Ferrari F40 — the structure takes shape

The base is done now.

Not finished, but real.

I built it from extruded foam, the same for the walls. It’s not a glamorous material, but it’s honest. It lets you shape things, correct mistakes, change your mind without punishing you for it. That matters at this stage.

Once the structure was in place, I started applying filler. Not to make it pretty, but to give it a surface that can take what comes next. This is the layer where everything slows down. You stop thinking in parts and start thinking in planes, edges, transitions. Where a wall ends. Where a floor begins. Where something should feel worn and where it should stay quiet.

The filler isn’t about detail yet. It’s about preparation. About creating a base that can later accept small imperfections without looking accidental. If this layer is rushed, every detail after it will feel forced.

Before going any further, I placed all the pieces on the base. Wheels, barrels, the car, everything. Just laid them out, without fixing anything in place. This part is important. It’s the first time the scene exists as a whole, even if only temporarily.

I wasn’t looking for perfection. I was looking for balance. How the car sits between the walls. How much space it needs around it. Whether the scene feels cramped or empty. Some things immediately felt right. Others didn’t, and that’s good to know now, while everything can still move.

Nothing is glued yet. Nothing is final.

But the diorama has weight now. It occupies space. It stops being an idea and starts becoming a place.

From here on, the work becomes quieter. Sanding, adjusting, refining. Letting the structure settle before asking it to carry detail. There’s no rush. This part sets the tone for everything that follows.

That’s where I’m at right now.