Published on Thursday 15 August 2019 by Kathy Millatt

Every good diorama starts with the same way with a firm foundation!  I always use foam as it's easy to carve and manipulate and is lightweight.  I normally top it with a layer of sculptamold before moving on the scenery proper.

You can download my STL files for the lock gates and paddles on Thingiverse.

Please support me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/KathyMillatt.

Method

I start all my dioramas the same way:
Base Foam
Build up foam layers
Sculptamold layer
Base paint layer
Specific Scenery
The "Real" World

You can check out the original photos here: www.kathymillatt.co.uk/blog/2019/03/14/lapworth-locks/.

Tools & Materials
The Amazon links are all items I have either bought or bought something similar for myself. Clicking on any links to Amazon will give me a small affiliate income which I use to produce more videos. Every little helps!

Fusion 360 - a free to use (for most people) 3D CAD programmewww.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview#banner
Blue Craft Foam or Insulation Foam (It’s now black!) This is a thick one. amzn.to/2yj0rN7
Insulation foam - for your house from a DIY store - I bought this a long time ago and have struggled to find a local source recently
Pounce Wheel - amzn.to/33aWg4I
Hot wire knife - amzn.to/2NyVXMD
Foam Factory hot wire knife - amzn.to/2PiSRcF
Tacky Glue (thicker white glue) - amzn.to/2y5QWBJ
Thin scenic or white glue (PVA) - amzn.to/2QO9G40
Wire brush to roughen any smooth foam surfaces - amzn.to/2yzANUO
Sculptamold - amzn.to/2PvJuKT
Black emulsion (latex) paint - I used masonry paint from the DIY store
Deluxe Materials Create and Shape - amzn.to/2Ab0TPo
Lock gates - if you are a website subscriber you can download here
Bricks from these videos:
www.kathymillatt.co.uk/blog/2019/03/21/foam-brick-walls-cutting-the-walls/
www.kathymillatt.co.uk/blog/2019/04/04/foam-brick-walls-basic-painting/
www.kathymillatt.co.uk/blog/2019/04/18/foam-brick-walls-adding-slime/

www.kathymillatt.co.uk/blog/2019/08/15/snow-and-ice-diorama-the-base/

www.kathymillatt.co.uk
www.facebook.com/KathyMillattModelling/
www.instagram.com/kathymillatt/
www.patreon.com/KathyMillatt

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and the Amazon EU Associates Programme, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and affiliated sites.

The video description and textual content is provided by the publisher of the video, and may contain external links. RailwayModels.uk has no connection with the sites linked to, and links are not checked before the video is published here.