HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

I began working again on the tow car that will be used in the diorama.The basic model is a Minicraft 1/16th scale 1928 Mercedes Benz SS.It looks like it would make a very nice model but I am using it only as a basic motor and frame ,to look like a car used by Upside -Down Clyde Pangborn in his famous stunt at a beach near San Diego in 1920.I beleive that he was one of the fiirst to try the car- to- airplane transfer via rope ladder.On this occasion he failed and almost killed himself in the process.
The Mercedes basic car frame had been around for some time, so I think that I am pretty safe in using it for a diorama of the mid 20s.By the time I finish modifying it, I want it to look something like the car Pangborn used.I got the idea from the Time-Life book Barnstormers and Speedkings.(see page 8)
So far I have the frame and engine finished(except for engine wiring)I built a wooden platform on the back for the stuntman to stand on and am now building some of the chassis.The car will be quite beat up with missing parts and well weathered.I plan to put airshow advertising on the doors and panels and it will be quite colorful but in muted tones as to not draw too much attention from the Jenny. to be cont.....

[JohnReid]

The Mercedes kit comes with a standard plastic instrument panel that I wanted to make look like wood with silver instrument rings.Rather than make it in wood like I usually would do I decided for fun I would try to simulate the wood with paint.
If you try to paint the panel and then attempt to drive yourself crazy trying to paint small silver circles I decided to take a different approach.First,clean the plastic as usual,then spray it with Gesso and let it set overnight so their is no danger of it lifting off during the next step.

[JohnReid]

Next,paint the panel silver.Now the fun part.Because my panel design is flat with raised rings for the instrument faces,I took some very thin acrylic burnt sienna paint,the consistency of skim milk ,loaded it into a hyperdermic needle and flooded the spaces between the instruments with paint.Then I took a hairdryer and evaporated the pools of paint until dry.Then I took my finger and using it like fine sandpaper rubbed the panel to take any paint off the silver instrument rings.This was repeated as many times as necessary until the panel took on a irregular shaded wood look.Some of the paint will dry a darker shade close to the sivler rings which tends to make them stand out even nicer.Do not continue painting until everything is the same depth of color (you want to retain this irregular look) Later you can touch up some areas with pastels.The secret is thin paint ,built up in layers.Be sure each layer is thourghly dry before attemting another layer, otherwise your finger rubbing will only succeed in taking all the paint off.

[JohnReid]

(I am doing this in 3 parts because I am having computer problems)

For the instrument faces I used Jtec scale instruments which I picked up at an RC stroe.They are 1/12th scale but can be reduced at the photocopy store to fit any scale.#JT-12 covers WW1, WW2 and modern aircraft faces as well as well as cars and boats.It also includes plastic rims if you want to use them.
I used Humbrol Clearfix to make mine.
In my next set of pics I will include pics of the Mercedes tow car.

Just for fun I have included a price list of stunts that barnstormers of the mid-20s charged Hollywood.

Crash ships(fly into trees ,houses etc..) $1,200
Loop with man on each wing standing up $450
Ship change (in midair) $100
Upside down change $500
Change -Car or motorcycle to airplane $150
Fight on upper wing,one man knocked off $225
Upside-down flying with man on landing gear $150
Head-on collision with automobiles $250
and last but not least
Blow up plane in mid-air,pilot chuts out $1,500
I wonder who supplied the plane

[JohnReid]

If you would like to see a pic of the tow car how it looked prior to my working on it the past few days please go here .
http://www.largescaleplanes.com
Click on In Progress and scroll down to Part4 1/16th Jenny Canuck.
I will post some pics here soon of the progess being made.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Hi! Me again.Please help me satisfy my curiousity.This thread is now about 6 months old.I have noticed for some time that the number of hits far exceeds the number of replies.I know that the subject matter is fairly new and most of my fellow craftsman/artists are more used to working in other mediums.But at the same time there has to be those out there who are on the cusp of giving a diorama a try.I guess what I am trying to say is ,How can I make this thread be more successful in actually helping those who are a little reluctant to take the plunge?The water is nice and warm ,you really wont regret it.Cheers! John.

[DonnyW]

John.. I think your thread is fine as it is .. I have certainly gleamed a good deal of info from it with both my Caproni and Jenny ..so thanks for that. However..I can assure you I dont add up to all the hits . Its just a fact with forums..I think some folk just like watching even though they are not involved with dioramas so wont have much to say ..but as long as you are getting hits.. it shows there is an interest. IMHO "Eye candy" is always appreciated.
Perhaps you could open it up into a more general diorama topic for a bit ?
For example .. I remember as a laddie looking at "stages" in a box in amusement arcades. They depicted scenes like "Sweeney Todd" the barber. You inserted a penny and the models would move...I suppose today they would be frowned at as some were quite gruesome although as kids we were greatly amused and kept demanding "just one more penny mum!". I presume you know the things Im talking about ? Were they dioramas of a sort ? If so what about doing a future one where parts move.. ie a hoist could lift the engine out the fuselage .. the car could move through a door etc etc. Just some thoughts ...

[JohnReid]

Thanks Donny.Good idea adding movement.I remember Shep Paine did that quite effectively on his HMS Victory gundeck diorama.When you looked out the gunports you saw the movement of the enemy ship rolling with the waves.I would really have to put my thinking cap on to come up with something.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

I am presently weathering the chassis and wheels of the towcar.This is the first time that I have been able to really get into Dirk style weathering.(Although the Ford model A in the Nieuport diorama was somewhat weathered .) Having loads of fun just using mostly black with burnt sienna for the rust and a little dark grey for dust and dirt.I used black gesso for the base coat as it holds up well to the surface rubbing of the pastels into the paint.The gesso also dries flat which looks more natural on what is supposed to look like old paint.I use a stubby pigs bristle brush.As you go along you can mix the pastels together to get various effects.This is really loads of fun as things happen really quickly.You can weather a chassis in no time(instant gratification)Make sure your pastels are of the chaulk variety and not oils.For very fine work like cracks and crevaces use smaller brushes.
Get some good references (see Dirks website)and use your imagination as to where discolorization and fading would be effective.Lots of rust for example around the brake drums etc....
I am really looking forward to weathering the 2nd Jenny which I plan to do as the A model with ripped and torn fabric .to be cont.....

[JohnReid]

I have been thinking for some time about whether I should bore you guys with a little personal experience I have had with creativity.As you probably already know from reading this thread , I have been involved in many different creative things over the years.I must say that I have enjoyed them all but there was always something missing.I didnt feel completely comfortable doing what I was doing even though I was relatively successful.In bird carving I felt frustrated by my lack of knowledle about the subject, namely birds.In wood carving figures,good but not comfortable.Same with relief carving or bird painting,something was missing.Then I got to thinking,What did I really enjoy the most? and I thought back to putting those figures on HMS Victory.Figuring out how I would tell the story that I wanted to get across.Then I thought ,what do I know best,of course,Aviation.I had even built a 1:1 scale biplane in the 60s.There it was under my nose all along.So i took my love of airplanes,history and art and my need to tell a story and came up with the diorama idea.Years earlier I had picked up Shep Paines book out of curiousity, read it, and thought maybe someday I would give it a try and promptly forgot about it, except every once an awhile I would pick it up again and leaf through the pages.
When I retired from actively teaching woodcarving I was again searching for something new.Then I thought about my modeling building 50 years earlier and decided to give it a try again, just for fun.Well ,I started where I left off all those years ago building WW2 fighters and bombers.I built up quite a stash of unbuilt kits.I built a few,thought about dioramas and copying Sheps work but still I wasnt satisfied.I felt this overwheming need to do something original(if there is such a thing) to be cont....