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hey all and welcome back to another
awesome tutorial today I'll take you
through the process of building this
fantastic laser-cut wooden kit and
creating a dystopian setting to display
the house it may be somewhat unrealistic
due to the overall setting that
showcases the model however the tips and
techniques are used in the video it can
be used to create all sorts of different
amazing scenes that can be adapted to
any situation let's not waste any more
time and get started building this
awesome house and amazing diorama I
won't spend too much time describing the
construction of the house as the kit was
built for the most part by carefully
following the instructions however there
were some minor changes that I'll
describe more thoroughly before starting
any project I like to make sure I have a
nice sharp hobby knife other tools
you'll find useful our metal rulers
squares machinist block tweezers
sandpaper and a good glue helm our super
tech glue works really well on wood as
it grabs fast and dries very quickly
before assembly I prime all the separate
pieces this is very important for wooden
kits as the walls have a tendency to
warp when painted by priming both sides
of each part before assembly you'll
reduce the chances of the wood warping
assembly is straightforward I simply
read through the instructions and
carefully follow them laser-cut kits
like this tend to go together quite well
the process of laser cutting is very
accurate and provided the kit has been
designed well each piece fits almost
perfectly
to get the best results I find applying
paint through the airbrush works best
however if you don't have an airbrush
wooden kits do quite well with hand
painting as well
that said I definitely recommend using
an airbrush and for jobs like this a
cheap airbrush would work just fine
color choice can be a challenge if you
have no reference the way I chose the
colors used for this model was by
looking at a weather board house on
Google once I find a color theme I liked
I matched my Vallejo paints to try and
replicate those colors another feature I
really liked about this model was the
self-adhesive windows and doors
you made assembly of the parts quick and
easy once the windows were constructed
and pressed into their openings
I had a small drop of glue in each
corner this not only holds the window
curtain in place but it also adds a bit
more structural integrity to the window
preventing it from falling out over time
should the self-adhesive tape lose its
grip the same process is used on the
doors
standard PVA woodglue is used to adhere
the walls to the main structure to help
hold the walls as they draw it i used
three different methods firstly I used
strong neodymium magnets this works
really well because you can get good
even pressure on all corners of the wall
by using multiple magnets another method
was using the Buckman adjustable
magnetic clamps and lastly you can also
use pegs to hold the wall pieces as they
dry
painting a realistic deck is much easier
than it seems this technique works for
any type of deck whether it's a wood kit
individual pieces of strip wood or even
a styrene deck it starts with three base
colors sand yellow ivory sand and light
brown those three colors are painted on
randomly across each board do your best
to try and avoid introducing any
patterns when spacing out the different
colors I even leave some completely
white boards in between as well so
altogether there are four different
colors of boards that span the deck to
blend it all together and give you that
realistic look I thinned down some burnt
umber and lightly apply it through the
airbrush over the entire deck I keep
adding the burnt umber color using the
airbrush until I achieve the desired
darkness and then it's left to dry
the kit comes with strip wood for adding
trim around the building whenever I work
with strip wood I always gently pass the
strip's through some steel wool this
removes any light fuzz from the wood
giving it a much nicer finish once the
trim is painted it is glued into the
corners and along some of the seams
below the wall sections to hide the
joins in the wood
now that the deck is dry I attach it
with PVA wood glue
one of the major changes I made to this
model was the roof
it comes with a wooden roof and some
paper to make a tarpaper roof however I
wanted to give the model a corrugated
iron roof this was easy enough to do by
simply cutting out pieces of styrene
metal siding to match the laser-cut wood
pieces
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a fair bit of trimming and sanding was
needed to make the roof sections fit
perfectly even though I tried my best to
get the parts to match the original
laser-cut sections that came with the
kit the slight differences was enough to
require additional tweaking getting the
pitch of the roof perfect is a breeze
with the Bachmann adjustable magnetic
clamps I adjust the angle so it sits
flush with the top of the walls section
and tighten the locking nut I'm sure I
could have done it without the magnetic
clamps but they certainly made the job
much faster and more accurate each
section of roof is carefully aligned and
taped using some masking tape to ensure
that it doesn't shift when gluing
plastic cement is used to glue the
styrene
together and the roof bracing is also
glued in place to improve structural
integrity while the separate roof
sections are drying I finish assembling
the veranda the railing is very fragile
so just be sure to treat it with care
the blue tape helps hold the pieces in
place as I attach the top rail the thin
pieces of plywood are 0.7 millimeters
thick and act as spacers so the bottom
edge of the rail sits just above the top
of the deck
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now back to the roof to attach the roof
sections together so it becomes one
complete piece I first fit the roof
sections on to the model then with them
all in place some thin plastic cement is
applied down each joint once it has a
good bond I apply additional thick
plastic cement to further strengthen the
bond between all the pieces I also don't
forget to add the capping along the peak
of the roof using 0.8 8 millimeter rock
that fits in the groove where the two
roof sections meet and 0.25 by 1.5
millimeter strips on each side of the
roof any large gaps are filled in with
pieces of styrene roof cut to size and
these smaller gaps I filled in with
plastic putty lastly I add gutters using
some angled styrene
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depending on how accurately you cut the
hole for the chimney you may need to
sand it back in order for it to fit
painting the roof was a two-step process
firstly some Vallejo silver was used
followed by a light coat of off-white
to add a subtle effect showing the
corrugated panels you can cut a
rectangle into a piece of paper and hold
this over specific areas of the roof
before applying some of the off-white
from one corner this brings out
individual panels and if you're modeling
an old roof you can add some rust colors
using this same technique the chimney
also needs painting step one was a
liberal base coat of light brown once
dry and mahogany Brown was dry brushed
over the top to bring out the brick
detail and finally some dull coat was
applied to prevent the paint from
scratching I found the white metal
castings are easily scratched revealing
the silver base if they are not sealed
with a lacquer to further detail the
house I printed some small hecho scale
details using the any cubic Foton resin
3d printer this printer is absolutely
amazing when it comes to printing tiny
yet very highly detailed 3d printed
objects most of the objects that are
used here were downloaded from
Thingiverse and scaled accordingly to
sue de hecho scale model
just be careful removing the resin
prints from its base as the resin is
very brittle once cured and it's easy to
chip the corners of the model painting
is pretty straightforward
simply Prime the model and then as
carefully as you can do your best paint
job as most of these details will be
inside the house I wasn't too worried
about them being absolutely perfect
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the floors are painted to resemble
colors that you might find in the
mid-eighties so salmon and beige are
ideal the details are attached using
detail tech from micro mark this is a
glue that will remain tacky and after a
while if you want to remove the details
I simply pull them free and it won't
damage the model the glue is applied and
left to dry clear before placing the
items inside the house lighting is added
using three millimeter LEDs it's a
little fiddly but basically holes are
drilled for the wires and a skewer is
used as a mounting arm at the top of
each room the LEDs are wired together
and fitted and glued onto each of the
skewers all of the LED wires are then
connected and threaded at the bottom of
the house I tested the LEDs using the
woodland cynics light hub
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the main structure of the diorama is
made using expanded polystyrene the main
layout is traced onto the foam and once
happy I cut the shape out using the hot
knife tool from the hot wire foam
Factory a sharp knife also works but the
hot wire tools definitely make the job
much faster easier and much more
accurate all up I cut enough foam pieces
to build up the diorama to approximately
18 centimeters tall
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all of the pieces are glued together
using styro goo it's important to use a
glue like starry goo for this step
because later after it has dried I'll be
making additional cuts into the foam
with the hot wire cutter and styro goo
is easy to cut through once dry when I
start shaping the edges of the model I
placed the house on top so I get a
better idea of how big some of the cuts
and overhangs are in terms of scale I
slowly work my way around the model
creating cracks falling rock ledges and
overhangs don't be too worried about
making mistakes as the edges will
eventually be covered in plaster and any
mistakes can be hidden later it's just a
matter of experimenting and being
creative plaster rocks are added for
extra detail these ones were sent to me
from NOK along with some other scenic
materials I'll be using later as well as
for future dioramas the cardboard
package on these rocks turns into
support for holding the molds once you
pour in the plaster it's a great idea
and makes pouring the rocks much easier
not get a big thumbs up for this little
feature
some knock modeling compound was used to
cast the rocks this stuff works great
however if you can't find this you can
also try some plaster from the woodland
Scenic's range or simply use some
plaster of Paris from an art store it's
very easy to mix roughly a three-to-one
ratio is used to create the thin mixture
and this is poured into each of the
molds
be sure to pre wet the molds to insure
the modeling compound flows right down
into all the small creases once the
plaster is being poured tapping the mold
or tapping the table helps any air
bubbles raise to the surface and also
helps the plaster reach all those tight
spots
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attaching the plaster rocks to the foam
base is done by mixing up some more of
the modeling compound and using it like
a glue
just be sure to pre-soak the rocks with
water to ensure good adhesion and the
mixture should be quite thick I test fit
each rock in its desired position prior
to attaching it with plaster just to
make sure it looks good
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to fill in all the areas between all of
the rocks say is sculptor mold just keep
working it onto the model until it's
completely covered
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I'm not too worried about getting it
completely smooth as this will be
covered in dirt later
before adding the dirt I had drilled out
the holes for the pipe that was 3d
printed using the any cubic photon 3d
printer all of the tiny exterior details
except for the car were made using the
3d printer
coloring the rocks is a simple two-step
process firstly I apply a Bassel gray
wash over the entire surface making sure
to leave no white spots
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second is Vallejo splinter camouflage
base that gets dry brushed over the
raised surfaces of the rocks and that's
it
the dirt that covers the diorama is
basically backyard soil I literally
walked right outside and scoop some up
I don't bother sifting out the large
pieces because I actually want some of
those larger pieces on the diorama I do
however remove any bits of leaves and
bark the dirt alone is too dark for the
model so I lighten it a little by adding
it some beige colored grout when the
glue is added the dirt will dry much
darker than when it was first applied
here you can see the difference between
before and after grout was added Vallejo
brown earth textured paint was used to
paint between the rocks it goes on quite
thick and has a lot of body which helps
the dirt press into the paint and stick
I only work in small sections at a time
so that I can tilt the model on its side
when applying the dirt I add the dirt in
quite thick layers across the paint
while it's wet
once all the pain is completely covered
I very gently rotate the model back onto
its base trying not to bump the model so
the built-up areas of dirt remain stuck
on to the sides the excess dirt is
collected and used on the following
sides but before adding more dirt I
spray the first layer we applied with
isopropyl alcohol and then once soaked I
apply some of my scenic glue which is
one part Mod Podge and three parts water
once the first layer has been sprayed I
then repeat the process around the rest
of the model now we can start on the top
of the diorama a template for the base
of the two structures is made with some
MDF to create a mask that will cover the
areas I don't want grass or dirt to be
applied
the dirt texture that covers the top
surface is a finely sifted dirt mixed at
a 50/50 ratio with beige colored grout
and it's applied through a stocking the
brown earth textured paint is used to
color the base and is only applied quite
thin
to help blend the edges between the
darker dirt and the lighter topsoil that
is about to be applied I lightly apply
some of the darker dirt around the edges
and while the paint is still wet the
finely sifted dirt and grout is
sprinkled over the top through the
stocking after about 30 minutes the
paint is dry and the excess dirt is
vacuumed away
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cement pavers are created with some 0.5
millimeter thick strip styrene cut into
roughly a square shape I used a light
primer grey for the cement color and
stick them to the model with helm are
super tack adhesive in previous
tutorials you've seen me use my homemade
static grass applicator however for this
build I'm using the noch grass master at
2.0 the people over at noch sent this to
me with a range of their static grass
and static grass glued to TRAI and so
far I'm very happy with the results some
of the grass colors are a little bright
for what I wanted but the scattered
grass meadow is perfect for the lawn the
grass applicator hopper is filled with a
small amount of grass and put to the
side so it's ready to go
the grass is only 1.5 millimeters long
so I use the fine mesh screen on this
layer the static grass glue is applied
liberally to all the areas I want the
grass to stick I avoid getting any on
the cement pavers and to get in between
all the small gaps I use a smaller brush
the grass applicator is powered with a
9-volt battery
so there are no extra cords to get in
the way simply tip the applicator
upright and gently shake while holding
the applicator approximately three to
four centimeters above the surface
any excess grass is removed using a
vacuum cleaner and Stocking to collect
the excess grass for later use to
prevent the grass looking too uniform
I added some areas up longer 2.5
millimeter grass it's as easy as
applying the glue randomly on spots and
applying more grass using the applicator
it's amazing how much a subtle effect
makes a difference to the overall scene
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to firmly hold the fibers in place a
small amount of isopropyl alcohol is
applied followed by a light misting of
the scenic blue it's only a very light
coat from the top down once the glue is
dry add additional detail is added to
the grass by airbrushing some Vallejo
beige to small patches indicating drier
patches of grass
with a quick test fit of the house and
garage you can see how much of a
difference adding the grass makes to the
overall scene the fence is scratch built
using 0.7 millimeter thick birch plywood
it's cut into strips using the micro
mark duplicate it at an appropriate
thickness for a fence panel
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each strip is then cut to make the fence
panel using the micro mark chop it to
color each section of strip wood that
makes up the fence structure I use a
black dye mixed with isopropyl alcohol
the pieces are briefly dipped into the
dye mixture and dried on a paper towel
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once you know the length of the section
you're building I trace a template onto
the paper to act as a guide the paper is
very lightly sprayed with a spray
adhesive and then the fence panels are
placed one by one until the desired
length is achieved
the cross-section pieces are glued onto
the panels and once dry the fence can be
peeled free from the paper
the top surface of the diorama is quite
soft so I can simply press the upright
posts into the surface when I'm happy
with their positioning I glue them in so
they are permanent
the rest of the fence can then be glued
onto these upright posts
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the damaged sections of fence are
individually constructed and built in
place there's a bit of trial and error
involved in testing what looks good and
what doesn't
Azrael model trains in Adelaide where I
hosted a number of scenery clinics have
their own range of scenery supplies cold
all scale Scenic's I've decided to use
some of their corn stalks on the back
section of the diorama
but I first add some ground-up leaves
and bark to add a bit of texture and
Colour to the ground where the corn
stalks will be placed it too gets glued
in place with some scenic glue the corn
can be glued and pressed into position
but for the tough spots you can drill a
small hole in order to press the stalks
into the ground
along the front porch I'm using some
sunflowers
now glued in just the same way as the
corn I placed the house so I can
visually see wage some flower will look
best and for a bit of extra color
I added some flowers that I demonstrated
in a previous video along the front as
well
the last item I'm using from all scale
scenic so these tomato bushes a couple
of these will look perfect along the
side of the house
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after creating the hole so the wire for
the LEDs can make it through to the
bottom of the diorama I quickly touch up
the edges so no white will show once the
house is in position I can now thread
the wire through the diorama and glue
the house and garage permanently to the
base
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now I can start to add all those tiny
details I printed using the 3d printer
the chain for the swing is a forty links
page chain and it gets weathered using
ferric chloride and then glued on to the
frame with some superglue
a piece of fence panel was used as the
seat
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the driveway gets weathered using yellow
ocher pestle along the wheel tracks on
the bottom of the car I attached a small
rod so I compress and glue it onto the
diorama to make a base for the model I
used three millimeter plywood and cut it
to shape next I glued the plywood onto
some foam using polyurethane glue once
the glue was dry I used a hot knife to
remove the excess foam and gave it a
quick sand then line to the edges with
some 0.8 millimetre plywood I initially
used some clamps to hold the plywood
however I found the base was small
enough and I used a bunch of rubber
bands on the other pieces once dry any
overhanging plywood is sanded back and
gaps are filled using some wood glue and
sawdust I would have used proper gap
filler however I just run out but the
wood glue and sawdust seem to get the
job done the hole for the LED is
carefully marked and drilled out
additionally the hole for the switch is
also cut out prior to painting
the cavity that will house the batteries
and wires running between the components
are all cut out as well and then the
base is painted the color I'm using is a
rust-oleum charcoal
because the model is quite heavy due to
all the plaster I want to add internal
support so the model won't break away
from the base to do this I draw four
small holes and once the model is in
place I'll insert dowel rods into the
base of the model with additional glue I
complete as much wiring as I can now
before attaching the model to the base
like wiring the resistors and the switch
Starro GU works well as the initial
layer of glue it does a good job of
bonding both the plywood and the
polystyrene together
the dowel rod has a point on one end to
make it easier to push into the foam and
small grooves are cut along its length
to improve the ability for the glue to
make a permanent bond the hot knife is
first used to bar a hole into the foam
and then the dowel is coated in
polyurethane glue and then inserted the
polyurethane glue expands quite a lot so
once the glue is fully expanded and set
those dowel rods aren't going anywhere
and the model will stay firmly attached
to the base now all we need to do is
complete the rest of the wiring and add
a couple of extra details like some
water dripping from the pipes as well as
a TV erial a letterbox and I can't
forget to add one of my gum trees the
step-by-step process for making one of
these trees is shown in one of my
previous videos called terrific trees
for a little bit of extra flair I also
add some roots coming out from the lower
layers of the soil these are some actual
roots from weeds I plucked in the garden
I dried them in the oven for about an
hour before attaching them to the
scenery all these tiny hecho scale
details I'm using on the outside they're
mostly made using Tinkercad and printed
on the any cubic Foton resin 3d printer
if you'd like to download the STL files
and have a go at making some of these
awesome details including the clothes
line for yourself you can visit Boulder
Creek railroad comm and you'll find all
the files in the download sections and
now the model is complete I hope you
enjoyed watching this tutorial and maybe
you picked up a tip or technique that
you too can apply to your remodeling
projects in the future if you're
enjoying these tutorials I would like to
help support the channel you can check
out patreon.com/crashcourse
Cheers and thanks for watching