HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I want to put a dirt road in this area with grass and weeds on either side.My hobby store guy is a pretty experienced RR modeler.He suggested using dirt and stones gathered outside,so I spent the day sorting through soil and various sizes of stones.(I think the neighbors think I went nuts over the winter and the rocks belong in my head!)
I will heat everything in the BBQ tomorrow to kill any critters that may be lurking about.(don't ask me how I will explain cooking dirt!)Once clean I spread this over the road area which has already been prepared with white glue,brushed on full strength.After adding the dirt and some small rocks,I will then spray on some alcohol as a water tension breaker .Then I will take some diluted white glue,about 60% glue 40% distilled water and wet down everything with a drop- by -drop eyedropper until quite wet.Evidently I can keep adding layers until I am satisfied .When the whole thing is still a little mushy I am supposed to run a tire through to create tire tracks.Hope this works!

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Well I have to start somewhere,so this is as good a place as any.I really don't have any idea of where this is going but it is a lot of fun .I will just play with the various grass and weed textures and colors until I am happy with the results.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The last 2 pics were taken outside in the sun.The flagstone walkway needs more work but the road looks pretty good.You can see the tire tread marks with the sun at a low angle.The short straws are where the screws are to hold the module to the base.The clamps are used to hold the plywood base of the module to a flat board in case of warping as it dries out completely.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Here in Canada there seems to be a lot of yellow oxide in our Fall color scheme.The above set up is what I use to obtain foliage color not available in the hobby stores.