Lost in Vietnam diorama in scale 1/35. Part 2.

As already written, the Buddha is a reference Verlinden, and included the small base step. The crypt and the rest of the building work, were instead self-built with bricks made by pouring ceramic plaster, in sophisticated wooden molds, styrene and other precious materials .
The realization of these molds was one of the hardest parts of the entire project, hence the risk of dropping out was high, to eat a pound of ice cream , to obtain what is necessary, it is an hard matter, and only modelers with large liver and a steel stomach, could have win the challenge !

The ceramic chalk is great to do this kind of work, because, when still not dry, chip very convincingly, representing very well the ancient stones and, when it hardens it is really rock hard. In the photo below, it has already undergone a preliminary wash with very thinned acrylic, just to understand, approximately, the aspect that they will have when painted.

The ground was made of DAS, small natural roots and woods, have been pressed in, before it dries up. A very light wash of white glue well diluted, preceded the laying of the "cappuccino", a mixture of used coffee from my coffee machine, water and again white glue. Small stone of different grain, have been laid over before it dried.
Italo was responsible for the coloring of the ancient wall, the crypt and statue, I airbrushed the ground, using Tamiya acrylics of earthy tones, followed by a dark brown oil wash and a Dry-brush with Humbrol enamel, brick color.

Initially I was planning to plant a bonsai, but realizing that it would be problematic to require organizers of model contest, regularly water the diorama, I decided to scratch build the biggest tree with inert materials: pieces of sprue, covered with green Milliput. The upper part of the tree have been made in in Zekum. Very well thinned white glue was sprayed with an old airbrush and then Noch leaves of two different colors, were let fall on the tree, air spray have been also used to better fix the leaves (please don't say to my wife!). The lianas climb along the trunk and fall from the higher branches have been made with a natural product Joe-Fix Studio and covered with the same Noch Leaves used for the tree. Below you can see my 2012 Christmas tree.

Even the palm has been scratch build: leaves cut from printer paper with a core of steel wire, bonded with Superglue, trunk made by a strip of balsa wood, section strictly square (pure masochism), cover with DAS. A little plumbing hemp, to simulate "fluff" between the leaves. Important: watch photos of real palm trees, in order to give a convincing posture to the leaves, without falling into the typical symmetry of aircraft modeller, who see everything perfectly square! All colored with Gunze and Tamiya acrylic.

To create most of the other vegetables, I used Kamizukuri laser cut papers leaves, plant and grass.

The water, about 1 cm deep, have been made with Prochima resin, mixed with a bit of Slate Gray (which is a greenish gray) and Natural Wood Humbrol, casted in three layers at a distance of a few days. To reach every smaller space between water grass, I used a plastic siring, more than adequate for this task. Unfortunately I could not yet tell if there is a method to prevent the resin being drawn up, by capillary action, between the aquatic herbs.

And finally 3 of the 4 infantrymen painted by Italo arrived!
Maybe the M-60 resin Ammo are oversized, but I prefer them, to PE ones, which appear to flat.

September 2013, 14 month. 800 hours after the start, finally finished.

I would like to thanks, first of all, my wife Jana, after this experience she will never get a house with a garden. I had enough gardening!
Italo Feregotto for his advice about colors, lights and shades, and figure painting.
All the modeler had the patient to read this article, up to this point, without falling asleep.
Myself, that with the excuse of the crypt arc, I had the opportunity to eat ½ kilogram of ice cream alone.
Cheers from Udine, Italy,
Roberto Colaianni

11 additional images. Click to enlarge.