How I Build Dioramas (step-by-step)

[johnreid]

The rear door/WC/coal bin module cont........
I have now sheathed and painted all the interior walls and doors of this module.I have built the coal bin which I plan to stock with kitty litter(if my cat will let me have some)I guess that I will have to build another liner,fill it with litter,glue it and spray paint it black.(any other ideas?)There is a small opening in the bottom for a shovel and an opening to the outside for a chute.
The interior of this module is thinly painted with Titanium White(light beige)and the door pine green,allowing some wood grain to show through.I find that this washed effect looks the best when using acrylics and is very easy to weather.I still havent found a facility (whitefaced bowl) for the WC. Maybe this will be the first one ever to be scratchbuilt for a diorama.
Now its on to the exterior board and batten sheathing,making the roof,doors and windows.This is going a little slow as I cant stand sheathing for too long a time and tend to goof off doing other things.Cheers! John

Please note; the ARC Forums have been hacked by some jerk, so I will be posting the Travelair D4D story over on LSP only until they are back up.
__________________
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)
Guide my hand in your work today.
Last edited

[johnreid]

Hi Guys! I am still working on the rear door module and about to start the roof.I sure will be glad to get back to building the Jenny itself after all this other stuff.I have about 90% of the first Jenny, a Jenny Canuck, finished.The 2nd Jenny ,the basketcase JN4D,I will build this coming Winter.The plan right now is to have it being stripped down to supply parts for the Canuck.Some parts will therefore be missing,in the workshop or in storage.I plan to have the major wing and tail surfaces in various states of disrepair but still recognizable as coming from a JN4D as one of my purposes in doing this diorama was to show the various differences between the 2 versions.The Canuck is a barnstormer and the JN4D ex-military.I plan to have a lot of fun weathering the old JN4D with faded colors and torn fabric.The museum plans to use this diorama for educational purposes so the more interesting I can make it the better.

While the ARC forums are down,if anyone here was following the story of the re-build of the Travel Air D4D back in the 1960s I have now continued it over on;

www.largescaleplanes.com

go to Forums,.then Off Topic and you will find it there.
Cheers! John.

[johnreid]

Well today I went back to furnishing the workshop.I have already built some shelves and benches.Now I would like to build a nice old laminated woodcarvers table, with a prop in a vice, receiving the last few coats of varnish.A friend sent me a pic of a full scale diorama depicting this ,that he saw in a museum in Europe .I like the idea of a woodworkers workshop, so I will leave the engine rebuilding out on the hangar floor where most of it was usually done anyway.
Most of the tools I have purchased from a local hobby store that carries doll house accessories.Although they are intended to be to be used as 1/12th scale, the tools that I buy can come in all sizes so that is not a problem(ie;screwdrivers ,wrenches etc.).The ones that I cant buy I will make.
I will stock the selves with various aircraft parts that I havent used from other projects or that I won't be using from the 2nd Jenny.The roof of the workshop will be left off so that the workshop floor can be seen through the viewing hole in the roof.Their are also windows all around for viewing both from the outside and from the interior.
I think that I would rather spend my time doing this, rather than a WC that can hardly be seen at all.I plan to obscure the windows with a whitewash for privacy so you cant see inside at all.Problem solved.
Cheers! John.
__

[johnreid]

An internet friend of mine sent me a great picture of a 1:1 scale museum diorama depicting a workshop where a propeller is on the workbench.I have decided that this idea would look great in my Jenny diorama.I already have an extra propeller that I made when I was experimenting with colored glues between the laminations of wood.Generally I use various species of wood to get the layered effect but in photos I have of the Jenny prop, it is all one color wood, with only a very narrow glue line.It creates a very interesting pattern on the finished prop that I want to maintain.
The workworkers workbench is a nice varnished woodcolor that has been weathered to show its age.I started by laminating some 1/4X1/4 pine strips together.Use pine that has a subtle grain patern so that it won't be overscale.I used ordinary carpenters glue. I want a nice varnished look so I finished the sanded slab with Tung-Teak oil.Laquer will not give the same effect and oil will get a great patina over time.The workbench legs were made with the same material and nailed and glued to the tabletop slab using those black railway nails that the RR modelers used for the laying of tracks.They make nice represenations of lag bolts.
While the glue was drying ,I made up the entrance door for the rear entrance module.I generally save all the pieces of foamboard from the cutouts I make and use these as the core.I first frame in the door opening and fit in the foamboard.If the door is to be left open or partially open, I reduce the foamboard as required and glue 1mm stripes all around the outside perimeter of the door, and carefully fit the door to the opening.If the door contains a window I follow the same procedure.Then I sheath the door on both sides using narrow width stir stiks,sand,paint and weather. to be cont......
Cheers! John.

[johnreid]

The workbench in the workshop is pretty much finished now.I have added a couple of wood vices at each end .I weathered it using pastels and they work very well even over the oil finish.I also added a couple of carpenters type vices.One to hold the end of the prop in position and the other is stored under the table.
I picked up a wood lathe cast in metal from a doll house manufacturer.It is quite crude with lots of flash but with my trusty file I was able to take care of that.Once it is cleaned up and painted it should be quite convincing.The cast parts are normally sealed with a 1/3rd laquer thinner mixed with 2/3rds laquer base .Over that I put gesso and then acrylic paint.I used the same type lathe in the Albatros diorama for making metal parts but this time it will be a woodturners type lathe.
Next it is on to the furnishings and decorations in the workshop.The lunch table idea has been scraped for lack of space.Maybe I can make room in the office..
Cheers! John.

[johnreid]

Today I searched the house looking for the right size cardboard or plastic box in order to make a large toolbox for the workshop . I use a premade cardboard box as a structure to build the wood around as it is much easier this way.It is a fairly large box, that will stand on end ,with the tools hanging inside.The inside will be varnished wood and the outside painted grey and weathered.I have also selected a few other boxes as shipping crates for the hangar floor.The rest I will make.
The small toolboxes will be solid hardwood painted to look like metal.Various size wood pieces will be used to make smaller wood boxes for nails,screws etc...Fire pails filled with sand will be hung at various places in the shop and in the hangar(maybe with a few squished cigarette butts) I dont use any loose material such as sand in reality, as if there was am acciden it could be disasterous.What I do is glue a thin layer of sifted sand to thin plywood with carpenters glue, and then blow off the excess .If I want more shape in the sand I glue it to preformed foam.
Cheers! John.

[johnreid]

I just received an email today and that reminded me that somehow i have not been posting here since Nov 05.My diorama thread has been running on other sites since then but this site somehow got removed from my list.Sorry guys.Cheers! John.

[johnreid]

Hi Guys! since Nov I have completed the workshop,WC and office modules complete with their furnishings.(will be taking new pics soon)
I am presently working on the Hangar lighting,wiring and making the light fixtures.

[johnreid]

I have just begun a thread on building the airplane.hope you enjoy it.

The building of the old girl herself "Jenny the Airplane".
Over the next little while I will be posting pics of the building of Jenny the airplane.
As you guys probably know I contribute to 14 diferent websites relating to the building of dioramas some airplanes,some cars,some mixed and one RR site.
Because my dioramas cover all aspects of diorama making I havent really selected what to post where and I dont want to become my own self-imposed censor.At the same time I dont want to tread on anyones toes by posting airplanes in car dio sites or vice versa.The RR site seems to be very open to this.
If anyone is uncomfortable with this please let me know and I will try as best I can to operate by your wishes or quit posting altogether.
I will not go into great detail about how i built the airplane as that info is available on theaerodrome.com where I have run a thread since the begining of this build.Most of what I plan to post now will be pictures of the Jenny build with brief explanations of what you are looking at.For more detailed info you can go to the Aerodrome site.
I hope this meets with everyones approval.There is no hidden agenda on my part I just love dioramas of all types and I want to promote their making anyway I can and
to give back to a artform that has given me so much pleasure over the last 35 years.
Cheers! John.

[johnreid]

[johnreid]

[johnreid]

This is Jenny in her fuselage jig.
The fuselage sides were built flat on a piece of waxpaper over the plans. The jig was assembled and then the cross pieces added.Towards the tail you cab see where I have begun the internal bracing wires.Note :the turnbuckles were made a little oversize for this diorama piece otherwise they would hardly have been visible.(a little artistic licence)The multiple crosspieces on the bottom longerons are where the cockpit floorboards will rest.
__________________
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]

In this pic the fuselage is starting to take shape. The longerons are held in the jig using pieces of elastic bands.This is a very sturdy arrangment but not that easy to work around.Note the splice in the longerons wrapped in cord just forward of the fourth vertical jig peice.The floorboards are in and the seat railing on the R/h side has been installed.The internal bracing continues.
Those who are not all that familiar with wooden airplanes are usually amazed at how flimsy these wood members look at this stage.But believe me when are the wire bracing is in place this is essentially a very strong design.I have seen many pics of crashed Jennys which proves this to be true.

[johnreid]

[johnreid]

[johnreid]

This is Jenny upside down in a homemade jig,having the next main structural component,the undercarriage, installed.

The dio just grew a little more today when I found a 1/16th scale 1919 Hispano Suiza racecar at the local hobbyshop.I had gone to pickup some metal tubing for the wiring and I just couldnt resist.This will make another great showcar for the dio.All I have to do now is find a place to put it.That makes 2 airplanes,4 classic cars(plastic & diecast) 2 Harley motorcycles and a trailer so far.Plus the hangar and all the modules.This is getting out of hand!

[johnreid]

[johnreid]

Back on her feet again!

[johnreid]

Fitting unfinished engine.