This build was a beast, and I couldn’t have wrangled it without my good friend Dustin Carpenter (@gnome.craft), who dove in head‑first (sometimes literally) to help me bring the new video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to miniature life.

I partnered with Bethesda to re‑create the jaw‑dropping Himalayan scene where Indy and investigative reporter Gina Lombardi stumble onto an abandoned battleship marooned on a snowy peak. We ended up sculpting a massive mountain the size of an entire table. The finished diorama towers high enough that you half‑expect a tiny avalanche.

Dustin and I started with XPS foam, stacking and carving until the workshop looked like a purple blizzard. We slathered everything in sculptamold, then hit it with a dark‑grey base coat and endless dry‑brushing to tease out every crack and crevice. Tiny basswood suspension bridges (hand‑tied with thread) dangle over chasms, and the whole thing is buried in hand‑sifted “snow” because, well… Himalayas. The rust‑streaked battleship looms at the summit, frozen in time and mystery.

Naturally, I couldn’t resist stepping into the scene Indy‑style, so I green‑screened myself onto the mountain. If you watch the video, you’ll catch me narrating the adventure while teasing the other globetrotting locales you’ll explore in the game (Rome, Thailand, China, Egypt…).

Big franchise, bigger build, and an even bigger thrill to craft.