Building Your First Custom Diorama for Gunpla

A beautifully built Gunpla looks great on a shelf, but placing it in a realistic diorama transforms it into a frozen snapshot of an intense anime battle.

Building a diorama is surprisingly accessible and uses standard modeling supplies.

1. The Base

Start with high-density XPS insulation foam (found at hardware stores). It's incredibly easy to carve, sand, and shape into hills or craters using a simple hobby knife.

2. Texture

Coat the foam in a mixture of PVA glue, water, and fine sand or dirt. Once dry, you’ll have a rock-hard, realistic earth texture.

3. Painting

Never use spray paint directly on raw foam—the propellants will melt it! Instead, paint the dirt with cheap acrylic craft paints. Start with a dark brown base coat, and then lightly "dry brush" lighter tan colors across the raised textures to simulate dust and highlights.

4. Details

To bring the scale to life, add 1/144 scale miniature accessories. Railroad modeling supplies are fantastic for this—model train trees, grass tufts, and tiny buildings look perfectly scaled next to an HG or RG Gundam.

Throw your kit into a dramatic, low-crouching pose behind some rubble, and you've elevated your display to a work of art!