R.I.O.S. Part II: The Planet

[sberry]

Hi everybody,
now finally my Romans in Outer Space have landed and have successfully accomplished a long photo-session. Here are some pics:































(If this is still not enough, there are some more photos on my website; the promised PDF file with even more pictures does not exist yet).

[Susofrick]

This reminds me very much of old tv-series! Like it a lot! Just missing some dialogue.

[Kekso]

Funny

[Cryns]

Dear sberry,

You may have noticed by now I never reply on any WW2 and not on fantasy, orc and sci-fi topics. That is because the pre-20th century historical era's at Benno's Forum that interest me most absorb already much more of my time as would be healthy for me.

But this sci-fi diorama and photo-session is so great and well done, I HAVE to make you my compliments for this. It is clear you spend a lot of preparation and digital post-corrections to get these models fixing with their background. The light direction in the background pics more or less fit those of your model in every new picture again. Respect. Spectacular!

[elsi]

I looked all your work-they are amazing, bravo

[Mai Strac]

Original and very well done!!!

[Wiking]

Well done.
With all the grat backround. fantasic.
A desolate planet. Is this LV-426?
For what are they looking for at these stone dessert?

[sberry]

Thank you guys for all your comments.

@Mr. Cryns: Considering our common interest in ancient history, I totally agree with your preferences for pre-modern subjects. But this absurd project just had to be done …

The question of the backgrounds: In earlier years, I actually did quite a lot of digital fiddling around, to combine the diorama = foreground with some suitable background photo. In the space pictures that I had presented as a first batch, I had to do this again. But the in main pictures presented here, everything was done in the conventional way by setting up the correct background already during the shoot.
To print pictures on genuine photo paper can be done in poster-size at a reasonable price. And to place those pictures behind the dio during photographing gives some „real“ feeling that would require a tremendous amount of work, if I would try to do this at the computer afterwards.
Both photos I used are showing the Trona Pinnacles in California (© Bob Wick / BLM, CC BY 2.0). One of them has a rather diffuse illumination that gave the freedom to set the light on the dio almost as you want. The other one – used on the last 4 pics shown here – has quite distinct shadows. Here I positioned the halogen lamps accordingly, to achieve a good match.

@Wiking: Initially, I really thought about using some genuine extraterrestrial landscape pic; the Gale Crater on Mars had caught my attention. But then I decided that it looks too familiar (i.e. too terrestrial). So for some really alien landscape, I had to search on Earth. Strange, isn’t it? The Trona Pinnacles are wonderful in this respect, and afterwards I have learned that other people had this idea before me: They have featured, for instance, in Star Trek.

@Susofrick: One of my favorite pics is the one with the critter hiding behind the leg of the spaceship:



Here the missing dialogue is easy to fill in: It would be "oh-oh!“ (If you have seen the Alien movies, you'll know what I mean).

[Konrad]

WQW!!
Great idea!
Great paintjob!
Great pics!
Great,great,great....

[Bluefalchion]

But this an ancient subject--The Roman Empire! Great job on this dio and photos.

[Paul]

great stuff
The legs of the lander..the feet, fizzy tablet tube caps
http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00uK ... th-DMF.jpg
and the legs, rawl plugs (Dübeln) ?

[sberry]

The legs of the lander..the feet, fizzy tablet tube caps
http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00uK ... th-DMF.jpg
and the legs, rawl plugs (Dübeln) ?

Yes, that makes two out of two points! But everything else is absolutely serious, genuine space stuff, I promise. Well, almost everything else ...

[Beano Boy]

Epic! & Fantastic! Science Fiction At Its Best!
I for one miss having the Sci-Fi Fantasy Section on this Forum. BB

[Michael Robert]

Great work, great fun,

Aliens !! - does that signify the end of the Roman empire sometime in the future? How can they escape? All along the watchtower - is there a way out of here?
Waiting eagerly for the next episode
Michael

[Hellboy]

An incredible diorama !! A great idea implemented fantastic. And the 'GTK Boxer' makes in the distant future a good figure !!!! You have chosen the right vehicle - looks great. I also find the contrast in equipment of the soldiers interesting - Signs and standard on the one hand and the laser guns on the other side. Great action! Thanks for the many beautiful photos!

[Chariobaude]

Like Mr Cryns and other members of the forum, I am mainly interested in ancient times, especially Roman. I confess my perplexity for example in front of the Warhammer universe. But these dio is of course beautifully made, but most of all, powerfully evocative !! Superb.

[Peter]

Excellent work! Love it!

[Paul]

Yes, that makes two out of two points! But everything else is absolutely serious, genuine space stuff, I promise. Well, almost everything else ...

...and, the red and green "wing tips"...hypodermic needle holders ?
Just seeing if my recognition skills are still ok

[Wiking]

sberry wrote:
@Wiking: Initially, I really thought about using some genuine extraterrestrial landscape pic; the Gale Crater on Mars had caught my attention. But then I decided that it looks too familiar (i.e. too terrestrial). So for some really alien landscape, I had to search on Earth. Strange, isn’t it? The Trona Pinnacles are wonderful in this respect, and afterwards I have learned that other people had this idea before me: They have featured, for instance, in Star Trek.

Thaks for this very informativ answer.
All your backround pic also for the flight are fantastic.
You find for true an alien landscape.
It look so easy but to find the right pic on earth was not so simple I think.
Ha! What is this unknowen Star Trek against the Odyssey of R.I.O.S.

[sberry]

Thank you again, guys!

And the 'GTK Boxer' makes in the distant future a good figure !!!!

I also had considered to integrate parts of an Apache Longbow helicopter somehow, because it also has a certain futuristic look that could have fitted with the rest of the dio. But in the end I decided to do the ship completely scratch-built.

...and, the red and green "wing tips"...hypodermic needle holders ?

It is this kind of stuff here, I have no idea how it is called in English.

Aliens !! - does that signify the end of the Roman empire sometime in the future?
Waiting eagerly for the next episode

Well, since the existing theories on the end of the Roman Empire are not fully satisfying, your proposal is really worth considering. Thinking about it, I believe Aliens are far more likely as an explanation than the "Roman decadence" that so many people still believe in (esp. in Hollywood).
Will there be a sequel? I think, no. I had to promise that I'll go back to work and return to real historical subjects, so no next episode.

But I can show you the final batch of pictures which I have uploaded today. I have played around a bit with the light, the quest for the perfect "Alien" feeling. And one reason to use a completely scratch-built spaceship was the opportunity to include a small LED lamp. But see for yourself: