HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

Further to my visit yesterday.Things are a little crowded at the museum these days.If anyone is planning to go I think that I would wait until some of the airplanes are in the new hangar and will be properly displayed.The Jenny looks great but seems smaller than I visualized when building the model.(still a big airplane for its day)Although I love museums,I always find that there is something a little sad about it.Almost like a bird in a cage.I miss the roar of the engines, the popping and banging of start up on the old radials and even the smell of the avgas exhaust.It will be a sad day when those engines get too old to fly anymore

On my next visit ,Iwill go solo and spend more time talking to the oldtimers in the shop.My wife usually has lots of patience with me and my passions but after dragging her to museums and airshows for almost 50 years now ,I think it is starting to wear a bit thin.

By chance when I was there I saw a 104 Starfighter,a Sabre and a Mig all lined up one after the other and it got me to thinking about an old friend who has since Gone West.He was a test pilot at Canadair on 104s but he also was an ace in the USAF in Korea and shot down Migs.(on loan from the RCAF)

I will tell you guys a little story about Bruce.Something in the catagory of "I learned about flying from that".
When I was a hot-shot flying instructor at the same field as the 104s used to fly out of ,Bruce stopped me on the flight line one day and said something about the company sending him to Ottawa to pickup some paperwork. He asked me without hesitation to give him a few circuits in a Cessna 150,which I did and kind of forgot about it.Then I got to thinking ,104 test pilot asking me for a couple of circuits in a 150.Bruce was a fun loving ,carefree kind of guy but when it came to flying he was deadly serious.He new that it was just as easy to kill yourself in a 150 as a 104.Thanks for the flying lesson Bruce,I will never forget you. Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

The book that I picked up at the CAM on models at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum is very informative.I have never been there nor have I ever seen these models before.I was surpised to find that most of their models are 1/16th scale which seems to be the museum standard although they do have other scales.The other thing that I found very interesting is that they do accept kit built airplanes provided that they are part of a diorama.(Douglas World Cruiser Diorama 1/72 scale, P58-59)If any of my American modeling friends have any ambitions about having their models at the Smithsonian and you dont want to scratchbuild the airplane ,do a diorama in any scale and if it is good enough it possibly could be accepted at the museum as that standard has already been set.I may be wrong on this but I havent seen any other plastic kit models in the book.(not that some of them dont belong there) Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

While browsing through the CAM image lists ,I came across some old pics of a Bleriot parked next to a tent like structure like they used to construct as temporary hangars at airmeets of the 1910 era.Got me thinking of my next Bleriot or even Wright Flyer diorama. I think this idea has great potential and not too difficult or too much work.Of course in the beginning I always say this and then it somehow blossumes into another 2 year project.

Anyway I think that I could have great fun with the victorian figures and maybe even a Rolls-Royce,And a 1910 Harley and a ............Oh well it looks like I will never learn the KISS principal (keep it simple stupid) Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

These are a lot of fun to do and really make the diorama come to life.Over the back door of the hangar I plan to post a small sign with the company name and beside it a list of services.These services will reflect all the contributions made to aviation by the Jenny here in Canada.Air mail,survey flights,prospectors flights into the bush,training etc...I know that no one company did it all by any means but I am sure that most of us,especially kids,have no idea of the contributions made by this aircraft to aviation in general.
I also made up a sign of a fictional gas company logo.Red Indian sold gas in Canada during that era but I dont know if they sold avgas.I took their old sign and a well known other companys sign and made up my own avgas sign.You can let your imagination run wild here with No trespassing ,royal air mail,coke or whatever.Take a look at http://www.tias.com for lots of good ideas and downloadable images.(Go to their search function and punch in Tin signs)

I have painted the sign trailer blue with red wheels in subdued tones .Now comes the detail and weathering which really is the fun part.I am still in no rush to get back to the airplane yet as what I am doing now seems to go relatively quickly an is quite enjoyable(lots of eye-candy bang for the buck)
I find that the more I have to look at the more I get excited about the whole project. to be cont......

[Taz]

John- Just got a look at your Model Expo 1/16 Alb D.Va diorama on the web. Really nice. Are you going to do the N.28, also?

Taz

[JohnReid]

Hi Taz.Nice to hear from you.Yes,the N28 was my 2nd diorama but I really dont recommend it as a free-standing build.I only partially built mine for that reason.If you would like to take a look at that build go to http://www.wwi-models.org and look in Galleries under my name or over on http://www.largescaleplanes.com and go to Articles,then the Golden age.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

The advertising trailer is finished, weathering and all.One of the great things about doing these hangar scenes, is that you can put in a lot of colorful detail but still have the option of toning the whole thing down through weathering.The trailer,car and motorcycles for example, were originally painted quite bright but by using just 3 colors of pastels,black,dark grey,&sienna, these objects just seem to fade into the background while leaving the aircraft the centerpiece of the diorama.The airplane is only slightly weathered because most of its life was spent fabric covered.By adjusting the amount of weathering you do on an object you can draw your viewers attention to or away from it.The second Jenny will be heavily weatherind being a derelict airplane with hanging and torn fabric,rust etc....The lighting will also determine where the spotlight goes so to speak.This is very much a balancing act and I spend a lot of time trying to get it right but when you do the effects can be dramatic.A lot of the art of the diorama is in creating a certain atmosphere or mood.Downplaying here and highlighting there.

I also try to keep in mind the enviroment.This is a late Fall scene,November 11,here in Canada and it can be quite cold.I will have a fire going in the stove and the figures dressed fairly warmly(however we Canucks are a hardy bunch but I may have to dress our American guests a little more warmly )The sign on the trailer has been weathered and reflects a long summer in the sun,and is little faded and worn.These little thing are very important to creating believability in your piece. to be cont.....

[JohnReid]

Well I decided to sort of go back to building the airplane,the propeller.The kit supplies 9 precut prop laminations in cherry wood .(I beleive).I figure that if I am going to the trouble of making a 9 layer prop I want to be able to see the laminations.The Albatros prop was 3 or 4 laminations of cheerry, alternated with walnut, so it was easily visable.Nine layers of the same wood will be hard to see,so I thought of 2 solutions.I could color the water based carpenters glue with water based acrylics or use something between the layers.I am afraid that the colored glue may seep into the wood and spoil the effect .I could spray laquer the wood and seal it but then i may have a problem with the glue setting right.So I think that what I will do is use an old ship building trick that I used to do when laying deck planking and I wanted to represent the oakum and tar that was between the boards.That of ordinary black paper. The kind of black paper that comes for the 3 ring binders(or I guess art paper would do)
First I will glue the paper to each layer of laminate except the outer surfaces.Then cut out each layer and glue and clamp overnite.I will thin the glue slightly and put it on in a thin layer.I cant see why this wont work..Wish me luck and Ill let you know the results tomorrow.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Well it worked out OK.I had to use only 8 layers of wood to build it up to the proper thickness(.See the booklet and plans for the dimensions.) The black paper sandwiched betrween the wood layers looks good,almost like an extra layer of walnut veneer.I built the prop to the kit dimensions but it looks a little too narrow compared to some pics of the Jenny that I have seen.Although it seems that many different props were used over the years .Some drawings call for copper tips and leading edges but I am a little reluctant to do this and spoil the look of the prop.The wood really looks nice the way it is.Maybe I will make 2, one with copper and one without.

Laminated wood props are not hard to make.This style of prop has a fairly simple shape.From the hub center to half way down the length there is no taper and from there to tip a gradual taper to the end.If you draw a pencil line half way down the prop blade and then another line tapered to the end and carve out of boths sides to that line that should get you strarted.Get yourself an example of a prop from your stash and study it carefully for overall shape.Once you have the initial tapered shape you should be able to go from there using your example.If you screw up the first one put a model clock in the middle and hang it on the hangar wall.

When finished carving, sand down with different grit sandpapers down to 600.Spray with alcohol to raise the grain and sand again with 600 paper.Repeat until the wood shines.I finished mine with a mix of 2/3 laquer and 1/3 laquer thinner. Now whats next! To be cont......

[JohnReid]

Next will be those nice looking spoked wheels and the 2nd prop.Maybe with this prop I will have a go at the colored glue idea and if it doesnt work out Ill copper the tips and leading edge and it would hardly be noticable and then of course a little heavy weathering would take care of the rest.
I am kind of anxious to get the aircraft on its wheels but the wing rigging will have to be completed first while it is still in the jig.Once I can move the aircraft around the hangar floor I can start to furnish the hangar and plan exactly where things can go permanently.
When things warm up a bit more here in Montreal,I will get back outside and break the hangar down again into its various parts.Each component will be finished and the hangar wired for lighting. to be cont....