Welcome To The Jungle

As Operation Rapier started to transform into a Dio-story, the first thing that became quite apparent to me, was that I needed to learn how to build a Jungle Diorama. Nearly half of the story takes place in the jungle and what's worse is that each scene required a unique jungle background. First I looked into model train accessories and came up empty handed due to lack of scaled supplies. Next was the idea to use actual outdoor scenes, however living in New York City, would have made this very hard. In the end I'm glad that I didn't settle for either of these techniques since the end product looks much better than I had ever hoped to achieve with them.

The idea came from my wife, who in her professional life is a childrens wear designer and all around artsy kind of gal. Well, one trip to an Arts N' Crafts store and some time spent hunting around in a park near my home and I had created my first scene (featured in Chapter 2). Below is a small description of what I used and how it all comes together.

First and foremost is the base upon which you build. An old table works very well, just make sure it's old enough that you don't mind never using it for anything but a Dio-ramma ever again. Next you need three or four pieces of wood which you want to line the top edges of the table with, (You are basically looking to create a frame around the top of the table) you're doing this so you can create something that will resemble a sand box. Now take some plastic, a trash bag works well, and line the table with it. Nail through the wood pieces and plastic into the top of the table, two nails per side should do just fine. Fill this with dry potting soil and allow the dirt to sit (so that it can dry as much as possible) for at least a week. In a sense you have created a habitat for growing plants, which you could do when you're not making Dio-stories.

* On a side note, another thing I tried and had luck with (at first) was to use the foam that they sell at nurseries, the stuff used to create flower arrangements. Line the bottom of the table with this foam before pouring in the dirt. The reason I did not continue to do this throughout Rapier, is that the foam breaks up after the second or third use and needs to be replaced. I found it easier and cheaper to do without in the long run.

A perfect jungle scene can be found in almost any Arts N' Crafts store. At least an entire aisle, if not more, will be dedicated to arrangements just like these. Simply pick the ones that look best for the scene you're trying to create. They usually come in large bushels like the ones shown, however you can use a wire cutter (Wire cutter because these actually have a durable metal wire running through the inside), and clip single leaves from the group. You can also leave them as they are for background foliage.

Luckily for me, Operation Rapier took place in an African Rain Forest, which allowed me to use oversized looking plants while still maintaining a real life effect.

Stones from any Garden or nearby park can easily be used for a Jungle DIO. Just don't go too crazy looking for a highly detailed rock, the less detail the better in this case because you'll start to see much more detail when you're focusing in with a camera.

* Keep in mind that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes here. Many times foliage is being held in place by wrenches and hammers that are strategically out of sight. Anything heavy comes in very handy, so stock up on the rocks.

Vines are another easy to find item. While you're at your Arts N' Crafts store looking for leaves and foliage, you can probably also find yourself some vines. These should come packaged in three to five foot rolls and can be cut using regular scissors. Vines are great for lining rocks, hanging from above or becuase they are very flexible and strong at the same time, used to secure leaves to trees as seen in the next picture.

Now the jungle scene starts to come together as you add a simple twig from a nearby park or your back yard. Following the steps I had been referring to before, I've taken leaves from the bushels in the first shot and vines from the third, along with a twig and created what looks to any DIO reader like a tree. The stones from the second shot can easily be used to hold these tress in place.



* Remember to keep vantage points in mind, although this may just look like a twig with some leaves and vines wrapped around at this angle, if this were to be taken at a straight angle with figures placing the tree in scale, it would look quite impressive.



* Don't let all of this scare you away, the items that these Arts N' Crafts stores sell, are made for people to use in this fashion. The leaves are meant for arrangements, just like the vines and the moss (as scene below).

One of the final touches and a very handy item is Moss. You can use it as brushes, you can fill in gaps in your background or just throw it in hear and there for a little extra added color. Although it doesn't perfectly resemble anything in scale to the figures, it looks perfect as background and camouflage.

The greatest thing about building these sets, is that once you start, more and more ideas and challenges begin to present themselves. Before you know it, you will have built things that you never thought possible.

The two examples below can be seen in Chapter 7. Click either of the photos to get there and see them in use.