Satoshi Araki, an artist from Tokyo, creates highly realistic miniature models of towns, vehicles, and a lot of other objects from everyday life. He is particularly skilled at making small-scale dioramas of chaotic cityscapes that are affected by urban decay, pollution, or warfare.

Satoshi mostly uses styrofoam board to make these incredibly intricate and complex models – he cuts them down to the desired shape and size, paints them, and then glues them together. He explains on his blog that he uses Google Image Search to pull up images that he later uses as a visual reference. These images help him create scenes that are very life-like, down to the smallest detail.

Some of Satoshi’s notable works include scenes from junkyards, overflowing garbage bins, abandoned vehicles and buildings, a miniature diorama of a bombed-out corner in Bhagdad, and a miniature replica set of the fictional Gotham City. His replica of an old, rusted Vespa scooter is so accurate that its photograph could fool you into believing it’s the real thing!

via Spoon & Tamago