American sci-fi comic books from the 1940s and 1950s featured colorful covers that always depicted astronauts or heroines battling aliens, each one more outlandish than the last. That’s where the idea for a diorama depicting them came from...
The scene depicts a cosmonaut who has just stepped out of his rocket onto Mars (thanks, Bradbury!) and discovers the local population as he turns a corner in a hallway...
A diorama that doesn't cost much to make. The figure's torso is a toy, its legs come from another lead figure that was cut up, and it has a reshaped Verlinden head...
A few details, pieces, and accessories are added to the outfit...
Painting
After applying a coat of white primer, paint the head using artists' oil paints, then paint the costume—in this case, using Humbrol paint—with two shades of red to add a bit of shading, followed by dry-brushing...
Next, painting the various props, staying true to the bright colors of the comics from that era...
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Once the painting is complete, the figure is given an umber wash to add more shading to the overall model, and the helmet's visor is given a coat of Klir...
The "Martians" are beautiful and came... from a garage sale. After sanding the joints and filling them, they'll get a coat of primer...
Puis peinture à l'huile Winsor & Newton...
The final result...
The Setting
Then we build with parts from the surplus box...
The scenery is painted with Humbrol Blue 65 and Gray 123 for shading, while the ground is painted with Liquitex acrylic paint. These neutral tones allow the characters to stand out in color and catch the eye, since they are the main subject—not the background, which would be too distracting if it were painted in bright colors...
