WIP: Rally Legends Garage Diorama

[allwheeldrift]

Hi All,

My name is Chris. I just joined and posted earlier today in the "real name
and age" forum in which I included a little about myself and a couple pics
of my long-term project. As a long-time rally fan, I originally started buying
up the Tamiya Rally kits when Makinen retired, then again when Richard
Burns passed away, and I just kept going from there. Before I knew it, I had
enough cars to fill a garage so, not having a garage, I decided to build one.

The pictures below portray a mock-up which, at a scale area of 3,500
sqft, turns out to be too small for my ultimate goal so, the final scale area
will increasing to about 5,000 sqft (30"x40"). The structure will be made
entirely of wood and will feature electric lights, hinged doors and roof,
and I'm wondering about the best way to do the roll-up doors but they're a
long way off. I'm hoping someone here will have some suggestions. I'd like
to do small electric motors and chains, if possible. You know, flip a switch
and the lights come on, flip another and a door rolls up.

The cars currently "in house" are as follow:

Richard Burns, 2001 Subaru, Rally GB
(winner of the rally and the WRC driver's championship)
Richard Burns, 2002 Peugeot 206 (#1), Rally Corsica
Richard Burns, 2003 Peugeot 206, Rally Monte Carlo
Collin McRae, 2001 Ford Focus, Rally Monte Carlo
Markko Martin, 2003 Ford Focus, Rally Finland winner (not pictured)
Tommi Makinen, 1999 Mitsubishi Evo VII (#1),
Hans Stuck, 1977 BMW 320i Grp 5, Jagermeister Livery
Bjorn Waldegaard, 1979 Ford Escort RS1800, Lombard RAC Rally
("Restoration in progress" of first "official" WRC champion's car)

Also represented will be: Carlos Sainz's 1993 Celica, Petter Solberg's 2004
Subaru (Rally japan) and a Seb Loeb Citroen, if I can find one. I'm
considering the Subaru and Citroen kits which include a rally car plus the
service truck and trailer. This is the only 1/24 contemporary WRC Citroen
I've been able to find but $100 is pretty steep.

Additional classics will include: a Lancia Stratos, Michèle Mouton's 1982 Audi
Quattro, Renault Group B, Alpine Renault, and we can't forget the Mini or a
few other "must haves".

I also ride motorcycles so, of course nothing less than a 1954 Vincent Black
Shadow would do for a shop bike. This is a die-cast piece that I will
weather/age accordingly.

I expect to be working on this project for the next 12-18 months and will
update the thread as progress dictates, which will most likely be once or
twice a month. I encourage your comments and feedback as I'm always
open for better (more efficient/better looking) ways to do things. I have
endless patience and will re-do a piece until I'm happy with it. I also have a
Unimat lathe which I will use to make shocks or anything else that seems
worth the effort. If anyone is familiar with these old lathes, feel free to PM
me for info exchange.


All the best!

C.




This is the first set of pics I took. I'll post the next group separately.




























"This site has gone _0_ days without a job-related injury."









The Subaru is much further along but I need to re-paint the body as it's far too dark


And finally, the latest edition (apologies for the poor image)





Thanks for looking! I'll get the next set up over the weekend the weekend.


Cheers!

[AustinMartin]

Wow! Very excited to see how this build progresses!

[ajrichar]

This is a very ambitious but exciting project. please keep us updated with plenty of progress pics! It will be a 'WRC Legends Rally Museum' type of thing when finished.

[mrawl]

Wow, what a concept! It looks like Griot's Garage just needs that barn door or whatever he has up there...

[endac]

Looks really good, nice collection of cars and great idea for a project.

[allwheeldrift]

Thank you for the kind comments and words of encouragement! I'll do my
best to keep you informed, if not entertained, as I progress. I tend to work
in fits and spurts but I am also determined (read: "stubborn") and will
eventually finish it (or close enough to call it so).

The work some of you do here (and we all know who you are) is truly world
class, if not down-right phenomenal! I should make clear up front that I
aspire to no such level of realism. For one, it's simply not in the budget but,
and perhaps more importantly, I do this simply because I enjoy it (I'm not
beyond taking artistic liberties, as you may have noticed) but also to honor
my passion for an amazing "sport", and those who make it happen.

I try to work to the best of my ability, if not occasionally beyond, but also
remain aware of when I've reached my point of diminishing return. Besides,
I prefer to let people hold my models so I try not to invest too much time nor
get too attached. I have many other "hobbies" as well so I have to budget
time and money accordingly. I'm happy to share what little I know and
always looking out for more effective and efficient ways to build so please
feel free to ask any questions, make any observations, or
suggestions/recommendations (additional cars, kit sources) as you'd like.

This large set of pic's is more recent than the last, though still not quite current.
I'll get caught up one of these days but until then, and without further ado...




The boys have been busy...







The lift finally came in...







"Power is nothing without control"










"I'm on the outside, looking in..."











Actually doesn't look too bad with the dark paint and slammed to the ground - Formula D!






Of course, we see what has everyone's attention...


















The camera picked up the spots on the face but I can't see 'em in normal light w/20-20! I have these five to finish, and about ten more.















"If fate should break my stride, I'll give you my Vincent to ride..."












That exhaust has got to go!












The show must go on...








Somebody's got to pay the bills...












Looks like that Subaru trans has seen better days...

















For my fellow fans of fine German hardware...





















Hans is psyched about the new lift! Wait until he finds out two more are coming...







oh, to hear her roar....






That's it for now!

[allwheeldrift]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks again for all the encouragement. I had a chance to do a little work
and snap a few pics. I'm working this weekend but will hopefully post some
more next week.

The boys needed a few fixtures so we broke out the raw materials. The
shop also saw the addition (finally) of Martin and Park's 2003 Rally Finland
winner and a Testor's metal car trailer (already undergoing modification). I
apologize in advance for the first shot (hand-held w/flash ) but it shows
all the vehicles etc. in place. I promise better pics next week.

I also made a decision on my next build, which you'll see at the end
(assuming you start here).


Cheers!



Let's see, which one should we load on the trailer today?





Some new additions to the shop





The table looks big because it is. Scale size is 4'x8' and will eventually
recreate a solid steel welding table similar to one I once used. 1" plate steel
surface, 4" square tube frame, and and expanded mesh steel shelf from
leg-to-leg. It had 1,000lb casters and could barely be moved by one
person. We estimated it's weight at well over 1000lbs, if not closer to 2000.





When I get short on time, I make stuff like this. I found 1/24 wood palettes
on that auction site for $3ea! (and, if I may say, not half as good
looking). I may have to go into production...

The piece of brake ducting on the bench was scratch-built using a tutorial I
may have found on AF. It's just wire wrapped around a rod (like the springs)
then covered with teflon tape. The shaped styrene rods are prototype
exhaust pipes for the 320





The palette is pretty straight forward...






The stairs take a little more time...





The trailer is nice and heavy, but far too shiny. I tried a little wash on it but
I'm not convinced. It wasn't built five minutes and I lost the foot for the
jack Of course, now I need something to tow it...





A little short on styrene so we went for the small race box (with tire rack)
for now. Probably enclose the whole thing at some point.





And finally, the next build! I've decided to start this while I strip the Subaru
and sort out my plan for it. I'm a big Evo fan so the choice was easy.






That's it for now, thanks for viewing! Comments, questions, suggestions are always welcome.



.

[Dingo1]

Man, Chris that is great work well done and I hope it's finished soon. I know where there's a garage just like that near where I live in Adelaide, Australia but instead of it being full of rally cars which I like as well it's full of V8 race & drag cars.

Dingo

[allwheeldrift]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the kind words, Dingo. This is a long-term project that will take
at least a year or two. The current building is just a temporary mock-up and
too small for my final goals. As you'll see from the latest pics, a scale shop
tends to fill up with "stuff" just as quickly as the real thing.

Well, it's pouring rain so I decided to take a break, get caught up on some
photos, and dive into the next build.

I've recently acquired an airbrush and plan to use it extensively from now
on so, any advice in that area would be most welcome. I just need to get
everything set up and practice a little more then I should be off and
running. I'll just say here that painting isn't my favorite part of modeling so I
tend to "batch process" as much as possible. I'll spend a number of sessions
prepping as many parts as I can manage then prime them all at once. Then
sort it all into color groups and go at it again. Right now, I'm mostly
prepping and scratch-building but I hope to have the airbrush set up and
parts ready to prime in the next week or two.

A little more about my build style. My primary production modes are:
research and design; scratch-building; prep and alteration of molded pieces;
primer and paint; and finally decals. I bounce around regularly though I do
tend to build in the following order: engine; chassis; running gear; interior;
other additions/modifications; and finish with the body and decals. Saving
the body until last allows time to consider any changes/improvements to it
or the rest of the model and prevents the body and/or decals from being
damaged while the rest of the model is completed.

Two of the things that got me re-ignited about models were SPEED
channel's WRC coverage in the early 2000's and the potential for reference
photos on the Web. Of course, the only good one I have been able to find
of the current project is included below so, if you happen to have others, or
could point me in the direction of some, I would be eternally grateful.

As for recent progress, pretty much just the scratch-built stuff (structure,
palette, stairs, bench, table, trailer box) and the very beginnings of the
current build. The Evo body and parts are very clean (thanks Tamiya!) and
will require minimal work so I dove right in on the suspension mod's. The
wheel-wells will be red so, while probably not "correct", I'll go with white
springs for contrast. Everything else will most likely be as is, but you never
know.

Thanks again for your encouragement and enthusiasm for this project. As
always, questions, comments, and suggestions welcome.



Cheers!



Some exterior shots of the "finished" prototype structure











The panel to the left opens to reveal the bathroom etc but I spaced getting a shot





Open sez me!





All our ducks in a row...











The shop bike has her new pipes, though they seem a little big...








Nice to have that stuff off the floor...





No more climbing the walls...





And some more new fixtures...





She's got a few miles...





More ducks in a row...





And the next "victim"...








You can see the template for the stairs and some extra (tarmac) parts from the kit to the right.








"Shocking"... apologies for the washed out pic but hopefully you get the idea.





OK, I know these aren't the best pics but it's late and the light is marginal at best. Hope you enjoyed them anyway!


Cheers!
.





.

[Dingo1]

Chris, this has inspired me to build a dio I have sitting waiting to be done please tell me what is U'r walls made of as this is the only thing stopping me, U'rs looks like a kind of plastic packing card of some sort.

Dingo

[endac]

This is really taking shape nicely, I'd love to do something similar if i had enough space.

[allwheeldrift]

Wow! I'm flattered! Thanks for the kind words and enthusiasm!

Dingo1:The walls are made of what is essentially styrene(?) cardboard. I found it at a local art supply in 20"x30" sheets for about US$5. It has "embossed" lines where the internal structural elements meet the outer sheets, cuts easily with a hobby knife, and glues with styrene cement. The only downside is it's translucency but otherwise, it's a great medium.

The "roof" is just foam-core art board and the base is a piece of 3/4" plywood (I had laying around) covered with contact (shelf) paper. The final structure will be made mostly of wood and will have a floor of individually laid "tiles". The exterior walls will be framed and covered and the roof framed and trussed like a 1:1 structure. Interior walls will be 3/16 ply. This is just one of many reasons why it's going to take me a year or more to complete this project.

endac: One way to deal with the size is an approach I'm considering which is to split it into two parts. This layout is about 20"x35"x11" (about the size of a large suitcase) but I want more room for enclosed space, cars, and figures. The obvious, simple solution is another layout that's the same size, or a little smaller.

As previously mentioned, this is a long-term project so I have plenty of time to consider options. This structure is merely a proof-of-concept effort and visualization tool so, from this point on, most of my time will be devoted to finishing the cars and various fixtures etc. which will go into the final structure.

Thanks again for all the interest and enthusiasm for the project. I'll try to get more pics up in the next week or two.


Cheers!

[Dingo1]

Chris, Thanks for the info ont he walls, this is going to make my diorama a whole heap cheaper than my first idea for material. Although mine will be a lot bigger (not in overall size but in use of models as I have a 1/24th scale ariel crane that I plan to use as part of the contruction of the dio. Man I can't wait to see this finished and I know it's a 2 year project for U but boy it's tweaked my interest. dingo

[blwnrtr93]

i think one of the names for the wall material is coroplast, or something similar to that. we used it as a backing material to thin metals when cutting them on a water-jet, when i worked at a job shop.

[Dingo1]

Thanks Chris, late last night while I was working on one of my cardstock models I thought of the materail which I was going to use for my diorama and it is called "MDF" it is a very dense wood made of compacted wood shavings, glue and water but when you cut it, it doesn't crumble like chipboard, we actually use it to make speaker enlosures and it's very good for that but for my model work it would end up too heavy. Thanls again Chris U've been a great help.

Dingo