How I build large scale dioramas!

JohnReid

Wow! at this level of magnification every flaw sure shows.The things you never see at 1/16th.
The copper fittings were heated red hot with a butane lighter and then dunked in cold water to get the aged patina.Where the nails or screws go I just colored the holes black.With successive coats it will look better.
The lower wing root area is another figment of the kit designers imagination,so I attempted to make it look a little better using some extra fittings I had left over from Jenny(in the end however I will somehow cover this area)I added some extra brace wire fittings for the internal wires.
Some areas were weathered now while they are easily accessible .
Next will be the rudder bar and the installation of the main fuel tank.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my guns off or on question.Looks like 90% want them left on.My modeling bud,Stephen Lawson ,had a great idea.They could be fakes that were used in the air shows and movies of the era.I will have to research this angle and see if any Camels were used in this way in Canada .This would fit perfectly into my story line as a former movie prop airplane being donated to a university or museum.Movies were very important to this era as a means of promoting aviation to the general public. If anyone has any info on this please let me know.

JohnReid

marlena362438

Quote: Originally Posted by JohnReid Hi guys! I am new to this forum.I do mixed media aircraft dioramas,diecast ,wood,plastic etc...I will post some pics to give you an idea.

I am new at this too, building sscale models I have done for years but trying to build a model airport I need help and advise on how to build jetways? Can anyone help? Marlena362438@yahoo.com. Thank you Miss Dana Marlena

JohnReid

JohnReid

Quote: Originally Posted by marlena362438 I am new at this too, building sscale models I have done for years but trying to build a model airport I need help and advise on how to build jetways? Can anyone help? Marlena362438@yahoo.com. Thank you Miss Dana Marlena

Sorry Marlena too modern for me!

JohnReid

JohnReid

In building the Camel I get a real sense of a fighter pilot's aircraft .It has the same mystic that the Spitfire had in WW2.Everything about this airplane says "top of the food chain", the Peregrine Falcon of the fighter aircraft world of its day.I can only imagine the feeling that a pilot would get sitting in this cockpit.Joy,fear,excitement,a feeling of pilot and machine as one.It must have been a wonderful feeling to master an aircraft such as this.A very real challenge just to fly let alone fight in.Once you were in you were in till the end whatever the outcome.No escape from this cockpit.You either walk away or you buy the farm,period.Modern day gladiators for sure!
It must have seemed very strange to return from battle every night ,sitting in the officers mess sipping your brandy and wondering if tomorrow would be your turn to die! Unlike the foot soldier who lived in constant fear of sudden death in the trenches, the fighter pilot was in a kind of strange world of destruction by day and mock joy of survival at night.Still knowing that tomorrow the cycle would begin all over again.It must have taken nerves of steel to climb into that cockpit every day,day after day and try to be brave until the very end. __________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)

JohnReid

JohnReid

The machine guns!

---

the machine guns are an excellent example of fake guns and are a great depiction of how a carpenter might build a fake gun and then paint it gunmetal!
The fact that they are fakes and look it doesn't bother me at all ,in fact guns are not one of my favorite things anyway and not really something that I would want to promote to kids.Maybe I should paint them red!

JohnReid

JohnReid

Air show guns!
Now there is no question that these are fake guns made from tin.The storyline is of an ex airshow Camel being shipped off for use as a movie prop or for movie advertising purposes.For airshows showmanship would allow for painted guns ,where in movies they would have to be more realistic looking.
I would rather that these be obviously looking fakes than a bad attempt at trying to make them looking real.
I know that this is not everyone's cup of tea(apology to my military friends) but it does fit in with the storyline of this diorama.It also allows me to use these obviously fake guns without having to scratchbuild new ones and still inject the movie aspect into the diorama.
I think now that I have captured just about every aspect of aviation in the 20's.Military re-union,airshow,racing,movies etc...
I plan to suggest to the museum people that they make the display interactive for the kids ,such as finding the air race posters or the Wright Flyer or the 4 animals that will be in the diorama.Some will be easy and others very hard to spot and it sure would be a great way to have them explore the whole diorama.

JohnReid

JohnReid

Peace and Love everyone!

---

Back in the 60's this was my dad's first attempt at skywriting.He was flying our recently restored '29 Beech Travelair biplane.You can just see the airplane on the right hand middle of the pic.If you follow the smoke trail back you can just make out the" l "and "o "of the word love.These were the 60's of course and he was attempting to write "Peace and Love" in the skies over the city of Montreal.

JohnReid

JohnReid

Turtledeck tarps!
The tarpaulin has been trimmed and a batten nailed down along the edge.I want the canvas to look relatively new so I don't plan to weather it too much.Because the canvas is so loose looking I will bend and shape some wood battens over the turtledeck.I sort of compromised on this as the tarp may be a little bit too crinkly but I like the weight between the stringers look.
One thing that I found out is not to worry about laying down wax paper ,if you seal the wood well with lacquer the glue/water mix will not stick the tarp permanently to the protected wood.This is useful to know when making removable tarps or shaping tarps over any object.
Note: while I try my best to keep all the websites I post to updated (29)as often as time permits,for day-to-day pictures and text please see:
Welcome to The Aerodrome - Aces and Aircraft of World War I (Forum,Models) Cheers! John.

JohnReid

JohnReid

carpenma

That looks so realistic. Is the jenny shell made from a kit?

JohnReid

Beginning the upper wing center section.

JohnReid

I have been thinking about the wings and ailerons.Do I make all of them,some of them or none of them.I could fake some wooden crates and be done with it.
What I think I will do is leave the fuselage closest to the side of the case free of any wings so that this side of the fuselage will be easily viewable.Two wings will be in crates and attached to the other side of the fuselage.On the other two wings I will leave some of the crates plywood panels open for inspection and they will be resting up against the hangar wall .I will place a rolled up tarp somewhere near the cockpit part of the fuselage.
I really can't see the point of building open wings which are basically of the same design as the center section which is already available for closeup inspection.More than likely at this stage the wings would have been already crated anyway.
Maybe I will build the other wings later and put them in the rafters of the hangar.

JohnReid

Trevor C. S.

Are you f'ing kidding me?! ... I can't stop looking at your work...

JohnReid

JohnReid

Thanks Trevor! Cheers.John.

Mingjim

Your work is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!

.WiLAirlines

This is wonderful !
Especially the details .

Cheers !

JohnReid

Thanks guys ,it keeps this old guy out of trouble!