HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

This is the area in which I am planning to put it ,along with a horse hitch at the base of the other wall.On the wall I plan to put a sign saying something like "Loud engines,please hitch horses securely ." Most young folks usually don't think of airplanes and horses together.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Well this should be fun! I have never tried weathering plastic before other than a few chrome or brass fittings.My only prior experience was on a Duese metal diecast.
This will be another of those online learning experiences that I would like to share with you guys.Hope I don't screw up! For you guys who say what the hell has this got to do with airplanes,figures etc...there will come a time when you will want to rust that sword or that wheel hub or whatever and the procedure will always be about the same.Remember rust is everywhere!

The first thing I noticed from Chuck Doan's fabulous pics was the wonderful contrast between the porcelan inside and the rusted outside.Without good reference like this I would have been "up the creek" right from the beginning as I would have,in my ignorance , weathered both sides and lost the whole dramatic effect.(I love these stark contrasts)
I believe these pics show 2 different tubs.I am going to use the pic with the tub on its feet ,as that is like the one I have in scale ,and besides there seems to be a difference in the paint color and the
weathering patterns between the two.
The first thing I will do is try to pick out the different colors and textures on the outside surface and the order in which they were put on.
At the very top near the rim you can see a grey color which I believe maybe a primer coat.The white seems to be painted over top of this .There is some greenish-yellow near the bottom which I assume is mold and moss.The rust looks to be mostly shades of umber and burnt sienna. to be cont........

[JohnReid]

Love that M von R bust by Model Cellar! Those cold blue eyes are something else.I once put a Lord Nelson bust in the case with an HMS Victory model and it added a lot of interest!

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

After washing the tub with soap and water and an old toothbrush,I sanded the outside only with a fine sandpaper to create more tooth for my gesso primer coat.Mix up a light grey using white and a little black gesso add a little water and flow medium and paint it on the bare plastic.Put on at least a couple of coats and then take a little bit of the fine sand that we used on the terrain and mix it into the grey gesso.Use a small stiff bristle brush and dab on the gesso/sand mix where you think that the heaviest rust would be ,which in this case is along the bottom.I suspect that the original tub was made of cast iron so a lot of deep pitting would be expected.Let this dry and then mix up some plain white gesso of a little thicker consistancy 75% gesso/25% water and now using a old toothbrush flick some on using your pics for reference.Slowly build up a rougher looking texture using many coats.
This is the point where I am now and this would be a good point to let the whole thing dry overnight. to be cont.......

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Now for the fun part,the rust! I think that I will start with the darkest color first which looks to me to be a burnt umber.The heaviest rusting looks to be on the bottom 2/3rds of the tub.I will start by flicking on burnt umber gesso with a toothbrush and then dabbing on the rest with a small bristle brush.A little burnt sienna will be next followed by pastels.Anyway thats the plan for now. to be cont.......

[JohnReid]

The above pic coutesy of "A History of Pointe Claire" (Comte de Lessops in the foreground.)
Next diorama will be a 1/12th scale Bleriot ,like the one seen in this early pic taken during the first airshow in Canada ,not far from my home ,on June 25,1910.My initial plan is to have it sitting in front of a temporary tent-like structure in a field.Haven't worked out a storyline yet.Any ideas?
(the RAF piece will be delayed only by a few months)

[JohnReid]

Hi guys!Until I actually start the build of the 1/12th scale Bleriot diorama I feel that it is more appropriate that I transfer this subject matter to the Poneer section.Management here has been very patient with my sometimes rambling and confusing postings to this thread,so before I am told to do so any further mention of the Bleriot research and its pre-war exploits will be posted there.Although not often thought of as a military airplane there were many Bleriot squadrons in Europe at the opening of the war .
Like the Jenny it spans both the Pioneer and the WW1 eras and certainly qualifies as a WW1 type.
Cheers! John.