HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Of all those colors I decided to keep it conservative by using a gray.
The blanket is made from two layers of fabric from an old cotton glove.Once fixed on the horses back with a little glue ,I took a thin mix of nimbus gray and water and with a little thinned white glue mixed in, I dabbed the mix on with a brush until wet.This I dried with a hair dryer and dabbed on another coat.I will let this set overnight and finish with pastels.

[JohnReid]

Got the 4X6 foot sheet of plywood today for the base.Man it looks huge!I will seal it with lacquer on both sides to make it waterproof .

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

So far I kind of like this composition.I could build the second Albatros completely fabric/plywood covered or partially covered or a accident case being stripped for parts.

[JohnReid]

I am having the same problem that I had with the Jenny,basically "what to leave in and what to leave out". I would sure appreciate any ideas that you guys may have .
While I kind of like the simplicity shown here ,I also have lots of space to add to the exterior of the piece.I even have enough room to add a complete new airplane with wings attached.While I have pretty much lost my fear of landscaping the exterior it is now a question of improving the storyline.This piece was my first airplane diorama and has the weakest storyline of any of the pieces that I have done till now.Two guys looking at the airplane while a mechanic wipes oil off of the engine just doesn't cut it for me anymore.If I add a completely built new airplane outdoors that will look nice but really do nothing to dramatically improve the story.I was thinking about maybe an accident victim being stripped for parts but then again that is just repeating what I did with the Jenny build. Any ideas?

[JohnReid]

In my stash of 1/16th old cars I have a 1911 Model T ,a Mercer Runabout and a Rolls Silver Ghost.
The Model T frame could be used to make a wagon of some kind,the Rolls a staff car commandeered by the German Air Service and the Mercer I know not what.
I figure that the possibility of a Rolls in France at the start of the war could be a good one and of course Model T's were everywhere.Besides what German officer could resist driving a Rolls given the opportunity.(My motto if it could have happened and it fits the storyline ,use it!)
There is quite a variety of 1/16th figures available today for modification so I don't anticipate a problem there.

[JohnReid]