HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

Thanks Ross! I am back on my feet now.

Stephen! you described it exacty.A nasty piece of work that seems to be going around like wildfire.Summers here in the GWN are so short that I resent even losing a day.I hope that you are feeling better soon.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Has anyone ever tried to add sound to their dioramas?I think that a little background aerodrome noise(like old radial engines idling) that could be triggered as someone walking by or pressing a button, could add a lot of atmosphere to a diorama.I have no knowledge in this field but it seems to me with all the miniturization of electronic components these days it could be feasable.There must be some great movie soundtracks and military bands that would fit in with my storyline.What do you think? If I am going to do it,I would have to plan for it now.Any suggestions as to where I could start looking? Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Jeez,This virus sure is hard to get rid off! I havent done any serious modeling now in about ten days.
The folks over on http://www.digitaldioramas.com have given me a few good ideas on the sound thing.
The idea came at just the right time while I still have easy access to everything.It seems that speakers can be found down to 10mm in diameter.I guess the model railroad guys have used these for years.MP3 players,sound boxes etc... Sounds like fun! Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

I was just over on the www.wwi-models.org website and it never ceases to amaze me how much I admire the work you guys do in the smaller scales.I have done ships in 1/72 but for some reason I just cant seem to get my mind around doing airplanes in that scale.I guess we all have our niche in modeling, where we feel the most comfortable.Beleive me I have tried a few times and have never yet completed a model.I will go to a show and say Wow! I would reall y like to do this,buy a kit,give it a try and run out of patience,put it aside and go back to 1/16th.
Biplanes in 1/72or 1/48 are such little jewels of craftsmanship in my opinion.The level of detail that you guys go to is unbeleivable."Modeling for God" seems to be routine.At these scales a diorama is not even necessary, as the work can stand on its own as a testament to craftsmanship.All modeling is "just putting a bunch of parts togrther".Wood ,plastic,kit or scratch,whatever it doesnt really matter.The art is in HOW you put them together.When I look at a piece of art, I can feel the love that has been put into it.I guess it is just the way we artists communicate.It is in the "paying attention to detail" where the secret lies, in my opinion.Most people go through life ignoring the beauty all around them.Artists dont,they see beauty in the details.Most people really never see a flower,seeing takes time.We as artists,take the time.Like someone said ,dont look for miracles they are all around you.Models ,especially in the smaller scales, are the results of artists/craftsmen taking the time to really get to know there subjects.Like a flower they are easily overlooked but take the time and really look and you can feel the power of the creativity that went into them.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

I heard from a fellow modeler today about difficulties that he is having in building the Model Expo Albatros kit.Darn,I really feel bad about recommending this kit after I built it.At the time I had no experience in building kits so I thought the problems that I ran into was normal(ignorance is bliss)I struggled through it and was pretty satisfied with the result as an airplane in a diorama.I would have never finished it as a free-standing model due to weak castings and would have had to scratchbuild many items including the U/C and N struts in order for the airplane not to sag under its own weight.The Nieuport is even worse.
After building the Jenny, I now realize what a good kit is.Model expo would be wise to remove the first 2 from the market and concentrate on building models of the Jennys quality.If I was an experienced modeler at the time,I think that I would have been totally turned off these kits after the first two.I hate to think of the potential 1/16th modelers that this happened to and I feel a little responsible for leading them down the garden path.My only excuse is that it was done in ignorance of what a good kit is.
As I have said before I totally recommend the Jenny.The other two are a waste of time unless you plan to do extensive scratchbuilding.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Believe it or not, here in the GWN it is 30deg C today.Humidex of 33.Too hot and humid to even go outside.A week ago it was too cold.Welcome to Montreal the city of extremes.Minus 30 in the winter ,plus 30 in the summer.We have the most weather extremes of any city on the planet.

I will be wiring the hangar for sound in anticipastion of linking up with an MP3 player in the future.Right now they are too expensive to put in a diorama.But,knowing how things go in the electronics business next year Ill probably pick one up at Walmart for $1.99.Anyway ,the hangar will be wired and only be required to be hooked up to a player.I will try to hide the speakers and rig it for stereo and have the sound going from one side to the other, as in an aircraft flyby.An idiling radial,military band,aircraft flybys,sounds of an airshow.This should be fun. Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

I just read a very good tip over on D.D. When painting with acrylics use distilled water and not tap water in the mix.Tap water has a tendency to concentrate the pigments at the edges of freshly painted or washed areas and leave watermarks.Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

the floor,exterior walls and interior walls are finished.I used cardboard sealed with laquer, overpainted with washes of nimbus grey for the interior walls.
I then used firring strips to hold down the cardboard insulation.The windows were framed in wood without glass.I dont think that I will use glass for the interior windows but use louvered shutters instead.They were primarily used for heating purposes.The exterior windows will be glassed over. Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

http://www.cybermodeler.com/news/news050609.shtml
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Nice diorama in 1/43 scale. http://gallery.diecast.org/Olson