HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

The above pic shows the diorama with all the lights on, including the outside lighting along the backwall.

Yesterday on the current diorama ,I have just about finished the woodworkers woodshop.I now have to remove the backwall again and plan to hookup the heating stove ,as well as glueing down a few odds and ends, that are not now accessable.
I have definitely decided to add an engine shop to the L/H rear corner of the building next to the W/C structure.It will be a 9X11 modular add-on containing the 2nd OX5 engine undergoing a re-build.I plan to have lots of windows and a viewing panel in the roof,so it should be an interesting addition.I have begun the floor plan and research but I will wait till summer to build it outside in the nice weather.This modular idea sure allows for the maximum flexibility when scheduling add-ons.
In the meantime I will finish the lighting,building the fixtures and installing the wiring .Then it will be on to finishing #1 Jenny,the Canuck.Next Fall and Winter I plan to build the 2nd Jenny,the JN 4D and maybe start on the radio shack/operations building. (Man plans,God laughs!)

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The 2 pics above give you guys an idea of how I had originallu planned to display my first 2 dioramas.The badly out of focus pic is the Nieuport dio in an old TV cabinet.Not bad but too low to the ground .
The 2nd pic shows the Albatros diorama on top of the cabinet.I had planned to make a nice walnut base for it to sit on and install a motor that would turn at 1 or 2 rpm.
None of this will be happening now that they are going to the museum as they will be making their own cabinets to house them.
I have seen a nice idea on the EAA website for displaying dioramas.The diorama sits at an angle to the viewer see;
http://www.airventuremuseum.org/virtual/warbirds2.asp

[JohnReid]

Yesterday I finally finished off the Woodworkers workshop and installed the woodstove and its piping.On the workbench I have 2 things going on,a laminated prop that is getting its final coats of varnish and a wood strip undergoing a bending process with clamps and a jig.
I will try to take some more pics in the next few days ,so you guys can get an idea of where I am now in this build.
I have started working on the hangar lighting fixtures of which I will need at least 12 (maybe more)When they are finished I will temporarily install them and put the airplane ,cars and furniture in and see where the light falls and then adjust their positions accordingly.
Around Xmas time I picked up some small brass bells (same as in the Albatros diorama) and am scratchbuilding the fixtures using brass tube,washers etc...I will paint the finished assemblies black or grey.The lighting intensity will be regulated with a reostat.I will have the modules on seperate circuits, with on off switches, so I can light up different sections for picture taking purposes.While at the museum ,I dont think that they would bother with this aspect, it is one of the things that I have always personally enjoyed,looking from the outside into a warm enviroment.(Something like you see on the beer commercials at Christmas time.)
I have a question for you guys,do you know how airport runways or fields were maintained during the Winter ?.I know here in Canada a lot of aircraft were equipped with skis.Was any of the snow removed and if so, how was it removed?In one of the future buildings I would like to put an old tractor in it that could have been used for maintenance around the airport removing snow etc..It will be a 34 Deere with a square rad and steel wheels,which I will modify to an earlier date..Earlier models in the mid 20s were similar and a few well placed tarps and restricted viewing windows should take care of any major differences.
If anyone happens to know if 1/16th mid 20s tractors are available ,please let me know.
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Dioramas are basically an assortment of parts put together in a creative way.Some are totally scratchbuilt, others are not.My personal view is that this really doesnt matter,I have done both.What is important is the viewer of the diorama.The artistic goal is to get the viewer emotionally involved with your piece so that they can relate to it and be moved in some way.If they can look at your piece and years later recall the experience, then you have accomplished your goal.
As far as making the parts are concerned I use a multi-media appraoach.I will use anything that works to accomplish my goal.Wood ,plastic,metal,popsicle sticks,tongue depressors etc etc....
When I am in the stores I am constantly looking for anything that may work in my dioramas.I have found greats things in dressmakers shops,dollar stores,hobby shops,hardware stores,bookstores,fabric stores,on and on.Then of course there is the internet ,where the sky is the limit for artistic ideas.
As far as custom made parts are concerned,good research is the key.If you can build a model you can make a diorama.I am the worlds worst carpenter(just ask my wife)I have no interest in it and it shows.But if you are able to build models, plastic or otherwise and have the interest and a creative mind,be prepared to have some fun.
In the pages of this thread ,I have covered a lot of the how tos, so I wont repeat it here.Really, what it all boils down to is, just doing it.Forget fear of making mistakes cause there are none.There is a learning curve that all artists/craftsman have to go through so we just have to accept that.If you have the interest you are already 99% of the way there.Why dont you join us in this wonderful adventure? Cheers! John

[StephenLawson]

Originally Posted by JohnReid

Hey John its a bit fuzzy...hard to look at.

[JohnReid]

Originally Posted by StephenLawson

Hey John its a bit fuzzy...hard to look at.

I either forgot to put on my glasses that day or was badly hung.
but it gives you an idea of what I am talking about.
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

I have been working on my antiqueing techniques which is great fun.I have found that the subtle use of baking soda gives a real cool look to rusty surfaces.The secret seems to be,as with most acrylic techniques,the ample use of water in the mix.Not enough water and your brush quickly becomes unusable.When I was teaching how to paint bird sculptures to my students, one of the hardest things to get across was, the use of lots of water to keep your paint transparent and how to build up layers of thin paint to achieve depth.When I speak of washes I mean paint of almost a skim milk consistancy.You dont want any opaque layers blotting out your previous work.Example:On a metal surface you have applied your black gesso,your thin rust layers,then your baking soda corrosion but you decide that a nice raw umber wash would tone things down and bring your colors together.A little too heavy a wash here and all your hard work will be ruined.As one of my fellow bird carvers used to say "when in doubt,thin it out".Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Jenny in her jig.This is where I left off last year before going back to building the hangar and its modules.All of the control surfaces have been finished and just require installation