1/12th scale custom stable diorama!

I've been a bit absent this year which I really regret as I've had a lot of 1/6th stuff in the works! Hopefully I'll get round to posting some of it soon but in the meantime, here's what I've been doing this month.

As some of you know, as well as 1/6th stuff, my main hobby is collecting and customising model horses of all makes, models and scales and like so many other hobbies, this one has had to adapt to the weirdness that is 2020 as shows and IRL meetups couldn't happen for obvious reasons. As a result there's been an upsurge in online community challenges and stuff and I, like many other folk have been having a lot of fun with the 'Bridle Tree Barn Raising Challenge' held on Facebook, where we aimed to make or customise a barn or stable during December. I had an old MDF Magpie stable I wasn't doing anything with, and it's been such fun turning it into a cosy and slightly ramshackle home for some of my ponies. I've written two blog posts on it, the first with step by step guides on how I made everything, and the second with lots of shiny photos and less chat.
Obviously it isn't 1/6th, but there's some really useful techniques in there for weathering and stuff that would be very easy to adapt for larger scales!

https://lastalliancestudios.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-bridle-tree-barn-raising-challenge.html

https://lastalliancestudios.blogspot.com/2020/12/magpie-models-stable-complete.html

Here's a couple of my favourite photos for tax...

Custom Magpie stable by Christine Sutcliffe, on Flickr

Finished Magpie stable by Christine Sutcliffe, on Flickr

I’ve been working on customising this Magpie stable this month for the Bridle Tree Barn Raising challenge on Facebook. :3 by Christine Sutcliffe, on Flickr

Finished Magpie stable by Christine Sutcliffe, on Flickr

These look so real, Christine, excellent work! Thanks for sharing.

Superb modelling , it is exceptionally realistic , helped along further by the moody lighting . Well done .

The level of realism and detail is amazing, particularly considering that this is all in 1/12 scale! Impressive!

Stunning work, Lynkhart! Very, very realistic. Thank you for sharing yet another masterpiece with us! : )

Wow! That is fantastic. The lighting, and even the loose straw on the floor. Everything, as usual, is meticulously detailed and gorgeous. So impressed with this, Christine.

This looks awesome!

those pics look stunning, even more so in a smaller scale. haven't decided yet if 1/12 for me is easier or harder to build in. easier for it allows for entire streets and buildings to be displayed, yet harder to give them realistic details. the latter you did marvelously.

Thanks everyone! If I had the space I’d looooove to have a full yard set up permanently, as well as a few 1/6 dioramas, but alas, space is the one thing I absolutely do not have.

Tjolnir wrote:those pics look stunning, even more so in a smaller scale. haven't decided yet if 1/12 for me is easier or harder to build in. easier for it allows for entire streets and buildings to be displayed, yet harder to give them realistic details. the latter you did marvelously.

I actually started off in 1/12th scale! Because it’s the most common scale for doll’s house miniatures it probably has the greatest quantity of resources and pre-made accessories of any scale, though obviously the level of detail varies greatly, and if you want anything of high quality you have to pay a pretty penny for it. (Or learn to make it yourself, which is more my style! lol)

I always thought I’d prefer 1/12th scale because there was so much available for it, but since making dioramas and stuff in 1/6th, I’ve found that much more fulfilling. Obviously any mistakes show up much more in a larger size, but I seem to enjoy the challenge far more.

That looks so real! Incredible! Well done and thank you for sharing.

So beautiful, stalked this on instagram a while back. Agree with the moody, liminal spacey lighting, reminds me of that stable down the street very accurate. I guess there is a vigilant watch dog nearby. Horse stables are definitely less spacey than 1/6.