HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

These are the 1/16th(120mm) figures and some of the heads that I received yesterday.The figs look great but require a little flash removal .The heads are outstanding!I purchased these from the "The Lost Battalion Miniatures" company.
I have also recently purchased a Eric Hartmann figure from "Legends and Lore" which I plan to modify into a barnstormer of the 20's for the "Memories of Flight School "diorama.I am planning to radically modify the Hartmann figure using the manniquin for positioning reference and heads to alter the facial expression.
This will be a first step down the road to sculpting miniatures.This figure will also be used to start to improve my painting skills beyond the indoor lighted figure.

On the diorama,I will be starting the roof of the engine shop today.When it is completed I plan to break everything down and begin to sheath the walls both indoors and out and then start thinking about the furnishings.All of my structures are made to be taken apart for maintenance which calls for some pre-planning on how they are put together.Having fun!
Cheers! John.

Manniquins and heads www.tlbminiatures.com
Eric Hartmann figure www.greatmodels.com
Great forum on figures www.timelinesforum.com

[JohnReid]

I have decided to delete the engine test stand from my diorama.I like the idea but have rejected it for two reasons.#1 a company of this size would not normally be investing this kind of money into test stands etc.. unless they were actively engauged in constructing engines. #2 the decision to build it was made before the Camel kit became available.There will be enough going on at the back of the hangar when the Camel-Ford T towing assembly is built.The outside area that was reserved for the test stand will now become a loading dock for trucks.
When the main hangar and all the modules directly attached to it are finished this will end phase #1 of this project.The radio shack/dispatch area may be built as a single add on or as part of phase#2 if I ever decide to build it.
As you guys can see this is an ever evolving project but that is the way I like it,nothing is written in stone.The only thing that still bothers me though , am I getting to far off the original theme of "Memories of Flight School" ?
I still plan to have all the figures(except maybe 1 or 2 )looking directly at the main pilot group of WW1 Aces,even the ones outside looking though the hangar windows at the center of the action.I am hoping that this will even increase the viewers curiosity to look inside the hangar and downplay any thing outside to only a supporting role.Any ideas or suggestions?
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

As I mentioned before I am posting these pictures in no particular order to be used as a reference for future Jenny builders.The jig that I devised for this seemed to work out very well as it held everything squarely in place and yet I still had fairly easy access to work on the model.I never came up with any formal plans for this but I am sure that the pics speak for themselves.This jig is designed to evolve with the build,if you guys refer to some of the earlier pics that I posted you can see where it was progressively cut away to accomadate both left and right hand wing structures and the tail assembly.The supplied plans are very vague in this critical area of the build and some sort of jig is needed to hold everything square.Another nice feature of this jig is that the airplane can easily be removed at any time.
Update:the outside walls of the engine shop are sheathed but yet to be battened and weathered.The inside walls will be insulated with laquered cardboard, then battened ,painted and weathered.Doors and windows are next and then the furnishings,engine stands,workbenches etc....

[JohnReid]

Just my opinion so far
Model Airways provide the complete instruction manual ,on Adobe reader ,on their website which is great for the prospective buyer of this kit.They should be commended for this degree of openess which I think is quite rare in the kit world.No surprises as to the quality.Having said that I am afraid that my fears about this kit may be true.
First ,the model as depicted in the instruction book was built and the instruction manual prepared by ,the same person who did the Nieuport.In looking over the manual a lot of the same problems that the Nieuport had seems to have been repeated here exut of scale parts etc...
I only hope that they used the same quality of metal that they used for the Jenny.
To be fair I will reserve any further judgement until I actually build this kit.
The Jenny as far as I can see is still the best 1/16th kit on the market and my personal recommendation would be to spend the extra $100.00 bucks and buy it.I know the manufacturer is trying to provide the best kit for the money but I beleive it is false economy both on the buyer and the manufacturers part to go the cheaper route.
The Camel kit I think will prove to be a good starting point for the semi-scratchbuilder who will use it as a starting point for a more complete build.Unfortunately the extras required will easily eat up the $100.00 saving that would been needed to bring it up to Jenny quality in the first place and it would save the builder a lot of frustration in the process.
Bottom line-build the Jenny first and then have a go at the others.
I hate to be too critical of a company that I owe so much to for giving me and others a start along the 1/16th path ,but that is my honest opinion.
Cheers! John.


One thing that I forgot to mention is that ,as with the Nieuport, I will only be partially building the Camel kit.When I first started on the Nieuport it was my intention to build it sitting on its wheels with all the control surfaces etc..attached.As I got into the build I quickly changed my mind and built only what I considered was necessary to tell my story.
The new Camel kit I will treat the same way and take a lot of liberties as to what I build or don't build.Ex:spark plugs out of scale?I will plug the holes with rags.Oversize turnbuckles? I don't need to put them on. etc...etc...
I can get away with this and still use the kit in my diorama as long as I can get it on its wheels with the wings folded to the sides ready for transport behind the Model T truck.Yet even with all these compromises it should make for an interesting piece.

[JohnReid]