Scratch Building a War of the Worlds Diorama in N Scale [Trash Bash / Diorama]

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the latest bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News, Toronto, Canada. Professor Morris of Macmillan University reports observing a total of three explosions on the planet Mars between the hours of 7.45 p.m. and 9.20 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This confirms earlier reports received from American observatories. Now nearer home comes a special bulletin from Trenton, New Jersey. It is reported that at 8.50 p.m. a huge flaming object, believed to be a meteorite, fell on a farm in the neighborhood of Grovers Mill, New Jersey, 22 miles from Trenton. The flash in the sky was visible within a radius of several hundred miles, and the noise of the impact was heard as far north as Elizabeth. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Carl Phillips again out at the Wilmeth Farm, Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Well, I hardly know where to begin. I paint for you a word picture of a strange thing before my eyes, but I guess that's it. Yes, I guess that's the thing directly in front of me. Half buried in a vast pit. Must have sunk with terrific force. The ground is covered with splinters of a tree. It must have struck on its way down. But I can see the object itself doesn't look very much like a meteor, at least not the meteors I've seen. It looks more like a huge cylinder. Ladies and gentlemen, here I am, back of a stone wall that joins Mr. Wilmeth's garden. From here I get a sweep of the whole scene. I'll give you every detail as long as I can talk and as long as I can see. More state police have arrived. They're drawing up a cordon in front of the pit. About 30 of them. No need to push the card back now. They're willing to keep their distance. The captain's conferring with someone. Can't quite see who. Ah, yes, I believe it's Professor Pearson. Yes, it is. Now they've parted, and the professor moves around one side, studying the object while the captain and two policemen advance with something in their hands. I can see it now. It's a white hexagon tied to a pole. A flag of truce. Those creatures know what that means, what anything means. Wait a minute. Something's happening. A hump shape is rising out of the pit. It can make out a small beam of light against a mirror. A jet of flame is springing from that mirror and it leaps right at the advancing men. It strikes them head-on. Floors are turning into flames. By the woods, a fire. There's gas tanks, tanks of the automobiles spreading everywhere. Coming this way now. About 20 yards to my right. There they go. Giant arm arrays. Green flash. Spraying us with flame. 2,000 feet. Engines are giving out. No chance to release bombs. Only one thing left. Drop on them, plain and all. We're diving on the first one. Now the engine's gone. The enemy is now in sight above the palisades. Five. Five great machines. The first one is crossing the river. I can see it from here, wading. Wading the Hudson like a man wading through a brook. Now the first machine reaches the shore. He stands watching, looking over the city. Rise like a line of new towers on the city's west side. Now they're lifting their metal hands. This is the end now. Smoke comes out. Black smoke drifting over the city. People in the streets see it now. They're running toward the East River, thousands of them. Dropping in like rats. Now the smoke's spreading faster. It's reached Times Square. People are trying to run away from it, but it's no use. They're falling like flies. Now the smoke's crossing Sixth Avenue. Fifth Avenue. A hundred yards away. It's 50 feet.