HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I used my usual barn siding technique on the raw wood for the aging process and then used pastels for shading.I will leave it at this for now until I mount the engine and then will add oil spots,rusty nails,chains for pulling etc...The sled is the base upon which the rest will be built.
I have decided that there will not be a lot of fabric left on the wings or control surfaces other than a few burnt remnants.Why? because I want my viewer to be able to get a good look at the skeleton aircraft and how it was built.The plywood fuselage aft of the cockpit will give me ample opportunity to add a little color to an otherwise pretty drab scene by putting on some national and other markings.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The wing tips ,trailing edge and bent center section are finished.I did a little more scorching of the wood but will let it go at that for now ,until after I mount the front section of the fuselage and decide on the burn pattern.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Here is a great example of flash burning of the fabric on a wooden aircraft.
How much fabric to leave attached is a judgment call,in my view.
Some photos show an almost complete burn, others varying degrees of burn.
I think that the determining factor for me will be just how much color I want to add to the scene.
The little model above shows just enough color to be able to identify some of the squadron and national markings which is probably more important for an aircraft set in a field.My wreck is set in a diorama where this would be quite obvious.
Another consideration , in salvaging some of the parts ,would most of the remnants of fabric have been already torn off by the salvagers.Also, I can't imagine any base commander wanting a wreck hanging around for any length of time, especially if it was showing half burned squadron or national markings. Not good for morale,I would think.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

This is Fritz the dogs eye view of his masters wrecked airplane.The whole storyline is based upon this relationship and is what inspired me to expand this diorama in the first place.I will leave it to the viewers imagination as to whether his master survived to fight another day.
I was never very happy with the original diorama after building the other two.The story was weak,two pilots looking at a mechanic wiping down an engine after a run-up.Pleasant to look at but no real emotion.Now the main storyline is transported outside the confines of the hangar.What I am hoping is that the average viewer will initially be drawn to looking inside and only later discover the dog/man story outside.The hangar doors will be left open thereby somewhat hiding from view the real story.
At the same time I want the aircraft to be somewhat educational, in that I don't want to cover the structure with fabric.The fuselage being plywood I can leave off a few panels here and there to make it more interesting for those who may want a peak inside.
The fuselage broken at the cockpit with the hanging seat belt straps really adds to the pathos of the scene.The tail having been pushed over the lower wing suggests some sort of pilot resue attempt which would have really had to be done in haste if a fire was just breaking out.The fabric on the tail would then also have been involved in the flash over burn.
The wings are remarkably intact which suggests to me a low impact type crash or nose over.
I will leave it up to the imagination of the viewer as to what really happened, which is after all the real purpose of of any good diorama storyline.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

This is a pic of an training accident that was kindly sent to me by Stephen Lawson.Looks like the aircraft on the right of the picture ran into another while both were on the ground.
What is especially interesting for me is the fabric paint job on the wings.
Evidently aircraft that were designed as trainers were painted differently right from the factory floor.