"Memories of Flying School"

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Here's what I mean!

I didn't make up a large enough batch in the beginning so I obtained two samples from slightly different areas of my backyard.As you can see one is slightly courser than the other and they are different colors.This is of no real concern to me as a bit of blending and all the turf to follow will easily cover this.

[JohnReid]

[59165]

Excellent work,as always,John!

When all this is done,do you know what your next project/undertaking will be?

Dave.

[John Gilinsky]

I hope as a Canadian that he does something that deserves to be commemorated:

A major Canadian military hospital in England and/or Canada during the war?

Battle of Courcelette?

Canadian's tank training in England in 1918?

Canadian Air Force in 1918?

Royal Canadian Naval Air Service 1918?

Canadian Home Guards drilling in 1914 - 1915?

....

John

[JohnReid]

Sorry guys but I am basically an airplane guy interested primarily in the pre-WW2 era of aviation.So far I have done two dioramas connected with WW1 and one about the barnstormer era.

The next diorama I am planning will be pre-WW1 .I plan to do a piece called "The Backyard Flyer,in pursuit of his dream".This was a period of great enthusiasm among the general public about aviation ,when many young men dreamed of building their own airplane in their backyard.

[JohnReid]

The plan so far................

[John Gilinsky]

I might say "Carry On Sergeant!" but in reality I should say per the quality of your work "Is that all Field Marshall?"

John

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Lighting! I wish I knew...

Unfortunately at this point I have no idea where these dioramas are to be displayed in the museum.Why do I say unfortunately? because the type of lighting will ultimately make a huge difference.The museum is in re-design mode right now and I have been told that there is a good possibility that at least one will be going in a high traffic area of the museum(whatever that means)

Anyone who has been to a aviation museum will know just how greatly lighting conditions can vary.Natural VS artificial light, which also can vary from soft to hard ,cool to warm etc....If I knew at this point I could adjust my colors accordingly.

The above pictures' slightly mauve color is actually my cameras doing not the lighting which of course is another variable.

I remember when I was involved with decorative bird carving and painting some of the guys would bring their own lighting to the competition Others would carve and paint their birds under lighting that gave them the most dramatic shadows and colors and bring the exact same lighting to the exhibition hall.(most of these large halls were lit like a school gym)Proper lighting truly makes all the difference especially for 3D art.

[JohnReid]

Diorama Book

Here is a great opportunity to download for free a great book on diorama making.My modeling bud Ken Hamilton wrote this book years ago and it is now out of print.The original book has recently sold on ebay for 100's of bucks.

http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/mercman51/DIO%20Book/

Enjoy! Cheers John.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Great fun ahead!

I am really looking forward to doing my version of this wrecked Albatros trainer .I plan to do mine with more structure showing where the fabric has flashed off in a fire following the crash.

This is a great chance to get real creative! Weathering to the extreme.I will start by building a sled upon which the wreck will rest ( which will also make a convenient stand for building purposes.)

The whole concept here is completely different ,as I will not have to be too concerned with as many highly detailed parts and pieces ,as a lot of this will be in pretty bad shape following the accident Example:the engine.I will be concentrating more upon the overall effect than small detail.Paneling the fuselage using real plywood and then breaking it should be fun .Over-stressing the skin of the tail planes,realistic looking fire damage etc...should keep me out of trouble for awhile.This is the wonderful thing about dioramas,the chance to be creative and learn something new never stops.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

This is a shady area of my backyard and is kind of the look I am trying to create,especially the area in the lower R/H of the pic.The dirt is on the wet side and a little muddy.The grass is sparse and well trodden as I imagine a WW1 airfield may have been.

[JohnReid]

Research pictures needed.

After thinking about it for awhile,I plan to build the fuselage and wings pretty much like I built the others.Because the fuselage is split in two the only thing holding the two halves together are the control wires.Therefore the fuselage will be built initially in one piece,broken and then bend.How much of the plywood covering forward of the cockpit area that I will do will depend on the amount of fire damage that will be shown.The fire would have to be large enough to flash burn the fabric off the wings but not large enough to consume the complete engine area.If the accident occurred at the airfield there would have been an attempt to rescue the pilot ,which would necessitate the use of some type of fire fighting equipment or other to subdue the flames during the rescue .By the look of the wreckage he was killed by blunt force trauma or G forces and not by fire.

The wings will be built as usual with damage added later.

The aft half of the fuselage will require that a lot of the plywood covering be shown .The tails planes would mostly be stress damage.

If anyone has knowledge of any pictures of wood and fabric airplanes ,old or new ,that have suffered this kind of damage ,please advise.

__________________

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]

[JohnReid]

Now how the hell did he manage to screw that up Harley?

I really don't know.

Must of mixed the BBQ'd soil with the microwaved or something stupid like that!

Oh well ,I will just have to treat it like a chance to get creative.Can't say that I liked it all one color anyway.Rather than drive myself crazy trying to darken one or lighten the other,I think what I will do is create a whole new texture using fine sand to blend one into the other.Should work.(I hope)

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Blending turf.

I dusted some very fine sand on and then came back with the different textures and shades of turf.I kind of like the results but I will make the decision later if I want to extend it or leave the rest as is.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Lousy day outside so I worked on Comanche's hitch.I found an old piece of plastic with a solder strip inside that used to be used for window alarms systems.(being a pack rat is a good thing)I sanded it with 600 paper to dull it down and make it look more like leather.Still looking for something that looks like horsey- doo though.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

This gives you guys an idea how I plan to do the landscaping surrounding the Albatros hangar.

The bottom of the pic is the closest to the edge and the top closest to the hangar.I figure the closer you get to the hangar the most wear and tear there will be on the turf.It will all be pretty close cropped except at the hangar's foundation area where there will be some taller vegetation.Every stone is selected for size and glued down in a random pattern (which is a lot harder than it sounds )to get it just right.

[JohnReid]