The Art Of The Storyboard Diorama

[JohnReid]

Sergio is the fellow with the hat and white shirt standing by the rear door next to the light.I don't know from which of his movies this pic comes from but it looks like one of his westerns that he was so famous for.
My closed set will be quite different as the diorama will depict an old abandoned movie set with no figures except for maybe a ghost or two.(every old western set needs one).

The HO train cars on the piece of round plywood is the basic design so far.The caboose with the cardboard roof will be the station from the opening scene of the movie.The locomotive will be pretty much as you see here except it will be a prop.
The green boxcar will actually be a closed set passenger car in the diorama.Somewhere in the scene I plan to put an old directors chair with Sergio written on the back.

Originally I was going to do this piece as a set from the film.I have since changed my mind actually I now plan to make it a long abandoned set from that era.I really enjoy making things look old and weathered (like me) and I think that it will add some emotion to the piece.Sergio died at 60 at the height of his artistic abilities and I want to honor that sense of loss of a man that still had so much more to give.

[JohnReid]

Well I guess that I might as pick up where I left off building the locomotive as a prop to be used in the movie set.You will remember that I am using "The General" kit as my starting point and I am now adapting it to look like a movie prop.There is lots of nice detail to work with here and it is an eye-saving 1/25 scale.
This is my first RR diorama and my first attempt at building a scale model locomotive so please if you see that I am going down a wrong path I would appreciate it if you more experienced builders would advise me.I have run electric(yes we had electricity way back then, LOL) trains on and off for 65 years now but never had this building opportunity before.
I can't remember exactly what my first train was but it was back in Toronto just after dad returned from overseas about 1945 .I do remember him saying though before one of his flights "Don't leave it plugged in too long you will burn out the transformer"Well he wasn't gone long and I proceeded to do just that.It became a push train after that.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

This is my first locomotive build so it is taking me a lot longer than it normally would with an airplane build where I pretty much know where everything goes.The sand box cover and the steam dome came already painted brass but I didn't like it.Too shiny and it needed cleaning up of the flash along the seam lines.I stripped the old paint off,softly sanded them,scrubbed them clean and then applied gold paint which is close enough to a brass color for now.Later when I weather the whole thing I will adjust it as required.
The running boards are gray in color and will likewise be weathered later.My final step on any model that is not meant to be handled a lot is the use of pastels.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I hope you guys don't mind my continuing to post here now that I am into a locomotive storyboard diorama, although there were ships that used steam propulsion too !

[JohnReid]

I have mixed opinions about this kit.The accuracy I cannot vouch for one way or another because I simply do not know enough about locomotives of this era.
The quality however shows its age.The main problems are the type of plastic used and the molds.The plastic is of a type that makes it very difficult to remove the all too present flash.Normally I like to do this with a sharp Xacto or some gentle sanding.This is a type of plastic that does not sand well as it is too soft.The larger parts are OK but the small parts are very difficult to work with and break very easily.I have spent a lot of time on repairs.The brass parts all require that the paint be removed, the flash removed ,and then repainted with acrylics.Nothing looks worse than seem lines on shiny brass.The acrylics do not stick to the surface very well and must be lightly sanded,then washed and undercoated with gesso before the final finish is applied.
If I was doing this as a stand alone model as a new shiny example of a new locomotive of this era I would have to do a lot of scratch building.For what I am using it for as an old rusty and weathered piece it is adequate for my purposes and should look pretty good when finished properly.
The plastic kit making industry has come a long way since this kit was manufactured especially in aircraft modeling in 1/32 scale.The new kits have perfect fits and almost build themselves but as an old time modeler I find that just painting someone else work can be a little boring.I enjoy a challenge and have the time to spend rebuilding stuff whereas most modelers today don't want to invest that much of their free time scratchbuilding.
In todays fast paced world it is quite understandable.
We are living in the golden era of the kit but it wouldn't last long as they are too expensive for kids now and the old now have the money but are just getting older.In the end our hobby will survive as man has always been fascinated by model making throughout the ages. Maybe scratchbuilding will make a comeback but with a lot fewer modelers doing it though.

[Cadman]

I hope you guys don't mind my continuing to post here now that I am into a locomotive storyboard diorama, although there were ships that used steam propulsion too !

Not at all. I am a model RR'er so I will really enjoy this. Also the techniques are somewhat universal and can help others in all modeling venues. Please carry on.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Thank you for being so open minded about this ,Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Here is a pic of the great director himself in action on the set of Once upon a time......It is taken near the cab of a Spanish locomotive in Spain, by Angelo Novi Sergio's personal stills photographer.
My locomotive will be a little different and is actually closer to the real thing in design.I have chosen to build a fake locomotive and use it as a prop as was commonly done back in earlier times.My General will be a shell built of wood and tin and depicted sitting on a track waiting for the actors return which never came.
Although I don't believe it ever happened in this case, props were often built after the main movie was shot and used in re-takes.It was a lot less expensive this way.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I am just starting the interior sheathing of the forward cab wall using coffee stir stiks.This is a long procedure of cut and fit,cut and fit,filing around windows etc....These boards will be painted a weathered green .
I have continued to dull the brass using a very thin wash of raw umber either brushed on or sprayed using the old toothbrush method.
The exterior of the cab will be painted a weathered orange to look like a well faded red color and then worked over with pastels.This diorama represents a long abandoned movie set.

[JohnReid]

Ya know this kit would make a nice boiler for a 1/24 stream driven ship model.I am sure that a lot of the bells and whistles would be about the same.

[JohnReid]

[Cadman]

Ya know this kit would make a nice boiler for a 1/24 stream driven ship model.I am sure that a lot of the bells and whistles would be about the same.

agreed. That would make for an interesting build. But how would you display it to take advantage of the interior detailing? Scrapping, engine refit or just a cutaway?

[JohnReid]

Hi ! I have seen some very early steamboats that look just like this, out in the open with a wood cabin but a much shorter boiler.Instead of wheels of course you would have a wooden hull.Some were direct drive to a propeller or geared drive to a paddle wheel.I have a few ideas if your interested.

[JohnReid]