HOT WHEELS DIORAMA - THE WAREHOUSE! (Patreon)

Hello my dear friends!

January didn't quite go as planned. I had a project underway before this one, a book nook, which I had to put on hold because I don't like the current result. I've gotten stuck on the design and simply lack inspiration. The more I pushed the design, the more frustrated I became... So it's still in my plans, but for the moment I've put it on hold indefinitely.

It happens to the best of us; I experience this kind of blockage once or twice a year, but I didn't expect it to happen so early in the year. Being the kind people you are, I'm sure you won't be upset, knowing full well that it's just a temporary setback! :)

Anyway, I spent the last 10 days of January focusing on a Hot Wheels diorama, which I'm presenting to you tonight, and which I'm very happy with, unlike the previous project.

I wanted to do something a little different from what was already in the Hot Wheels collection, without ending up with a model that clashed too much with the existing buildings. So here's a small industrial warehouse project, 1/64 scale, which will fit perfectly with the entire current Hot Wheels collection!

I tried to give this design a completely new brick texture. And since they print separately, it's very easy to give the bricks a different color from the building's structure without using an AMS.

Furthermore, since the brick is printed face down on the bed, the PEI bed texture adds a little character to the brick, while being incredibly easy to print.

Regarding the docks:

The loading docks were made based on a real 36-inch-high dock designed for box trucks (or "straight trucks"), not semi-trailers (which have a higher dock). Therefore, the result is perfect when cars are placed in front of them. However, for smaller delivery trucks, like the UPS truck, the dock is wider than the truck itself. This is essentially the same in real life; small delivery trucks are narrower than the docks and dock bumpers. So, if you have box trucks in your models, they should fit perfectly.

Things you need to know about the project:

The project is printable without supports, but this is conditional on your printer having good bridges capabilities. I therefore recommend adding supports to the window openings of the building if yours doesn't. In the Bambu Lab file, supports are already in place by default (by object) on the main building. If your printer doesn't have bridge issues, simply remove them.

Color changes per layer are necessary on some parts, but no AMS is required. All types of FDM printers can do this; you just need to make color changes at the correct layer. If you're not familiar with this, you can check out my community's Facebook page for help. The link is:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403567230344891

Regarding color changes, they are already configured in the Bambu Lab project file, but they are applied per layer and are not painted. You absolutely must slice the plate first to see the color changes in the preview window.

Regarding the lighting: I haven't had time to take photos of this diorama specifically yet to explain how i did my lighting. I'll try to take some for you tomorrow or in the following days.

But basically, I used the same technique and components as for the Christmas bakery. Four small 3mm LEDs bent at 90 degrees (see instructions for the bakery) illuminate the garage doors and the sign. Everything is connected to a quick connector and a 12V power supply.

(By the way, the link for the COB lights has been updated at the top of the post of the Christmas bakery, as I couldn't update my original document.)

For the building, since I was in a bit of a hurry to deliver the model, I simply used two remote-controlled tealights inside. But when I take photos of the wiring, I'll show you a complete wiring diagram for using either LEDs or a small COB light strip inside.

For the rest, it's business as usual. The individual parts are all pre-positioned correctly for printing, and everything is color-coded and the quantities are indicated in the file name.

Instructions are also provided, just like all the other projects. However, be aware that some parts should not be glued if you plan to add lighting to your diorama. It is well explained in the instructions.

I believe that covers everything worth mentioning.

I'll finish by providing the link below to the Christmas bakery if you'd like to refer to it for lighting inspiration.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-addition-to-141600464?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

So that's it, I hope you like it and i apologize for having only 3 models this month! I wish you all the best and I'm going back to work on my upcoming projects!

Have fun!

Pascal