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Good Playsets / Dioramas / Backdrops for minis?

display playset diorama

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#1 RobToka

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Posted 30 July 2020 - 04:43 PM

So, after hunting around a bit, it feels like display backdrops tend to either be for larger figures or tiny gaming miniatures. Nothing quite right for your standard Little Rubber Guy. Sure, I've seen some clever repurposing of those old army men/ dinosaur rock cave scenes. But, that's not quite versatile enough for every collection.

I'm trying to design a cool display for my Trash Bag Bunch, w/o cluttering the shelf and distracting from the figures themselves. I have 2 clear acrylic pyramid shelves at each end, which works pretty well. And also discovered that the old Mcfarlane Toys Alleyway Playset from the Spawn movie is a really good scale for TBB. Not that TBB are even much in scale with each other, but it's a good average. Though, the rest of the Mcfarlane Playsets (including those from the Monster line) don't really fit in obviously.

Attached File  TBB_shelf_WIP.png   1.1MB   43 downloads

 

So, can anyone think of any other small playsets around that size that feature things like sewers, concrete, piping, warehouse, mechanical equipment, or other junk along those lines?

I'm finding a lot of stuff from this "Extreme Sets" brand of cardboard backdrops. However, they are a little too gritty/detailed for my tastes (At least to pair w/ something like TBB). Also, the scale seems geared towards 6" figures. Anyone have any experience with their products or size reference photos?


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#2 Draznar

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Posted 30 July 2020 - 05:24 PM

Have you seen the vintage TMNT sewer playset? It's meant for the old TMNT so it isn't overly big for these guys. Kinda hits all the nails on the head, I think!

I'd also recommend grabbing some wood and some piping from your local hardware store. You could probably build something basic and possibly better for less.


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#3 RobToka

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Posted 30 July 2020 - 06:16 PM

Have you seen the vintage TMNT sewer playset? It's meant for the old TMNT so it isn't overly big for these guys. Kinda hits all the nails on the head, I think!

I'd also recommend grabbing some wood and some piping from your local hardware store. You could probably build something basic and possibly better for less.


It totally has the right look! And it is something I already own. However, it falls into the "overpowering" category. Which is even my fear about making something custom: that it might just be kind of A LOT, since the figures are already pretty cluttered in this shelf as it is. I think the photo I attached failed to upload? I can't see it. But, it's not that big a shelf. Certainly not big enough to proportionately fit that sewer set.

I do appreciate the tip though. While searching (and knowing that particular item would be a common result) I was surprised how many NEWER sewer playsets there have been since that original! That original playmates Sewer and the Technodrome are still perhaps my most "played with" playsets of all time  :lol: 

Currently I'm thinking about some of these ground tiles from Extreme Sets. Just very basic textures, might act a little more like negative space. 1 tile is about the size I need too: 12" deep 23½" wide. The shelf is currently like a fake cherry wood and looks awful against these dudes. Just make it all concrete I guess!

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#4 Draznar

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Posted 31 July 2020 - 04:23 PM

I think that is probably a better option for you, given what you've mentioned.

The picture did upload, but it kinda looks like a panoramic shot and it's hard to tell the actual space.


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#5 RobToka

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Posted 01 August 2020 - 04:21 AM

I think that is probably a better option for you, given what you've mentioned.

The picture did upload, but it kinda looks like a panoramic shot and it's hard to tell the actual space.


Sorry, didn't mean to make that confusing with the pano. Yeah, it's not a huge shelf, and a full set of Trash Bag Bunch series 1 + some of series 2 takes up more space than I imagined. 

My only issue with the Extreme Sets Ground Pack is how much there is. I only need probably 2 of the 10 tiles the pack includes. Also, still would like to find some photos of that specific texture pack in-action. But, haven't run across any. 


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#6 bronchuseven

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Posted 01 August 2020 - 06:27 AM

Check out the McFarlane toys Walking Dead building sets - they are small dioramas that would make great urban backdrops. I forgot which LRG member photographs them but I've seen some great pics.
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#7 bronchuseven

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Posted 01 August 2020 - 06:42 AM

Wolves-Assembled.png?zoom=2

It was Riduyeru, as seen on nerditis.com

https://nerditis.com...dead-mcfarlane/
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#8 RobToka

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Posted 02 August 2020 - 04:28 PM

Check out the McFarlane toys Walking Dead building sets - they are small dioramas that would make great urban backdrops. I forgot which LRG member photographs them but I've seen some great pics.

 

Ohhhhh! Great tip. I def ignore TWD and Mcfarlane stuff, so I didn't know about these at ALL.

There are some great possibilities, like this boiler room.Attached File  boiler_room.jpg   173.42K   2 downloads


However, just trying to keep the environmental deco more "peripheral" to the figures, this fence might be perfect! Attached File  Prison-Fence.jpg   93.29K   2 downloads

Thanks again!


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#9 RobToka

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Posted 03 August 2020 - 06:26 PM

Wow, just realized I totally F**KED up. And somehow put this thread under "Toy Identification". Sorry mods. Feel free to delete thread if necessary. I'll try to do better.


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#10 BaltanII

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Posted 04 August 2020 - 09:35 AM

You can just request a move, no need for anything that drastic.


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#11 RobToka

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Posted 04 August 2020 - 05:35 PM

You can just request a move, no need for anything that drastic.

 

Thanks for the tip! I'll give that a try.

I still don't quite understand how I managed to do this. Maybe b/c I was getting ready to post that little mummy ID thread, but couldn't find the photos, and left this web tab open until i could finish it. Then, just thought I had made a new tab with the proper location for this comment about backdrops.

I'll give the mods a plea.


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#12 fuzzbuster

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Posted 05 August 2020 - 07:53 AM

I considered moving this thread to the Art/Custom section, but since you are asking about existing play sets that could be used for diorama purposes it really can be considered an ID request in the broader sense of the term. I think this thread is fine where it is, and there is definitely no need to delete anything.

 

Back to the subject at hand, my own personal experience with custom dioramas falls mostly into the realm of M.U.S.C.L.E. and similarly sized figures. Typically I have found that items within the 1:41-1:32 range are the right scale for figures that stand at roughly 1.75 inches tall. Scale determinations may vary between manufacturers, so you have to experiment and compare a bit. For M.U.S.C.L.E.-sized figures, 1:35 is generally the sweet spot for objects and buildings, while vehicles might need a slightly larger scale to look more natural, scale-wise.

 

I am not too familiar with Trash Bag Bunch so I cannot say that such scales would match for certain, but if not you can use the same calculations to determine which scale would likely work best for you. Basically, granting that your figure would be 6 feet tall in real life, multiply it's represented height by 12 to get the height in inches. Then take that number and divide it by the figure's actual height in inches to get your scale.

 

For example, figuring out scale for a 1.75" figure would look like this: 6 X 12 ÷ 1.75 = 41.something. This would put the figure in the approximately 1:41 scale. Again, results may vary between manufacturers, but it gives you a rough idea of the size you are looking to match.

 

Also, here is an article that might be helpful in resizing printed backgrounds to the scale you seek: https://finescale.co..._for_scales.pdf


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#13 bronchuseven

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Posted 28 July 2021 - 08:59 AM

I was just browsing BBTS and found some interesting dioramas/backdrops
https://www.bigbadto...ProductType=299
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#14 Czarcher

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Posted 28 July 2021 - 11:57 AM

I was just browsing BBTS and found some interesting dioramas/backdrops
https://www.bigbadto...ProductType=299

Pretty cool! Some of those could be used for certain minis. Isn't 1/12 scale for 6 inch figures?

Edited by Czarcher, 28 July 2021 - 01:51 PM.

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#15 bronchuseven

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Posted 28 July 2021 - 08:10 PM

Yeah good point - these may be a bit large for LRGs.
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