papasmurf Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 A client from London, sent me this already built LM 16 inch J2, to modify, and turn into a "Crash" Diorama a few months back. A relatively simple project, requiring a sculpted base, made of lightweight material, and special lighting effects inside the crashed J2. The dimensions were close to 2 feet by 2 feet, and it was a very dark theme, but still interesting. Hull ruptures, with fiber optic effects imbedded in circuit boards from various gadgets, to simulate exposed internal works on the J2. A randomized flashing light burst effect, to simulate intenal instruments gone "haywire", and a lighted, blown airlock door area, with a filter that looked very close to a smoke filled interior with the rear lighting on. The Base was made with sculpted foam, then covered in Bondo jelly material, looked very much like rock. Real Lava rocks were used to accent this "desert" motif, and sand and landslide effects were pronounced on the upper outer Hull, to complete the overall look of the J2 crashed into a mountain cliff. Here's a few images of this unique project, as I usually get requests for "pristine" versions, and in this case was told to make a "wrecked" one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonL Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Wow - that is just too cool. Nice work, especially the 'burned metal' re-entry effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papasmurf Posted April 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Wow - that is just too cool. Nice work, especially the 'burned metal' re-entry effect. Thanks! It was a project that was a bit "different" than my usual routine, so it was a bit of fun. Client really liked it, and that's what matters most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewahl Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Getting into the story of the scene, this was one very lucky pilot and crew. A moving fragile ship colliding with an immoveable stone cliff ususally loses that encounter; the cliff wins! To avoid massive structural damage to 60% of the hull and the corresponding interior and severe injuries to the crew, the ship would have been moving very slowly as it impacted, wedged, and partially buried itself in broken cliff rock. Any faster and the laws of momentum and inertia dictate there would only be shredded hull pieces the size of a handkerchief littered all over the base of the cliff. [Remember: The airliner that hit the Pentagon on 9/11/01 was reduced to unrecognizeable debris in a very short distance.] This is yet another example of "any landing is a good landing if you can walk away from it." Away from the story, this is still a great scene. I'm glad the client liked it. You did mention this is the Lunar Models vacuform kit, which in itself is a separate construction story. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montgomery Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Nice! Don't tell anyone but I also dabble in HO scale trains and have found that the scenery building skills carrry over to the modeling world nicely. I often use "BBQ brickettes" for rockface, especially volcanic type scenes. Not the charcoal...but there are rocks that act as heat transmitters for BBQ pits...can't think of what they are called.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papasmurf Posted April 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Well, thankfully, the LM J2 was already built, I simply added exterior details, and internal lighting circuits. A little "slice & dice" work to get the desired effect. I use natural rock and crystals in several of my dioramas. If your looking for a "real life" visual effect, use real materials when possible. Aquarium shops are great for natural rock, and simulated plants, for modeling diorama accents. Living near the beach here, I often use sand and epoxy, to create different textures for various applications. This is merely the desires of the client, not pure science I realize. An alien world may have a different resistance or density than ours, perhaps the J2 would have survived in such a way. I build displays per customer specs, not my place to argue wth their wants or "vision", of a desired display. But I agree with your perspective on such a crash scenario, spot on there. It was a more "fun" project, than serious reproduction work, somewhat whimsical and a bit dark. Heck, I just build them to order, a little artistic liberty enters in the creation process, you get my concept....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeH Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Great handy work! The lighting and effects set it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papasmurf Posted April 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Thanks Mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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