HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS - Page 55

StephenLawson · 31 August 2005, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnReid

Yes,I have created my own little world but it is far better place than any other world that I see out there.

As most of you guys know I really love dioramas.Dioramas of all kinds,aircraft,ships ,cars etc.. it really doesnt matter as long as it tells a story...The aircraft guys are mostly looking for nice display bases for their aircraft which is great but it is not a diorama.There are a few masters of the simple diorama,Stephen Lawson is a good example of this.An airplane ,a figure or two arranged in a creative composition and instant magic...Cheers! John.

Many thanks for the kind words John. For me to it is a matter of looking at real life and choosing a slice of it to replicate. The drum ceremony you mention is a fine example. Usually it is the height of the moment that inspires us. But it can also be the aftermath that touches us. I saw an impressive shadow box diorama some years back. It concerned the Spirit of St Louis in a hangar with a bit of the fabric torn. A pilot figure representing Charles Lindberg was sitting on the right side tire head turned slightly as if looking out a faux window. The image through the window was a sky full of tiny stars. The title "Starry starry night."

JohnReid · 31 August 2005, 02:05 PM

Wow Stephen! That starry, starry night image blows me away. Cheers! John.

StephenLawson · 31 August 2005, 09:37 PM

In the humorous category back 1999 at the North Texas Regional a fellow had scratchbuilt an ancient Egyptian tomb with the wall having just been dug through and the explorer peering in with a grain of wheat torch. We as the viewers see ; An open sarcophagus and a 1/35 mummy at a hobby desk with a stack of 1/144 kits and a many built versions about the room.

JohnReid · 2 September 2005, 06:41 AM

There are some very creative minds out there! Cheers! John.

JohnReid · 2 September 2005, 06:58 AM

Its amazing what you can make with popsicle stiks,coffee stir stiks and tongue depressors and it is a hell of a lot of fun to boot.
Rather than trying to cut very fine grooves in a piece of wood ,I went the other route and built up the tracks with stiks.You can make some very interesting,complicated things quite easily and when they are sanded down,painted and weathered they look just like the real thing.
The stiks are mostly birchwood and are very strong.Dont buy the ones in small packages at the hobby store.Go to you local coffee house and explain to the manager what you are doing and usually they will sell you them by the 1000s,at cost.
It seems that just about everyone can relate to building models as a kid.I make a habit of taking pics with me if I am going to a large company wanting to buy something in small quantities.Very seldom will you get the brushoff and usually they are glad to help.One guy,when I explained to him that the models destination was a museum actually felt quite proud to have supplied me with what I needed.
Cheers! John.

JohnReid · 4 September 2005, 09:39 AM

Well Guys,here we go again! I think that I have just added another 6 months, maybe more, to the Jenny project.
As you know I have been working on the hangar doors and the only way to properly stow the doors is to add 6 inch structures to each side of the hangar.
Well ,I figure that this wont look right, soooo.... I got the brainwave ,lets make it at least 6 inches bigger all around, and add outside structures,a few more cars,one of the motorcycles,more odds and ends and even a few discarded aircraft parts.I will have to build a new base for the present base to sit on, adding at least 6 inches all around.I am really excited about this as it will be my first inside/outside diorama with lots to learn about creating an outside enviroment.And the beat goes on......Cheers! John.

Oh ,by the way,what does the largest sheet of plexiglass come in?

StephenLawson · 4 September 2005, 07:10 PM

Normal stock comes as large as 4 X 8' X .075. But you can special order!

JohnReid · 5 September 2005, 03:44 AM

Thanks Stephen,as long as I know it is available that's good, but putting it in a case will be the museums problem.
Cheers! John.

JohnReid · 5 September 2005, 05:01 AM

In the belief that a little cross-fertilization never hurt anyone, and knowing that great work has no catagories,take a look at:

http://www.geocities.jp/shige122112/tank.html
and
http://www.digitaldioramas.com

enjoy!
Cheers! John.

JohnReid · 6 September 2005, 06:20 AM

This whole hangar door assembly has given new life to the diorama.Somehow when I added the extensions on either side it made the whole piece more interesting.It also made it a lot larger looking.The challenge is to make the whole assembly removable so that the roof and walls can still be taken apart for ease of future maintenience.I used a couple of homemade clips situated in inconsipuous areas to accomplish this.I have had to build a shingled overhang along the length of the hangar doortrack to protect it from rain.(in real life of course)The hangar doors themselves are in 2 groups of 3, made from foamboard and glued together as 1 unit.I think that I will finish them with maple veneer to give some contrast to all the barnsiding.They will be painted green and will look better cared for than the building.I am not sure but I would think that due to the cost of paint most of the exterior would have been whitewashed and only certain things like doors and windows actually painted. to be cont.....
Cheers! John.