The diorama for Coppola's film "Apocalypse Now" was created about twenty years ago based on stills from the film taken from a VHS tape using a VCR...
The GTS resin used at that time remained slightly sticky due to an incorrect mixture ratio back then...
... This drawback made it easier to remove the pieces. An old hand saw was used to cut through the plaster and resin horizontally beneath the jungle and preserve the main base. As for the various boats, they were saved...
The new support is in place: a 3-centimeter-thick sheet of extruded polystyrene...
Testing the placement of the various elements. In the meantime, the jungle colors were retouched with an airbrush.....
The main component is attached to the panel with wood glue...
Here, we're not going to use a new clear resin—since the boat hulls are damaged—but rather filler to recreate the river water...
Protect the edges of the diorama and pour the first layer to form the entire riverbank. Add gravel using a strainer...
A second layer is poured over the entire panel...
Then, we thicken it again by applying a coat to the right side, where the "PBR" will be placed...
The plaster covers the entire surface...
Place the various pieces into the fresh plaster...
Then, we sculpt the ripples caused by the boats and the river into the plaster, which doesn't start to harden until about an hour later...
Details...
A completed panoramic view of the water...
Diorama Accessories
The Vietnamese boats were "refurbished" before being reinserted into the set...
The hero's "PBR." Some parts were reattached and repainted. The antennas were redone...
Four close-up photos of the ship...
Water
The riverbanks and the river's various hues are painted with acrylic paint from tubes...
Next come two coats of varnish—first satin, then glossy...
Three photos showing the water's surface...
The Setting
A 1/100-scale "Huey"—a remnant of the old diorama—is placed in the jungle...
A closer look at the vegetation: here, a banana tree with leaves shaped like bird feathers...
The same one, surrounded by coconut palms...
Coconut palms: mimosa for the branches and pharmaceutical gauze cut into narrow strips, wrapped around and glued to a shrub branch to form the trunk...
The old back panel, painted with acrylic, is also restored before being glued on...
Just a small detail: Agent Orange is being sprayed in clouds over the vegetation...
