THE WASTELAND IS ALIVE! Mad Max 1:24 Garage Build Complete

After months of blood, sweat, and sliced thumbs, the Mad Max 1:24 garage is officially DONE!

The premier episode is live on the channel right now, tracking a massive 48-minute journey from a blank slab to a complete cinematic film set. Here is what went down behind the scenes:

Mad Max 1:24 scale diorama concrete foundation slab — 80x60 cm hand-poured and textured with realistic cracked tile pattern — The Foundation — An 80×60 cm (31.5×23.6 in) real concrete slab, hand-scribed with aged tile joints and hairline cracks for authentic weathering.

The Foundation

Poured an actual real concrete slab measuring 80×60 cm (31.5 × 23.6 inches). Getting the tile grid scribing right took multiple attempts — but the weathered, cracked result is worth every hour.

Foam brick walls for 1:24 scale Mad Max garage diorama showing hand-carved foam sheets with grid windows before painting — Walls in progress — Every single brick hand-scribed out of foam. Hard-surface foam is a nightmare to scribe; use soft craft foam for clean lines.

The Walls

Weeks of hand-carving every single brick out of foam. Pro-tip learned the hard way: avoid foam with a hard top layer — it is a total nightmare to scribe! Soft craft foam scribes cleanly and saves your sanity.

Complete interior view of Mad Max 1:24 scale diorama garage with rusty crane, brick walls, miniature classic cars, and industrial clutter — Interior complete — The full panoramic view of the wasteland garage. A 1:24 scale muscle car, overhead Krupp crane, and hundreds of hand-placed details.

3D Printing: Resin vs. Filament

Tested resin vs. filament for the custom parts. Resin is definitely king for the microscopic details, while filament left my engine block and ball turret a bit rough. I'll probably rebuild those in resin later.

Close-up of 1:24 scale metal lathe machine model beside a painted mechanic figure in the Mad Max garage diorama — Extreme close-up — A 1:24 scale metal lathe barely bigger than a fingernail, beside the mechanic figure. Resin printing delivers this level of detail.

Details at Fingernail Scale

Most of the items in this build are barely bigger than a fingernail, so expect some extreme close-ups! It is not mathematically perfect, but under the right lighting and camera angles, it completely transforms into a gritty, atmospheric world.

Upper mezzanine level of 1:24 Mad Max garage diorama featuring a rusted industrial motor suspended by chains above brick walls — Upper deck — A salvaged industrial motor suspended on rust-eaten chains over the mezzanine. Every chain link was individually painted.

The Vibe I'm Chasing

If you are a Gen-Xer like me, the first two Mad Max movies are mandatory viewing, so you already know the exact vibe I'm chasing here. I'm experimenting with a darker tone, slow-paced haunting music, and AI-animated transitions to bring the garage to life. This set is where all my future wasteland car builds and miniature action sequences are going to happen.

Get the 3D Files

Want to build your own? I designed many of the custom parts myself in CAD. You can grab the files right now to level up your own garage:

Get the 3D Files on Cults3D

The Outro

Stick around for the outro! I'm premiering a brand new track called "I Got The Relic" from my AI band, Sweet Revenge, alongside a bunch of behind-the-scenes making-of footage.

Thank you all for the incredible support on this new approach to diorama building. Head over to the channel, check out the video, and let me know what you think of the cinematic style in the comments!

Ready for the Full Build Story?

Watch the Full 48-Minute Epic Now!

Gear for Your Own Wasteland Build

Bench-tested picks from the 3D Printing & Resin & Diorama Materials aisle.

Elegoo

Elegoo Mars 4 Resin 3D Printer

Resin is king for fingernail-scale details — engine blocks, lathes, and ball turrets print crisp and clean.

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Elegoo

Elegoo Water-Washable Resin (1kg)

Low-odour, water-washable standard resin for fine diorama parts. No alcohol bath required.

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Anycubic

Anycubic Wash & Cure Station

Automates the messy wash-and-cure workflow so your printed parts come out clean and fully hardened.

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Creality

Creality Ender 3 V3 Filament Printer

Budget FDM printer for larger structural parts — garage walls, bases, and jigs where fine detail matters less.

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Elegoo

Metal Resin Funnel & Filter Set

Strain reclaimed resin before re-pouring to keep your vat free of cured flecks and failed-print debris.

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Generic

XPS Foam Boards (Carving Grade)

Soft craft foam scribes cleanly into brick walls — avoid the hard-top foam, it is a nightmare to carve.

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Generic

Foam Carving & Scribing Tool Set

Ball-point stylus and scribing picks for clean brick joints and tile lines in foam walls.

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Woodland Scenics

Sculptamold / Plaster Scenery

Pours and textures like real concrete for cracked-tile foundations and weathered slab bases.

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Woodland Scenics

Static Grass & Scatter Flock

Ground cover, weeds, and overgrowth for post-apocalyptic scenes. Apply over matte medium.

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Woodland Scenics

Fine Sand & Gravel Scatter Kit

Realistic street debris, rubble, and ballast — weigh it before you build with the Material Weight tool.

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Midwest

Basswood Sheet & Strip Stock

Clean basswood for crates, pallets, and framing — cuts crisp and takes stain and weathering powders.

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