mentioned them. Thanks for the hint, which I'll add now.
Chuckles: Thank you so much for sharing your idea on here, too! Using bottle cups for equipment to fill up our dioramas is a brilliant idea!
It took a little longer for me to reply to your post because the pictures I took of my "trash" a while ago seem to be lost.
But I took new ones and I hope you like them...thanks for the inspiration! They look awesome once painted up like that!
- Philipp
-
What you can find in trash compactors...
With all the inspiration from forum member Chuckles I thought it would be about time to continue this topic and share this.
Over the years I collected some parts and pieces - let's face it: useful trash!
So here's what I got and can't wait to include all those different shapes in my diorama projects...
Let yourself be inspired and please let us know what you found. I hope you find this thread useful and inspiring, too.
(https://i.imgur.com/1EJf9AS.jpg)
In 2016 I went to the K here in Düsseldorf, Germany with a friend of mine. The K is the biggest industrial fair for plastic and other synthetic material in Europe. It was very impressive and I leanred a lot about process engineering and packaging there. Companies I talked to also sell machines to toy companies like LEGO, playmobil or SIKU. If I hadn't still been an apprentice back then, I would've had to pay 60€ to access. But as a student I only paid 15€. And I got a lot of stuff for free there including two of those green bottle blank. Today I wish I would've taken more...
(https://i.imgur.com/wffJEzC.jpg)
During my time as an exchange student in the United States, I collected all kinds of material I wouldn't get here in Germany. At Wendy's or Burger KIng I found those cups and immediately thought of using them as pedestal/socle in the Jedi Temple and Palpatine's Office. Also seen above are cheap earrings, pencil cups, tubes from a toy box, an empty flacon and trays of teeth for dentures.
(https://i.imgur.com/MVaiFlP.jpg)
Palpatine's Office is one diorama I want to build to recreate the Office Duel...George could've done that longer, I wouldn't complain - it could've been epic...instead he let three Jedi Masters die within five seconds!?
(https://i.imgur.com/SkUFcfV.jpg)
Chuckles had the brilliant idea of using bottle cups to make craits/containers, which made me finally post this here, too. There are so many possibilities to make stuff out of packagings and random stuff you find everywhere. A bit of paint puts all the magic to it. Thank you Chuckles for having shared your idea on here! Make sure to check out his incredible customs here: http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10656.0
(https://i.imgur.com/vxbL0EA.jpg)
During my apprenticeship in a dental laboratory I collected quite a few parts. I'm going to use them as tanks, panels, barrels etc. on Utapau, Kashyyyk, the Death Star, Rebel Bases and much more.
You can make your shower gel bottle to a bank for Mace Windu to sit on while meditating with Master Yoda in the Jedi Temple. You can use your soda and milk cups to become barrels or a stool in the Mos Eisley Cantina...only your own imagination is the limit!
Talking about sitting in the Cantina...I got another project from 2016 to finish, soon:
(https://i.imgur.com/8SM959V.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9lUYtow.jpg)
I wanted to light up my Cantina table, but didn't want to sacrifice my original table that came with TLC Pons Limbic. So I made two molds for the table and casted 8 of them in resin so far. After a little bit of sanding and drilling I incorporated those LED tealights. I figures that their diameter fits right into the tables' top! Brilliant coincidence!
At the same time I've been working on a chair prototype and it took me forever to find this corrugated cardboard!! I finally found it in a wine shop. It was a gift box for wine bottles. Once I finish this prototype I will also make a mold for it and cast it in cheap resin.
See more of my molds and casted parts after the jump:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10633.0
(https://i.imgur.com/yN4LGsE.jpg)
The prototype is made of cardboard, styrofoam and sculpting clay to keep the corrugated cardboard in place. I filled all fissures with sculpting wax to seal it against the silicone.
(https://i.imgur.com/gpYAIaZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/PzV5g2Y.jpg)
Check out my finished Mos Eisley Cantina Section here:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=3139.135
- Philipp
-
Now this is awesome. I love reading about projects like this. Such ingenious ways to use trash to make some really awesome stuff. Thanks for sharing. Off to the front pages.
-
Cool assembly of bits that will work for diorama. I love what you are doing with LED's and the table. Nice job with casting parts. I look forward to seeing how the chair turns out.
-
That is recycling at it's best.
Really cool stuff for outstanding customs.
Thank you for sharing.
-
Tamer: Thanks for the compliments Tamer! I'm always glad if I can inspire with my work with so many master customizers and model builders on here.
Starchaser: Thank you Starchaser! I finally need to finish that prototype and make a mold of it.
FialaFernbrugg: Thanks buddy! There are lots of useful parts out there that would end in the trash instead. Unfortunately my latest find leaves a lot of trash...
-
A friend of mine made me aware of these buildable robots. But the reason he bought some of them is the box they come in. Have you every bought anything just because of the packaging?
They cost 2,99€ at Dutch discount store Action. And I think the packaging costs more than the content. It produces a lot of trash. But the robot figures remind me of Hasbro's Build-A-Droid line and some parts look perfect for potential custom figures! There are 18 different robots in this series. I actually like them. And of course the pilots of those Transformers like robots come in a jar of slime. Remind me of Pacific Rim a bit.
Here's the link to the item in the online store of Action:
https://www.action.com/de-de/p/ready2robot-uberraschungswurfel-2/
(https://i.imgur.com/M05YxSm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/LgigBLQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BQq9hiZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/C5PR7Ka.jpg)
One idea I have for those parts is to use them for the B1-A Air Battle Droid as seen in the ROTS videogame.
(https://i.imgur.com/MCFQ9ye.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qWplTqZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/meFec7n.jpg)
Check out this Eternal Alliance Heavy Skytrooper (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=7528.msg224395#msg224395) made of a Fortnite figure by frum member CloneTroopr (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?action=profile;u=11789).
(https://i.imgur.com/oW4CCTp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/73TMHaN.jpg)
By the way if you also think the Rebel Honor Guard stands a little too wide, you can fix that with a rubber band over time:
(https://i.imgur.com/kQzxIGq.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2re3pl0.jpg)
I'm gonna sand down those digits and add more detail to the container. I will then make a mold of the modified version.
-
I agree, perfect diorama fodder. Off to share to the front pages.
-
I am going to start checking my local discounters for some of these as well, thanks for the heads'-up!
-
I think they should be distributed globally. Maybe you can find them online already. They are called Ready 2 Robot surprise die
Action got them online. I could (only) find them by looking for "robot" in German.
https://www.action.com/de-de/p/ready2robot-uberraschungswurfel-2/
(https://i.imgur.com/vjL9aXI.jpg)
I wish you good luck!
-
I will start looking for them too. Whomever finds them first in the states give it a post here with a link if its online. Thanks for posting on this Philipp
-
When in doubt look on Amazon . I can't get the link because my new phone sucks and I hate it. So look it up it's there. It's a pretty cool thing, one costs $6, but it's a cool fodder piece. Ready2Robot- Singles Series 1-1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07794YMN5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cnK-Db3B17ERM (https://amzn.to/2Z1CyXp)
There it is. I still hate this phone.
-
DM I'm going to hijack your thread once, I got something kind of cool. I bought a hole punch for making scale leaves for forest or swamp dioramas. For this demonstration I'm using a brown paper bag. Ideally you want to use a brown paper then paint it whatever color you want, let it dry, then punch it out. Orrrr you can use actual leaves, but I prefer paper.
It's kind of cool. I can punch out leaves while watching TV or whatever, because it is a little time consuming to make enough for a diorama.
-
Cool on finding the crates and the leaves. Off to the front pages.
-
JDeck: Please, go ahead and hijack the heck out of this thread! My threads are free to all! So you're welcome to share whatever you want on here!
Now, that stencil is brilliant! I've never seen a pattern like this before and I did buy stencils with star patterns for Christmas years ago. Well, luckily today is my shopping day so I'll watch out and see what I can find. I can see you painting paper bags even with water color to achieve different color gradients. I'm very happy with this possibility! Thank you for sharing this!
Talking about plants I went to two building supplies stores on Wednesday and I finally got an idea how I'm going to make palm tress for my first Scarif diorama! I also needed more styrofoam (which I didn't find) and sandpaper.
Thank you also for sharing the link to Amazon! I have to admit I didn't have the time to look for them online in the U.S.
I hope they're also sold cheaper in dollar stores. I'm done for the year. Now, I need to get presents because I haven't got a single one, yet. And I hope to have some spare time to share my latest progress on here with you. You'll see some acrylic action!
Thanks again, JD!
- Philipp
-
Watercolors would be fantastic, you'd get a lot of subtle color variations. I was thinking of painting one side and leaving the other plain brown, like natural leaves. Watercolors would bleed through, but it would still be a lighter color on the back. I'll have to giver a go.
Yeah I've been trying to figure out palm myself. The thing I'd like to try is using feathers, and painting them green. Then for the trunk, wire and paper mache or something. I haven't done any Christmas shopping either. I'm cancelling Christmas lol. Well I did pick up some stuff for the Toys for Tots for the Moose event last week.
-
I'm looking forward to see more of your stencil and the leaf action!
Talking about foliage: you can find great stuff in the woods of which some is perfectly suitable for your dioramas. After Christmas I visited my buddy Andreas. And he built a small diorama out of the stuff he found while being in the forest with his dog.
He knows that I was a big fan of dinosaurs when I was a Boy. I mean who wasn't?
So he gave this diorama to me. And this is just one of three!
You can find figurines like this for cheap in dollar and craft stores. And online of course. Andreas got this hatching T-Rex and two more on AliExpress.
He took a piece of styrofoam and the foliage he found and here you go:
(https://i.imgur.com/51wdVYl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kM7n5RQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/QSoLvLX.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HCs9cmt.jpg)
I think this a great project you can craft with your kids, too!
Related topics:
Great dinosaur finds by TheSpectre:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10491.0
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10374.0
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10522.0
hemble's hyper realistic dioramas:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=9778.msg215558#msg215558
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=1865.msg215926#msg215926
JDeck's Dagobah diorama:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=9462.msg215320#msg215320
- Philipp
-
Now this is awesome. Great gift. Off to share.
-
Thanks for sharing this Tamer!
Yesterday, I went to a city where I haven't been in six years - just 20 minutes away. So I jumped on a train and found a town full of Dollar Stores. And this is what I got:
(https://i.imgur.com/wTE8WQA.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xSEAR45.jpg)
Those two placemats are going to be a living room or bedroom for Anakin and Padmé. Maybe I can use this pattern for the "Is he the father? I'm so sorry..." scene with Obi-Wan.
(https://i.imgur.com/slLwlAb.jpg)
And I made a backdrop for Zorii Bliss:
Make sure to also check out the ride which larifari gave her:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=9803.msg216053#msg216053
(https://i.imgur.com/3I9Mxkm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sM4dsCr.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/H9AMzZj.jpg)
My sister gave me a little present for Christmas and it was wrapped in this wrapping paper. Well, I the colors were quite familiar right away and I really like the pattern, too!
My sister was joking that I was happier about the paper than for the gift itself. (I can't deny.)
She found it in a drug store similar to Walgreens.
So I thought I'd give Zorii Bliss a display in which she's pefectly camouflaged.
I was cutting some styrofoam for my current diorama Projects and had some leftovers. I decided to glue the wrapping paper on it. Bad idea. If you glue paper on cardboard, styrofoam or Wood, I'd recommend to use a thicker rather than a liquid glue.
Here's the recipe for this 15 minute (excluding time to dry):
- wrapping paper of any design
- chipboard or cardboard (I used Wood from a wine box and painted the side edges black with acrylic paint. The paint was mixed with 1/3 of water for the Wood to soak it in better.)
- a placemat (fixed with tacky glue)
- glue (suitable for paper i.e. tacky glue, napkin glue or crafting glue)
- scalpel and/or scissors, ruler, pencil, paint if you wish
- it's all up to your Imagination ;)
(https://i.imgur.com/32P8dp1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/M9taAZB.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/06MXvP4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fLoipRX.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DeWJKhk.jpg)
Check out my other Diorama projects here:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10155.msg196627#msg196627
::) Of course this gift wrap was part of the Christmas assortment and I couldn't find it in 5 stores in 3 different cities. So now I'm going to contact the customer service if any stock went back to be destroyed or sold to discount stores. That's what an employee suggested me in the last store I went to today. If I can manage to get another roll of this paper I'll redo the first backdrop and glue it on chipboard with a different glue to avoid those annoying wrinkles...
It's the hunt for gift wrap guys!
(https://i.imgur.com/zDvqPFR.jpg)
By the way!
...you ever notice this little detail? I didn't. Until now! Some reference to Jurassic Park and Steven Spielberg here? ;)
- Philipp
-
Very nice. Man, just goes to show you what a little ingenuity will show you. Off to the front pages.
-
Thank you Tamer! I just needed to make this backdrop when I saw the wrapping paper! And I'm glad I got Zorii Bliss loose recently. She's a great part of my The Old Republic display, now!
And there's more...
-
I got a few Airborne Troopers to customize in some fodder bags last year. And this LEGO Battle Pack Always inspired me to customize one of those Geonosis Troopers. I know some customizers out there paint their figures with markers. That's why I decided to take this set of 12 markers for 3,99€.
Follow the link to my custom figures' thread:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10186.msg198186#msg198186
(https://i.imgur.com/TXSK1GN.jpg)
It might work, but nothing compared to acrylic paint…lets's find out.
(https://i.imgur.com/0uvttGu.jpg)
Another Battle Pack that inspired me, is the Utapau Troopers Battle Pack from 2013-2014.
(https://i.imgur.com/vfOMH7Z.jpg)
And here's a little teaser of some work in progress: The 10th Level
Now uploaded! Full Details after the jump to hyperspace: http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10155.msg216232#msg216232
-
Nice, off to the front pages.
-
Looking awesome already mate and the stone work looks perfect.
Ron
-
Excellent job on that diorama! The earth tones look spot on!
-
Thank you for letting me know your thoughts, gentlemen!
Tamer: That's early, but always appreciated! It's almost done. Ron helped me big time on this one!
Can't wait to finish it - just need to add some pigments and a couple washes.
Oh, and I'm going to customize some of Hasbro's TAC Airborne Troopers with those markers! I try to make them look like these Geonosis Tropers from LEGO. I'll paint one with markers and one with acrylic paints - both in Camouflage ;)
hemble: Again, thank you so much for your advice! I wait for an auction on eBay that ends tomorrow. Can't find my pigments anymore since I moved. So I hope to win that auction on 12 different Pigments from vallejo! Can't wait to show you the finished project(s)!!
RC-1136: Thank you, RC! Ron helped me on this one a lot! It was basically a try-and-error thing for me - lots of different layers of textures and paint. Even texture paint! Didn't even know I got that one. So I tried everything I found on this one. But at the end dry-brushing was the key to success. I sticked with the darkest to lightest color. Ron told me to just paint all surfaces in sand Color, give it a brown wash, another black wash and highlight the edges with sand olor once more at the end. I'll definitely try that, too! More details soon. I was pretty happy with that styrofoam rock I made for my Endor Ewok Catapult diorama. So all I need now are pigments and washes - they're gone since I also gave all I had to FialaFernbrugg when I visited him in 2017.
Once they're added, the CIS & the 212th Attack Battalion are ready to rumble on those rocks! The one that's looking best is a real rock by the way - I can't beat nature, but I'm trying to get close.
-
So I won the auction and got 12 different Pigments from vallejo for 40,50€ shipped (3,37€ per shade).
That's just a Little cheaper than buying them seperately. I hope they arrive by Saturday...
(https://i.imgur.com/jjGhBkw.png)
Here is the current selection of vallejo's pigments:
(https://i.imgur.com/rIHZ4Xr.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/6ZNXBdt.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/e62bTqu.png)
-
That's a good deal for all of those. I've never used them, but I've seen them at the hobby shop, pretty expensive there. Usually I use pastel chalks, but they aren't ideal really. You'll have to demonstrate.
I just noticed your Geonosis diorama it looks fantastic!
-
Thank you JDeck! Indeed, they're quite pricey, but I can now confirm from my own experience that they're worth every penny! I've worked with four of them so far (102, 103, 110 & 115) and I'm blown away already! They're also hard to get in stores, but the reason for that is that there aren't any hobby stores left in my area...they all closed!
They look fantastic used as pigments AND washes!
So you might want to keep your eyes open for them on the bay...
(https://i.imgur.com/7jlCg8p.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lX1kSdL.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/biCkJKn.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/TGucNS3.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/f6A2hBH.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/4ZJZVO9.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/iLruBpK.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DcjNZk3.jpg)
See the full results here:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10155.msg216232#msg216232
-
That rock work just turned out awesome. Hard to believe it is carved styrofoam and awesome paint work. You have to be pleased. Off to add this to the update.
-
Thank you, Tamer! I really am. As said in the description, I think this technique does look more like Utapau than the actual stone I found in the pet shop (the largest in Europe by the way). So I think I'll just leave it like this. It's nothing special to most customizers to paint a piece of styrofoam, but to me it's a small mile stone! I'm very happy with it and already started working on the next one ;)
-
I could just imagine all the various stone colors you could go with for future dios, cutting it up just like this one.
-
wow
What a masterpiece. Your Utapau dio looks extremely realisic. The washes and the tuft of grass look fantastic.
I'm glad you found the pigment set on ebay. The variety of colours ist great.
Excellent work my friend.
-
Thank you gebtlemen! Here are some more in progress pics:
-
My recipe for 1/18 scale palm trees
As teased before I didn't want to throw away all the masking tape that I used on the Hello there! Display diorama...AND I finally wanted to make some Palm trees. So here were go:
(https://i.imgur.com/hpnB2eT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3I9YOG5.jpg)
And this is what you may need:
(https://i.imgur.com/DnDJy6Q.jpg)
List of materials:
- Palm leafes (found on eBay, shipped from China) - 5 branches x 35 leaves each for 5,98€ (excellent price if you ask me! + FREE shipping)!
- florist's wire (30 meters for 60 cents)
- bamboo stick (2 meters for ~ $2)
- masking tape
- acrylic paint (sand, beige, brown - whatever you want)
- Pigments (sand, black, Brown, beige - sky's the limit) - I used vallejo's "burnt umber" Pigments (73110) and made it a wash
- big wood pick (thicker than toothpicks)
- wood glue
(https://i.imgur.com/eTffYVL.jpg)
I also found bamboo to be best for the trunks. I actually found the bamboo stick (2 m for $2) while I was looking for garden hoses. If you still want to make crooked Palm trees, hoses might still be the best choice. The nice Thing About bamboo is that it's hollow. So the wire and the Wood sticks (also bamboo in this case) fit in perfectly. A drop of wood glue and everything is fixed!
hoses
(https://i.imgur.com/72arcRa.jpg)
How-to
Trunk
1. Saw a bamboo stick in the length you want. Depending on the thickness you can make Palm trees of any scale! For 1/18 scale I went with 30-40 cm length (11 - 15 inches)
2. Drill a hole in each side (top & bottom) if not already there, so that it has the right diameter of your Wood stick at the bottom. Dril hole at the top as wide as you Need for the number of wires you want to place in there (e.g. 5 mm for 12 wires)
3. Take a pointed wood stick, try if it fits into the hole and fix it with strong (wood) glue
4. Cut a stripe of masking tape (e.g. 12 Inches / 30 cm). I cut this stripe itself in four Long Stripes that are about 5 mm wide each.
5. Wrap these thin Stripes around the bamboo stick (trunk). I wrapped them from Bottom to the top. Wrap in spirals to achieve the shown effect.
6. Use acrylic paint (or even water colors) to paint the trunk in the color you want. I used sand color in two different shades. Brown would also be accurate for Scarif.
7. Use Pigments (e.g. 73110 Burnt Umber from vallejo) to make a wash. I used water as solvent. Use a sponge or brush to wash the entire trunk from Bottom to top. The Pigments will gather at the edges for a nice cintrast.
Let it dry and fix the Pigments with a clear varnish
8. (optional) Use real Palm tree bark (foliage/net) as shown above to wrap around the top of the trunk. Of course you can also use some coco nuts. It's all up to your imagination!
(https://i.imgur.com/KCfCd4z.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/dpWZN3M.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mMsh5fr.jpg)
Branches
I used wire to fix the branches and to make them adjustable at the same time:
(https://i.imgur.com/9BY7J1L.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HpB7Quc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sQrwy2J.jpg)
1. Cut away half the tube of each branch. You can also Keep it and fix the wire around it. If you do, skip step 2.
2. Okay, if you cut away the tube, use a thick needle to drill a hole through the thickest part of the branch as shown above. (Be careful to not sting yourself!)
3. Use Florist's wire to attatch to the branches (see picture above). Optional: Fix it with a drop of super glue . (Keep being careful to not sting yourself!)
4. Arange all branches (e.g. 12 pieces) in the trunk's top hole and fix them with strong (wood) glue.
Let everything dry and you're done!
You can of Course make several pal trees at the same time going through each step. Have fun , but be careful with the needle & wire.
(https://i.imgur.com/7Zwwguo.jpg)
You can view the complete diorama and how I made it after the jump:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10155.msg216617#msg216617
Also,if you're interested, I find these tracks quite motivational. I always listen to music while working on model building projects:
STAR WARS - The Mandalorian Theme [Styzmask Remix]
Timecop1983 - On the Run
- Philipp
-
Excellent on the palm tutorial. Bamboo, fantastic!
I also have never heard of the Vallejo pigment dusts either.
Curious about those. The tamyia stuff in the makeup case is supposed to be highly flammable and possibly cause cancer in California.
-
Wow, what a great tutorial. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Off to the front pages.
-
The palms look awesome, as does the rest of the dio. Great job!
-
Awesome tutorials on the palms mate and love it how you reused the tape now that is what customizing is all about.
Ron
-
That is a clever way of recycling.
The palm trees look phenomenal my friend.
-
Thanks for the awesome tutorial. Fantastic!
-
Thank you so much for all your Feedback, gentlemen! That's the best of sharing my stuff on here & therefore well worth the effort! So thank YOU all so much!
Just a small update: Obviously I wanted to add a link here of where to buy these Palm leafs. Unfortunately they went out of stock. I contacted a (the) seller and she replied (even in German to my English message!) that they are sold out. If you see a listing with those pics here - it's the real deal!
Please, use our affiliate link to support the Forum: https://www.ebay.com/ (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=1&pub=5575055288&toolid=10001&campid=5337370901&customid=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nS9G02e.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Qo4rV0V.jpg)
The latest Transport from Willy Wonka arrived! So you're also gonna see some more Barrel Action, soon!:
(https://i.imgur.com/0c3nnGh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hz35rOx.jpg)
-
Looks like you got in some great supplies.
-
:o haha I keep passing on those candy soda cans for $1.25 at a store near me. They do look cool in everybody's displays.
-
Update on the front pages.
-
Thank you so much for all your Feedback, gentlemen! That's the best of sharing my stuff on here & therefore well worth the effort! So thank YOU all so much!
Just a small update: Obviously I wanted to add a link here of where to buy these Palm leafs. Unfortunately they went out of stock. I contacted a (the) seller and she replied (even in German to my English message!) that they are sold out. If you see a listing with those pics here - it's the real deal!
Please, use our affiliate link to support the Forum: https://www.ebay.com/ (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=1&pub=5575055288&toolid=10001&campid=5337370901&customid=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nS9G02e.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Qo4rV0V.jpg)
The latest Transport from Willy Wonka arrived! So you're also gonna see some more Barrel Action, soon!:
(https://i.imgur.com/0c3nnGh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hz35rOx.jpg)
Using those cans is brilliant!
Out of curiosity, is there still candy inside or you ate it all first? ;)
-
Great pick up on the ferns mate and those little cans look great painted and on the back of the tank.
Ron
-
Thanks for the leads - again. You do a good job of supplying ideas to us customizers, I may have to break down an build a diorama one of these days.
-
Mauldalorian: Hey, thanks for coming by! The cans are all empty and the candy inside is actually quite good for what it is. But I got far more candy with those cans than I want to apply to my body. So the candy’s gone. I’m going to repaint the cans and apply some decals, too! They make great barrels in 1/18 to 1/12 scale!
hemble: Thank you! Yeah, I try to find more of these ferns to share the link with you guys. Maybe they’ll produce more when the pandemic is over. The cans on the tank are actually not painted, yet. I just removed the plastic foil and sanded a coupe of them because acrylic paint won’t stay on the surface evenly. I paints two of them in grey so far for my Scarif diorama. Many more designs to come!
Starchaser: I’m glad to hear that! Thanks for your feedback, mate! I’ll always appreciate how you shared this loot crate Chryssalid with us! It’s all about sharing experience and inspiring each other as Ron said recently. That’s what makes to hobby so great and much fun. It’ll be awesome to see a diorama from you!
Thanks for your support everyone!
- Philipp
-
By the way, what I wanted to show you, but forgot to take pictures of when I discovered it:
Coincidence?
I’m having some fun with the barrels here!
-
These barrels are the perfect cargo for the assault tank.
The size of the barrels is perfect for 1/18 scale figures.
I hope I can find some in my area.
-
New forum member Flo Joe is working on an Ewok Village based on the original vintage Kenner version. We were considering which material to use and I went out scouting for him at some local dollar stores.
I started working on my lake on Endor as part of my “peaceful scenes” series. This video by Battlefront Mods on YouTube is a nice source for reference:
And here’s what I found:
I’ll defintely make some boats/rafts for the Ewok fishers with these eco friendly appetizer bowls! ;)
-
Wow, nice finds. Stay safe with that in store shopping.
Off to the front pages.
-
Thank you, Tamer. We have to wear masks I stores here since May 4th. Keeping 2 meters distane is obligatory, but it's often not possible between the isles. So far, I haven't caught any illness.
I hope you get well, soon!
Here are some better pictures for the Ewok boat concept:
This stack was 1,72€: 100 wooden stirrers 39 cents, 10 small bowls 59 cents, 8 big bowls 74 Cents
I was happy to read good ideas in the comments on our facebook page!
(https://i.imgur.com/rcjGAle.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qOwzkFc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OT4RpA5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MkDDYRz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lU9qrJN.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Y1Vmcxo.jpg)
The Ewok catapult only fits just tightly on the bigger bo(wl)at.
-
My latest trip to a home supply market:
Found texture paint to re-create Stone surfaces. Since I got acrylic paint and taxture paint, I didn't spend the extra 2 bucks. When you dry-brush acrylic paints, you can well achieve a surface that looks like rocks.
(https://i.imgur.com/HwPEiVG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/PF7fBBE.jpg)
Some artificial plants fit perfectly for dioramas, but they're often much more expensive than in the bay.
(https://i.imgur.com/q2n3cAY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xqSOmZW.jpg)
If you don't like the vac metal finish Hasbro uses for the protocol and astromech droids since 2008, spray paint might be an option.
Make sure to check out two brilliant projects here:
spudafett's The Foundling: http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=7319.msg218713#msg218713
customjedi's work with a Chrome pen: http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=9176.msg209860#msg209860
And this is what I got for 1€: 100 pickers in red. That's the only color I found there.
(https://i.imgur.com/AwR0Spw.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/x3I1X8s.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gRGnoX1.jpg)
Do you like Kylo's custom laser Sword? ;D :-* :P >:D bbfet
-
It is always interesting to see what you find and then turn into custom gold.
Off to the front pages.
-
Thanks Tamer! I might go back and get one of those stone effect paints just to see how it looks. But to me it looked like stuff I already have with a different label in the first moment.
I'm quite happy about the red blades for a penny each - have been planning to make custom lightsaber for quite some time so let's see how that turns out.
-
Thank you Tamer! Saw that hovering bed custom for The Child on our Facebook page. So I look at those eggs differently, now! lol They're quite cheap actually and would fit the Black Series version, too:
(https://i.imgur.com/iaMYXde.jpg)
STAR WARS did become a clearance brand - also here in Germany:
(https://i.imgur.com/2FwS1BM.jpg)
And some more artificial plants:
(https://i.imgur.com/1ZoCqrO.jpg)
-
If you're looking for 3D printed custom parts, LegacyArts got you covered!
Here's a prime example of what you can do and what the near future holds for us when Hasbro leaves us desperate:
(https://i.imgur.com/c6xMb0T.jpg)
Jens sent me these parts for 40€ a couple weeks ago. Didn't get share the pics earlier.
-
How do they sell these parts. Do they have an eBay store or links?
-
The small bon-bons Philipp sent me last week have very interesting boxes looking like 1/10 barrel or something, once you remove the plastic covering. They could even be ok for larger dios
-
How do they sell these parts. Do they have an eBay store or links?
He hasn't told me which link to share on here, yet. He also has a webiste, but you can contact him best on Facebook. Follow the link above or look for "Legacy Arts" there.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010653160937
-
The small bon-bons Philipp sent me last week have very interesting boxes looking like 1/10 barrel or something, once you remove the plastic covering. They could even be ok for larger dios
I'm so glad, the package made it to you! Had thought it got lost on its way...I knew you could use those candy tins for some scale barrels ;)
-
I've been watching YouTube videos on people making Warhammer dioramas, though it's much smaller than 1/18 scale, the principles are still there. One guy suggested getting these Aquarium undergravel filter boxes. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BWJYQ9G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Da0hFbDWKGG0M (https://amzn.to/39xXACh)
They come in a 32 pack plus a tube for $28. They would work great for industrial/ military/ship flooring, or catwalks. They interlock, but if making a catwalk I would suggest reinforcing the bottom, they're a little flimsy, but if you're just setting them on the bottom of the Diorama, they'll be fine. They are 2.8"x 5.5", so 32 would be over 14 linear feet, plenty for a large surface. Actually I think these work better for 1/18 than gaming scale.
-
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this, JD! Such a brilliant idea! New ideas come to mind immediately while looking at your pictures! No 3D printer could make these parts cheaper than this offer - at least to date...
Add: Just ordered 20 pcs for 9.72€ on Amazon.de - they should be here by August 30 - Septemper 14...I'll share my samples here, too. Thanks again for this great tip!
-
I can see people making carbon freeze chambers out of this too. Very nice.
Thanks for sharing it with us. Off to share on the front page.
-
Makes cool fencing too.
-
The more ideas I read from you guys, the more excited I am about these parts! Carbon Freezing Chamber, fences, bridges - this is just awesome material to use! I can also see RC-1136 use these parts for his recent military project.
Again, thank you so much for making us aware of this cool idea, JD!
-
Glad you can find use for it. Like I said it's not my idea, I just got it from a YouTube video. I've been trying to find grating like that for a long time.
I got another tabletop gaming staple today, that will work great for 3.75. Tube blocks. They're plastic tubes made for toddlers. You can connect them and make plumbing, apparently kids like it. They have a few different connectors, straight, elbow, X, and T, along with horns and wheels. The set I got is 136 pcs for $20.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0725ZLZP2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_75hiFbRMS2E35 (https://amzn.to/2XrOLoP)
Painted up they would be really cool in a Star Wars Dio or an industrial scene. I was playing with them and the only problem is, the straight pipes have male and female connectors, and sometimes I can't get them to connect the way I'd like. I could always cut the female end off the straight pipe, or use PVC pipe. The Outside diameter of the male ends are 2 cm, (metric of course) so it'll be difficult to find a .787" pipe, but I'm sure 3/4" pipe will work. I'll make something with them soon to give an example.
-
Wow, that looks great too. You are finding all kinds of great new things. Let me get this off to the front pages too.
Thanks for sharing the neat things you find. Man, that floor grating makes great walls too.
-
Thanks for the tips - I just ordered a set of the grates:)
-
Hey, JD those are very useful tubes to combine! I'm sure they'll look amazing once painted!
I also added to the list of contents on Page 1 including the hyperlink to the post when you click on Reply #... (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg205459#msg205459).
Please, let me know if you got any suggestions to improve this topic and thank you all for adding your ideas!
-
I know I'm late to the party, but I learned about these just yesterday:
(https://i.imgur.com/9VCFO7Y.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fOpbCWh.jpg)
Those Xcavations Creature Sets by Uncle Milton make great parts for dioramas I think! There are two waves so far, they come in to-scale crates and these skulls would look great on some 1/12 diorama scenes, too! Heck, I'd even use the sand for dioramas! Perfect win if you ask me! And they're only $1.75 each?!
Walmart still has them liited online: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Star-Wars-Science-Xcavations-Creature-Crates/943433117
A video of them appeared in my sugstions yesterday night: This one is from the collectors hutt
[/size]
Also make sure to check out what forum member ghostskull18 made with these parts:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10305.msg207769#msg207769
-
I know I'm late to the party, but I learned about these just yesterday:
(https://i.imgur.com/9VCFO7Y.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fOpbCWh.jpg)
Those Xcavations Creature Sets by Uncle Milton make great parts for dioramas I think! There are two waves so far, they come in to-scale crates and these skulls would look great on some 1/12 diorama scenes, too! Heck, I'd even use the sand for dioramas! Perfect win if you ask me! And they're only $1.75 each?!
Walmart still has them liited online: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Star-Wars-Science-Xcavations-Creature-Crates/943433117
A video of them appeared in my sugstions yesterday night: This one is from the collectors hutt
[/size]
Also make sure to check out what forum member ghostskull18 made with these parts:
http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10305.msg207769#msg207769
There is a second series of these?
What skulls are in Series 2?
-
pretty cool. Man, these would work great in a beasty dio. Or a trophy wall. Nice and thanks for sharing.
Off to the front pages.
-
From what I understand, they were supposed to release a full Rancor skeleton and full Tauntaun along with a new wave of skulls. I don't know what happened, that was two years ago. That rancor and tauntaun looked to be close to 1:18 too. Damn shame, I could have done some cool stuff with those.
The Hutt skull is the only one that could pass for 1/18, maybe? I'll have to get one.
-
I got a couple of packs of DIY Straws. They're straws that come with connectors, like elbow, T, and straight. The advertisement shows "U" pipes, but they are not included. They are smaller in diameter than the pipe blocks. Since they utilize straws, the connectors are all female, which is great. Painted up they would make great conduit for 1/18 or 6".
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L2RXMCF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6OcpFbPC26DH6 (https://amzn.to/32kLJnZ)
-
Now these look awesome.
Off to share it to the front pages.
I really appreciate when you folks share the great resources you find so other folks can use them.
-
The Spectre: Yes, there was suposed to be a Series 2 for those crates, but I couldn't find any pictures or other further evidence for it. When you look for those on YouTube "Series 2" is right at the suggestions, but one will only find reviews of Series 1. I'll update you as soon as I know more. I wanted to contact Uncle Milton anyway to ask them if these crates were available in Europe. I could so use everything of them.
Tamer: And I thought I was the last one to learn about those Xcavation Crates! lol
I'm glad some people could find this helpful. I think I never saw those here in Germany, though. I still hope you can find them out in the American wild for under 2 bucks each.
JDeck: Yes, I saw pictures of the Rancor and Tauntaun skeletons onine. Did anyone see them somewhere? I even can't find them on ebay...
Those straws are brilliant! I'd suppose they're also cheaper than the tubes. I'm curious what you'll make with them!
Thanks for commenting everyone!
- Philipp
-
I had this bag in my mail box today as a result of (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg220416#msg220416)what JDeck shared 3 weeks ago:
(https://i.imgur.com/C8xBT1x.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/zrkLRUu.jpg)
I got 20 of these Aquarium filter boxes on Amazon Germany.
You can buy yours here: https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Plastic-Aquarium-Undergravel-Filter/dp/B071GDTGQN/ref=sr_1_12?crid=2NSUPODLAR0A4&dchild=1&keywords=fish+tank+undergravel+filter&qid=1597849623&sprefix=fish+tank+under%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-12 (https://amzn.to/3gcmaKn)[/url]
(https://i.imgur.com/84tlIjS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BIxp75B.jpg)
I already got a ton of ideas for what to make with these supercool parts...here're just some: Special thanks to JDeck for sharing them!
(https://i.imgur.com/s4IoqHU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/LrcdvnU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sD8IUhd.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ib7f4id.jpg)
-Philipp
-
I went ahead and bought a case of the Xcavations series one. Basically just for the crates lol. That's what I do. If you scratch build and "junk build" dioramas you become a hoarder. I picked up a used container off the street because I thought it had a cool shape. But anyway these crates will look cool painted. They have a Rogue One Kyber crate look to them. Paint them orange and add some Tarkin initiative decals on it, it would look cool.
I don't think wave two/ rancor kits ever released. It was featured in 2018 toy fair, and never seen again. They're marketed as educational, but these animals never existed, plus I think TRU going oob sealed their fate. Bummer.
-
I got my "grates" last Friday:) Great tip JDeck, thanks.
-
Here's my message to the customer service of Uncle Milton:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm a fan of your products and member of the American fan forum Imperialshipyards.
Recently, other members of the forum and I were wondering about some of your Star Wars products and I got 3 questions for you:
1) Are/Were the Star Wars Science Xcavations Creature Crates Series 1 also available in Germany and other European countries?
(https://i.imgur.com/fOpbCWh.jpg)
2) Is a Series 2 of these Creature Crates still coming?
(https://i.imgur.com/C2sJyak.jpg)
3) What happened to the two Skeleton Dig sets of the Rancor and the Tauntaun you presented on ToyFair NY in 2018?
(https://i.imgur.com/uQhYPEf.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HaTjsCT.jpg)
Thank you very much for your support & have a great day!
Best regards from Germany
- Philipp
-
Awesome! Keep us posted. I'm really interested what they have to say, or what their excuse is for cancelling.
-
I just resent the message without the images included in case their firewall blocks .img content. After sending the online form, there's the notification that it takes about 1 week for them to reply. Let's see...
-
Well that will be cool if they respond. I hope they do.
-
Haven't heard anything from Uncle Milton's customer service, yet. Fingers crossed that my message got through. In worst case they have a firewall like Hasbro that automatically blocks anything from offshore.
Meanwhile JDeck made huge progress on his Galgreeba Spaceport. Take a look at what he made using these gum tape containers here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10766.msg220866#msg220866).
(https://i.imgur.com/Z3DRwCs.jpg)
I hadn't have gum tape since elementary school, but 19 years later I'm chewing it as I'm writing this. I checked back the offers on Amazon. Even an entire case of these were at 1.30€ each. So I decided to back to a local dollar store and bought 3 of them for 1.10€ each. Everything WAS 1€ at the store. Now it's 1.10€ for each item and this 10% increase feels more like a scam than a problem caused by the pandemic - especially because the government lowered the sales tax by 3% to 16% temporarily here in Germany.
Big shout out to JDeck!
-
Awesome. I can't wait to see what you make with yours!
By the way folks here is an Amazon link to those tape containers here:
https://amzn.to/2QLc5d4
I need to take this reference to the front pages too. Thanks for reminding me Philipp. That reminds me of another thing too.
-
I finally got my Xcavations series 1. It was held up in DC for a week, but I realize that it's basically a box of sand, so it's pretty hefty. Anyway I got 7, plus a loose Hutt skull. I emptied all of them and ended up with, 2 Rodians, 2 Zabrak, 2 Monkey Lizards 1 Trandoshan, so I'm missing the Gamorean Guard, the one I wanted the most, besides the Hutt. Speaking of the Hutt, I would say he's closer to 1/12 than 1/18, but it's pretty close.
The boxes are what I bought them for so, let's talk about them. They have a similar design to the Jedha Tarkin initiative Kyber containers, but tall instead of long. The only drawback is the Star Wars lable on the top, but what can you do? It is what it invariably is. Otherwise they will make cool imperial crates.
Thank you Darth More for the great tip!
-
I did a quick paint job on the seventh crate, as I'll probably only use six. I didn't use primer. Always use primer kids. I used some weird satin orange spray paint I got from Michael's, it doesn't even smell like spray paint. It sucks, but I don't care. Then I did a black wash. It looks good 20/20, 20 feet away or going 20 mph.
-
Tamer: Thanks for adding the link! $1 each is definitely worth the gum plus the cool packaging! I'll use mine for generators on Mos Eisley, Jabba's palace and a Mando diorama. I could well see one in the garage of the Lars' homestead, too!
JDeck: So glad your package showed up at the end. Was going to comment on that issue yesterday. I'm glad I didn't having kept my fingers crossed. Do you think there are some national security checks, too? I'm pretty sure the TSA would take a closer look at those at the airport.
Bummer that the Gamorrean Guard wasn't among them. the collectors hutt mentions the different codes for each of the skulls in his review. That's why I embedded his video in my post on Page 8 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg220697#msg220697). I'm sure you'll find the missing crate out there in the wild for 75 cents or so. Still a bad surprise that a full case does not contain the full set of 6 though.
I was looking for those here in Germany - online and in stores and found no evidence at all that they've been available here. I could use all parts of these crates. And I would just - beware word twist - sand down the Star Wars logo on each of them and replace it with a decal of the Imperial emblem instead.
Yeah, I always put a layer of primer on them. Still your crates look awesome! The shade of orange looks spot on, you captured all small details and the weathering looks just like in the movie!
I'm glad I was not the only one who wasn't aware of those. Thanks to the YouTube algorithm.
If Uncle Milton will respond to my e-mail? Meanwhile I doubt it, but would be happily surprised...
-
These new crates look great JDeck. Time to go share that.
Folks are loving the bubble tape link I put on our FB Page yesterday. Some folks have already started work on generators because of it. I love all this pay it forward stuff. You guys are inspiring folks to do this themselves!
-
Good. We definitely need a like button here, too! lol I'm serious.
-
They look awesome JD.
Ron
-
Tamer: Thanks for adding the link! $1 each is definitely worth the gum plus the cool packaging! I'll use mine for generators on Mos Eisley, Jabba's palace and a Mando diorama. I could well see one in the garage of the Lars' homestead, too!
JDeck: So glad your package showed up at the end. Was going to comment on that issue yesterday. I'm glad I didn't having kept my fingers crossed. Do you think there are some national security checks, too? I'm pretty sure the TSA would take a closer look at those at the airport.
Bummer that the Gamorrean Guard wasn't among them. the collectors hutt mentions the different codes for each of the skulls in his review. That's why I embedded his video in my post on Page 8 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg220697#msg220697). I'm sure you'll find the missing crate out there in the wild for 75 cents or so. Still a bad surprise that a full case does not contain the full set of 6 though.
I was looking for those here in Germany - online and in stores and found no evidence at all that they've been available here. I could use all parts of these crates. And I would just - beware word twist - sand down the Star Wars logo on each of them and replace it with a decal of the Imperial emblem instead.
Yeah, I always put a layer of primer on them. Still your crates look awesome! The shade of orange looks spot on, you captured all small details and the weathering looks just like in the movie!
I'm glad I was not the only one who wasn't aware of those. Thanks to the YouTube algorithm.
If Uncle Milton will respond to my e-mail? Meanwhile I doubt it, but would be happily surprised...
I have a feeling Uncle Milton is no more. These things are hard to find now. They're at least a few years removed, with no signs of life. I got mine on eBay. Payed roughly $4 each with shipping.
These new crates look great JDeck. Time to go share that.
Folks are loving the bubble tape link I put on our FB Page yesterday. Some folks have already started work on generators because of it. I love all this pay it forward stuff. You guys are inspiring folks to do this themselves!
Thank you. That paint I used is weird. You know what it smells like? Hairspray. I bet it uses the same propellant as hairspray, which actually might work with XPS Foam, because normal spray paint uses acetone which melts foam. I read what I could of the can, and evidently it's for flower arrangements. So I guess it is good for foam. Not so great for plastic. It's good enough. That was the only flat orange I could find in all the land.
That's cool people are inspired, that's what this is all about. The sharing of ideas.
They look awesome JD.
Ron
Thank you! For being a gimmicky thing, it's actually pretty cool. I think someone with good detailing skills can make it really cool. These will be background fodder for my spaceport.
-
I pretty much finished the weathering on the crates. Painted up the last three, and black washed them. I have some Tarkin initiative decals coming. They are black so I don't need to re weather, but I dunno I kind of like it the way it is. I will probably set it up just like this in the background. Set up the assault tank in front, that might be cool. Honestly I could use six more lol.
-
Again, your containers look spot on compared to Hasbro's! That's why I need to look for some paints when I come back to the U.S. - colors and shades vary quite a lot here in Germany/Europe. That's why I have trouble mixing the perfect shade of orange, blue or yellow for al the Clone Trooper Legions. A little consolation here is that Hasbro and LEGO struggle as well. The 212th Attack Battalion alone has some different shades looking at TSC Cody, TSC Troopers and TAC Airbornes. I think they captures it best on their TLC Cody.
Anyhew - amazing paintwork here, JD! The decals will add even more spice on some of them. Thanks for sharing!
-
Daggone those are nice JDeck! So envious of your crate supply. They work so well with all the others too. You have got to be pleased with how they turned out even if you did have to pay for sand shipping. LOL.
Off to the front pages.
If you get a chance could you shoot me a link for how you found these on eBay or amazon or wherever you ordered them?
-
I found a good link for those Uncle Milton Crates folks!
Click this link to see the options for Uncle Milton Xcavations Skull Crates (https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp2047675.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3Dstar%2Bwars%2BXCAVATIONS%26_sacat%3D0&campid=5337373868&toolid=10001&customid=)
-
Thanks for the link, Tamer!
-
Thanks for the link, Tamer!
Yepper, looks like lots of options.
-
Thank you Tamer. They came out pretty cool. Yeah your links are best. I just accepted an offer for 5 for $22 including tax and shipping. The more you buy the better the price, but I only need five more plus the extra one I have to make six. That's it I'm not buying any more. I can see myself getting a case of 11 but I'm not gonna do it.
-
Again, your containers look spot on compared to Hasbro's! That's why I need to look for some paints when I come back to the U.S. - colors and shades vary quite a lot here in Germany/Europe. That's why I have trouble mixing the perfect shade of orange, blue or yellow for al the Clone Trooper Legions. A little consolation here is that Hasbro and LEGO struggle as well. The 212th Attack Battalion alone has some different shades looking at TSC Cody, TSC Troopers and TAC Airbornes. I think they captures it best on their TLC Cody.
Anyhew - amazing paintwork here, JD! The decals will add even more spice on some of them. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. Yeah finding the right shades can be frustrating. I like using spray paint for stuff like this, and flat orange doesn't exist for some reason. It's all gloss or florescent. But I found that floral spray, it definitely wasn't ideal but it worked sort of. I just dry brushed it with a couple of different shades of orange, and the black wash darkened it. It's not perfect, some of them are darker than others, but that's weathering. As far as bottled acrylic I go with either Tamiya or Vallejo. Vallejo is better for dry brushing than Tamiya, but Tamiya you get good consistent coverage.
-
Thanks for the great tips, JD! I'll look for some paints from vallejo here then. When I come to Walmart next time, I'll go bonkers for some Apple Barrel paints. But until then I still got my Citadel paints, which worked incredibly well on the blue Snaggletooth (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10186.msg218047#msg218047) for example. Dry-brushing can make an entirely different effect. I'm glad you could order some more crates and keep my fingers crossed that the Gamorrean Guard is among them this time. Again, I think you've done everything right. The paint looks awesome on them - spot on compared to the containers that come with the Imperial Cargo Tank!
-
Extraordinary work! Such a creative reuse of those "Crates"!
-
Man did I have folks on FB yesterday messaging me about those crates. JDeck you are starting a frenzy! Folks really liked what you did with them.
Now I may have found a spray paint that you guys need. It says its popsickle orange, but my wife just used some on an outside rocker project and it looks pretty daggone flat to me.
-
Man did I have folks on FB yesterday messaging me about those crates. JDeck you are starting a frenzy! Folks really liked what you did with them.
Now I may have found a spray paint that you guys need. It says its popsickle orange, but my wife just used some on an outside rocker project and it looks pretty daggone flat to me.
<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=imperiashipya-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B07LG2J999&asins=B07LG2J999&linkId=836712cc24cab40f2e64c383f1eb4cd1&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>
Thanks for the paint link Tamer. It was all Darth More's idea, I just put a 20/20 paint job on them. Had he not posted it I wouldn't have bought them. I was aware of them, but I never gave any thought to the containers. That's good people are again being inspired. They're pretty cool especially for being just a container that most people would probably throw away.
-
Well you two are definitely inspiring folks to get these and try it out. I bet they would rock with this paint. Heck krylon sticks to anything and barely runs even if you go full tilt. I used white on a storage locker for my Driver Costume Project and it hasn't cracked, faded, or anything.
-
Yeppers. I use Krylon primer for all my painting projects (including, but not limited to, figure customs). I'm happy with its consistency - and there are sooo many colors.
-
JDeck: Ah, no worries, we all inspire each other and that's why I like being part of this community on Imperial Shipyards so much. I thought I was late to the party and assumed everyone had known about those crates already. As I said I got to know them because YouTube suggested me a review about them just recently. I really hope, I can still find them somewhere here in Europe, but I guess they're not distributed here. I'm sure they could be. It's not that kinder surprise eggs are forbidden here as they are in the U.S.
Tamer: Thanks boss! That's great to hear! Didn't know Krylon before. Guess that's one more great material that isn't available here in Germany. Maybe another occasion to share some affiliate links?
Still no answer from Uncle Milton's customer service. Maybe you can just copy & paste my message and send it again. I suppose my message didn't pass their firewall writing from Germany.
Starchaser: Thanks for checking by! I'll look up that Krylon primer. Vallejo also got a variety of different colors for their primers.
-
If I can find some time this week I will see if I can contact them and get us some info! If they will respond, who knows?
-
Here are some new materials that I ordered to improve my skills and gain more experience with different stuff. I wanted to try a new primer because the loss of propellant is quite significant if you work with spray-paint.
You can also try Krylon's primer assortment as discussed in above comments:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=krylon+primer&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 (https://amzn.to/32nTxq8)
- This Ugha Warrior (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=7112.msg221177#msg221177) (Hasbro 2007, Indiana Jones: Kingdom if the Crystal Skull, is also a good base for some male human or humanoid custom figures.
- milliput Standard yellow/grey self-hardening epoxy sculpting putty
Buy this on ebay (https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3Dmilliput%2Bepoxy%2Bputty%26_sacat%3D0%26_sop%3D15&campid=5337377665&toolid=10001&customid=) or Amazon (https://amzn.to/3hvOCHL) using the forums' affiliate links (embedded)!
- Vallejo Grey Primer Acrylic Polyurethane
You can buy this on ebay (https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3DVallejo%2BGrey%2BPrimer%2BAcrylic%2BPolyurethane%26_sacat%3D0%26_sop%3D15&campid=5337377665&toolid=10001&customid=) or Amazon (https://amzn.to/2ZzQKIt).
- Sculpting Tools
You can buy these on ebay (https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3Dsculpting%2Btools%26_sacat%3D0%26_sop%3D1&campid=5337377665&toolid=10001&customid=) or Amazon (https://amzn.to/3bSfKzy).
(https://i.imgur.com/W5D84qZ.jpg)
Got my latest order from German etailer FantasyWelt (https://www.fantasywelt.de/Home) where I also got my Master Painter set from Citadel for 352€ back in 2015.
(https://i.imgur.com/02H4F0D.jpg)
Vallejo Grey Primer Acrylic Polyurethane 200 ml bottle for 10.53€.
(https://i.imgur.com/3jDIu33.jpg)
milliput Standard yellow/grey self-hardening epoxy putty was 4.83€ for 113g. Very good price if you ask me.
(https://i.imgur.com/Kcu91KF.jpg)
I needed some new fine brushes to paint my latest project Darth Sion (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10186.msg221266#msg221266).
The two single ones were 3.31€ each and the set 10.10€.
Big shoutout goes to International Scale Modeller on YouTube for his precious advice:
-
I used to use super fine miliput religiously. It's good stuff but it's hard to find here. I like the density, and that it cures really hard, but with enough playtime to do a decent amount at a time. I bought a batch of greenstuff a while back, I still have a lot left. It's much different. It acts like chewing gum, which is advantageous in some ways. I found it's good for sculpting hair.
We have Kinder Eggs but one half is toy, the other candy. We Americans don't like inedible objects stuck inside our food. Especially when it's marketed for small children.
-
Thanks for the supplies list. I just saw my first milliput at a Hobby Lobby yesterday. I'm a "green stuff" user because my son was using it for his Warhammer minis, so I just got familiar with it.
-
Great links and tools. I will definitely be taking that to the front pages.
-
I own Milliput and the Vallejo Primer (in black) and I am super satisfied. The primer works perfect, is easy to apply and makes a super nice surface.
I will look up the brushes because I still have none for doing the detail painting on my miniature. Thanks for sharing all the links.
Cool to see you ordered at FantasyWelt! I am customer there, too :) Super service and awesome range of brands and products.
-
JDeck: I agree on the Kinder eggs, there is a certain hazard if you don't expect plastic in your chocolate. Well, milliput worked well for my very first sculpting project. I always wanted to get Apoxie Clay which isn't available here in Germany for example (well Amazon offered it, but it's much more expensive here). So I think you can find many good if not better alternatives in the U.S. - I can also bring some milliput when I come to the U.S. next time and then send it to you via USPS, how does that sound?
Starchaser: Green stuff is also a holy material to many custoizers out there. So many options, it hard to find the "best" one for one's personal needs. Thanks for your comment and best regards to your son! I hope he keeps Warhammer as his hobby.
Tamer: Thanks for modifying the list! I recently bought a lot of 100 lightsabers on ebay.com using your forum's link.
Art deWhill: Thanks for sharing your experience with vallejo's primer. I'm also quite happy with the resistance of it. Let's see howit performs on the lightsaber hilts I'm currently painting (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10179.msg222150#msg222150)...
Thanks for your comments guys, I'll be back in April.
-
I can't wait to see what you create with this material.
Thank you for all the links. I need some new brushes.
-
As I've said before, I watch Warhammer diorama videos on YouTube for ideas and inspiration. A channel called Bill Making things uses spray bottles a lot. In fact there was a challenge between Bill Making Things, Dark Matter Workshop and Miniature Hobbyist on who can make the best terrain scatter using only spray bottle parts. It was such an inspiration I figured I would try it myself Star Wars style.
I've found there are two basic designs of spray bottles. The cheap windex model has a lot of small parts, the other (pictured) has a simpler design. I didnt take a picture of all the parts I used. I used both types of spray mechs, and some soap pump parts. I decided to make a Moisture Vaporator/ Star Wars fire hydrant/ water pump thing. It's small enough I can set it pretty much anywhere I want in my spaceport project.
-
Looks good to me
Well done
-
Now thats what I call trash to treasure!
Off to share on the front pages.
-
Looks good to me
Well done
Thank you. Sometimes I just like making things out of random junk. I never really thought about using spray bottle parts.
Now thats what I call trash to treasure!
Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you. I have enough parts to make another Moisture Vaporator/Fire Hydrant Fire moisturizer thing.
I'm going to Dollar Tree Wednesday to pick up junk. If anyone has any suggestions on what I should build next let me know. I want to keep it spaceport or Star Wars city themed.
-
I went to the dollar tree and picked up a bunch of junk. Firstly I'll get more into the different spray bottles. I got a salon style metal bottle (Black). This doesn't have as many mechanical parts, like the others have, just some small bits. Not that great.
Then the average bottle (Pink) has little more than the black, but the parts are different from the Clear parts I showed earlier.
-
Nice, time to go share this.
I can't wait to see what you make out of this.
-
Nice, time to go share this.
I can't wait to see what you make out of this.
I didn't take any pictures of most of the stuff I bought, because I wasn't sure if they would be worth posting until I took them apart to see if there was any worth while parts. I'll go back next week, and buy the best of. The firetruck was the best, with a lot of structural parts with the ladder.
-
I love what you created with that fire truck. That crate handler droid is just fantastic.
-
Thank you! It helps to have some idea of what you want to build. I'm not sure what I want to make next.
-
Just a test reply. I kept getting the message this page wouldn't display.
-
I am still getting an error message with this. I hope it is displaying correctly for everyone else. Let me know if it isn't.
-
Thanks it's working now. I was fooling with the camera, and did something the website didn%u2019t like. I think it was the 64mp or too big a ratio. Sorry I broke your site lol. Test picture.
Everything's fine, were all fine here now. Thank you. How are you?
-
LOL. You just gave me an excuse to streamline a few things and update to the latest software.
I am glad we figured it out. This topic has too much awesome stuff in it not to be able to see it.
-
Okay let's try this again.
I got the AK Interactive True Metal aluminum. It's a wax based metallic finish, that works with the plastic Hasbro uses. It has the consistency of oil based paint. You just apply it to whatever you want, then buff it out with a cloth, I use a cotton ball, and for small areas a Q-tip. If you buff it too much it will rub off, especially in high spots. I painted a FL2.0 C-3PO, Ra-7 and the armor on Mando. Word to the wise, use gloves. The mando ended up looking like the carbonized one, because it got everywhere. I had to take the time to buff out the places I didn't want metallic. Pretty simple. It's a lot like shining shoes, but metallic. It also works really well for dry brushing. I have pictured one of those candy soda barrels, the right is drybrushed, and polished.
I makes a great shine. It's almost a mirror finish, not quite. It's somewhere between vac metal and the new metallic paint Hasbro uses.
Pictures Really don't do it justice. I guess that's why I was fooling with the camera and broke the whole page.
Anyhows, heres the link
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZHHBRNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_6PECNRHT3YFSJ40BETFJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 (https://amzn.to/3kwux7l)
I liked it so much I ordered the Gold too.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZHHC47M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_500VDTNMW0NBNZYCRR26 (https://amzn.to/3bSbb98)
-
Wow, that finish looks awesome. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Now, I need to go share it on the front pages.
I can't wait to see how the gold pans out.
-
Wow, that finish looks awesome. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Now, I need to go share it on the front pages.
I can't wait to see how the gold pans out.
Thank you yeah I've been wanting to get this stuff for a while, but wasn't sure how it would react to the soft hasbro plastic. So far it's good, it's hard, not sticky or anything.
Im anxious to see how the gold comes out too. I should have it Tuesday. I have a few droids I want to do, but outside of that I don't use gold for much of anything. Ill experiment, and see if I can mix gold and aluminum to make a champaign.
-
This looks like something promising.
-
I know Hasbro has had a heck of a time getting any good vac metal paint work. Maybe this product could fill a gap that has been needed for awhile.
-
Yeah. I used to be a strong advocate for Vac metal, but I always end up putting a dull coat on it anyway. Vac metal is just too shiny, I think. They claim they won't do vac plating because of the environment, but it's because it won't work on the type of plastic they use. They would need a really hard plastic. Harder plastic means it's more brittle, so less intricate parts for articulation. Joints would just snap. I like their new paint. It's a little shiny. This product is just a little better. I have some more of the FL2.0 C-3POs coming so I'll do a side by side comparison, their gold vs AK gold vs vac metal.
-
Wow, that looks really good. Thanks for trying it out. Thanks for sharing. That's a really promising product.
-
I got the AK INTERACTIVE TRUE METAL GOLD today. I applied it to my Super 7 Metropolis Maria, as I had the non vac metal orangish one. So I have the vac metal SAGA C-3PO, Maria in the middle and the Forcelink 2.0 c-3po. So the ak is shinier than Hasbro gold, but far from Vac metal. You can add a thin coat of floor finish, no more that one coat, or it'll just look like clear coat over metal paint. The floor finish will also protect it.
Also the Gold can be mixed with the Aluminum, to make Champaign, or in metal terms a nickle finish. As with this concept IG-88. I just had to go a little heavier on the gold.maybe as much as three parts gold one part aluminum. I need to get silver, to see if it's any different from Aluminum.
-
Thanks for sharing how it turned out. Much better than the regular Hasbro gold, but not the vac metal. I am thinking we may never get another good vac metal figure as they don't want to use the good hard plastic that it would take for the paint to adhere too. Could be wrong.
Off to the front pages with this.
-
JD, I can't put in words how brilliant I find your hint at the meme you recreated with young Lando and his droid...genius! I updated the table of contents on page 1 with your latest ideas.
Thank you so much for adding to this thread! I had never expected that it adds so much fun to the community on here - thanks to your brilliance!
-
Profiles, Treads & Stencils
(https://i.imgur.com/wimgiMq.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tcmrAGY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5yuvsO1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vxpsTic.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GxOM6Lw.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/D9W9NiV.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/13jWdaT.jpg)
Click here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10225.msg199500#msg199500) to see how I store my loose collection.
-
Someone took a trip to the DIY store! Good to hear from you Philipp. What are you planning to do with your DIY supplies?
-
Indeed, and it was horrible. So crowded with people and nobody kept distance to each other.
Thanks for the warm welcome Starchaser! It's good to be back because I feel miserable.
Thanks for asking. I ordered 6 new cabinets, which I'll share shortly here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10225.msg224211#msg224211).
Unfortunately the compartments are under 4" high so I have to either cut the floors in half and support them with L-profiles or I'll take acrylic glass floors which also need L-profiles. I take it as occasion to modify some cabinets.
-
I am interested to see what you do with all of these items!
-
A little exercise in dry-brushing for beginners, custom prop or inventory for your Jedi/Sith Temple
Since I've been working with metal colors quite a bit in the past couple weeks, I decided to grab this project out of my project box. I started working on this ancient Sith holocron about 6 years ago...
Remember when computers were the size of entire wardrobes? I thought why should it be different with holocrons?
When I found these balls in a home decoration store, I immediately thought of giving them a dry-brush in a brass color. So of you find something like this and got about 60 minutes of spare time after work, you can even use these as a custom prop for your cosplay.
Thought this was appropiate to share here along with JDeck's latest projects (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg223969#msg223969).
These balls were available in 3 different sizes for 1 to 3€:
1. I spray-painted them in black.
2. After the primer had dried I simply dry-brushed it wiith humbrol's metallic Brass.
Only took me 6 years to finish. Good luck.
(https://i.imgur.com/F7083Xa.jpg)
A quarter Dollar and a 3.75" figure for size comparison. Diameter of the balls is 9-12 cm.
(https://i.imgur.com/HffNQYH.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/1qpyEFo.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/n4Uk8BN.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/t5Oc1Ud.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9RE2H2z.jpg)
This custom Sith is not made by me. I got it with a lot from eBay. This one reminds me of Darth Andeddu.
Forum member [url=http://stronoxcustoms.blogspot.com/2012/11/star-wars-darth-andeddu.html]Stronox Customs (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Andeddu) made a darn impressive custom figure of him!
Also make sure to check out the latest customs of The Old Republic by CloneTroopr (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=7528.msg224472#msg224472)!
This was also a test for my custom Neimoidian Commander (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10179.msg224825#msg224825) which I finished repainting recently.
-
Looks like a cool project.
-
Received a package with supplies from a model building store. Fantasywelt.de (https://www.fantasywelt.de/) have a lot of great stuff! If you live in the UK or Germany, you can find almost everything there for your model building and crafting needs!
(https://i.imgur.com/QO9PIEH.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jf3LgG1.jpg)
Can't wait to finally seal some of my latest repaints (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10513.msg224667#msg224667) with these varnishes! The Satin varnish looks nice already on my Imperial Shock Trooper (w.i.p):
(https://i.imgur.com/qmiSJHR.jpg)
The right shin is sealed with a coat of Satin Varnish vs. none on the left one (still mat red). The Varnish makes the acrylic paint look nice and saturated. And most importantly: It looks even now whereas Tamiya's thin paint looked uneven at some spots before. Therefore I had to apply a second layer of color before.
-
Looks like you founds some good stuff.
-
That holocron sphere is awesome looking. The paint really brought out the details on it. I think if it could be cut those spheres could make a cool decorative dome on a wall or rooftop too. If I ever see one I'll pick it up.
-
Thanks for sharing Philipp, I agree with JDeck, the spheres are cool. The Varnish is a great lead as well.
-
wow
That is a lot of varnish and primer. Vallejo is the best.
The holocron sphere turned out great. It looks like it is made out of metal after the repaint.
Excellent work.
-
Tamer: Yes, they have all kinds of great materials in their assortment. But since they're also quite popular here, they are often sold out for weeks. I guess some supplies are hard to get and/or have long delivery schedules.
JDeck: Thank you! I'm quite happy with the dome even though I only did a sloppy job dry-brushing it. I guess this technique is quite forgiving. They're made of a plastic material similar to Plasticine. So it crumbles quite easily while being cut. But I'm sure with the right saw and maybe even water cooled it should be possible to cut. I might try it and let you know! But it's a great idea of yours to use it for walls and roof toppers! I could also make a mold of half the sphere and cast in plaster or similar cheap material. I even bought a kilogram of Plasticine a couple years ago. It has a smooth surface and is therefore often used to cast statues. I'll share some details soon as I bought it to cast Sith statues with it initially.
Starchaser: Thank you. Haven't seen these spheres anywhere ever since. That's why I love going to the most wicket stores because you never know what you're gonna find there. And it's also quite soothing to know that I can re-cast almost everything once I have one sample of an item. I'll experiment with them more once I make my first Jedi Temple diorama.
The brass one is going to be put on my first diorama of Korriban or Cato Neimoidia (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10179.msg224825#msg224825).
FialaFernbrugg: That's good to know. I'm such a greenhorn when it comes to paints. There are just so many different brands out there...I guess one can just go by "trial and error" unless you watch videos on YouTube as I did before I ordered these supplies.
I'm quite happy with how the sphere turned out. Might use spray paint on the next one. It'll be an interesting experiment for the Protocol Droid I'm going to paint in vac metal. By the way, thanks for reminding me that I have to keep my eyes open for a TLC BAD Death Star Droid...I'm sure Tunghori will have samples of the latest TVC release as well...
-
You can also see what I found on AliExpress by clicking here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10896.msg224521#msg224521).
Here are a few examples of the cool stuff I got there:
(https://i.imgur.com/sKl9AVr.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Xt2RmnU.jpg)
Like Tamer already said, I could well see those trays in Jabba's Palace or in Don's Outpost 423 (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10771.msg226046#msg226046). He already found so much cool stuff to decorate his latest diorama display! You should definitely take a look at this if you haven't done already.
-
Found more metal parts on AliExpress. This time around a few dozen metal cones arrived, which can be used as lanterns, torches or even drinking glasses! They come handy to add to your Jabba's or Boba's Palace or other cantina dioramas. There are all kinds of charms out there, which could be useful for 1/18 and 1/12 scale needs! Have fun!
(https://i.imgur.com/iKY0xfR.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/RE53k8a.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kHRUPvx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Qd9dLSg.jpg)
Check out what else I found on AliExpress here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10896.msg224521#msg224521).
-
Nice, what term did you use to search for these?
Off to share on the front pages.
-
Sorry, Tamer I simply forgot to provide links. Well, you can basically look for "beads" or "charms" preferably "metal beads" or so. But I tell you, it takes a lot of time to find something useful for our hobby. A lifetime is not enough to explore them all on AliExpress...
Here are the links embedded:
120 pieces for ~$2.30 and FREE shipping!
"Brass Cup" (https://de.aliexpress.com/item/33021267730.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.68604c4dqffn41)
"Golden Cup" (https://de.aliexpress.com/item/4000560675663.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.79f23c00DNODQJ&mp=1)
60 pieces for ~$2.30 and FREE shipping!
"Brass Torch" (https://de.aliexpress.com/item/32877940133.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.68604c4dqffn41)
"Golden Torch" (https://de.aliexpress.com/item/32997538552.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.68604c4dqffn41)
They're all from the same seller with FREE worldwide shipping! I paid 2.05€ for each 60 pieces. And I will so add some LEDs to them! They seem to be perfect for that little idea.
-
Thanks, that will make things easier.
-
Received the "golden cups" from AliExpress now. I'm going to use those parts for some dioramas of Jabba's or Boba's Palace and of Cato Neimoidia (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Cato_Neimoidia).
(https://i.imgur.com/ryGb55Y.jpg)
You can take a closer look at my latest custom Ugnaught figure here.
-
Nice, these will definitely make some great Barge pieces.
I could see you adding these to the servo R2's too.
-
Yesterday, the latest parts I ordered 3 weeks ago arrived. One design was sold out, so they sent me one of the other twice instead:
(https://i.imgur.com/mYsGQAU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/U1nnWr6.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/UAaLteI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/87AAV8H.jpg)
I was inspired by a bunch of easy custom figures which Toys Are The Way (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wOZR4402_0) made and shared on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP3eHd-irGqkqvKgedZlMFA):
Custom Star Wars Figures? Bounty Hunters & Smugglers?The Vintage Collection
[/b][/size][/color]
And as Don (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10656.msg226690#msg226690) already did, he also provides links to Marauder Inc.: https://www.marauderinc.com/
-
Nice!
-
Hey Philipp,
I've been A.W.O.L. for a while. These last several resources were great options, thanks for sharing all these great tools.
-
Tamer: Thanks, have you ordered from AliExpress, yet? If so how was your experience with them?
Starchaser: Wow, your return hit like an Imperial Orbital Bombardment! It's so good to read your name on here, again! I'm glad you find my resources useful. I provided some links on the AliExpress thread (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10896.msg227224#msg227224).
Here's a direct link to the page where I found the latest accessories:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32744545365.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4ca84c4dT8QDtp
I'm always happy if questions are asked. And I'll try to help as good as I can.
-
I haven't yet, but I think I am getting ready too.
-
I really like your latest parts that you have shared.
They fit perfectly into a Jabbas palace, sail barge or Tatooine diorama.
Thanks for sharing.
-
I was able to get some Disney Parks Droid Factory Mystery Crates, empty for less than $5 each. I just wanted the crates, forget the droid. So they came in today, and I wanted to see if I can paint it without having to mask it. The translucent panels do pop out, making painting easier, however the printing they did on it is really thick and should be sanded off before painting. I might paint one or two solid, and see how it looks. You could put a light inside to give the blue walls that illuminated forcefield whatever look.
The bottoms have holes and pegs, so they can lock in side by side, and they can be stacked. The blue smaller panel with the droid silhouettes says "Mystery Droid" in Aurebesh. Pretty cool little crates.
-
Cool...thanks for the tips. I ordered a couple and they should arrive Monday!
-
Nice, was eBay the platform you ordered from?
Time to get this on the front pages.
-
Nice, was eBay the platform you ordered from?
Time to get this on the front pages.
Yes I got them from ebay, he wasn't a power seller or anything he just had 7 and I bought 4 and I don't see them anymore. But if you're interested I'd just keep checking every once in a while. Right now people want double retail value for the crates and droids. Retail is $14.99. So I think I got a good deal at $5 for the crates.
Cool...thanks for the tips. I ordered a couple and they should arrive Monday!
You probably got the last of what that guy had, I bought from. They're decent for their size, I got some crates from hole in the ground coming too. Hopefully I'll have a decent Imperial supply depot soon.
-
So I'm working on a Scarif Diorama, and I was doing some research on the different plants or flora found in the Maldives, specifically Laamu Atoll, where Scarif was filmed. There are two predominant plants; coconut palms and Sceavola Taccada also known as Beach Naupaka, also beach cabbage/lettuce, found all over the Pacific and caribbean. So my challenge was to find an artificial version in scale with 3.75. I actually found something.
Yzzsjc 6pcs Aquarium Plants Fish Tank Decorations Medium Size Artificial Aquatic Plants Green Waterscape Fish Hides Tree Set Plastic Christmas Plant for Household and Office Aquarium Decorations https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09F6DQSGW/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_EMHNSST2HX3FJ6PCBSF7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 (https://amzn.to/3G9LKOX)
I just cut the branches off the main tree, and spray painted them, a darker green. The beach Naupaka is a mangrove type of tree, so I can stack these branches to make a bush. It looks perfectly fine without permanently attaching them and It fits in great with my modular system. I got 2 packs, it also comes with several grass tufts, which are always good to have. I would love to find this type of artificial plant in bulk, but all I found was boxwood mats, which I bought and works fine but not as great. So yeah that's my plant-geography lesson for today.
-
So for the Beach Naupaka, I also bought this boxwood mat. SLSON Aquarium Decorations Grass Artificial Plastic Lawn 9 inches Square Landscape Green Plants for Saltwater Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank Decoration,with 8 Pcs Suction Cups https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C5Z4B5C/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_T8GWYKJWM2TCH17TZV67?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 (https://amzn.to/3lw3cn9)
It works okay. I pulled the pieces off the mat and put a half dozen or so through a scewer to make a bush, then painted dark green. Like the other type I'll call "fish tree", they can be stacked into a larger bush. The leaves are heart-shaped, as opposed to the longer leaves of the fish tree. I left patches of the plant parts still attached to the mat, that I cut into squares for ground cover.
-
Man, love how you are actually researching the vegetation from the actual film location and then matching it up that way. Just great attention to detail here.
Thanks for sharing where to get it and how to use it. It looks great.
Off to share on the front pages.
-
Man, love how you are actually researching the vegetation from the actual film location and then matching it up that way. Just great attention to detail here.
Thanks for sharing where to get it and how to use it. It looks great.
Off to share on the front pages.
Thank you! I just kept seeing the same plants in different scarif scenes and was curious what it is. Evidently that's the only thing that grows in that poor soil, other than coconut, and it's everywhere. It's almost as bad as Kudzu is here.
-
I'm impressed JDeck. That is looking really outstanding. I think the boxwood mat is working out.
-
I asked JDeck if he could get me a link to a product you could use to make some bigger cages after we all started talking in Starchaser's custom thread when he share one of the new Jurassic World Cages.
Now these look like they would work great!
https://amzn.to/3xlxEr4
(https://i.imgur.com/YL3iplI.jpg)
Thank you JDeck for sending me the link.
-
Those folding baskets come in handy. Thanks for sharing those with us, JDeck & Tamer!
-
If I remember correctly, you guys recently talked about a suitable cage for a Wampa and/or Tauntaun
over on Starchaser's thread (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=9294.msg229378#msg229378).
Woolworth got you covered:
(https://i.imgur.com/YCFoY1l.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Dxai6Yw.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/chDbbVl.jpg)
The approx. dimensions are 10x8x6 inches. I can imagine this would look nicely painted in white, too! Happy hunting!
-
Definitely in the ball park now.
-
If you're looking for artificial plants to fill your Scarif diorama with, you may find them on AliExpress! I'd share links here, but the store I bought them from does no longer exist. It took the parcel 6 weeks to arrive this time and I'm glad it showed up after all.
Click here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=9462.msg229303#msg229303) to see one of the best Scarif dioramas in 1/18 scale out there and make sure to leave your feedback for JDeck.
(https://i.imgur.com/8rFk8MT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/IQBQdca.jpg)
-
Found some more neat stuff at my local Dollar Stores today: storage boxes and diorama pieces
(https://i.imgur.com/lEwU2AC.jpg)
I like the texture of this piece. Might be useful as base for a landing bay for an Action Fleet/Hot Wheels/Jazwares Millenium Falcon?
(https://i.imgur.com/S48y9D8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nMLokUO.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DSJHw35.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/H9TCQ7H.jpg)
Those storage boxes are quite expensive online. Amazon for example take about 20€ for such a box. It might be worth it to look at your local big box stores. Kaufland here in Germany is similar to Walmart and today I got one of those black boxes for my light sensitive figuress (Clone Troopers & Stormtroopers).
(https://i.imgur.com/cXkPwYu.jpg)
I always like to look for gift boxes here.
New arrivals:
(https://i.imgur.com/t1oL3Sm.jpg)
-
Looks like some interesting fodder.
-
Yes, I love going through all the aisles. You never know what you gonna get! Kaufland is similar to Walmart and their non-food items are usually weekly offers. After that they go on clearance if there are any left, which is the case most of the times. So I’m waiting until then to get 3 or 5 more. On the other hand: the reason why I waited almost 3 years to pull the trigger on a black box is because I store my figures in a dark closet anyways. And my goal is to display them all in my cabinets eventually.
So that might save me another 40€.
-
These updates are great. I missed the cage one from earlier, but that would work for a "beat up" look. I think I'd darken it to a gun metal gray or something. Dollar stores are a great source of inspiration. Thanks for sharing.
-
These updates are great. I missed the cage one from earlier, but that would work for a "beat up" look. I think I'd darken it to a gun metal gray or something. Dollar stores are a great source of inspiration. Thanks for sharing.
That's a brilliant idea! I went back to Woolworth last week, but the cage with the Raptor was already gone. I might find one in another store.
-
My local dollar store had a 30% off promo last week. This was the first time that I saw a dollar store put their entire assortment on discount ever!
And while browsing through the isles I found some bottle openers which I thought would fit 1/12 scale figures. But after I compared the measurement to my real crate of beer, I figured it's in 1/6 scale.
For 2€ each, this might be a cool accessory for you as well. They're sold on AliExpress, too!
(https://i.imgur.com/XZVThra.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gxgrSMb.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SSGelgp.jpg)
-
I like those beer crates, those are cool. You could stack them up in the Navarro cantina. You could paint them up to look like something else. There's potential there.
-
Absolutely, I got two of them 30% off, definitely a nice gimmick for 1.40€. I looked up "pirate" on AliExpress and boy did I find cool stuff there. Might be a neat source for your bar project as well :P
-
MäcGeiz
(https://i.imgur.com/EIzbZYJ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jcyShPX.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/j149gc5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vL6dPNW.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/T2k86UT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tp9ehrs.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CsUgw4Q.jpg)
You can follow me on my latest store report here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=1012.msg231281#msg231281).
-
I can envision a new Felucia Dio with that plant material. Those tea lights have a lot of uses.
-
Thanks, that's a great idea! I really like the texture of these (polyester?) leaves. And I was rather thinking of a new, bigger Scarif diorama (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10155.msg216617#msg216617). I got those leaves here for half the price from AliExpress and they're more to scale for 3.75". However the ones from the dollar store would look nice next to figures of 6" or taller.
And if I repainted them, I could see them on a Felucia diorama as well. Thanks for the hint, Tamer!
(https://i.imgur.com/8rFk8MT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/IQBQdca.jpg)
-
Speaking of Felucia: I was looking for reference pictures on google and found this impressive website:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xYEBYW
Cannot wait to take some time and look deeper into it. Make sure to also check out his 3D model where you can even zoom into! His Instagram is Phil_Creations.
(https://i.imgur.com/QQYMm66.jpg)
Felucia Biome Cinematic - Fanmade by phil_creations (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGmeWe1KVHA)
double-click for full-screen view
-
Wow, that is awesome. I need to go share this.
-
Wood has become really expensive. toom Baumarkt is a DIY store similar to LOWE's or Home Depot.
They got some neat stuff for my current project (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10165.msg231625#msg231625).
(https://i.imgur.com/kePj3Mb.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uBzS4Vn.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/dXAR7ez.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Yiy7SG6.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/q7c3Hw9.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Koc297S.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xYaw7uR.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6jye4g8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lt1q1iX.jpg)
The quality of these polystyrene plates has definitely DEcreased over the years. They're more like foam than acrylic plates now. Very concerning.
(https://i.imgur.com/xE1uyAG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MPGkJzb.jpg)
They have a great selection of styrofoam here. I can see acres of Hoth here.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZSCWExF.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fkTa7wE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bZUsiT7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8lT8LYf.jpg)
The same one was 12.35€ back in March of 2021. Gotta love inflation and exploding prices in times of war.
(https://i.imgur.com/t5UwdCs.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CSk9UoQ.jpg)
Some day I'm going to build a Death Star Playset using this foil.
(https://i.imgur.com/DgpOh3c.jpg)
-
Loads of good stuff there. Too bad about increasing prices, though. It the reality we live with right now.
-
Man, some great stuff to be sure.
I have been putting off redoing a back porch because of the increase in prices. Guess I am gonna have to bite the bullet soon though.
-
Yes, from what I've seen in the two stores I went to over the past couple days is, that prices have risen by 30-50% compared to last year. Good news is: Prices in both stores are almost identical.
And thanks to a good friend of mine, I got a new shelf today! He was so kind and took me to the store with his big car, so that I could buy a single floor of 2.5 x 0.3 meters. It was 20.95€ and totally worth it!
(https://i.imgur.com/U3sAM9U.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/FP0MHpS.jpg)
-
Good looking shelf. I need to get some type of brackets to hang our Disney Sabers and Build a Droids. Yours look good.
-
Tamer: Thanks! I just took a box as socket for the display stand of Hasbro's FX lightsaber. I know it can also be held by screws, but it worked fine to just elevate it at the wall.
-
Back to the Woods
Thanks to trends on Instagram and Pinterest, people claim more for natural wood again. You can make some great looking tables, shelves and what not with them. I can also see them just standing at the wall mounted as decoration. I never get tired of looking at the natural schemes of wood!
(https://i.imgur.com/NGykvXq.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GDCyRD4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/oKMqYXr.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JJCMOAG.jpg)
JDeck recently showed us how well these racks actually are for our hobby purposes! Click here (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10251.msg231527#msg231527)to see his project.
Those storage containers are also well suited to store action figures. ACTION and ALDI sell them for the best price here in Germany, which is 12.95 - 15.99€.
(https://i.imgur.com/gfvvRTD.jpg)
Some more metal sheets with different profiles:
(https://i.imgur.com/2Btp2LF.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/p9jnvbO.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XjVoo8R.jpg)
To my total surprise BAUHAUS is actually cheaper than toom! This metal sheet for example is 3€ more expensive at toom where I bought it.
I still use it for my current project (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10165.msg231625#msg231625), but will buy all other materials at BAUHAUS from now on.
(https://i.imgur.com/qDVCIAK.jpg)
-
I found another crate to add to my collection. It's the Disney parks Dok Ondar Mystery box. It's a blind bag of Miniature star wars antiquities. Like busts, statues, helmets etc. I think I got a chase variant, a Jedi holicron, that lights up. I might be able to use it in a diorama or something. I just got it for the crate.
The crate is kind of cool. It only has detail on one side, so you have to stand it on It's short side to see it. It has the Crimson Dawn logo and says Crimson Dawn property. Pretty cool. I ordered another, but that'll probably be it, unless I actually start collecting the things inside.
-
Wow, thank you so much for sharing these, JD! I just watched a couple unboxing videos of those craits on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eQlN2ZwFwA).
I appreciate that the designers for Disney go the extra mile and give us nice packaging. They seem to be aware that the box of a product is part of the product itself and can be a significant selling factor. I mean I would get those for the packaging alone as well and that says it all. Hasbro will regret their plastic free packaging. They say it's for the environment, but I don't believe it. It's cutting costs. They told us the same about vac metal/chrome effects years ago and you can still buy a chrome plastic hot wheels car for a dollar right now.
$14.99 however is just rude pricing in my book. It's a nice product, but they crossed a line for me here. That's part of the reason why I boykot such theme parks charging you extra for everything insinde after you already paid $100-200 per person before just to get in. They even charge non-residents double the price, which is beyond my understanding.
It happened to my family in Florida last year.
Anyways those are really nice craits. The helmets and busts seem to be 1/6 or 1/5 scale? Hard to tell. They look similar to the busts which came with magazines of DeAgostini here in Europe.
And I think you pulled the coolest one possible with that holocron! So lucky! I was lucky on those mystery craits of the latest Avatar toy line by McFarlane. They have a MRSP of 5,99€ here in Germany. Put that in contrast to Di$ney's price policy and I don't have to pay extra to enter a toy store like SmythsToys.
(https://i.imgur.com/w97pTeQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/drU6qJ7.jpg)
-
Nice crate JDeck. Off to share.
And yeah I can see your point Philipp. That avatar stuff is just rock solid and at a fair price point.
-
I'm tempted to get some of those avatar sets, they're great and would work great for any jungle terrain.
I had this idea to make a pirate throne out of crates. Not real sure what to think of it. Granted it's thrown together with no backdrop.
-
You can see what I think on the front pages.
I like it!
-
Great idea! It totally makes sense...but keep it modular so you can repurpose them :)
-
You can see what I think on the front pages.
I like it!
Thank you. I wanted a pirate throne, I thought I could kitbash something similar to the raider throne in the Battle for Endor movie, that is made entirely out of speeder bikes, but nothing I had was really coming together. Then I ordered a 3d printed boba fett throne, and just as I did I got the idea to make a crate throne.
Great idea! It totally makes sense...but keep it modular so you can repurpose them :)
Thank you. Definitely not going to do anything permanent, I need my crates.
-
Studson Studio (https://www.youtube.com/@StudsonStudio) is the man who presents the definition of model building from scratch with miscellaneous parts over trash to a masterpiece. Watch him turn all kinds of greebles into a complicated and colorful scale model.
I made the flying version of Howl's Moving Castle out of garbage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIVfu8EfZck)
double-click for full screen view
I suppose he worked another 50 hours creating this 40 minute video after getting done with this 100-hour-project.
-
My daughter loves Howl's Moving Castle. So awesome to see junk turned into something awesome.
off to share.
-
I found some more crates. I saw a guy use 1/10 RC crates for the E-WEB crate. I thought it was pretty cool. I ordered a set from Amazon Help me decide on this product: HIRCQOO 1/10 RC Simulation Plastic Luggage Case Decoration Storage Compatible with Traxxas TRX-4 Tamiya CC01 Axial SCX10 D90 Redcat HSP 90046 D110 1/10 RC Crawler Truck (Black) https://amzn.to/3Ibix8O
Amazon didn't seal the mailer and shipped an empty package, but they did ship a replacement.
I painted them white. Needs another coat and some weathering. You can only fit the cannon in the long box, but its alright.
-
Looks pretty sweet to me.
Off to share these on the front pages.
-
Placed an order!!! That is awesome!
-
(https://i.imgur.com/ixy4hZi.jpg)
Very nice indeed! I was waiting for Tamer to modify and share this. Affiliates must be a useful tool to support the forums. So thanks to Jodo for buying those. Good to see you, again! I'm going to get some of those crates as well.
Recently, a friend made me aware of this exclusive box that came with some Topps cards of Rogue One. He once had one of those, but sold it. Now he wants it back to display next to his Black Series figures.
Found a couple within a minute for 5€ each on feebay.
(https://i.imgur.com/kmD42Ts.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9FFhRi6.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/pIbBKhs.jpg)
Dimensions: 4.9" x 3.3" x 2.1" or 12,5 x 8,5 x 5,5 cm
-
JDeck, I like 'em. 👍 I think they will work for your purposes.
Jodo, nice to "see" you again :)
Philipp, that's a great bit of info. I didn't know those Rogue One card boxes existed.
-
You're very welcome Starchaser! I finally got the miniature "Huge Crab Droid" by Wizards of the Coast. What's your opinion, is it in scale to 1/18 action figures?
(https://i.imgur.com/xs7QbZY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vvQtCRv.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HEHBf81.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qXGo7vw.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SGhykbi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5ZXSvOu.jpg)
-
Looks like it scales ok to me.
-
It really does! I'll take some accurate measurements and try to find specific reference material. But from the screenshots it looks very close.
As a follow-up to JDeck's great find (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.msg232245#msg232245): I found some crates for cheap on AliExpress. 3 different crates were 4€ shipped! Only paid 16 for all 12 and this is how they fit on the Imperial Combat Assault Tank.
Some weathering and they will look starwarsy.
(https://i.imgur.com/GmTuvqG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jl4CQxi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mS52z5B.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/UTiIx3X.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MCyXyyO.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/4s1HRzX.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0daPmxK.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Mujt84X.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/IzGvvAy.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/klhRt9U.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/UPnWAkb.jpg)
-
Love to see a link to those. They look made to fit perfectly.
-
Those are great!!!!
-
Love to see a link to those. They look made to fit perfectly.
Here is a general link:
https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-1%252F10-storage-box-crawler.html?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20230416091634&SearchText=1%2F10+storage+box+crawler&spm=a2g0o.home.1000002.0
Ad I bought it from this store with the best offer:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803828470496.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.7.5a5961b9nSqwaE&algo_pvid=a2279791-7e99-441d-9771-26e8922c17c0&algo_exp_id=a2279791-7e99-441d-9771-26e8922c17c0-3&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21USD%212.85%212.31%21%21%21%21%21%4021224e9b16816653951928905d074d%2112000027743934206%21sea%21US%212965884980&curPageLogUid=HRuTNSOdj7I5
(https://i.imgur.com/ti2OmNY.jpg)
-
Those are great!!!!
Thanks for your comment! It's always good to see you back around, Jodo! I shared some links of those crates. You can get them for about $2 each including shipping to the U.S.
-
Thanks for the links. Perfect for the AF Genre in general.
-
I love those crates, guys. I just got my first set of the black ones from Amazon over the weekend!
-
I love those crates, guys. I just got my first set of the black ones from Amazon over the weekend!
Can you send me that amazon link or post it here? Hey, I actually found it! This first link comes with some other neat AF sized stuff.
https://amzn.to/3ovVHkT
And then this one with just the crates (3 choices of color):
https://amzn.to/3Asv57d
-
Going back to Endor
If you were looking for a way to make trees and trunks for your Endor diorma, Toys Are The Way (https://www.youtube.com/@ToysAreTheWay) has got another brilliant tutorial for you.
You can also find sources for artificial plants right at the beginning of this discussion (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=10416.0).
Star Wars The Vintage Collection Endor Trees | Diorama & Tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6fkKhSjyLQ)
double-click for full screen view
Have a great and creative weekend everyone!
-
Seems like a great way to make em.
-
Pretty similar to how I make my trees. Except I use ground up paper mache instead of grout. Good idea.
I found a good glue for styrofoam. It's fabri-tac it melts the foam a little, so you end up bonding the pieces chemically. Similar to how styrene cement works. You add the glue to one piece, put the two pieces together. Then kind of shimmy them to spread the glue, then put it in place and hold for a few seconds. I've been using hot glue, but this seems to work better, there's no large unsightly bead. Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive, 4-Ounce (FT4D),1123-34 https://a.co/d/9bTtd6j
-
That's brilliant, JD! I wouldn't have guessed that this glue primarily for fabric is multi-purpose for foam, too! Isn't it crazy, that I dreamed of carpets that looked like Mustafar last night? My sleep wasn't the best, I didn't even have the high ground, but man did those lava carpets look realistic. I'd probably take it as business idea and make 3 dimensional silicone mats. I started building a house in 1/24 scale using crafting glue with solvents. So the entire base of foam melted away. Therefore I decided to use it for a future Mustafar display for Vader and Kenobi maybe even with LEDs in their lightsabers and lighted lava.
I see so many items on Amazon USA that are temporarily unavailable. The market in the U.S. must be gigantic. If I'd be American I'd probably go to Lowe's or support my local crafting stores if there were any around. Thanks for sharing your latest gem!
-
Speaking of fabric & carpets, I always look for suitable profiles/designs for floors when I'm at my favorite discount store Action here in Germany. It's a blessing from the Netherlands and they sell place mats for 99 cents. I'm going to use the silver-ish ones for one of Padme's rooms on Coruscant or Naboo. And the black one would make a nice floor in Vader's fortress or a banquet on Cato Neimoidia.
(https://i.imgur.com/oURsk84.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8JdMqN8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/QXjZjkC.jpg)
-
Neat.
-
Yeah i could see that as flooring. You could modge podge and gloss coat it.
I discovered recently they make acrylic spray paint. Which is advantageous for painting foam. I always thought it was the aerosol propellant melted foam. Normally you have to hand paint an acrylic sealant in order to spray over foam, but this you just spray directly on bare foam . I tried it out and no ill effects. I just bought the black, but I could make some cool effects using spray paint in different colors.
-
Nice spray-paint, JDeck! You could probably paint even thin plastic with it.
On my way through Colorado and New Mexico (http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?topic=3607.msg234285#msg234285) I discovered these milk containers for my daily coffee. So me and my buddies collected a few. They immediately reminded me of those classic trash cans from the 1950s moving forward. Didn't know this shape before because similar containers are even smaller here in Europe and soon prohibited due to environmental protection.
I'm going to use them for a future diorama in 1/24 scale. They might go well for Star Wars as well if combined and modified with your imagination.
(https://i.imgur.com/rWoDRsx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/UBedMMM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/w6oLrWa.jpg)
-
It will be interesting to see what you get into with these. They do look very similar to the old galvanised trash cans.
-
Yes, I'm stoked to get back to the workbench this Fall and Winter, again!
Yesterday after work I helped one of my neighbors assemble his new furniture.
It was secured with 1 and 2 mm MDF wood, which is perfect for round shapes of buildings for example!
The bright color of it almost looks like sand, which is a great solution if you want to avoid sand on your Tatooine diorama! I also got some free cardboard for future builds.
Sometimes useful stuff can be found for free and be saved from the dumpster! :D
(https://i.imgur.com/m09LDU2.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Gul7Lsi.jpg)
To me the bright and fine plywood looks like a sand pattern. Perfect for dioramas if you don't want sand on your builds!
-
It would make for a great hallway corridor too. Lots of potential here.
-
Yes, that's a good point Shawn! The pattern does look like the marble floor in the palace of Theed on Naboo. Hadn't thought about it although it's on my to-do list.
(https://i.imgur.com/yO9NKSH.jpg)
Source: https://www.behance.net/gallery/15120911/Miniatures-Star-Wars-Ep-1-2-ILM?locale=es_ES
(https://i.imgur.com/tyjsv4j.jpg)
Source: https://www.behance.net/gallery/15120911/Miniatures-Star-Wars-Ep-1-2-ILM?locale=es_ES
I found this page via google images and can absolutely recommend to check out this Making of Theed! ILM do some truly magic work on model building!
-
Those are really cool images, Philipp. Thanks for sharing.
-
Thanks Jeff! The work of Industrial Light & Magic takes my breath ever so often as well.
-
Sometimes you find some neat decoration for your themed room or even dioramas at discount stores. TK MAXX gave me some inspiration for Felucia today, but some price tags are obvious rip-offs. I don't recommend to buy picture frames at TK MAXX. The ones I found were the cheapest for 5,99€ still. Drug stores sell better ones for half the price.
(https://i.imgur.com/AOaN5U5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cu68Zlf.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CE8WwHI.jpg)
Really liked that metal effect and pattern on this bowl. Looks like a fossil from Tatooine.
(https://i.imgur.com/tzSb48i.jpg)
With more and more people coming from Africa and buying at TK MAXX, it looks like they adapted their assortment with appealing decoration, too.
-
Michael's has 60% off summer decor. They had these Miniature potted plants. Jungle plants like monstara and arrow leaf get pretty big depending on sunlight and humidity, so they are in scale. The small ones were $1.99- 60%, so i got a few. I ended up going to another Michael's down the road for more. Usually I use artificial aquarium/terrarium plants, but they're hard to get in the right scale.
The palms, monstaras and big leaf philodendrons would be perfect for a Yavin IV diorama especially since those plants are native to central/south America where Yavin was filmed.
-
Since I have a whole shoebox of different jungle specific plants, I made some jungle floor soil/litter, like I did with my Endor mix. This one was pretty simple. I used some chunky (alot of bark) potting soil somewhare between potting soil and orchid mix, without perlite (little white balls), crumbled some dead leaves, dried sphagnum moss, some sand broken sticks, dried roots and tea bags. The bag varies from fine to chunky. I can now make modular jungle terrain pieces like I did with Endor. I need to make some jungle tree trunks.
-
Nice! Jungle trees could be interesting. Great heads up on the Michael's sale. Nice to see you 🙂
-
Great to see you still creating. Off to the front page to share this info.
-
Wow, this is a truly amazing colletion of jungle plants, JD! Thanks for sharing! I'm looking forward to seeing more of your projects of Scarif!
I was thinking about this topic on here when I saw this plate, yesterday. The texture on the bottom and the color reminded me of the Droid Carrier that I want to build.
It was only 1€ and I'm going to use it as cargo platform for my 1/18 scale Droid Carrier.
Here's a comparison with a brick set that I found on AliExpress:
(https://i.imgur.com/0Zl5HYv.jpg)
-
Nice! Jungle trees could be interesting. Great heads up on the Michael's sale. Nice to see you 🙂
Ive been working on a 1:1 scale jungle more or less with this riparium. It was interesting, it gave me some insight on how jungle plants grow, what pattern and conditions they grow in. I'll work on some trees soon, so ill jump over to my diorama section.
Wow, this is a truly amazing colletion of jungle plants, JD! Thanks for sharing! I'm looking forward to seeing more of your projects of Scarif!
I was thinking about this topic on here when I saw this plate, yesterday. The texture on the bottom and the color reminded me of the Droid Carrier that I want to build.
It was only 1€ and I'm going to use it as cargo platform for my 1/18 scale Droid Carrier.
Here's a comparison with a brick set that I found on AliExpress:
(https://i.imgur.com/0Zl5HYv.jpg)
Sweet! That bin would make a great tank hull, the pieces on that set could make some good greebles for it. Im putting scarif on the backburner, im not real happy with my palm trees. I need to find a better method that isn't very labor intensive.