THE SILENT SONG: THE PRELUDE OF JABURO

A Jungle Infiltration Diorama (1/144 Scale) 

​Hello to the community! After presenting the Mobile Suit, today I want to share the complete diorama we created for it: “The Silent Song: The Prelude of Jaburo.”

​The idea was to build a scene of action and suspense, inspired by the Zeon ground operations in the South American jungles near the Federation’s Jaburo base (UC 0079).

​I. The Story Behind the Scene

​The scene captures a high-tension moment: the MS-04 Bugu (Ground Type) unit—the same heavily modified and weathered Mobile Suit we previously detailed—is camouflaged within the dense vegetation.

​The Bugu is supported by a small Zeon forward team. They have arrived via fast boats and have set up a temporary resupply post on the pier. The narrative I aimed for is one of tense silence before an operation: the infantry team is securing the perimeter and preparing the gear, knowing that the gigantic Mobile Suit is hidden just meters away, awaiting the signal for the incursion.

​II. Construction Process and Diorama Techniques

​The key to this 1/144 diorama was density and atmospheric realism, achieved through traditional methods and the integration of modern tools:

​The Tropical Terrain: The landscape was built using styrofoam for the base and putty to sculpt the riverbank. The base was covered with a mix of dirt, sand, and fibers, upon which a multi-layered vegetation was built.

​For density, palm trees (which establish the tropical scale) were combined with broad-canopy rainforest trees (made with wire, moss, and fiber) to cast a realistic shadow.

​The Water Element (River / Swamp):

​To achieve the murky, uninviting color of a tropical swamp, we didn’t just paint the base black. We used heavily diluted inks in green, brown, and blue to tint the resin base, giving it an organic, sediment-filled tone before pouring the final clear medium.

​The water surface was finished with epoxy resin with a slight surface texture to simulate slow, viscous movement.

​Narrative Elements at Scale (3D Printing!):

​A key technical aspect is that the structures like the shack and the small tent, as well as the support details like the power generator, the boats, and the supply crates, were designed and printed in 3D at 1/144 scale. This technique allowed for fantastic detail and precision on these crucial elements.

​These elements, once printed, were weathered with washes to simulate exposure to moisture and heavy use.

​The inclusion of human figures (Zeon personnel) is essential to convey the scale of the Mobile Suit and tell the story of the mission.

​This project was an opportunity to integrate high-level painting, weathering, and complex environmental techniques with the efficiency and detail offered by 3D printing. I hope you enjoy the scene as much as I enjoyed building it