That is awesome!
Building one of those dioramas packed with weathered, beat-up cars doesn’t have to start with exotic materials and grand plans. As Tony Scott recently showed the rest of the class, basic Hot Wheels cars and a smaller scope can work really well.
“I think the nice thing about doing a self-contained scene like this is [that it is] a nice, defined project,” they said. “It has a simple start–you can sketch it out almost full-size really easily–and a well-defined end: Just cover a square foot or whatever size you'd like.
“I struggle with abandoning my personal projects, and part of what appealed to me so much about this was that it was exciting enough to get started on but also manageable enough to actually see through all the way. I think trying to start small and then progressively building from there is a really good way to jump into any kind of project like this.”
Some specifics about this creation: The “junk” was 3D printed on a Creality Ender 3 Pro, while the barn was scratch-built from patterned styrene. The cars, yep, come from the Hot Wheels Mainline collection–the ones that we all buy for a buck. Then add in the time to weather and assemble.
“Hot Wheels are so much cheaper than model trains and I've loved them forever, so it seemed like a good place to start,” Scott added. “I was also super inspired by Joe Kanno.
Some practical advice from our modeler: “Woodland Scenics is your friend for fake grass, 1500-to-3000-grit sandpaper looks amazing as a road if you weather it by sanding with it first, and check out your local art store to see if they have any art supplies for war gaming. I've found that kind of stuff fantastic for washes and weathering with texture.”
And, of course, check the Twitter feed for more details.
That is awesome!
In reply to dyintorace :
Isn't it? It's the detritus and the details--like the moss stuck in the Buick's truck seams.
I love it! The crusty old guy that I imagine owning that collection has pretty eclectic tastes.
I thought the van in the diorama was the old Hot Wheels Super Van, but I guess it's not. That was a classic back in the day. And, here, I found a video about it because of course there's a video about everything.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
If you’ve not yet, check out Luke Towan’s diorama building on YouTube. It’s pretty phenomenal.
Besides the car nonsense I have a small model railroad layout, which naturally has a junkyard.
This is great art
Can't talk old Hot Wheels vans without the Ford Aerostar, in all it's 80s/90s glory.
Loving this! A car buddy of mine got me into the 1:64 hobby (sickness?) a few years back and I'm just now getting into customization. As someone who never got past snap-together models as a kid, I'm starting more or less from zero here. I'm pretty sure I've painted actual car parts faster than I've painted headlights and taillights on one of these little buggers, so seeing the weathering work above is absolutely inspirational.
Speaking of, if anyone really wants to see some next level 1:64 detail work, check out masanong and tj__garage on instagram.
In reply to slowbird :
I have that Aerostar, as a Pizza van! Same terrible mirrored windows too.
In reply to ebelements :
Wow... I've done some minor detailing and wheel swaps... but that is insane levels of detail.
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