HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

Pat,On the Albatros I used piano wire which I absolutely don't recommend.It stays straight but is very difficult to work with.
The beading wire I am using on the Jenny is flexible but easy to work with.
It is called SoftFlex 21 Strands Stainless steel /N
ylon Coated
Diameter .014 Fine 30 feet.
www.softflexcompany.com
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The above 2 pics and the following 2, are a continuation of examples from my own work, on lighting.
The 1st pic is with the overhead lights on (2 Xmas bulbs) and the background lights too.
The 2nd pic is just the overhead light and no background light.
Note how the background light really opens things up and gives a whole new feeling to the piece.The spillover light in the rafters also makes things more interesting.
The chain hanging down on the right side of the pic leads to a block and tackle slung from the rafters.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The next pic I have added a little fill light flowing in from the front of the diorama.I used a 40w incandesant daylight bulb .The side wall now has a much greyer tone and the faces of the figures are better illuminated.The last pic is somewhat like the first except that it is taken from a slightly different angle.Note how the lighting changes when it falls on the various objects.
Didnt do much on Jenny yesterday but I did go to the local hobby shop and of course I just had to pickup a couple of things.
One of the things I found was a new supply of RR track fixing pins.They make excellent nails and bolt heads for general use in building furniture and for miniature carpentry of all kinds..They are called SL-14 Peco Streamline and are painted black and are approx 9/16th long (14.2 mm) long and .021 (#75 drill size) in diameter.
I also found another 1/16th figure for the dio. Made by Tamiya as a tank crewmember.He is wearing what looks like coveralls and could easily become a mechanic or even another barnstormer pilot, with a few modifications.He is wearing a leather helmet and goggles.There isalso a 2nd 1/2 figure in the box of a crewman resting his elbows on a tank turret or what could be a cockpit hole on a barnstormer.All this for less than ten bucks Canadian ,which works out to about $1.99 US()It is Tamiya item #36309.

[JohnReid]

Harley and big Al's car.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Thanks to the Canada Aviation Museum ,Harley had his picture taken years ago sitting in the cockpit of Jenny.I plan to have this pic reduced to scale and posted as a picture in the "Memories of Flight School Diorama."The diorama itself is destined for the same museum so this pic has sort of gone full circle I would say.
You must admit Harley does make for a great company mascot.
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

I have decided that the best place to stop with this rigging process will be with the rigging of the controls.
At this stage, the airplane control cables could be cut to length ready for installation but because the wings and control surfaces must be removed for fabric covering, nothing would be installed permanently at this stage.
I am not unhappy about this as the thought of trying to rig the double ailerons with all the other wires and struts in place is not a very appealing one.
I think that I will place Jenny in the flying position with the tail resting on a bench.The wings will rest on saw horse for stability and ease of securing the airplane to the floor.
The next step will be to build up the turtle deck which is a wooden streamlined structure that rests on the upper longerons behind the pilots head.Then I will install the tail planes.
The jig that I designed really works very well as it can be modified as you go along ,and it also provides maximum protection for the delicate structure.When you are working on a project so long ,positioning and repositioning everything ,it is enevitable that the airplane will be bumped every once and awhile.Make your jig extra wide and long and keep everything 90 deg for ease of measurement.

[JohnReid]

You know,this is a great era to be working in before the advent of all the rules and regs that plague us freespirits today.It truly was aviations romantic age when airmen werent of much danger other than to themselves.The American cowboy is a Hollywood created myth but the barnstormers were a reality .Their exploits were well documented and on public display.
This tradition even carries down,in a small way , to this very day.Personally,I really enjoy modeling this era of aviation history when just about anything goes.The modeler really doesnt have to be too worried about being absolutely correct.Color,changes to the aircraft structure, mix and match are all fair game. You can either explain it away or ignore it as it really could have been that way.
A little of this attitude could even be found in WW1 and may have been its birthplace.What was done "in the field" and what was in the rules and regs were two different things.Pilots were given wide latitude to customize their aircraft while the brass looked the other way.
These same pilots, back in civilian life, carried on this attitude of anything goes as long as you can get away with it, and in that era they could get away with it ,in spades.Pilots were often their own mechanics and on the verge of starvation most of the time(as one barnstormer put it "The greatest danger a barnstormer faces is starvation".
So out of necessity they bought the cheapest parts available or made their own.The elevator of one model could be used on another or adapted to do so.Want a more unstable airplane for airshows?,no problem,just change the wing stagger, who's to know the difference or even care what these crazy WW1 misfits did, even if it meant an early trip to the boneyard.
In my modeling of this era I try to reflect this same attitude by breaking the rules a little here and there.I like the fact that I am not tied down to this color or that.This rule or that reg. Take a little artistic licence here or there, who will know the difference? or even care.Who is to say that it couldnt have been done this way .See what I mean? Liberating isn't it? That is what I call the "Barnstormer Spirit of Modeling".
Cheers! John.