Final diorama: Re-grouping in the Ghost Roads: Laundryverse diorama
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OK: it's time for the final reveal of this diorama, which like the ME262 build, is based on Charlie Stross' series of urban fantasy books, named after "The Laundry", a version of Mi5 which deals with the occult and eldritch horrors from beyond space time. This book series and its fictional universe are informally known as The Laundryverse.
This diorama features many Stross fans' favourite female characters. Called “Regrouping on the Ghost Roads”, it shows the characters taking a break from a mission in "the Ghost roads": inter-dimensional passages through space-time.
It’s based on a lovely little Zvezda kit for the UAZ-3909 mini van, while the M113 is a vintage, early 80s Academy kit - both have full interiors.
The diorama was based on an architectural model made by my wife. I created a sloping trackway and crumbling plaster on thew temple walls using a load of earth and small pebbles from my garden, bonded to the card using copious amounts of PVA glue. This was then sprayed white with an airbrush - next time I do this I’ll use a cheap spray can! This is the first time I’ve ever done a proper diorama, I learned a lot and honestly I got pretty much exactly what I wanted so I was happy.
As usual there is a somewhat ludicrous back-story / head canon behind this build, which will make no sense at all if you aren’t deeply into Charlie Stross’ books. I have put the back-story below but feel free to ignore this! I will say however that when I posted a thread about this build on Mastodon, Charlie was kind enough to boost it (as he has done with the last couple of Laundry-oriented builds), and actually asked a suitably nerdy question: “why an M113, when the British Army would have sent an FV432 or CVR(T)?” To which the answer is that it’s not really a British Army operation - it’s a freelance project using some of Persephone Hazard’s fleet of military vehicles.
The next diorama will be of an amphibious vehicle carrying mermaid intelligence agent Ramona Random and a number of emissaries from the Deep Ones who want to query why
the land people are disturbing the peace of the ocean depths with the incursions by the Elder Gods. Should be fun!
THE LUDICROUS BACKSTORY:
Here, Persephone Hazard and Iris Carpenter are running a joint operation to take out an occult threat, with support from Evelyn Starkey (and her sidekick, Johnnie McTavish), and Cassie Brewer (and two of her Alfar occultists), the redoubtable Mhari Murphy. Mo O’Brien is along for the ride, alongside old friends and new Laundry staff Reverend Peter Wilson and his wife and Mo’s old friend, Sandy.
They have also run into Bob’s old acquaintance Dr Yoko Suzuki as she is on another Miyamato Group mission to recover and if necessary neutralise an escaped, errant Yokai. I will probably do another diorama with Dr Suzuki and her Japanese Defence Forces truck at some point.
Iris Carpenter has brought along her daughter and former cultist, Jonquil, who is now an Instagram influencer who photographs anomalous creatures and phenomena, such as the Alfar mage materialising into the ghost roads. McTavish has brought along veteran US Postal Service Occult texts inspector Bill McKracken.
The diorama features two of Hazard’s extensive vehicle collection: a Russian UAZ-3909 “bread loaf” mini van and a converted, repainted M113 APC.
I don’t think it would be possible to collect these characters together within the plot line of the Laundryverse but I thought it was fun to do anyway 🙂. Last time I promised to do a grimoire-accurate summoning circle but it didn’t quite fit, although you can see a hint of one underneath the APC.
