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I have gone about as far as I can go on the airplanes for now.For safety sake I have put Jenny back in her jig ,where she will stay until just before being finally installed in the diorama.There are still some minor things to make yet but all in all she is about 95% finished.
For a change of pace, I think that I will get back to painting figures.I have 14 figures so far for this diorama, whether or not I will use them all or even get more will depend on when I finally realize that enough is enough.
The central WW1 grouping of pilot characters will consist of 4-5 figures.The rest will be supporting cast, passively looking on to this main group.
The pilot group will be assembled near the airplane in the front of the diorama.I plan to extend the front and sides of the ramp area to accomadate the various trucks , cars, and some of the figures.Others will be scattered throughout the office,engine and woodshop modules.All will be looking in towards the main pilot group where all the action is taking place.Basically the idea is to have the main pilot group laughing and joking around, while the others look on in curiousity at the laughter on such a solemn occasion.The idea is to show that the true nature of these pilots cannot be held in check for long.I have spent a lifetime around fighter pilots so I think that I know them pretty well as a group and I wanted to reflect this in my diorama.
The figures consist of 120mm and 1/16 scale,so there is a slight difference (especially the heads) when put side to side.Also there is some difference between manufacters.The main pilot group will consist of mostly Model Cellar WW1 figures and will only be slightly modified as they are all in somewhat passive poses.The Legends and Lore figures , Eduard and Tamiya heads are all about the same size so they will be position away from the main group ,where any slight differences will not even be noticable.There is also the option of mixing and matching heads.In fact heads are available in packs of 4-6 from some manufactures.
Some of these figures will require major modifications in dress,pose etc.. This I will do with my trusty Xacto and A+B epoxy.See Shep Paines and Ken Hamiltons book s on how to modify figures.
My approach to painting is a little different than most as I came to painting from the decorative arts world as opposed to the hobby world.I will explain how I go about painting a figure which is probably a little different than most.Another important consideration is that my painting style may not be acceptable for handheld, up- close inspection of the figure.It is more impressionistic and adapted to lighted diorama type settings.
Yesterday,I stared playing around with the positioning of the pilot group.Model Cellar figures all come with seperate heads which make it a lot easier for getting the group interaction right.It is amazing how only a slight change in position of the head can cast a whole different mood in your piece.This figure positioning is time consuming but a lot of fun and very creative. I just stick a piece of tape to the feet and move them around as need be.The heads are temporarliy stuck on using that putty like post it stuff.At this stage I dont try to position anything in the hangar itself .I work on a small board with just this grouping of 4-5 figures positioning and re-positioning as need be.Later I will work on the positioning of the group relative to the airplane and other hangar furnishings.
Cheers! John.
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