HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

Stick and rudder bars needs no explanation .The bellcrank aft of the rear stick is for the aileron cables, and aft of that you have the elevator control bar which is normally attached to the fuselage sides, the cables are then attached top and bottom.
The stick could be a straight wood dowel or in this case a piece of metal tubing with a bend in it.The floorboards are normally in three pieces,I have chosen to show only the middle board.I have made provision for the rudder cables by drilling holes in the aft rudder bar.Very simple design but quite efficient.This assembly will now probably be placed somewhere beside the basketcase fuselage.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

This area is pretty much finished now!

[JohnReid]

I think that my diorama has outgrown it name."Memories of Flying School "just doesn't cut it anymore.The story has become much bigger than that .The original story of the veterans meeting on Remembrance Day is obvious especially with the sign in the hangar.What is not so obvious is this uniqueness of this era in aviation's history ,the years between 1918 and 1927.
After the war,aviation was basically in a lull.Nobody wanted to be reminded of the war and the great sacrifice made during this period.Airplanes were mostly considered tools of war and dangerous to boot.Very few young people of the time considered it as a profession and those who flew were mostly ex military types scratching out of living as barnstormers or flying the mail.These were a very special breed of men who risked life and limb on a daily basis.The average Joe citizen would laugh at the thought of flying other than as a daredevil kind of thing to do at a county fair.
In a few hearts however there was a vision of the future and by 1927 they knew that if they were to be accepted into the mainstream they would have to accept a few rules and regs.It is to these guys that I have decided to dedicate this diorama as the
"Keepers of the Flame"

[JohnReid]

I know that this new title is even more obscure than the last but I figure that if it raises the curiosity of only one kid in ten about this era ,it will be worth the change.Maybe if I added dates it would be better.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I know,I know ,its not WW1 and a dreaded diecast to boot but ...........
it is a diorama manufactured for sale to collectors.Can you imagine this only a few short years ago when dioramas were mostly considered nice bases for your static model? These dioramas are also now available to the diecast car guys too including just about every tool and accessory in 1/18th scale including figures.
For storyteller dioramists such as myself I think we are nearing the golden age.
I know that a lot of plastic guys and scratchbuilders are ,shall we say a little prejudice against diecasts ,but for modelers who want to be creative dioramists
in a storytelling sense ,and just don't have the time or inclination to do a full blown diorama ,this is a great new development in my opinion and a wonderful entry level to modeling.To keep it alive we must evolve with the times! I think it is time to bury the hatchet.It is in the end only the creative idea that really matters.

[JohnReid]

R/H Hangar wall is taking shape.

[JohnReid]