Let's create a Santa's grotto scene in OO gauge!
It's two weeks until Christmas, so in true festive fashion, I set on the adventure of creating a little Christmas Santa's grotto scene featuring a minifigure Santa with a mother and two children.
In this tutorial, my challenge was to create a fence out of materials I had at home - which so happened to be cocktail sticks and a coffee stirrer. The results of the fencing surprised me, and it was so easy to put together!
Here we go…
Scale Model Scenery kits you'll need to make this scene:
- LX154-OO Garden Sheds
- LX470-OO A-Frame and Pavement Swing Advertising Signs
- A baseboard of your choice, I used scrap wood
- Fencing of your choice
Branded accessories you'll need to make this scene:
- Preiser 10763 Father Christmas With Mother & Children Scene (or similar - there's hundreds of minifigure alternatives out there!) and Deluxe Materials AD-29 Tacky Wax Figure Glue
Materials you'll need:
- UHU Glue
- PVA glue or Mod Podge (for the snow base)
- DLAD-87 Deluxe Materials Laser Cut Kit Glue (and Glue tips with a syringe - optional but very handy!)
- Modelling snow or spray (pre-bought or DIY - I've used The Army Painter BF4112 Battlefield Snow Scatter)
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Ruler
- Tweezers
- Acrylic paints
- Grass tufts or any scenic foliage of your choice
- Cocktail sticks x4
- A coffee stirrer
Step 1: Prepare your base and make your garden shed
Prepare your baseboard or base of choice with a layer of snow. If you'd rather apply the snow later on after applying fencing/your buildings, you can do that instead.
Create your LX154-OO Garden Shed following the instructions. When dry, add artificial modelling snow on top of the roof.
Using acrylic paints, start building up the colours of your choice to achieve your desired paint effect.
I used burnt sienna brown, yellow ochre brown, viridian green and scarlet red, with a hint of black and white paints to blend.
Set aside to dry.
Step 2: Make your fencing
Next, using a coffee stirrer, cut to size so it fits the length of the diorama base. Then cut in half lengthways and snip some cocktail sticks 1cm in length to make the posts.
Space evenly before glueing so you know roughly where to glue them, then glue them together.
Repeat for the width of the diorama base, then glue together in an L shape. Set aside to dry!
Top tip! Our SX022 Small Model & Card Kit Assembly Jig is perfect for holding your fence in an L shape while it dries.
When set you can start to paint your fencing.
Using the same acrylic paint colours as the shed, start layering the paints up to achieve your desired weathered effect.
(Tweezers are very handy as you can get messy)
Allow to dry, then glue to your diorama base along with the shed, using UHU glue.
Top tip! Some modellers prefer to glue fencing and buildings to the base first before applying ballast, gravel, snow etc. which is great if you plan ahead! I think about what I'm doing as I go along and always stick them on top of the base. It doesn't matter which way you do it.
Step 3: Add a street lamp and accessories
Using a cheap model accessory light (found in the depths of SMS HQ that was originally too big for the scene - you can source plenty online), I improvised, chopped off the bulb and stuck it to a cocktail stick. We're not about wasting things over here!
Let it dry, paint it black and place it on your scene with UHU glue.
Create your signage of choice from LX470-OO A Frame & Pavement Swing Advertising Signs. Paint your colour of choice, I used brown.
Top tip! I customised my sign with my own printed Santa's Grotto poster (not included in the pack) but there are plenty included that you can use.
Add snow…
Step 4: Apply foliage
Apply foliage of choice under the fence, under the lamp and around the shed. I used FB024-OO Marsh Grass 6mm Tufts, but any grass foliage tufts will look the part.
If you don't have any you can choose from our range here.
Step 5: Apply snow effects
Using white acrylic paint, dab onto the grass tufts and along the top of the fence to create the appearance of snow.
And along the top of the fencing…
For extra realism apply glue on top of the fence which you've painted white, then sprinkle some artificial modelling snow.
Top tip! To set everything in place, use Deluxe Materials AD-54 Scenic Spray Glue.
Step 6: Add in all your elements and make any final adjustments
Now it all comes together! Arrange where you'd like any extra accessories or buildings to go.
Add in your scenery details and figures with Deluxe Materials AD-29 Tacky Wax Figure Glue. I used Preiser 10763 Father Christmas With Mother & Children Scene.
Our figures are selling out very fast at the moment as we only have limited stock, if the one I used is out of stock please have a look at these brand alternatives: Faller, Noch, and Preiser!
Final photographs:
Please do comment and let me know if you enjoyed reading this or if I have inspired you at all! I would love to hear from you. Thanks for reading this far.
Happy modelling…
Jess & The Team