We have another triple feature, similar to the last one. This time, Mickey is featured.

Since I’m spending so much time on my Sleeping Beauty Castle diorama, I thought I’d share some photos of the current construction.

There’s still plenty of work to do, like add trees, bushes, water, etcetera. I’ve found a nearby hobby shop, so I hope to check that out soon. I think white birch trees will look good.

I’ve abandoned my underwater illumination idea. With the LEDs hidden in the foliage at the water’s edge, there will be plenty of light shining in the water. I’ve also opted for under-lighting on the rampart banners. Lighting the torches at the top of each banner was becoming cumbersome and ugly. Still, I may re-visit the fiber optics option.

In other news, negotiations with Disney are slowly moving forward. But, at least they’re moving. Fortunately, this means the paper model store will remain open for a while longer.

I’m still alive. I’ve been working on rebuilding the new Sleeping Beauty Castle model. I had to order some LED lights, so I’m waiting on those. In the meantime, I will be working on the landscaping. The tricky part is figuring out what to use as water—yes, there will be a moat.

I’ve been searching the Internet and hobby forums, and two widely used products are recommended: Realistic Water and Magic Water. Realistic Water has been reported to yellow, fog, crack, and shrink. Magic Water is reported to not do this, but it’s pricey. Other folks use other resins found in hardware stores, though their quality is unknown. Still, others simply paint on several layers of clear acrylic glaze. But, I want thickness (1/4 inch deep), which scatters the light.

I’m thinking of toying with clear stained glass gel. I couldn’t find anyone using this cheaper alternative, so I may give it a shot. One thing I want to recreate is the look of Disneyland’s dark water system (murky green), so I’ll have to play with pigments. I used the gel in one of my High School art classes many years ago, and it did look like the surface of water.

In July of 2006, I began a project to update an old paper model, however the project was put on hold soon after it started. This year, I’ve re-opened and finished the project.

Here are some of the features of Sleeping Beauty Castle 2.0:

• New brick and stone textures.
• New wood textures.
• Minor color corrections.
• Flat areas have bevels and shadows for added illusion of depth.
• Windows look like glass.
• Flags and banners have realistic fabric folds.
• Instructions file size reduced by 4MB.

During the process, pieces had to be moved around, and an extra parts sheet had to be created. With the extra sheet space, some new decorative banners have been created to decorate the castle (if you wish).

Of course, the project encompasses the alcove modification, so everything matches.