The Art Of The Storyboard Diorama

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Here is what I am planning so far.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Such a simple solution I don't know why I never thought of it before.A RR station has been built over a coach sitting on a sideline track (spur line?)using whatever materials happened to be at hand.Why ? who knows !, but that is not what is important to our story.
To say the least the station is very crudely built of old weathered siding with RR ties for a platform.It could have been built on one of Hollywood's backlots expressly for this purpose or it could have been just a found location.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I was wondering has anyone here had a problem with allergies and super glue ? I have had some problems in the past with the fumes but lately it seems to be getting worse.I am very careful about exiting the fumes outdoors but just handling the stuff now seems to be a problem and of course there is always some fume residue lurking around.I have been using it for years but lately the symptoms seem to be getting more troublesome with even some skin reactions involved.Filters and masks don't work either.

I love my hobby but I don't want to croak because of it.

Is there a good substitute for ca ? something that sets up quickly but is not too toxic ?

[JohnReid]

You know this is actually a great little kit but it did test my patience at times.Most of the problems are with the instructions and the hard to read identification #'s of the parts on their sprues.In a kit of this size and complexity I wonder how many ever actually got finished.I know mine had been started years ago by someone else and I picked it up for the price of the postage.If the manufacturers had put a little more money into the actual kit and less in marketing a nice box ,it would have been money well spent.It makes me wonder how many potential modelers have lost their interest in building due to this problem.I know that if I hadn't of had lots of prior experience mine would probably be still in the box in the cupboard too.

[Cadman]

I have always wanted to get one, but never did. I don't think I have seen very many of them finished. But then most of us are more collector than modeler. I think in this case many would rather spend their money on a ready to run version.

[JohnReid]

I am sure that you are right Timothy but it was lots of fun just the same.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I have been fooling around a bit with the camera trying to find interesting angles for future shots.This layout/diorama has a lot of possibilities for telling various stories about the old west.I would especially like to see how close I can come to re-creating scenes from the movie "Once upon a time in the west".I have the movie and I am able to review it frame by frame and thereby learn first hand how Sergio created some of his work.He had a wonderful eye for composition and detail and was a perfectionist in his work.I can feel his influence there with me whenever I am looking through the eye of the camera.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Sergio Leone was famous for framing his shots using doors and windows either from the outside looking in or like in this shot, the inside looking out.It is a great technique for compositional purposes and one that I use often in my own work.

[JohnReid]

I build this locomotive as a movie prop and I am now faced with making it
look more like one.I really over built one side and am now faced with removing some stuff in order to have it better fit in with the storyline.It is time to call in the guys with the blowtorches.
The original idea was that it was to be a half model made of tin on a wood frame and set up as it would be on a movie lot.
In many ways it is hard to do this to such a beautiful design but the story must come first in my view.I have another General kit waiting to be built anyway and of course I will always have the pics.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The third part of my layout /diorama will be to build the luxury passenger car.(Morton's car in the movie) I plan to use finer hardwoods and leave in a few remnants of furniture and memorabilia from the era.It will be weathered as though it has sat in the backlot for some time.I will build it like a sound stage and probably not even put it on tracks except maybe near one of the car stairs where Claudia Cardinale first steps off the train to make her unforgettable grand entrance in the movie.This was the one and only Western movie ever written for a woman and I would like to recognize that fact in the diorama.