As promised in 'Coming Soon' here she is...

This is the story of yet another diorama from long ago, thirty years ago to be specific. I have always had a life long love of Sci-Fi and this effort was my second tribute to our heroes of the Falkland’s War, the first being the actual battle diorama of Mount Harriet.
This time however I made a desert scene set on an alien world with the brave boys of No.42 Star Commando of His/Her Majesty’s Royal Space Marines defending their trenches against a Reptilian Storm trooper assault.
The first photo, I’m ashamed to admit, is my old workroom, which was built into the end of the family garage all those years ago. It was a lovely retreat and the birthplace of many models over the years including my very first wooden ship the “Grimsby”. Eventually the old roof developed a leak and I was forced to evacuate to a new, drier workshop which was built up in the house attic after it had been loft insulated as part of my parent’s wall and loft insulating and brand new gas boiler courtesy of the government’s warm front scheme for senior citizens!
The leaky roof was fixed some years ago but due to the room filling up with years of accumulated ‘stuff’ I never managed to get back in there to clear it out. Last week I finally did get back in, not through the door, which is still blocked by my old mopeds and God knows what else but through the back window (after much effort!)
I can’t believe what I found in there! Not only enough 1/700 Tamiya, Hasagawa and Matchbox ship kits to more than double the size of my finished collection (including the Mighty Hood which I can’t ever remember buying!) but also many 1/144 scale aircraft, Airwolf and Blue Thunder helicopters an Airfix Pan Am Space Clipper from 2001, 90mm white metal ancients figures, a plastic kit of the Sovereign of the Seas (another one I can’t remember!) and probably another twenty five assorted kits of all shapes and sizes, some still with boxes and instructions, and some whose boxes have been converted into mouse nests!
More on them later when I get back in to make a full inventory but the one I did know was out there and wanted to retrieve was this diorama which is arrowed in the first photo.
I will go into fuller detail as to the construction of the scene later, I want to try and continue with it at some stage, after all, after thirty years of waiting there are all sorts of scenic accessories available now which didn’t exist back then and I’ll definitely be adding some ‘deserty’ foliage to give some extra interest to the base work at some time. Basically, the base was made of polystyrene, layered over with a skin of Pollyfilla with beach sand spray glued on top and the whole thing airbrushed in various shades of sand and brown.
The figures come from three sources, The Brits are plastic Citadel ‘multipose’ Space Marines and Imperial Infantry and the Reptilians are white metal miniatures from the local Model Shop (long before it became Antics). The third source was a pack of standard Milliput epoxy putty which was used to sculpt the dead reptile on the ground. All the figures were painted (I think) with early Citadel acrylics but it was so long ago I can’t really be sure of that now. The reptiles were brush painted, the Marines were airbrushed which means I’m also going to have to try and find the airbrush if I’m going to add any more figures (if it still works even!).
Anyway, like I said, I’ll write up a better description of the actual making of the diorama some time soon, until then, here she is in all her unfinished thirty year old glory.
The moral of this intro is: ALWAYS make a cover for all your dioramas, you never know how long they might need one!!

See you soon, Robin

PS Ac cu mu lated IS spelt correctly in my origial text, it's that wonky filter thingy again!

Aw! I love that! Well done Jase!

Fantastic, love the rocket in flight effect, glad its getting a new lease of life, too good to spend all those years hidden away.
Steve