HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

Hi Larry,what you have described here is the era that you are interested in.By storyline I mean will you be telling the story of air rides,people climbing aboard? waiting in line? that sort of thing.Or maybe a flying circus story,a stuntman being stapped to a pole on the upperwing? Streamers being attached to the rigging? Or how about a farmer helping a pilot pull his Jenny out of the mud?
Once you have the makings of a storyline, you can build from there.Most viewers of your work will want to see something interesting going on ,some thing they dont see everyday.Your goal should be at first to grab their attention and then have their eyes wander over the rest of the piece and connect with the story you are trying to tell.
This is where the creativity comes in,You have to go beyond just creating a bunch of objects and create an interesting story.This is not always easy but it is the essence of being a dioramist.
Dioramas are so much more than a nice looking model.

Larry,would you mind if I run this thread on a few other sites .I am sure that it would be helpful to other new dioramists and it makes for a nice format rather than me just spouting off all the time.If others want to join in feel free to do so.We could call the thread "Hi Larry" What do you think?

Ian,by all means it doesnt have to be about aviation,I also have some experience with cars and ship dioramas.Anyway the basics are much the same in any case.
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Hi John!

I've been thinking of my story line and will have it for you in the next posting. As far as using beginning diorama posts at other sites you select, Feel Free. I know if I had an opportunity to follow a starting project and have input from such an accomplished diorama builder like you, I would have been building projects years ago. As far as my car modeling skills, my greatest love is detailing, even in areas that one will never see. In other words, you could call me a super radical detailer. Full steam ahead!

[JohnReid]

Hi John!

Here is a story line for my diorama. Remember I'm a beginner.

STORY LINE OF LARRY'S BARNSTORMER DIORAMA

In early September of 1925, the "Tidman Flying Circus" came to Akron, Ohio. J.D. Tidman, the owner of the airshow, included Akron in his circuit annually because it had become one of the show's most profitable cities. All of his flyers were allowed, even encouraged, to give the locals airplane rides to help supplement their wages with his shows.

Skip "Triple Ace" Filmore was Tidman's best flyer, with the show's only tri-plane. The plane was Triple Ace's absolute love. He had modified the one seater war plane into a two seater just for this purpose. It was no accident Triple Ace owned the brightest colored tri-plane emblazened with air show graphics, as he was also an incredibly successful entreprenuer. Years before, he had made arrangements to hold his airplane rides at the Steadman farm, just a few miles Northeast of the airport. Barton Steadman and his wife Anna ran a successful farm and had an entreprenurial spirit. Over the years they had developed a successful scheme with Triple Ace to make his annual visits incredibly profitable for both.

The Steadman's had set themselves up with Tidman to post his "Air Show" posters around Akron a month or more before their arrival. That was their opportunity to post their own "Steadman Farm Airplane Rides and Dawn to Dusk Jubilee" posters, featuring 'Triple Ace' Filmore. They also touted their vegetable sales, bake sales, late afternoon barbecues, ice cream, peanuts and coca-cola refreshments. The Steadman's and 'Triple Ace' had an agreement that they would throw all money into a box and split their profits 50-50. Triple Ace set it up to use their barn to work on and store his tri-plane as needed and board in the barn with his pet monkey 'peanut'. Triple Ace used peanut with an old organ grinder wherever he went. Whether at the airshow or the airplane rides, peanut did very well bringing in extra tips. The Steadman's youngest daughter Terissa would run the organ grinder this day. Three of the Steadman's other daughters helped Anna with the Jubilee's sales activities.

Captured in 1/32 scale, our Diorama depicts the first day of the "Steadman Airplane Rides & Dawn to Dusk Jubilee" on early Friday morning, just after dawn. Triple Ace's plane is still in the barn because he overslept in the hay loft and the barn doors have been cracked with many airplane riders peering in with great anticipation of the rides beginning. Some have already started to push the plane out of the barn with Triple Ace. In front of the barn, either side of the doors, are Anna's sales setups with her daughters manning their stations. Anna is trying to corral their two dogs near her tables so they won't eat up any profits or peanut. The chill in the air is making her coffee sales brisk. Without regard to proper parking areas, a few cars are nosed to the barn doors with people using them for seating, since most arrived before dawn. Now they are frantically trying to back up through the crowd to clear a way for the tri-plane.

Out of view, Barton Steadman has recently harvested his hay in the field backing up to the barn. The field makes a perfect runway for Triple Ace's plane. A tattered ticket booth with some early birds standing in line is at the corner of the barn. From there they will be allowed to round the barn to the rear where Triple Ace will taxi in and out to pick up and drop off riders. This is an incredibly exciting start to a very long and profitable day!

Regards, Larry

[JohnReid]

Hi Larry!
Wow! that sounds to me like an incredible start to a very exciting diorama.You have really given this some thought.I love the idea and the storyline.
The only area that may require a little more research, to keep the storyline within the realm of believability, is what aircraft were actually used as barnstormers post WW1?.
Especially airplanes that were capable of giving rides? I think that you will find that the list is very short.Then, there is the problem of availibility of models in 1/32 scale.
Of course,on the other hand ,you dont have to even build an airplane.Your diorama could be set up in such a way as the airplane is actually off giving rides and you are depicting the activity surrounding the main storyline.Selling tickets or whatever.You may want to consider doing an interior stage like setting,a circus tent like setup.Just remember most of these guys were poor and operated on a shoestring ,so things cant get too fancy.
You could also think along the lines of forced perspective,using 2 different scales.
Take a look at Shep Paines book "How to Build Dioramas" and Nick Infields diorama,"We'll always have Paris" for an idea of what I mean.If I havent mentioned it before you will want to pickup Shep's book for general reference on all types of dioramas.It is published by Kalmbach Books ISBN;0-89024-195-3.Another good book is Ken Hamiltons "How to Build Creative Dioramas" by the same publisher( but I think it is out of print.)If you have trouble finding it I can put you in touch with the author who may have a few copies left.
As we go along there are a few other good reference books that I will recommend from time to time.
Now that you have an idea of where you are going it may be a good time to work up a floorplan ,so to speak,of your ideas.You may want to make up a cardboard mockup of your proposed diorama.You will find that due to space considerations you may have to eliminate certain aspects of your storyline or enhance others.When you actually have these mockups before you some hardest decisions in diorama building will have to be made. What to leave in and what to leave out?
You want to leave in enough to tell your story but not so much that it becomes distracting of confusing for your viewer.It is very important to step away once in a while from your role as artist and think like your viewer.You want to take your viewer gently by the hand and lead them into your world of makebelieve and thereby introduce them to another reality.
Cheers! John. wink.gif

[JohnReid]

Jenny #1 ,the Canuck is now finished except for putting on the wheels and tail assembly.I will now put her aside until she is ready for final installation in the hangar.I decided that she would be just too vulnerable to damage out of the jig.
Now its on to Jenny #2,the JN4D basketcase.This I am really looking forward to having fun with as I plan to show lots of damage and weathering.It will be my first shot at covering anything with fabric.(however I did help cover the real thing in the 60s).
First I will have to decide on just how much floorspace is available for the 2nd fuselage and whether or not to build it in one piece.I have lots of leeway here in that it could be a fuselage that was involved in an accident and in many pieces.The wings can be stored up against the walls or hanging from the rafters depending upon viewer sightlines.Most of the engine parts are destined for the engine shop.Other components can go on parts racks or shelves.
I will probably drive myself crazy(if I'm not already there)trying to find just the right place for everything to go.At this stage it is critical to get it right.
Man,this is fun!

[JohnReid]

Hi John!

The most difficult aspect of this diorama has been deciding what I want vs. what is believable. I want a plane that was different and exciting. Of course, to me, that was a tri-plane vs. the common everyday bi-plane. This meant finding one that was historically believeable. Well, none are, except maybe the Sopwith Allied tri-planes that possibly could have shown up on the Canadian surplus market and landed in the U.S. There were also references that Russia procurred a few after WW1. The only other two period planes would have been the Fokker DR.1 German tri-planes and the seagoing Fokker pontoon tri-planes.

First choice was the Sopwith tri-plane in 1:32 scale. I could only find 1:48 and 1/4 scales. Last choice was the Fokker DR.1 (Red Baron) 1:32 scale. I found old out of production Revell kits in 1:32 & 1:28, new Revell 1:28, two new Hobbycraft 1:32 in two old & new styles and a Roden Ro601 1:32 kit. I couldn't find any period pontoon tri-planes in any scale, but retrofitting them with wheels might have worked. There were references to U.S. to Hawaii flights by them in 1925. Both the Sopwith and the Fokkers were single seater fighter planes, leading to another hitch. Modifying either of them to two seaters may have been possible, but unlikely.

I could and probably should go back to the Jenny J-4. Making it different and exciting would have to be in the paint and graphics job. I couldn't find 1:32 kits (unless some of your aircraft forum people do), only premade desktop models. An acceptable one is pictured below in true 1:32. It means revising my story line already and re-painting, re-graphicing a desktop plane like this. Compromise, compromise!

Regards, Larry

[JohnReid]

OK, I am another car/truck guy that is into dioramas, and I also want to do an airplane with a car diorama.

At a recent swap meet I ran across a Hobby Craft kit of a 1/28th scale Fokker DR.1 I think this is a "re-box" of an old Revell kit from the 60's , not sure though. Opening the kit up I found three figures included and....away we go.....ANOTHER project. I am looking at using a 1927 T Touring car by AMT in the setting.

Where does one find out where the "rigging"....(the directions are vague), the wires for stability go and how do they attach, is there an airplane site for this? As I said I am a car guy, but am always willing to learn new stuff.
Dave

[JohnReid]

Hi Larry,to be totally honest with you I really dont have much experience in the model market itself,as I have pretty much concentrated on 1/16th wood airplane models up until now.My plastic experience is mostly with a couple of cars and figures.
There are some beautiful plastic kits out there now.Check with www.modelingmadness.com for kit reviews.
For WW1 airplanes see www.theaerodrome.com and www.wwi-models.org

A good site to check on whats available in any scale is www.greatmodels.com click on catagories for the list of scales.

The deskmodel Jenny looks like it might have some potential especially with a little modification.You make want to check that the overall measurements are within the ballpark though.

Dave, Hi! welcome aboard,take a look at the same sites and get back to me.
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Yesterday, I spent doing research on the 2nd Jenny,the basketcase.I started off thinking that I would just do the "D" model as representted in the plans and booklet for the original kit.Well plans have changed.I noticed in a pic of a painting that I have that the artist ,Robert Bradford shows 2 Jennys ,one a typical Canuck version and the other what I thought was a JN4D.Upon further examination of the painting I noticed double ailerons top and bottom and a strange wire and brace rigging of the lower wing.Further research shows that 2 types operated in Canada ,the Canuck and the JN4 A (production model).
This is a version not often modeled so I think that I will go for it.The fabric color is antique linen and the cowlings and trim olive drab.Other than a tail number and box like insignia there is little color here to distract from the main subject ,the Canuck.The fuselage appears opaque, while the wings and control surfaces are clear doped linen.
I mention all this to give you an idea as to how I leave myself open to change as I go along.It is good to have an idea of where you are going when you start but nothing should be written in stone.Fun isn't it ?
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

Guys, I need help with a big (for me) decision.I am still not convinced that I am on the right track with my latest diorama "Memories of Flight School" I would really appreciate your imput.
My first 2 dios were done in a stage like setting.The Neiuport was closest to being a shadow box type.The Albatros ventured a little further and shows both inside and out and yet the bounderies of the dio are still the hangar walls.
This latest dio started off to be much like the Albatros with the addition of some modular units.Now I am thinking of opening it up to include both activity inside and outside of the hangar walls. Recently I have been feeling that this may be a mistake.
That the whole impact of the storyline may be watered down by including just too much activity.Too many things to look at.I can tell the story quite easily within the confines of the hangar itself.Maybe the rest will just weaken the storyline to a point where it is no longer a diorama but just a nice 1/16th scale group of objects.
I am really torn between which way to go here.The artist in me says "keep it tight" and the craftsman in me wants to "go for it".
I consider you guys friends so please be honest in your opinions,I really do need help with this.Cheers! John.