One of my favorite features to add in any model scene is water. Whenever I see a layout that has a water feature I'm always drawn towards it and from what I've observed on not only my YouTube channel but many others as well is that water effect tutorial videos tend to be much more popular than most others. 

For the next tutorial video I'll be building a small river scene. 

As part of the scene I've been doing a few test printing a small boat to include, so far the results have been fantastic and with a small amount of paint and a figure I think the scene will come out just how I'm planning.

With the boat loosely placed on one of my older dioramas and a figure near by you can get an idea of how the boat will create a much more dynamic look and feel to the scene.

The boat is a model downloaded online from thingiverse and is surprisingly detailed, the model is separated into 35 printable parts however I printed it as an assembled model. 

By importing the parts into TinkerCad I was able to position the components to build the 3D model and export the completed boat. Doing it this way enabled me to assemble and print the main boat as one piece and then assemble and print the motor and paddles as separate pieces.

The model is printed on the Anycubic Photon, I usually prefer using the Anycubic Clear Green resin however for this model I tried using the Monocure Grey resin which worked well. I improved the resolution by lowering the layer height to 0.03mm and set the exposure time to 12 seconds which seemed to work well.
With the green resin I could probably lower the exposure time to about 8 seconds which would improve print times!

And if building a diorama for this boat seems like too much hard work you'll be happy to know the boat actually floats! 

As I progress with the upcoming diorama I'll post updates here so be sure to check back.

In most of my previous videos I've always been striving to create scenes that might be seen in every day life and as realistic as I can get it... However in this next video I'm still using the same techniques to create realistic scenery but the main difference is I'll be creating a scene/diorama that sits atop a pillar of earth with visible sewerage pipes and a subway underneath that overall shows a scene that would be more likely to be in a fantasy or sci-fi type scene.

Overall the scene will encompass a house situated on a pillar of earth with the edges appearing to be breaking away and details typically hidden by soil will be exposed. 
The entire scene will be detailed including lighting effects and interior house details.

Interior house details will also be included, for the most part the interior details will be hidden however if someone decides to take a closer look at the model they will be presently surprised that the interior includes tables, chairs and even a TV.

The 3D printer I use to create the tiny HO scale details including this HO scale garage which will sit beside the house is the Anycubic Photon Resin 3D printer which I have shown in previous videos. I have been using this printer for the past 6 months and every time I take a model off the printer I'm always impressed with the amazing detail it resolves.
Stay tuned for updates, this upcoming tutorial will be full of new tips and tricks!

Have you ever wondered how to model an awesome waterfall on your own layout or diorama? This tutorial will show you exactly what to do!

Building a waterfall can often seem like an impossible task but all the time, effort and preparation it takes to build an amazing waterfall is certainly worth the effort once it's complete. 

For more information related to building this waterfall and to see more high quality photos be sure to check out the additional article here:

Or to see the full list of videos from the 'Realistic Scenery' series you can see them here:

I don't have any solid plans for the next video however I do have some videos I'm working on for future tutorials, I'd love to here what you'd like to see for possible future tutorial videos in the comments below.

One of the hardest things to model when building a diorama is water! Not to mention a waterfall.
I think one of the most scary aspects of working with resin to simulate water is the "Only one chance" dilemma... basically if it doesn't work on the first try the risk of completely ruining your model is very high. 

​The best way to tackle a project like this is with careful planning and also
be prepared to start over.

​We are all only human and we make mistakes, it's a little like learning to ride a bike and falling off, sure it might hurt and given time we heal but the only way to overcome our trepidation is to get back on and have another go.

This project has gone through many stages to get to its current state and in the upcoming video tutorial I'll carefully and slowly step you through every one of those steps so you have a fighting chance at making an awesome waterfall on your first attempt.

It's a slow process but that's just the nature of model building and sometimes we need to take a careful calculated approach to model building.
​I've definitely been guilty of trying to rush and slap a scene together but I'm never entirely happy with the end result because I knew if I just took a bit more time I could have done a much better job.

I'm always amazed at what a little bit of greenery does to change the look of a model, I always start to feel a boost of motivation once I see the model starting to transform with static grass!
​Comment below to let me know what aspect of this upcoming tutorial you're looking forward to the most? Is it the waterfall itself and how it spills over the rocks?, or are you more interested in how I color and pour the resin?
I tried a few new techniques on this diorama that I'm very excited to share in the video.

It seems that every time I pick up a twig or a piece of tree armature I find new ways of creating some amazing looking trees.

These are made from seafoam, also known as seamoss and super trees, whatever you want to call them they make for some of the best model tree armatures around!

As I type this blog entry those two trees are still poked into the keyboard.

The main difference with these trees is the way they have been flocked. My standard technique for adding foliage to trees has always started by adding ground foam followed by Noch leaves over the top.

One of the reason for taking this approch was due to the size of the Noch leaves package, they are only 100 grams so all in all you don't get much! I wanted it to last and that meant substituting other products as a filler.

I am very happy with my current method of making trees that can be seen in the latest tutorial... However the slight tweak that I did today has changed the way I will be making future trees. 
If you haven't seen the latest tutorial on trees here it is:
And if you don't want to miss future videos you might like to subscribe.

Basically I'm going to be doing away with adding ground foam prior to adding the Noch leaves, sure I'll be using a lot more of the Noch product but the results are certainly worth it.

When viewed from a distance the comparison with the trees that have ground foam vs the newer style trees made purely from Noch leaves isn't all that noticeable however when view close up the difference is like chalk and cheese.
If you've been following along with my videos you'll know that I like to do close up photography so it will be interesting to see how these new trees change the look of the scenes I create.  

These trees will feature in the latest scenery video I'm currently filming "Realistic Scenery Vol.11"
if you're new here and want to see some of the previous videos in the Realistic Scenery series you can see the complete list here:
Complete Guide Series - Start to finish scenery tutorials

You may have noticed I mentioned Noch Leaves a lot in this post, the main reason is because I have a few bags of the Noch product in my draw and that's what I've been using for most of the tree videos however there are other brands:

• TreeMendus - have a great range with a good variety of colors.
• All Scale Scenics - Available from OzRail Model Trains.
• Javis Scenics - Sells a leaf product however for HO scale it is too large although the scenic scatter they sell is made from sawdust and is good for modelling bushes with very small leaves and comes in a range of greens.
• MP scenery Products - I've used these a couple of times, I usually find them on eBay.
  
• Noch - I use the most
  
  

Just to name a few.
The only down side to Noch is they have stopped producing the Olive Green which happened to be my favorite... I'm currently waiting on a selection of the TreeMendus leaves which may take the place of Noch in the future as their range of colors is much better.