HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

Diorama by Andi.

[JohnReid]

For any kind of brickwork ,hangar foundations and facades or general buildings around an airfield,especially in the larger scales (limited only by your patience of course and the size of brick required) this is the most realistic method that I have found.Andi's work is just outstanding.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Do I ever have a new appreciation for all those who design buildings and such!
This little mock up took me almost 2 weeks to figure out(must be gettin old I guess)
What you see here is the different levels that had to be worked out before any other work could begin.The base itself will have to be in multi-layers of plywood and then covered with landscaping materials.I can already see nice possibilities of all kinds for this arrangement.
The Flier's wingspan I will cut back to 25 feet to better fit the backyard(something like the Curtiss's Racer).The outer perimeter is actually part of the base which will be added to the 4X5 foot diorama and probably painted matte black or a dark natural wood like ebony or dark walnut.
The car will probably be a Model T in keeping with the middle class storyboard idea.The outer fence is 6 feet high while the inner fences are 4.
Now it is on to work on the backwall facade and where to put all the doors and windows.I left room behind the windows for inside lighting.
It has been brought to my attention that the backyard is way too big for a typical English storyline .Therefore that will narrow it down to the US or Canada.However I could add an Enlgish flavor by using a poster that was used in North America to recruit Britishers living here.

[JohnReid]

Here is a nice banner welcoming our hero back from the front!

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The small portions of backyard at each end will require some thought.Maybe a broken portion of fence at one end and at the other create a soft edge with vegetation.I was thinking of using a small picket fence but I don't want to make things too cutesy because of the serious subject matter, although it is also a celebration of the airman's return home. The airplanes wingspan has been reduced to 25 feet.
Now,its on to doors and windows.

[JohnReid]

"Backyard Flier,Will It Ever Be The Same?" Looking at the last pic I think that this is a better title for this piece.The "loss of innocence part "is already implied in the new title.

[ludwig113]

Originally Posted by JohnReid

Luck of the Irish I guess!!! This pic was in my morning newspaper today.What I really like about it is that it also includes a human scale.If the white bar at the cops knees is actually a kickplate I would judge that the door is probably 7 feet tall excluding the window above.The windows appear to be about 5 feet high and almost the same width on the ground floor.
My house is a little wider than this one(dictated by the airplane's 30 foot wing span)

hi john,

the white is the door surround,only the brown area is the door.
this link will show you more terraced houses.

terraced housing - Google Image Search

paul