Welcome to my completed Minka Lesk 40K Diorama, which I named Cadia’s Requiem: Unseen Agony. I had written a short backstory for this piece, but I think any viewer can come to their own conclusions regarding this diorama and the fate of its inhabitants. There is an extensive gallery of the complete piece below and a WIP gallery. I have also tried to include as much detail below about the bits and techniques I have used. You can always get in touch on Instagram or Twitter with any queries!

Completed Gallery

These were taken with my Samtian Lightbox.

360° Video of Minka Lesk Diorama

Bits and Techniques

Display Plinth

I used the Warhammer 40,000 Scenic Display from SV Terrain on Etsy for the plinth. It was sprayed with Colour Forge Raven black, and then I built up pigments and oils to give it the weathered look.

Cadians

The Cadians were all painted using my new Cadian Shock Troopers method, using an oil wash instead of an Agrax Earthshade wash. This method was pretty much like for like from that article. I changed it a bit by sponging on Loren Forst and Rhinox Hide on the armour to give some more variation.

The Cadians are the new Cadian models with some extras from the Cadian Upgrade box.

The dead Cadian is also from the new Cadian models coupled with rope, and Chaos scrolls from Ledion3DPrints on Etsy. The Cadian, I did some slight edits by cutting and straightening the arms and doing the same to his right foot. So the toes are limp toward the floor more. The running pose was perfect for the slumped effect, hanging from the waist. That left leg position was an issue. I would struggle to reshape it to the correct position… so off it came and had a new home on the floor as a bloody mess. That leg also allowed me to drag blood stains across the floor from the front to the back, bringing it all together.

Scale 28mm empty hands from mepmakes on Etsy. This was a late addition. The leg was on the floor – so where are the hands? I had to have those, too. I was going to place them on the floor, but to try and maximise the horror, I placed them nailed to the building. I hoped they were not apparent; an onlooker’s eyes go from Minka, the blood-stained floor, and the removed leg to the dead Cadian. The leg is noticed on the floor, and the hands are seen to be missing. Further inspection shows the hands on the wall, stuck in place, having had them removed while suspended.

Nameplate

The custom 40K nameplate is from BattleBlingStore on Etsy. It was first sprayed in Zandri Dust, then painted Retributor Gold and washed in Seraphim Sepia.

Posters

The posters were from Underhive Art, printed at home and then applied with watered-down PVA glue. The posters by Carl from Underhive Art are fantastic and so easy to use. I will be using them again for sure. It is as easy as printing the posters, cutting them out, soaking them in a PVA/water mix, applying the poster and waiting for it to dry before adding any staining and weathering.

WIP Gallery