HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

I finished rigging the L/H wing assy except for the rigging of the kingposts(just in case I want to put the aircraft on its back at some point,the area is easily accessable later)The rigging is slack at this point and will remain so until I am almost finished.
I had to modify the jig again to begin the build up the R/H wing assy.I dont forsee any problems .Then its on to the tail planes and U/C wheels. to be cont..

[JohnReid]

Congrats to my friend Jim Landon on the completion of his 1/16th Salmson.He has already taken home a couple of Best of Show awards. (see www.wwi-models.org)
He has begun a 1/16th model expo Nieuport which he confirms is not a very good kit.That is why I never finished it myself(I got sucked in by the radial engine)In my Nieuport diorama I did the minimum possible and luckily it worked out OK. Jim is used to scratchbuilding so I have no doubt that he will make something out of it.Ken Foran also built this kit and he had the same bad experience.I definitely to not recommend this kit to the inexperienced.I hate to think of the number of new modelers who may have been turned off 1/16th by this kit. Cheers! John.

[StephenLawson]

Hey Johnreid; Youe mentioned building a Wrightflyer in the future? Though I'm sure its not your scale.

http://www.hlj.com/product/AEBB008

[JohnReid]

Stephen,I have been thinking about a third option for quite some time using these tiny airplanes.I have the wind tunnell idea and the Flier rebuild idea in their preliminary stages of planning ,but something keeps coming back to me about doing a whimsical museum type piece, using a 1/16th Flier in a museum setting with those small aircraft in showcases.I cant get it out of my head so maybe that is the direction I will go. Those little suckers are quite expensive though.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

I temporarily fit the R/H wing assy to the fuse and center section.The aircraft now looks like it tripled in size.Wow,it sure is a good looking airplane with that huge upper wing span.For such a large airplane it looks very graceful sitting there on the workbench.
I have been thinking about how to secure the model to the hangar floor.In the Jenny manual it is shown being rigged with 2 saw horses placed under each wing at the struts.I will try to make them as small as possible so they dont take away from the look of the model.I will place a 3rd sawhorse under the tail and lift the model to flying attitude.It is the only way that I can think of to secure the model to the hangar floor as I want to leave those nice looking spoked wheels without covers. to be cont.....

[JohnReid]

Nothing much new to report on the Jenny build as I am just basically repeating what I did on the L/H wing assy.
However,take a look at this site for some good dioramic ideas(I think that is a word? )
http://gallery.diecast.org/Vandalia click on Picture This ,then click on Dioramas.
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Having now almost finished my 3rd Model Expo kit I think that I can make a few educated comment about their kits.
I know sometimes I can be a little too critical on a company that I am sure tries to offer value for money,to keep the costs down so that the kits can be offered at a reasonable price.I ,for one ,am extremely thankful to them for getting me started down a road that I probably would not have otherwise taken.These are good starter kits and the quality has gone up with their last two offerings.I think that they recognized the problem they had with their metal castings and have corrected it.I am only guessing here as I have no contact with this company,I even buy my kits through a local hobby store(Hobby World in Montreal)All of their kits can be built with a little determination but there can be varing degress of frustration depending on the kit you build.Therefore ,let me give you my opinion of the pros and cons of each.

[JohnReid]

The Albatros;
This was my first kit and at the time I built it I found it very enjoyable however I did experience some problems with the castings as they were too soft(maybe this has now been corrected,I dont know)The other raw materials are good and the plans and booklet are good but require a lot of study.I come from a ship modeling background so I am used to reading plans and problem solving when building.I did some scratchbuilding but it is not necessary to produce a fine model.I think that the Mercedes engine itself is worth the price of the kit.

The Nieuport;
I dont know what happened here but the quality took a backward step.I really cannot recommend this kit to anyone other than a serious scratchbuilder.The basics are there but......The quality of the raw materials are OK but the casting are poor(even the engine)The plans and instruction booklet leave a lot to be desired.

The Jenny;
I am happy to report that this is truly a nice kit.Some will think it expensive but it really is not when you consider all the factors.(cost per hobby hour,no aftermarket to buy,stress level etc......)There are no serious downsides to this kit,in fact I can easily recommend it to the average builder who has lots of time and patience.I have covered most of the fine points of this build here on this thread.The subject matter is just great and the aircraft looks wonderful when built.

Wright Flier;
From what I can see looking in the box and handling the various parts this looks like a good one.The castings,photoetch and raw materials seem to be of the same quality as the Jenny.I have briefly looked over the plans and instruction booklet and they seem ok but your can never really tell until you actually start the build.This probably will be my next project.

Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

The R/H wing assembly is finally glued down to the fuse and centersection.Next I will finish the wing rigging and then put the Canuck aside for awhile.It is well protected in the jig so I can put it safely away without worring about the tail planes being damaged.
The next thing that I think I will tackle is the tow or chase car, which will be a nice change of pace.It is something that I can totally finish off and I find that important once and awhile to keep your enthusiasm up.
When the warm weather finally gets here, I plan to finish the hangar,windows,lighting ,workshop etc....Then it will probably be on to the JN4B which I plan to partially cover with old weathered fabric with lots or tears,rips and patches.Weathering is something I really enjoy doing with pastels and acrylics.
I havent yet decided how to do or where to place the 2nd engine(maybe in the workshop)It will then be on to the final assembly making tools ,workbenches and generally filling up the hangar.The final decoration of the diorama is the most rewarding,putting up signs and posters etc... and bringing the scene to life.Playing with the lighting is also lots of fun and so is the photography.
It may sound funny but in some ways I prefer the pictures to the actual diorama.I think that the pictures are more beleivable to the viewer because we are used to them capturing a moment in time.That is why I do dioramas that have little action going on .No figures in mid step just guys standing around looking relaxed.I like to put beleivability in my dioramas.Too much action I find disturbing,like waiting for the other shoe to drop.However,I dont want the viewer to fall asleep looking at my dioramas,that is why I put in lots of detail, to keep the viewers eyes busy surveying the scene.
Stephen Lawsons diorama with the photographer taking a picture of the squadron works really well.The viewer fully expects that the scene will be a moment frozen in time.You can look at this diorama and never expect any movement. Perfect. to be cont...

[StephenLawson]

Originally Posted by JohnReid

"...It may sound funny but in some ways I prefer the pictures to the actual diorama.I think that the pictures are more beleivable to the viewer because we are used to them capturing a moment in time.That is why I do dioramas that have little action going on. No figures in mid step just guys standing around looking relaxed. I like to put beleivability in my dioramas. Too much action I find disturbing,like waiting for the other shoe to drop. However,I dont want the viewer to fall asleep looking at my dioramas, that is why I put in lots of detail to keep the viewers eyes busy surveying the scene.

That is why I think Stephen Lawsons diorama with the photographer taking a picture of the squadron works so well.The viewer fully expects that the scene will be a moment frozen in time.You can look at this diorama and never expect any movement. Perfect. to be cont... ;")

High praise indeed from a master builder. My sincerest thanks. Stephen

From the first post of "Most Memorable Builds and Dioramas" thread
http://theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3550