MVR's Crash site diorama

[Laspalmas]

Hey guys,
I have almost finished a diorama on MVR's crash site that I began, in feb of 1975! I had put it away in a box and rediscovered it recently. I know it is not at the level that some of you guys can do, but I enjoyed its' revival immensely. I still have to find or modify my existing figures into the aussie ground gunner look (from the 8th army guys in shorts that I used here) to bring up the authenticity, and work the grass into more mud and dirt etc...
I think the plane itself turned out pretty good though, for 1/72 scale. (Still have to add the broken rigging around the undercarriage and such)
Hope you enjoy it..can't beat the subject matter, eh?

[Laspalmas]

60 views and not a single critique? c'mon guys help me out here..any tips, advice, things to improve the look and authenticity?

[Barker]

tell you what I like a great deal:
it is right after the crash landing, right after the event.
can't say have ever seen that.

the cowl is unclear in this view - what is on it?

would you redo it?

[Laspalmas]

Engine/cylinder oil is on the cowl which kinda spilled out of the cowl "eye" holes (and some dirt splatters too). I based this diorama on a 1/32 scale one I saw in a magazine when I was a teen, back in '75.
I would certainly modify/rectify whatever it needs to improve it.

[Barker]

tho't as much, reasonable and all.

hope you get play here as it's a damn fine snapshot.

reminds of the Roland one the other person is doing

you could have fun with a re-do

there are plenty of refs if you chose to do this.
others here have posted their finished work, showing framework and what not and the Roland dio is a work in progress, here.

[John Masters]

I like it a lot. I agre with barker that you should do another version, with more references and now with more years of modeling behind you.

I like the sense of action and movement (the man holding the trophy, the dead pilot on the ground). The eye is moved around by the scenario.

BTW, what did you use for 'grass'?

From the Factory on the hill,
John

[SteveS]

Boy does this bring back memories! You must have read my mind on some of the details.

Back in the mid-seventies, I also built an MVR crash diorama using the 28th scale Revell kit. I based it on the crash site drawings and text from the Carisella and Ryan book "Who Killed the Red Baron".

For a long while now, I've been thinking of doing another one now using the Roden kit. Since I'll probably never get to it, I might as well spill the beans and maybe give others some ideas. Like yours I was thinking of showing it just after it was starting to be pillaged. My thought was to cut off the back half of the fuselage and build another out of brass and copper wire. I would then cover it with clear decal paper and then paint it CDL with a topcoat of red. I should add the whole fuselage would be covered with the clear decal paper figuring that it would (might?) be an easy way to show wrinkled fabric that naturally would have occurred in a crash. I sure that there had to be lots of wrinkled and ripped fabric forward on the fuselage. After the painting and markings were applied, I figured to cut out one of the side crosses such as yours showing the thin decal paper (fabric), inner framework, control cables and CDL color. The cutout side fabric would be on the ground next to the plane with possibly one or both of the Spandaus leaning against the fuselage or on one of he wings.

I had not planned using any figures but I like your idea of having a souvenir hunter holding up his prize. Too bad the crash wasn't closer to the lines, I might have a German sniper about to put one through his head as revenge. You know what they say about payback.....

Steve Lawson has also a great one I think in 48th scale.

Thanks for sharing!

Salute,
Steve

[Russell Smith]

This seems to be a popular subject these days. I'm working on a commisssion of the exact same scene.

LasPalmas, looks like you are off to a great start, but I see a couple of issues you may want to address:

1. You seem to indicate by the scar on the ground that your tripe can straight in. If you read Frank's & Bennet's "The Red Baron's Last Flight" you'll see several references to the fact that the tripe actually did a ground loop as it slid to a stop. With that in mind, I think your scar on the ground would be more circular.

2. The same book contains a written account of the scene by 1st Air Mechanic Boxall-Chapman. In one short paragraph he describes how the triplane looked as he approached it - "The propeller was smashed, so was the three right hand planes and undercarraige but the three left-hand planes were intact. The footnote to that states "The left and right in the letter are based upon the viewer looking at the triplane from the front, which is how Boxall-Chapman would have seen it as he approached Sainte Colette from the 53rd Battery. In later letters, he was more precise. As seen from thee pilot's seat, the port (left) wings were the damaged ones."

3. Finally, you have already indicated that you intend to correct this, but the "diggers" wouldn't have been wearing the tropical climate shorts. They were dressed in the standard British uniform complete with leggings and LOTS of mud.

Hope that helps. Good luck.
Russ

[davecww1]

Just an idea, but if I were boing this project I would use the Eduard photoetched strip down DR1 kit, and use thin tissue to represent the torn fabric. Maybe use the Roden plastic wings on the undamaged side like Stephen lawson did with his 1/48 scale Voss cutaway.
Dave

[stephen]

Technical questions aside, I just don't know how you guys do that stuff. Its really great work and I love to look at them.