I attached the extension to Africa

I made a stand and attached the extension to the original piece of the African rock pool diorama. Here are a few photos from different view and a few close ups of a few areas of the diorama.

Here are two views of as much of the diorama as I could get
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Here are some shots of different sections, first the zebra herd, then the thorn bush along with some of the aloe, and finally the cycads and a dragon plant that I got from Danny a long time ago
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Looks fantastic Phil

Impressive pics Phil It is like a bonzaï, while looking through your diorama and your spirit begins to dream and to walk around : A very fine journey indeed !

Come back on earth Kiki ! IMHO the two small palm or cycad are not as good as the other plants now. What do you think ?

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[ quote = " Kikimalou "] IMHO the two small palm or cycad are not as good as the other plants now. What do you think?
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The cycads look good when they are looked at individually, but in the diorama they seem out of place. Central and south Africa have so many different habitats, from tropical forest to dry mountain deserts, the cycads come from wetter savanna and forest habitats and my diorama is a dry savanna. I have them over by the rock pool, because that is the only place where there is water available to them, but still I have to say they look too green and "tropical" to be on this diorama. As far as not looking as good as the other plants, go back to the photos of them when they are not in a natural setting and they look so much better. They are not on the diorama all of the time, I just put them there for photos, after putting them around the diorama in different places to try to find a spot for them I decided that they didn't fit, but still I made them so I took some photos of them while they were there.

that's amazing! the size have been expand.

Your diorama looks really great, wonderful and fantastic Sand, rocks, trees, plants, animals and new size-everything is just great!

[quote="Philter4"]I made a stand and attached the extension to the original piece of the African rock pool diorama. Here are a few photos from different view and a few close ups of a few areas of the diorama.

Here are two views of as much of the diorama as I could get


...Wow!!! It,s fantastic Phil!!! It,s example and standard for me!

Phil, it looks absolutely amazing. I love it. The plants and animals look great together along with all the landscape. Congratulations on such a great accomplishment.

Simply wonderful!!!
By the way, as I can see, you've axed away all your Schleich trees from the diorama. Is it really so? Or just a temporary arrangement?

[ quote = " Kiryuha "] Simply wonderful !
By the way , as I can see , you've axed away all your Schleich trees from the diorama . Is it really so? Or just a temporary arrangement ? [/ quote]

Kiryuha , I did get rid of all of the Schleich trees, I have traded them or sold all of them to other collectors. I have still bought several trees from Danny, but I am making a lot of trees and bushed myself. If you look I have made 9 different trees, none as big as the banyon or acacia trees from Danny, in fact I have an even bigger acacia coming from Danny soon.

My problem with bigger trees is I can't fit the trunk into the oven I have so my biggest tree can only be about 10 inches tall, any taller and it doesn't fit in the oven so I can't harden the clay. If you look at the Indian diorama or this one the trees are spaced around the diorama, and there are many bushes that I have made, some like the early ones I bought and others with clay branches and are treelike but smaller and with more foliage.

Phil,

I had not checked the forum for a couple of days, but it is a nice surprice to see this pictures, i love them, the angles in the first two pictures that show the complete diorama (complete to us, not to you, God only know what you have in mind :) ) those are fantastic, love it, the section with all the trees, the rockwork, Ana's fantastic models, it is really really really good.

If i might put in my two cents, i completely agree with Kiki, the two cycads look a little out of place, the species is not the problem, but they take away from the realism (i'm sure you know that), the other point would be the black leopard in one of the Acasia trees, it is out of place in many ways, (there is no record of a black leopard ever been spotted in an African Savana, they are mainly found in Southeast Asia, something else i'm sure you know) also the quality and scale is completely off when placed next to Ana's fantastic work, and even some of the Schleich's best pieces like the zebras.

But that is just asking complete perfection, because the incredible work and detail you have placed here is the best i have seen in any African Diorama. BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU

Thanks everyone for your compliments and comments. On the cycads, they look much better when they are not in among all of the other plants. For some reason they look much more tropical tnen the ones from the dryer African I may put them as background plants in the Indian diorama, there are several species from there that I cold use.

On the leopard a friend has on from east Africa. She is about 5 yrs ols and becomminmg very aggressive so she is now in the same situation I was when my leopard got older and more aggressive, it itook a lot to care for her and she had to be isolated. Leopards are not very social once they mature so there is none that make very good pets. At some point I am going to have a custom one made for the tree, it will have a kill, maybe a small impala or other smaller antelope, and a couple of hyena trying to get up into the tree and take the kill away from her. I have had this idea for as long as the original diorama idea.

Absolutely gorgeous. I wish I could do something like this, at least half of this wonderful diorama!

This is an absolute phenomenal work. I salute you!

This is fantastic!! i really love your wonderful diorama Phil!!!

I am glad everyone likes it and even though it has only been 2-1/2 months it is so different from these photos. I have moved the water hole to the other side of the diorama, added several smaller acacia type trees and the umbrella acacia, and put some quiver trees up on the rocks in the back corner. The original idea was a savanna edge with some scrub trees at one side, now it is a scrub forest with a kopji and some elephant grass, but I am really pleased with the layout right now and as soon as all of the animals are finished it will be even better.

I am sure it will be fantastic!

it looks really amazing

These are the most amazing scenes I have ever seen, unreal that you've made most of this and then put it all together. I hope you would make some tutorials on how to make dioramas one day, that grass, the base, rocks, trees, everything. I love it!

smokecombs wrote:

These are the most amazing scenes I have ever seen, unreal that you've made most of this and then put it all together. I hope you would make some tutorials on how to make dioramas one day, that grass, the base, rocks, trees, everything. I love it!

I have done a couple of tutorials, one we recently done on how to make a tree, here is the link:
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COOL!!!!!! Very very good!!!!!!!!!!

Philter4 wrote:

smokecombs wrote:

These are the most amazing scenes I have ever seen, unreal that you've made most of this and then put it all together. I hope you would make some tutorials on how to make dioramas one day, that grass, the base, rocks, trees, everything. I love it!

I have done a couple of tutorials, one we recently done on how to make a tree, here is the link:
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Thank you, Philter, you are a great artist!

New to this forum, I am sniffing around old posts to learn what i can and came across this thread.
Philter, this is amazing! Have you posted more recent pictures? Please?!

That's an awesome extension