How to Build Aircraft Dioramas, part2

JohnReid · 12 August 2007, 06:28 AM

"In Pursuit Of His Dream"
Backyard Flyer 1910
1/16th Scale

JohnReid · 12 August 2007, 06:37 AM

JohnReid · 12 August 2007, 06:39 AM

JohnReid · 12 August 2007, 07:12 AM

As I mentioned over on my other "how to" thread 40 X 50 seems to be the minimum that I will require to tell the story and fit in a 30inch wingspan aircraft.
I plan to use the Model Expo Wright Flyer wing ribs for this project which will save me a lot of time cutting out little bits of wood.The rest will be scratch.
I figure that if I was an budding aviator in those days, and wanting to build a biplane ,I probably would want to use a wing shape pretty much like the Wright Flyer.The rest will come from my imagination as I want it to be "my"backyard flyer.I dont know if Mr. Mair's airplane ever flew or not but that is not really important to the storyline.I do however plan to write the Chicago Historical Society and see if they have the story surrounding this airplane and possibly more pictures.

JohnReid · 12 August 2007, 07:39 AM

How would you like cutting those out even in 1/16th scale!

JohnReid · 14 August 2007, 04:16 PM

JohnReid · 14 August 2007, 04:23 PM

I built up this 1/39scale(?) Revell Wright Flyer for use in my future diorama mock-up for the Backyard project.It also will be handy for aircraft modification purposes when I get to that stage.I probably will built the mock-up in 1/48 and modify the airplane accordingly.

JohnReid · 16 August 2007, 07:46 AM

You know when you look at the picture ,there are really two story lines going on here.One large and one small,literally!
One is large and obvious,the airplane of course ,and the other more subtle and hardly visible ,the dog that the lady in the next yard has on a leash ,much to the delight of the young girls watching.The gentleman building his airplane doesn't even notice as he is too absorbed in his "dream." The boys sitting on the fence seem to be more interested in the airplane ,as they have obviously been sitting there for awhile, but for some reason seem to be afraid to approach too closely.
These are elements that I saw or thought about when really studying this picture.That is why I think that this will make a great diorama! The imagination is initially captured by the airplane and the clothes on the clothesline ,which seems totally out of place until you realize that it is somebody's backyard.Once the attention of your imagination is engaged then all the other sub-stories can be told.To me this is what makes a great diorama ,not only to capture the viewers interest but to hold it long enough to tell an even more subtle story.
We dioramists don't have the luxury of language to tell our story but we do have imagination!

JohnReid · 17 August 2007, 07:08 AM

I have been studying Mr. Mair's backyard flyer a little closer and have come up with some interesting things about his design.It is obviously very much influenced by the Wrights airplane,a pusher with the engine sitting behind the pilot.I would imagine that he planned to purchase the later upright version of the Wright engine and probably install it along the centerline ,with the pilot sitting upright at the controls.There looks to be three boards just forward of the bottom wings leading edge which I assume would be a footrest and attachment for a rudder bar.Notice also the bicycle nose wheel.The fuselage frame looks to be metal tubing of some sort although it could also be wood.
One really interesting feature is that it looks like he was experimenting with some sort of aileron design.The wingtips are square and their is no extended spar indicating that he might have planned to built rounded wingtips.There are however curious looking square open panels on both top and bottom wings that look to me that he may have been planning some sort of aileron design.(At this time nobody had yet figured out that the most efficient place to place ailerons was on the outermost area of the trailing edge.)
I can't really tell if he planned for two propellers of just one but the large cage like structure at the aft end looks like it may be made to accommodate a single prop.There is a rudder post but no rudder .The total wingspan looks to be less than thirty feet.All in all ,a pretty remarkable design for its day.