1940 Auto Repair Shop Interior by FriedClams - Finished - Diorama in 1:87

[Keith Black]

 Gary's dioramas are relatable. I've never set foot on an 18th/19th century ship but I have been in that garage. 

 

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by Keith Black

[mtaylor]

Beyond amazing work, Gary.   As pointed out, this is a relatable world for many of us.  

[Jack12477]

I agree with what others have said above, especially Egilman's comment. I've really enjoyed following along. Great workmanship ! 

[Egilman]

3 hours ago, Keith Black said:

.... I've never set foot on an 18th/19th century ship but I have been in that garage. 

 

 

127 Hanover St Meriden CT... Been in that shop many many times...

[Canute]

I agree "best in show". Outstanding work. 👍

[Cathead]

Very late to this party but just have to add my awe and thanks for sharing this. It's giving me some inspiration for future projects.

[druxey]

Fabulous grunging work! But now don't the brick walls look a little too clean? Or are they yet to be dirtied? Your diorama is a pleasure to look at.

[mtaylor]

4 hours ago, druxey said:

Fabulous grunging work! But now don't the brick walls look a little too clean? Or are they yet to be dirtied? Your diorama is a pleasure to look at.

Maybe the kid who hangs around the garage was offered a dollar or so to grab the pressure washer and hose down the shop?

[Keith Black]

36 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

the kid who hangs around the garage

 Short kid, bout inch tall, freckles, name Lochie. He's OK but his mother is a bit flighty. 

[mtaylor]

37 minutes ago, Keith Black said:

 Short kid, bout inch tall, freckles, name Lochie. He's OK but his mother is a bit flighty. 

I think we both know that kid.

[Mark Pearse]

Hi Gary

 

Very enjoyable to follow along, & an especially lovely result.

 

Could you explain the 1:87 scale?

 

thanks

[Egilman]

12 hours ago, Mark Pearse said:

.... Could you explain the 1:87 scale?

 

HO = 1/87 most common Model Railroading scale

[FriedClams]

Greetings fellow modelers and thanks so much for the wonderful and generous comments - I do appreciate it.

 

On 12/3/2021 at 10:50 AM, Cathead said:

Very late to this party but just have to add my awe and thanks for sharing this. It's giving me some inspiration for future projects.

Thanks Eric and I'm glad you found my small build.  I'm pleased it has given you some ideas for future projects.

 

On 12/3/2021 at 11:53 AM, druxey said:

Fabulous grunging work! But now don't the brick walls look a little too clean? Or are they yet to be dirtied?

Hello Druxey.  Yes, the walls do look a bit too clean now and I might darken them around the bench especially.  But first I want to get the interior lights going and see it as a completed whole before deciding what, if any more dirtying needs to be done.  Thanks for stopping by.

 

On 12/5/2021 at 4:08 PM, Mark Pearse said:

Could you explain the 1:87 scale?

Hi Mark.  As Egilman has stated, 1:87 is what model railroaders call HO scale and is the most popular scale for that hobby.  Although I'm not a railroad modeler, I do model in HO often to take advantage of the detail items that are available in this scale.  The brick wall blanks, the figures, injection molded window frames and the 29 Ford kit are the items that made the diorama easier to build and more pleasurable.  All these items could of course be scratched, but I wouldn't enjoy the process and if I were intent on scratching everything, I would choose a larger scale - like 1:48 or 1:35.  So 1:87 is a good scale to scratch what is interesting or unavailable and buy detail parts for items that are tedious or that someone else has already done better.  Hope that answers your question.

 

 

So, I'm waiting for a couple of latching push button switches to be delivered to complete the diorama.  I hope to show you the final result soon.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Gary   

[FriedClams]

Greetings fellow modelers.

 

The last item to finish on this diorama is the exterior (through the windows) lighting and the wiring. 

A styrene bracket overhangs the end of the building and LEDs are glued to the underside.

 

 

 

There are four warm white 5050 diodes and a single 0805.  The 0805 fills in the area above the door.

 

 

 

This model is a lot like real estate – it looks OK until you walk around back.

 

The black smeared all over the seams is a PVA and acrylic paint mixture and keeps the light from shining through the cracks.  In fact, I've painted the back side of the thin plastic door with the goo to prevent it from glowing as the bright light makes it almost translucent.

 

 

 

Originally I had intended on using an industrial/commercial scene, but decided instead on an image with colors that would feel more like a sunny day and contrast with the drab interior.  The scene also needed to be a subject that could be wrapped 90 degrees through the corner which would be difficult to do with close up buildings.  The line-of-sight created by the window positioning necessitates this continuous scene because it allows for viewing positions where the side wall and the back wall can be seen at the same time through a single window.  So two separate scenes (one out the rear window and one out the side) can't be used.

 

The trimmed-to-fit image is attached to the side wall and the back gets folded in after the dio module is inserted.  The flare of the lower portion of the photo keeps the viewer from seeing the inside bottom of the shadowbox.  The red wire along with an identical one on the bottom holds the dio in place up tight within the face frame inset.

 

 

 

Two latching push buttons are recessed into the bottom - one for the interior and one for the exterior. This recess gives me the option to set the shadowbox down on a horizontal surface if I chose not to wall hang it. 

 

 

 

The lighting is controlled in 3 main groups with each group having its own PWM (Pulse Width Modulator), so I can adjust their light levels up or down if need be.  The groups are the 5  exterior lights, four pendant lights and two mezzanine lights.  The bench light and pit light are separate with a fixed output.

Here is the final result.  None of the images are focus stacked and the star-like rays coming from the lights are due to the use of a wide angle lens, a very small aperture and long exposure times in attempt to gain the greatest depth of field.  Also, they are not HDR composites although I did open up the shadows in software on some of the images which gives them an HDRish look.

 

 

All lights on.

 

 

 

Interior lights only.

 

 

Exterior only.

 

All

 

Interior only.

 

 

Exterior only.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all for stopping to take a look and for the likes.  And I especially want to thank everyone who left comments.  Your encouragement, suggestions and input made this a better model than it otherwise would have been – and much more enjoyable as well.   Thank you so much.

   

Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

[Jack12477]

Absolutely outstanding diorama,  Gary.  👍👍👍👍👍 

[wefalck]

That's for a change a real diorama in the true sense of the word and not just a scenic display on a base-board !

 

The close-up photographs let you forget how small it is in reality - one only realises it on the last picture.

 

The lighting inside and outside looks very convincing.

[Veszett Roka]

No words Gary. Absolutely spectacular! i had to look onto any of my HO scale car to imagine how tiny those details are. Marvelous!

[Danstream]

I am still looking for my jaw which dropped when I saw these pictures and in particular the last one with your spectacles. Fantastic result, moreover, it was also greatly entertaining to follow step by step your build. Each combination of lightning conveys a different mood and I cannot decide which one I prefer.

Cannot imagine what would be next,

congratulations,

Dan.

[Egilman]

SOMEONE HAS TO DO SOMETHING!!!!       This has to go in the gallery...  WE need a section for the art of modeling...

 

A Michaelangelo in plastic.... can't say it any better than that...

 

Virtuoso my friend virtuoso.... One of the finest pieces of modeling I've ever seen...

[Keith Black]

 It makes me laugh, it makes me smile, it makes me think back to times when I watched my Dad (who I thought was God) making or repairing whatever at his bench. That same sense of awe sweeps over me, Gary. Thank you. 

[gjdale]

Just stunning Gary. As others have noted, it is only when one sees the last photo with your glasses next to it, that the scale can be truly appreciated. Bravo Sir!

[Roger Pellett]

Wonderful, Gary!

[TBlack]

It's beautiful work, and fun to watch you put it together. But now what happens to this work of art?

Tom

[druxey]

Gary: your model is an absolute gem! Such impressive work at that scale. Terrific!

 

I'm looking forward to your next creation.

[Old Collingwood]

Amazing work    and the scale  - mind bogling.

 

OC.

[ccoyle]

Wow! Your close-up shots have been hiding the fact of your diorama's small size -- all the more amazing, considering how much detail you have packed into it. Well done!

[Keith Black]

 Is anyone else suspicious about the size of Gary's eyeglasses? 

 

[Edwardkenway]

Speechless 😲😲😳

[gsdpic]

Wonderful work, just amazing.

 

I was also thinking, it is commonly expressed on this forum (including by me) that taking close up photos of our models reveals the small mistakes and smudges, scratches, dents, paint chips and so on.  You, sir, seem to be immune to this phenomenon.  Well done.

[Canute]

Gary, this quite the performance. Bravissimo! 👍👍👍👍👍