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Diorama
Nov 20, 2007 15:32:22 GMT -5
Post by Bromhead24 on Nov 20, 2007 15:32:22 GMT -5
I think i would place all 185 men (without stands) in the diorama but i'm not sure how i would do it. Would it be during the battle or just of the men relaxing at their posts...
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RebAl
Senior Member
Civil War Photographer
Posts: 296
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Diorama
Nov 22, 2007 14:07:06 GMT -5
Post by RebAl on Nov 22, 2007 14:07:06 GMT -5
I think it would look very good if the men were just going about their daily tasks inside the compound. I wish I had time I would build a diorama myself, too many other hobbies at the moment though.
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Diorama
Nov 22, 2007 14:15:45 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Nov 22, 2007 14:15:45 GMT -5
That's the problem about doing a big battle scene. The action overpowers and all but eclipses all the effort put into the construction of buildings. With the Alamo standing alone, with just a few men on the walls, "going through their daily duties'', you can better appreciate the craftsmanship of the diorama and just how damn big the place was.
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Diorama
Nov 22, 2007 14:25:02 GMT -5
Post by Bromhead24 on Nov 22, 2007 14:25:02 GMT -5
In my situation, i would rather folks look at the men in stead of looking at my shoddy work.....lol
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Diorama
Nov 22, 2007 14:33:29 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Nov 22, 2007 14:33:29 GMT -5
In my situation, i would rather folks look at the men in stead of looking at my shoddy work.....lol ;D
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Diorama
Feb 24, 2008 21:29:15 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Feb 24, 2008 21:29:15 GMT -5
Well, as I explained almost day by day, step by step, over on the now deleted Alamo Sentry messageboard, I started building an Alamo diorama this year. It took me all January to do the chapel and around three weeks of February, for the Long Barrack. The diorama is 1/72, or a little larger than Ho scale. The board is 7x4 1/2 feet.
I plan to have around 800 hand-painted figures involved in the battle, the most of them being veterans of my old diorama.
The construction materials so far have been plaster of Paris over wood. When the plaster dries, I score the individual stones with an Exacto knife. Some of the more intricate wall parts are made of fast drying pottery clay.
Today I was working on the courtyard walls behind the Long Barrack. When they are done, both painted and stained, I will commence on the low wall in front of the chapel and the palisade.
From visiting the local Train museum here in New Braunfels, I learned that there is going to be a model railroaders show here in April. From the dealers there, I'll be able to acquire a lot of landscaping materials, including earth, grass, shrubbery and trees. For the terrain of the diorama's baseboard, I learned that, by using paper towels soaked in plaster of Paris, I can attain a shell-like surface that can be molded to whatever shape I desire and then painted. I 'm going to save that step, for the most part, until the Alamo walls are completed. I guess one of the few exceptions to that rule will be detailing the rubbled floor of the chapel and building the earthen cannon ramp. That and the detailing of the ground around the palisade.
When I get to the point of completing the palisade, I'll post a few photos of the work in progress.
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Diorama
Feb 24, 2008 21:37:57 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Feb 24, 2008 21:37:57 GMT -5
Oh, I'm basing the diorama on the 1955 Frederick Ray birdseye view of the Alamo. It has always been my favorite interpretation of the compound and remains forever the Alamo of my youth.
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Diorama
Feb 25, 2008 17:17:06 GMT -5
Post by seguin on Feb 25, 2008 17:17:06 GMT -5
It sounds like great fun! How do you get the palisades to have the right look? Maybe using small branches?
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Diorama
Feb 25, 2008 18:51:09 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Feb 25, 2008 18:51:09 GMT -5
It sounds like great fun! How do you get the palisades to have the right look? Maybe using small branches? That's just what I've been doing. This afternoon, I gathered some rather gnarled looking cedar twigs (the palisade was built of cedar) plus a small pecan branch that will serve as the basis of the large pecan tree by the NW corner.
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Diorama
Feb 26, 2008 20:06:10 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Feb 26, 2008 20:06:10 GMT -5
Finished scoring the stone work on the low wall in front of the chapel today, then painted, stained and glued it down. During my afternoon walk, I gathered up some more twigs, brought them home and commenced on the palisade. I used a strip of styrofoam for the earth, then cut and glued the "logs" to it on both sides. I even constructed a couple of gun ports in the completed palisade wall. Later, I will paint the styrofoam earth tone and even glue some loose earth to it for better effect.
Tomorrow, I plan on replastering and painting the convent yard walls to hide the seams; shall do the same for the low wall in front of the chapel. After that will come the construction of the timber supported cannon ramp in the apse.
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Diorama
Feb 26, 2008 20:23:24 GMT -5
Post by seguin on Feb 26, 2008 20:23:24 GMT -5
It sounds like great fun! How do you get the palisades to have the right look? Maybe using small branches? That's just what I've been doing. This afternoon, I gathered some rather gnarled looking cedar twigs (the palisade was built of cedar) plus a small pecan branch that will serve as the basis of the large pecan tree by the NW corner. Great idea to use the exact same types of wood! Will you do the same with the timber supported cannon ramp in the apse? And with the other cannon ramps/platforms? Do you know hat kind of wood was used for those? I´ll bet he palisade looks great with gun ports! Do we know for sure that the palisade consisted of two rows with earth between them?
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Diorama
Feb 26, 2008 20:38:15 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Feb 26, 2008 20:38:15 GMT -5
segiun said: Do we know for sure that the palisade consisted of two rows with earth between them? Nope. The current consensus goes with the look of the palisade in THE ALAMO (2004) film. (A single post cedar palisade, supported by earthworks.) Remember, I'm doing the Frederick Ray Alamo and Ray followed Captain Reuben M. Potter's description of two rows of cedar posts with earth packed inbetween. "Correct', or not, it's a better looking palisade---and, a stronger one.
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Diorama
Feb 26, 2008 21:42:43 GMT -5
Post by seguin on Feb 26, 2008 21:42:43 GMT -5
segiun said: Do we know for sure that the palisade consisted of two rows with earth between them? Nope. The current consensus goes with the look of the palisade in THE ALAMO (2004) film. (A single post cedar palisade, supported by earthworks.) Remember, I'm doing the Frederick Ray Alamo and Ray followed Captain Reuben M. Potter's description of two rows of cedar posts with earth packed inbetween. "Correct', or not, it's a better looking palisade---and, a stronger one. That´s right, you´re doing the Ray version! And it is indeed a better looking and stronger palisade! Could be that the original palisade looked like Ray´s, since it´s much stronger!
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Diorama
Feb 27, 2008 9:26:58 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Feb 27, 2008 9:26:58 GMT -5
The ALAMO: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM palisade still exists at Brackettville.
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Diorama
Feb 27, 2008 22:25:19 GMT -5
Post by seguin on Feb 27, 2008 22:25:19 GMT -5
Great palisade pic! Such a double-palisade is much more difficult to attack and get through. The soldados would be sitting ducks while attempting to break through...
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Diorama
Feb 28, 2008 12:47:33 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Feb 28, 2008 12:47:33 GMT -5
Great palisade pic! Such a double-palisade is much more difficult to attack and get through. The soldados would be sitting ducks while attempting to break through... Plus, it would be more impervious to round shot that a single row of cedar posts.
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Diorama
Feb 28, 2008 12:54:02 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Feb 28, 2008 12:54:02 GMT -5
Speaking of palisades, yesterday, I decided to paint the styrofoam "earth" with a kerosene based paint. This was a mistake. Most of the styrofoam melted and I ended up packing in all the gaping holes with plaster of Paris. It still looks as good and is more substancial, but is also a trifle heavier.
Also plastered over all the seams in the Long Barrack courtyard walls and low wall in front of the chapel. Today, I'll paint the replastered walls and palisade, before starting in on the chapel battery cannon ramp.
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Diorama
Feb 28, 2008 18:03:34 GMT -5
Post by Bromhead24 on Feb 28, 2008 18:03:34 GMT -5
Speaking of palisades, yesterday, I decided to paint the styrofoam "earth" with a kerosene based paint. This was a mistake. Most of the styrofoam melted and I ended up packing in all the gaping holes with plaster of Paris. It still looks as good and is more substancial, but is also a trifle heavier. Also plastered over all the seams in the Long Barrack courtyard walls and low wall in front of the chapel. Today, I'll paint the replastered walls and palisade, before starting in on the chapel battery cannon ramp. Papiermache works well and wont weigh down the model.
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Diorama
Feb 28, 2008 18:04:54 GMT -5
Post by seguin on Feb 28, 2008 18:04:54 GMT -5
Melted? So kerosene apparently melts styrofoam. I would never have guessed that. Well, well, you live and learn. Good thing though, that you were able to repair it with plaster, so you did´nt have to start all over again!
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Diorama
Feb 28, 2008 18:18:30 GMT -5
Post by neferetus on Feb 28, 2008 18:18:30 GMT -5
Papiermache works well and wont weigh down the model. Good idea, Mike. Perhaps I will resort to that for the earthen cannon platforms around the plaza.
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