discussion How I Build Dioramas in 1/16th.

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The lane out back. I am starting to make a lane way(dirt road) out back of the hangar .Here I have started to build up the raised portion that normally lies between the tire tracks.I have used ordinary sand for this,sprayed with alcohol as a water tension breaker and then soaked with the usual 75/25 water and white glue mix.Once dry I will add the fine sand,earth ,vegetation and a few rocks here and there.

Next I covered the sand mound with the earth and measured the dirt roads width using the Ford T truck as a guide.I then covered the the width of the road with the earth,sprayed on the alcohol ,and put on the water /glue mix ,drop by drop. I then took one of the trucks spare tires and rolled it down the dirt road to create a few tracks.The road still looks a little whitish as the white glue hasn't dried yet.

 

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Glad you are having fun with the camera before you ship this off.

I fear you will sorely miss it when it is delivered to the client.

I love your work, what's next John?

 

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working on the composition.

 

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This vignette from the "Keepers of the Flame" diorama depicts three individuals, one military,one ex-military and one civilian. They represent a cross section of society who were responsible for keeping the dream of aviation alive during some very difficult times following WW1.

After the Great War airplanes represented to the public at large, something that they wanted to forget ,death and destruction.A relatively few individuals risked their money and even their lives to keep it going.1918-1927 was the wild and wholly teenage stage of aviation where just about anything was tolerated.It was in all less than ten years long but what a wild ride it was.

Out of work ex-military pilots who just couldn't settle down,who had the love of flying in their veins ,tried to scratch out a living as barnstormers ,stunt pilots or flying the mail.All very risky positions indeed!

On the civilian side ,a young fellow who dared to tell his parents of his dreams to become a pilot, might have just as well have told them that he was off to join the circus.There were only a few far- sighted businessmen who would dare get involved in aviation and their names are all well known to us today.

By 1927 when the first air regulations started to take hold ,the public's attitude was beginning to change.Of necessity this wonderful short-lived period of real "freedom of the skies" was coming to an end and today unfortunately, it is mostly forgotten.

To their memory this Keepers of the Flame diorama is dedicated.

 

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Hangar doors and ramp area. I have added a little more wear and tear in front of the hangar where there would be the most activity, especially when rolling the aircraft in and out.I did this simply by adding more of the dirt from a shaker ,spraying with alcohol and then dropping on the 75/25 water-glue mix.I have left off the wooden planks that would be used for roll out, as this aircraft is obviously not going anywhere soon.They are stashed on the floor on either side of the hangar doors near the wall.

I don't plan to have any junk laying around as most pics that I have seen of German military airfields they are very neat and orderly.(too bad as I love doing junk ).I plan to break this rule a bit by putting a couple of vacated wheel chocks just off to the left of the hangar doors to add a little to the sense of loss, as represented by the crashed aircraft.

On the R/H side of the pic the earth has not been properly blended yet,hence the straight lines.

 

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Detail, detail, detail, and more detail- i love it!

 

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:nono:

 

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Always looking for something new.... Hi guys! I have had a lot of great response from an idea that I have had using old radio cabinets to display dioramas.I have made a mock up of the idea using a diecast car but of course this idea could really be used for any genre.

For you aircraft guys please use your imagination and replace the car with the aircraft of your choice.I think that this would work especially well for half type aircraft that were attached to a mirror along the back wall .This would also be a great way to display the half fuselage type displaying the innards of the aircraft itself while still being able to see the flying aircraft in the mirror.I will post a few pictures later to show you what I mean.

 

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Albatros hangar's chimney. The chimney is temporarily installed.I made it from hard maple dowel, sanding it very smooth so no grain is visible.The roof guy wires will be secured down to eyebolts after I remove the roof for the last time.The chimney is actually in two pieces so the roof is easily removable.The chimney cap was made from an old cigar tubes end piece.I will finish the weathering later.This diorama is now nearing completion.

 

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Changed my mind! In keeping with my WW1 theme I have changed the storyline of my next 1/16th scale aircraft diorama.

The focus now will be around 1918 when an airman in uniform has just returned from the war to his hometown backyard.He is standing there hand in hand with his son looking at his backyard flier project that he was working on prior to his military service.

I want to title it "Loss of Innocence,Will It Ever Be The Same."

The "loss of innocence" theme is central to both the history of aviation itself and the man.

The flier will be as he left it partially under tarps and weathered ,with the grass etc ..grown around it,almost like the family considered it bad luck to change anything while he was in the military.A recruiting or victory poster on a telephone pole (and a few other things that I haven't thought about yet ) will be included to help the viewer with the storyline.

The exact date and country ,I haven't nailed down yet.I have done German,American and Canadian themes to date maybe a British theme would be in order.

 

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This is a pic taken before the Great War when he was still building his backyard flier and was the inspiration for the next diorama.No it is not a WW1 airplane but it is a WW1 storyline.The airplane actually is only a prop to help tell the real story.

The next step will be to build a small scale mock up out of foam board so I can play around a bit with the composition.I like a lot of the elements that are already in the picture above such as the wingtip on the neighbors side of the fence.The relative neatness of the neighbors yard compared to our subjects preoccupation with things aeronautical.The washing on the line is also a very nice human touch.

At present I am only planning for two figures ,the returning airman in uniform and his son standing hand-in-hand.

I am leaving it to the viewers imagination and the title of the piece to help make the connection to the storyline.

What does my imagination come up with?The airman is he wondering "can I return to building this with the same enthusiasm after everything I have witnessed in the air war?