by Ken Hart
1/700 WWII IJN Sub Base (Various)
My diorama of a WWII Imperial Japanese Navy submarine base diorama, built in 1986. It measures 22"x30". The water was made by using a sheet of clear water-glass found at any stained glass shop - the flat underside was painted with a few coats of high-gloss enamel paint, which also acts to adhere the glass to the base board. Model railroad shops are the diorama builder's treasure troves. Loren Perry's Gold Medal Models products, as well as several other after-market items, are enormous aids. Stretched sprue makes for the best rigging, pier lines, etc. No detail is too small. It is, after all, attention to all the many small details that makes a diorama. A plexiglass dustcover should be procured before the work even begins, to protect the display during the building and ever afterward. Poor lighting and bad camera work will destroy any model work presentation. Research, determination, and attention are paramount to any successful display. Sharing our work with other modelers is its own reward.
The Dio includes kits from Hasegawa, Fujimi, Aoshima, Skywave/Pit Road, Tamiya, plus various model railroad odds & ends, kitbashing, and lots of scratchbuilding.
