It will always be both rewarding and fun to build model trucks for many people. A hobby that has transcended many generations now it can allow you to show people how much skill you have built. You could just stick them on a shelf somewhere and let them gather dust or you can actually create a special display for it. This will allow your model to have much more character than it normally would. The way to achieve this is by building a diorama.
When you create a scene that is true to life but built to scale it is known as a diorama. Whether it is a scene from nature or of an actual city is totally up to you. You can also chose to enclose your diorama in glass or even in clear plastic sheeting. You might also choose to just mount it on a board for a general sort of display. By knowing where dioramas originated you might be better know why this would make a good choice.
A part of history, dioramas have been around for centuries. They have always been used as a means of reproducing actual scenes that have been scaled down. Museums use them now to be able to create displays showing historical scenes. People have been using dioramas for a way to have a small dollhouse scene. Many times they would use shoeboxes to do this. These mini rooms would sometime even be a tiny copy of their own rooms. Model makers have been been using dioramas to be able to display their models for some time now.
Most dioramas are usually built to match the model truck that is going to be displayed in them. One example would be that of a 1930’s model milk truck. You would not want to set this in a modern city setting. It would be much more at home in a setting based around a dairy farm. Unfortunately many model builders have grown up and gotten out of building dioramas altogether.
If you decide to go with a diorama as a means of displaying your model truck you will be carrying on a tradition that could else pass away. So how do you begin the process of building a diorama? It is easy enough, you will begin by deciding what time period you should be building. This will begin to help you get ideas as to how it should be built. Make sure that your model truck fits into the scene. You will not want to be anachronistic unless this is what you are specifically trying to do.
After choosing your time period you are then ready to decide on the specific details of the project. If you are building a dairy then you should think about a barn and cows. If it is a tow truck then you might set it outside of a filling station. You might try looking at pictures in an encyclopedia. These can give you great ideas on the way that your buildings and scenes should appear for the chosen time period. No matter where you get your information, be it books, personal photos, or the Internet you will be keeping an age old tradition alive.