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MESBG – The Bounder’s Duty Diorama

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While it was frequently delayed (not unlike Gandalf in the books now that I think about it), I was able to wrap up the diorama this week. With creative works, I think you can be too close to what you make and start to lose perspective on it. With this one, I probably have been a bit too close to it as I came up with the idea a couple of years ago and waited a long time to actually make it. The idea is probably my most creative one I’ve had (and actually worked on) and I’m very proud of it. One thing you can’t take away from this diorama is that nothing like it has ever been done. I hope you’ll indulge me in some hobby process discussion and then maybe even some navel gazing interspersed with pictures of the diorama.

The make or break feature of this diorama is the hedge. I’ll talk more about inspiration for the diorama in a bit but the hedge was the biggest gamble I was taking because it had to turn out well to set the mood I wanted. At the same time, I was making a hedge in a way different than most. Generally in the hobby, we make rectangular hedges or really rough ones with clump foliage. These are easy to make. With this one, I wanted a round shape that looked hobbit and Shire-like. I figured with some coconut plant liner, I could cut it up and form it however I wanted and then I’d have the diorama in the bag. It definitely didn’t go that easily unfortunately. First off, cutting a circle shape even with super sharp scissors was tough. I think I tried 4-5 times and what I ended up with is not perfect and is more in the “good enough” category. You just can’t cut a really smooth circle out of this material no matter how you try.

That wasn’t a big time commitment though. What was the most aggravating was trying get the right texture and look. I used some adhesive spray (Gorilla Glue) and I was disappointed with is effectiveness. It took several passes to get good coverage with flock but the flock and foliage fell off really easily. Pretty much every time you touch it. All of the fallen leaves in the photo really help demonstrate that. My first hedge attempt is pictured below and to get great coverage, I ended up overdoing it with the spray and ruining the exposed coconut fiber. Some parts turned white of the flock turned white which made it even worse. That was the whole reason I was reluctant to use PVA glue on it because I have caused that to happen with tree terrain I’ve made.

In my second attempt, I was very cautious with overspray and thankfully got better results. I had to glue a lot of stuff on manually with PVA glue which took a few days but in the end, I think the hedge came out as well as it could. I was expecting it to look a little less wild but surprisingly, the unkept look has grown on me over time. Its not Golden Demon winning but good enough to bring the scene to life anyway.

Here’s a look at the finished diorama.

The idea from this diorama came from a couple of places. The first one is actually Lord of the Rings Online which has some great locations and designs for Tolkien’s world. In their version of The Shire, there are hedges used as protective walls by the hobbits which makes a lot of sense. While the Ringwraiths obviously were strong enough to breach the defenses, you know the hobbits have to have some kind of barrier to keep roaming enemies out. So that was one source of inspiration.

This not a great picture but it gives you an idea of what I mean.

The second is actually a scenario from MESBG that always seemed like it would be fun to play and visually striking, if completely impractical to actually make. If I remember correctly, its called the Wolves of Winter or something like that and its a moment in the Shire’s history where there was a bad winter hit and wolves came to The Shire looking for a meal. As cool as it would be to build a Shire in winter gaming board, I thought what if I have a warg looking for a meal (literally!) and show hobbits defending their home? That could be a good looking and creative diorama.

In my original idea, I had intended to differentiate the two sides of the hedge more to show that one was outside of the Shire and the other inside but that didn’t come together quite like I had hoped. After testing out some barrels which I was going to put to the side of the hobbits to help show they were on the civilized side of the hedge, it ended up looking too cluttered and they didn’t add much to the story of the diorama so I nixed that. The idea of having a basket full of rainbow carrots was a last minute improvisation which worked really well and seems like something hobbits would do. Hopefully the two sides of the diorama don’t look too same-y as a result of these last minute changes. Again, I’m probably too close to judge on this. I do like the kind of diamond shape of subjects that the diorama has. I think it does a good job of drawing your eyes in and showing you where to focus which is good.

The final two takeaways I wanted to mention is I had this idea that if I worked on a diorama where I could pick up a mini paint it and then set the project aside, I would enjoy that a lot more than a display piece that takes a month or more to finish which is pretty much all-consuming. This ended up being a grass is always greener on the other side situation as I didn’t find the breaks all that helpful and I actually would have preferred to keep working on this project continuously. Go figure!

Lastly, I realized while working on this project that I enjoyed the Eomer display piece slightly more than this one. While I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone with the hedge and sculpting flagstone, I think this project does suffer a little from not having a showstopper mini in it. I feel more confident when I’m painting a mini that I’m pretty sure I can do well with and then have the basing work be the icing on the cake so to speak. I certainly would go for that formula in any painting competitions in the future but it is definitely something I’ll be thinking about for future projects too.

Hopefully some of this was interesting to you and I’m going to try and stick to my goal of working on getting some of my gaming backlog stuff done for a bit. Hopefully that means plenty of variety in the coming weeks. We’ll also see how long I can do that before the intoxicating call of display painting bites me again!

36 thoughts on “MESBG – The Bounder’s Duty Diorama”

  2. Your diorama and the hedge made me think of the hedge that Frodo and company went under into the old forest.

    I haven’t worked with coconut plant liner before, now I’m not so sure I would want to. Your perseverance paid off though, that is a nice looking hedge!

    Nice idea for a diorama and well executed!

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    1. I guess that is appropriate because Buckland is where the biggest hobbit hedges are in LOTRO which is obviously right next door to The Old Forest.

      I think the key with coconut plant liner is trying to find some that isn’t in super glued layers. That was all I could find at the local home improvement places and I think something that isn’t constructed like that should be easier.

      I’m glad you like the diorama as well. It was nice to get another one done. Hopefully there are many more in the future!

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  3. The primary aim of a diorama is to tell a story albeit done in the way of a movie still and that you have certainly achieved. To many people think all you have to do is stick a few figures down and a lump of scenery and the job is done. I’ve seen plenty like that over the years and they simply don’t work. Dioramas don’t have to be big either. Small works, the story is the key. The fun too is exploring and executing new skills and ideas, stretching yourself from a painter to a modeller . All in all I’d say you’ve done a great job and I hope you go on to do more. 🙂

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    1. I’ve seen dioramas that are huge and don’t tell a clear story so I know exactly what you mean. I’m really glad to hear you like it and think it turned out well. I definitely plan on making more as time and space permits! 🙂

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  4. I think you’ve done a superb job on the diorama! It tells the story in a simple, concise way: there’s a warg trying to get into the Shire and two hobbits are trying to stop it. The scene has a strong sense of danger given the size of the warg compared to the hobbits and their fairly primitive weapons; what if they don’t stop it? How much carnage will it cause if it gets loose? As TIM says, it’s like a still from a movie that leaves you wondering if they succeeded.

    Leaving the barrels off was a good idea as, like you say, it would have made the scene too cluttered. As it is it draws the eye straight to the gap in the hedge, the warg, and the pair of hobbits, and that’s all that’s needed. Your superb painting and scenery do the rest. Lovely work!

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    1. I’m thrilled to hear the story comes to life for you, Matt! What you described is exactly what I was trying to create. It is hard sometimes to figure out how much detail is enough but I’m glad I stopped at the right time too 🙂

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  5. Wonderful finish Jeff, and great realisation of your idea. Adapting and changing things as you go is very important in modelling, it shows your mind is constantly working observing the pieces, and making the right calls for the composition of the piece. Enjoyed your work through of how you did the hedge, and I think you’ve done an excellent job with it.

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    1. I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment you expressed here. Being patience and staying flexible really helped me with this project and its something I will try to do more of in the future with display projects. Thank you for the kind words on it as well! 🙂

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  6. Now that is just bang on the money! 🙂 Agree with Matt and TIM completely, it tells a story perfectly! I think the hedge is exactly how it should look – ideally you’d want to keep the entryway in good order but if the rest got a little overgrown it would just help to deter intruders! Very nicely done, Jeff!

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    1. Thank you very much, John! I’m really glad to hear the story came alive for you and that the hedge looks good in the end. It certainly took some persistence to get this project done but it was worth it in the end 🙂

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  7. Lovely scene! Agree with you that having some exposed finer really sells it. Funnily enough I used coconut liner for my Normandy hedgerows, and I thought it worked really nicely for that. Nice to see what is possible using the material for a display piece.

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    1. Thank you, mate! I’ve heard that coconut fiber is used quite a bit with hedges. I’m sure part of that is because its cheap and easy to find. As long as you toughen it up with PVA, I reckon it can work for display or gaming purposes!

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    1. Thank you, Stew! Actually, I’m storing it at your house until I get a display case 😀 Sadly, I’ve made no progress on that front but its certainly on my mind as my collection of display pieces grows. I’m sure I’ll talk more about this in the near future and take pictures whenever I do get a case.

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  10. I don’t know, I’d have to say it looks great to me! We can definitely be the hardest on ourselves at times. I’m guessing most hedges back then were not perfectly manicured, as the working people were busy surviving versus showing off who has the best lawn, haha! I also liked the mention of hedges being a protective wall, having had my share of thicket and brush adventures I can imagine how useful they would be. Especially with some long sharp thorns. So yes, the hedge looks great to me. The figures are nicely painted and I love those cobblestones as well. The basket…is in a good place, but a part of me wants to see it tipped over with veggies spilling out as they quickly react to the warg. Though it’s not necessary, as the pose of the figures is quite dynamic and the face of the beastie is downright menacing. You can almost hear the snarls and barks. I also like how both figures are directing the line of sight straight to the beast. The movement in the piece is really nice. There’s also some interesting contrast there, as the hobbits are running towards the warg, but the warg looks to have halted temporarily as it gets ready to defend or lunge to attack. Tough decision when being flanked! Personally, I’d love to see you do another scene sometimeo. But you have to go with what motivates you best!

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    1. Thank you, Faust! It is great to read your thoughts on the diorama and hearing what worked and what could be better. Your idea of some spilled carrots is a great one. I hadn’t even thought of it though I don’t know if my sculpting abilities are up to the task or not. I’m really glad there is a sense of action and I wanted to show the moment when the hobbits were going to strike to try and illustrate their bravery. They’re pretty outmatched but they manage to succeed somehow (not unlike in The Lord of the Rings I suppose). I will definitely do more display pieces and dioramas. I do gaming stuff for about a month usually and I start yearning for something more ambitious and impressive 🙂

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      1. Cheers K! Yea, my suggestion is too late and who knows if it would have even worked, but I find sometimes those comments people leave give me an idea on my next project. Honestly, I think the piece works really well the way it is. I doubt I will be working on any dioramas anytime soon, but it is inspiring!

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    1. That is the highest compliment I can receive. I certainly like to see myself as an artist and have dabbled in other artistic pursuits previous to this hobby as well. I hope that people outside of our hobby recognize the artistry we put into it as well. Either way, thank you for the kind words as always! 🙂

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  12. I think this came out great, I can really see the story telling in the work. I’m glad you got the hedge to work it sounds like it was a bit of a nightmare. The basket of veg definitely works and looks very hobbity.
    A lovely piece, I hope your proud of it!

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    1. Thank you, mate! I appreciate your kind words and I’m pretty happy and proud of it. There’s almost always something that could have been improved in any project I’ve done but I can’t complain much about this one 🙂

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    1. I’m glad to hear that all the details were enjoyable to read. You never know when you write something like that what your audience will think about it. Thank you for the kind words as well. I’m glad to hear to hear you like the final results!

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  14. Again you have produced a marvel ! so good Jeff, like you said its so unique,in all my viewing of dio’s I have not seen any thing like this style. The other folk have said so many positive things in regards to this fine piece of art I wont go over it again but just say the hedge is great and the cobbles are grand!.
    Now when I was making hedges for my ECW dio back in 2018 I searched around for material to make hedges and came across a product called Rubberized horse hair that was so good. The other product I found last year that would have saved you a bit of hassle was a coconut fibre pot scourer at the local store, both being so much easier to cut than the garden pot coir.
    Full points for this one mate and I hope to post some little pieces soon that you inspired me to make.

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    1. That is very high praise, Pat! I’m glad to hear I broke some new ground with this one 🙂 I’ve heard that rubberized horse hair is great for hedges but I haven’t seen it in stores here in the States. I’m sure you can get it if you know where to look. I would definitely go for a different coconut fiber if I could have. I watched an Australian model railroader on Youtube for the hedge idea and whatever he was using was much better than what I found at the local home improvement store. Most importantly, I’m glad you’re feeling inspired and I can’t wait to see what you end up making, mate! 😀

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      1. I’m inspired mate 😉if I didn’t have to mow my he property every few days due to the rain we are getting I would probably have completed the project 😅😅.
        I tried to buy the horse hair from the UK but our quarantined laws are pretty strict then strangely enough I found a local mob on eBay that sold it , maybe they applied for a license to import it 🧐. I had tried the garden variety but like yourself I found it to difficult 🤨.

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