HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

First step is to remove the military uniform.I do this by hand which takes a little time.Changing from military to civilian is great ,rather than the other way around, as it is a case mostly of removing stuff.The faint belt lines that you see are actually filled with very thin super glue and sanded smooth with the surrounding surface.The rest of the parts can be used as is ,it will make a nice 20's mechanic when finished.He too will also will be sporting a cigarette in his hand.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

What your well-dressed ground personnel would be wearing in the 20's
As you can see it is a real mixed bag of civvy and semi-military styles!

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

And pilots were about the same! So as you can see a lot of military stuff can be used for aviation personnel during this era.It sure makes my job a lot easier!

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I would love to do a RR dio in the future as this was my first intro to models almost 60 years ago now,my beloved American Flier.Come to think of it this is probably the real beginnings of my interest in dioramas.I can remember spending countless hours setting up scenarios with my trains and toy soldiers,cowboys and Indians etc...and hardly ever running the train around the tracks.I can remember being a real stickler for authenticity though ,I didn't like Lionel because of the three rail tracks.Every time I looked at a Lionel train all I saw were those damn tracks.

So much of our history is centered around the RR I find it hard to believe how few story based dioramas there are out there.
I think that there will always be a connection between models that move and models that don't,models with stories to be told and models that are scenery based ,and that is great as far as I am concerned.Some will find the magic in movement and others like me will find that movement spoils the magic.I find that my imagination works best when it is not disturbed by movement .Static models allow my mind to build its own scenerios without the distraction of things moving around.I find that they allow me to suspend my disbelief for longer periods of time and really get into what I am looking at.I often see this mostly in kids.They can look at things for long periods of time just drinking in all the details and stories and when you finally talk to them it is like they have been in some other world.It is only then that all the questions start.As a static dioramist this is what I strive for ,hoping to capture even a few adults along the way.I believe that your imagination works best when you leave it up to your imagination.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Both these figures are 1/16th and by the same manufacturer but one is a Russian bear in disguise.

[JohnReid]