1:72 From the Ashes [Diorama Base]

The From the Ashes base for a 1:72 diorama

A shaped board that a model is stood straight onto, this time on the theme of a burned-out site. It deals with the most laborious part of every scene, namely the terrain: the surface, the outlines of the rubble and the variation in relief are finished and what is left for the modeler is painting, placing and small details. In 1:72, moreover, a surprising amount can be told in a small area, because a vehicle and an aircraft will fit here at once.

A burned-out site as a theme

Ash and charred remains are a motif that can give a scene gravity without a single figure. It refers to the burned-out villages of the eastern front, to cities after air raids and to retreating units that left land without a roof behind them. In a smaller scale, on top of that, the overall image of destruction stands out more than detail does, so this base suits modelers who want to make an impression with composition and mood, not with a count of rivets.

Finishing the surface of the base

Start with a dark base and only then lay lighter ash onto it with a dry brush; the opposite procedure looks floury. Draw charred wood out with gray on the edges and black in the hollows, and complete metal remains with rust. The contrast of a single living feature works superbly: a green shoot, a piece of colored cloth or an undamaged window. At the end, unite the surface with dust pigment, so that the model and the base belong together and do not come across as two separate things.

Who the base suits

• modelers of equipment and aircraft in 1:72
• those interested in a quick step from a model to a scene
• competition tableaux with a dramatic subject
• everyone who does not want to build terrain from nothing