HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

Yes, Stephen,I am sure that it must be a hit wherever it goes ,but I didnt realize that you had completed that diorama a while ago.I am sure that you must have found the oohs and aahs very rewarding.

Today on the Jenny: I got bogged down in scratchbuilding one of those ,I think that they are called,gimbal type compasses that were usually found just below the inst. panel .I dont know when the panel mounted compasses came into vogue but knowing barnstormers they probably couldnt afford to buy one anyway ,so I think I am safe to install the gimbal type.I just like the fact that they are different ,look good,and add interest in the cockpit.There is actually a little shelf that it rests on just forward of the stick in the rear cockpit. to be cont....

[StephenLawson]

JohnReid; More than the Oooohhs and aaahs I should also explain It gives me a chance to explain a bit of the magic to kids and encourage them to model on!

[JohnReid]

Ken Foran has some new pics up ,of his wonderful Camel build ,over on the wwi-models site.One of the pics answers my compass question.It seems that they were panel mounted on some aircraft even during ww1.

[karrart]

Originally Posted by Mark_Miller

But, IMHO, there is little difference between physical and virtual model making.
essentialy, we are doing the same thing
just the tools are different

My thoughts too. It's my constant battle between wanting to make 2D images or 3D "images"....(and possibly explains why I have such limited output- I sit around wasting too much time being paralyized "painting or modeling....painting or modeling....arghh....)The prep work is the much the same same- grab all the reference material possible, and then go to town to try to make whatever was in my head pop out in the material world, while being open to whatever flashes come during the actual process....could be spillled bolts, could be a big nasty airbrush splotch...."hmmmm...that would be a nice place for a cloud...."
RK
karrart.com

[quote=JohnReid].
On another subject,it has been said that Dioramas are the highest expression of what we do as Modelers.What do you guys think?
QUOTE]

If dioramas aren't the highest form of modeling, they're darn near close. On a regular model, say any given....oh, I don't know.....Fokker D.VII, if a strut goes here, it goes here- we're bound by the constraints of "D.VIIness".
A diorama can be large, small, complex, simple....what ever one wants. Shep Paine's book changed my life when it first came out. Aside from the good hands-on modeling information, there was also a lot of stuff about composition, story telling etc- things that are applicable to all sorts of creative works.
The "diorama mind" is often at play when I do 2D work.
Now if my wife would just let me convert the den into my own version of Pirates of the Caribbean...maybe 1/8th scale of the Disneyland ride.....
RK
karrart.com

[JohnReid]

RK,I known exactly what you mean about being torn between should I do this or should I do that.When I first went back to modeling ,after about 15 Years in wood sculpture, I felt the same way.In fact ,I have an unfinished full size Peregrine Falcon sculpture staring at me with his glass eye, that wants to be finished.I havent touched the piece in 7 years.I tried a couple of times but it just isnt in me at this time.Maybe some day. Well its back to the Jenny....
Cheers! John.

[StephenLawson]

Originally Posted by karrart

'...If dioramas aren't the highest form of modeling, they're darn near close... The "diorama mind" is often at play when I do 2D work. Now if my wife would just let me convert the den into my own version of Pirates of the Caribbean... maybe 1/8th scale of the Disneyland ride.....' RK karrart.com

Which begs the question, why hasn't someone done a series of generic or posed skeletons in about 1/48, 1/32 or 1/24 scale? Yeah I thought about it too. Though 1/8 is a bit over the top for me...

[JohnReid]

I see that Model Expo has the 1/16th Jenny kit on sale for $239.00.Just in case you would like to join me in my madness.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

the center section and its struts are now secured to the fuselage & jig assembly.The instrument panels are finished but not finally installed.The pipes and tubing I will complete when I finally hook up the engine and firewall.

Next,will come the tail assembly.I will have to re-draw the plans for the fin,horiz stab ,elevator and rudder as they are all quite different on the Canuck.Will also build the JN4d tail assembly for the 2nd aircraft(basket case)but at a later time.I want to have both versions easily viewable in the diorama ,so the differences can readily be seen. Am looking forward to this part of the build as now it will start to really look like an airplane.

Will now take some pics of the aircraft in its jig, before the tail assembly is started ,and then again after it is completed and installed ,as I will have to modify the jig to accept the horz stab assy.and I would like you to be able to see the jig before it is modified.I will send in both sets of pics when completed. to be cont....

[JohnReid]

Nietos drawings in Vol1 of Scale Aircraft Drawings shows the differences between the Canuck and the other versions of this aircraft.I used the leading edge of the fin and the distance between the leading and trailing edge of the horizontal stab as my constant.Then, I went to the copy store and enlarged Nietos drawings to the same scale as the 1/16th drawings.(Note: the stern post on the Canuck is flush with the lower fuselage longeron.)Because math was never my best subject I had to play around with the copier but after a few adjustments(10 at 5c a copy) I finally got it right.

I doublechecked the results for any distortion and everything is within my tolerances, so now its on to the building board.

My sequence for building the tail assembly will differ from that suggested by the booklet.I plan to build the horiz stab ,then fit it to the fuselage , then build the vert stab, and fit it to the horiz stab . Then I will build and fit the control surfaces. This seems more normal to me. to be cont....

[JohnReid]

I am hoping to be able to put up a few new pics soon, on how I go about planning and lighting a diorama, using my Nieuport 28 diorama as an example.Cheers! John.