If you’ve ever wanted to build a realistic diorama and actually have vehicles and bicycle riders moving along the road then this video is a must see!

You can download the 3D printer files to recreate these scenes from my website:
https://www.bouldercreekrailroad.com/youtube-videos/build-animate-an-ultra-realistic-diorama-realistic-scenery-vol-16

In this video I’ll show you every step I took to create this fantastic diorama, including the building, working road with vehicles and bike riders and all the tiny details that fill the scene. It’s all there.

The Magnorail is the main feature of this diorama and this particular starter kit was sent to me from Clyde at Magnorail Oz.

Using the Faller car system is not always the easiest way to get era specific cars running as the size of the car is limited to what battery and motor will fit, the magnorail can work with any vehicle from O scale down to N and possibly Z scale.

The main limitation is vehicles that are too big as weight can be an issue if there are any inclines for big vehicles larger than O scale.
Check out http://www.MagnorailOz.com.au

Some of the details I use have their own dedicated tutorials and I only briefly describe the process in this video, for a more detailed description you can find the additional YouTube tutorials here:

Chain Link Fence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_guMOYoCpw

Photo Etching:
https://youtu.be/EJsBZWqrN-g

3D printing using the Anycubic Photon:
https://youtu.be/1tnDItw0ZLc

DIY Static Grass Applicator:
https://youtu.be/ZO1jrUL_PLU

DIY paint shaker:
https://youtu.be/rqA083rCgTs

Hot Wire Foam Cutter:
https://youtu.be/3GWzHb4Hd8Y

3D printer files, for those of you interested in printing the files I use in this project you’ll find them on my website, just be aware that I used an Anycubic Photon to print these files which is a very high detail resin printer, trying to print these files with an FDM 3D printer and not a resin 3D printer will very likely give a less than desirable result.


A little story for people who actually read the description… thank you 

On the day I was taking photos it was pouring down with rain, I was waiting all morning for a break in the weather and when it did come I had about 45 minutes to get the shots, in the final shot 2 shots of the video you can see the rain coming over the hills, about 2 minutes after those shots it started pouring down again.

I would have liked to get better photos before finishing this video but due to the tropical cyclone nearby it was making it very difficult. When the weather eventually passes and we get some decent weather I’ll take some extra footage and post it onto the website.

The music used was downloaded from Epidemic sound.

Time Stamps:

Building the Corner Store – 00:30

Corrugated Iron Roof – 03:46

Store Interior Details – 06:50

Large Tissue Paper Sign – 09:00

Detailing the Roof – 11:03

Diorama Base – 13:10

Making the Road with Operating Vehicles – 14:00

Footpath and Gutters Part 1 – 19:30

Footpath and Gutters Part 2 – 22:24

Landforming – 20:36

Painting and Weathering the Road – 25:01

Road Lines and Markings – 26:33

Ground Cover – 28:24

Static Grass and Ground Foams – 32:03

Street Details & Construction Sight – 34:46

Power Poles – 36:45

Setting a Tree on FIRE – 39:04

Adding Water to the Drainage Ditch – 43:06

Power Line Wires – 44:50

End Shots – 45:16