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Post by johnreid on Mar 13, 2006 10:17:26 GMT -5
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Post by johnreid on Mar 13, 2006 10:46:08 GMT -5
In the top pic,in the center, just under the workbench, on top of the blue box ,is Chester the black cat.He is curled up taking his early afternoon nap while the shop is quiet.
On Jenny ,the wings are finally rigged and the wires tightened.It wasnt as difficult as I anticipated.The secret is to use large enough sleeves(those silver things that slip over the wires at the wing fittings)I used plastic telephone wire covers that I streched by driving a needle into the sleeve.If the wire easily pulls through your done.
Next,its on to installing the ailerons and making up the inter-aileron struts.(the Canuck has double ailerons)
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Post by johnreid on Mar 14, 2006 9:05:53 GMT -5
Rigging Wire Pat,On the Albatros I used piano wire which I absolutely don't recommend.It stays straight but is very difficult to work with. The beading wire I am using on the Jenny is flexible but easy to work with. It is called SoftFlex 21 Strands Stainless steel /N ylon Coated Diameter .014 Fine 30 feet. www.softflexcompany.comCheers! John. |
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Post by johnreid on Mar 14, 2006 16:32:01 GMT -5
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Post by johnreid on Mar 15, 2006 9:08:00 GMT -5
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Post by johnreid on Mar 15, 2006 10:11:39 GMT -5
The next pic I have added a little fill light flowing in from the front of the diorama.I used a 40w incandesant daylight bulb .The side wall now has a much greyer tone and the faces of the figures are better illuminated.The last pic is somewhat like the first except that it is taken from a slightly different angle.Note how the lighting changes when it falls on the various objects.
Didnt do much on Jenny yesterday but I did go to the local hobby shop and of course I just had to pickup a couple of things.
One of the things I found was a new supply of RR track fixing pins.They make excellent nails and bolt heads for general use in building furniture and for miniature carpentry of all kinds..They are called SL-14 Peco Streamline and are painted black and are approx 9/16th long (14.2 mm) long and .021 (#75 drill size) in diameter.
I also found another 1/16th figure for the dio. Made by Tamiya as a tank crewmember.He is wearing what looks like coveralls and could easily become a mechanic or even another barnstormer pilot, with a few modifications.He is wearing a leather helmet and goggles.There isalso a 2nd 1/2 figure in the box of a crewman resting his elbows on a tank turret or what could be a cockpit hole on a barnstormer.All this for less than ten bucks Canadian ,which works out to about $1.99 US()It is Tamiya item #36309.
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Post by johnreid on Mar 16, 2006 8:41:55 GMT -5
 Harley and big Al's car. |
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Post by johnreid on Mar 16, 2006 9:38:17 GMT -5
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Post by johnreid on Mar 16, 2006 9:59:05 GMT -5
Thanks to the Canada Aviation Museum ,Harley had his picture taken years ago sitting in the cockpit of Jenny.I plan to have this pic reduced to scale and posted as a picture in the "Memories of Flight School Diorama."The diorama itself is destined for the same museum so this pic has sort of gone full circle I would say.
You must admit Harley does make for a great company mascot.
Cheers! John.
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Post by johnreid on Mar 16, 2006 20:49:05 GMT -5
Where to stop.
I have decided that the best place to stop with this rigging process will be with the rigging of the controls.
At this stage, the airplane control cables could be cut to length ready for installation but because the wings and control surfaces must be removed for fabric covering, nothing would be installed permanently at this stage.
I am not unhappy about this as the thought of trying to rig the double ailerons with all the other wires and struts in place is not a very appealing one.
I think that I will place Jenny in the flying position with the tail resting on a bench.The wings will rest on saw horse for stability and ease of securing the airplane to the floor.
The next step will be to build up the turtle deck which is a wooden streamlined structure that rests on the upper longerons behind the pilots head.Then I will install the tail planes.
The jig that I designed really works very well as it can be modified as you go along ,and it also provides maximum protection for the delicate structure.When you are working on a project so long ,positioning and repositioning everything ,it is enevitable that the airplane will be bumped every once and awhile.Make your jig extra wide and long and keep everything 90 deg for ease of measurement.
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Post by johnreid on Mar 17, 2006 10:30:41 GMT -5
freedom and the barnstormer era
You know,this is a great era to be working in before the advent of all the rules and regs that plague us freespirits today.It truly was aviations romantic age when airmen werent of much danger other than to themselves.The American cowboy is a Hollywood created myth but the barnstormers were a reality .Their exploits were well documented and on public display.
This tradition even carries down,in a small way , to this very day.Personally,I really enjoy modeling this era of aviation history when just about anything goes.The modeler really doesnt have to be too worried about being absolutely correct.Color,changes to the aircraft structure, mix and match are all fair game. You can either explain it away or ignore it as it really could have been that way.
A little of this attitude could even be found in WW1 and may have been its birthplace.What was done "in the field" and what was in the rules and regs were two different things.Pilots were given wide latitude to customize their aircraft while the brass looked the other way.
These same pilots, back in civilian life, carried on this attitude of anything goes as long as you can get away with it, and in that era they could get away with it ,in spades.Pilots were often their own mechanics and on the verge of starvation most of the time(as one barnstormer put it "The greatest danger a barnstormer faces is starvation".
So out of necessity they bought the cheapest parts available or made their own.The elevator of one model could be used on another or adapted to do so.Want a more unstable airplane for airshows?,no problem,just change the wing stagger, who's to know the difference or even care what these crazy WW1 misfits did, even if it meant an early trip to the boneyard.
In my modeling of this era I try to reflect this same attitude by breaking the rules a little here and there.I like the fact that I am not tied down to this color or that.This rule or that reg. Take a little artistic licence here or there, who will know the difference? or even care.Who is to say that it couldnt have been done this way .See what I mean? Liberating isn't it? That is what I call the "Barnstormer Spirit of Modeling".
Cheers! John.
__________________
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Post by johnreid on Mar 17, 2006 12:09:15 GMT -5
Happy St Paddy's Day, Ya'all! ;D
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Post by johnreid on Mar 17, 2006 18:07:58 GMT -5
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Post by johnreid on Mar 17, 2006 19:04:40 GMT -5
In the above pic, looking from left to right ,you can see the hand carving tools made from belaying pin handles.The other half of the box contains other hand tools such as saws etc..A wood planer rests on the window sill.The workbench was constructed using those black pins that I mentioned and white glue holding it together.The propeller is in the table vice getting a coat of varnish and the brush and varnish are along side.Next, is my version of a wood bending jig.Note the hand drill and hammer hanging on the wall.
Chester is in the center of the pic under the table.He is all black and can just be seen in my pic but I think he disappears on the copy.
I tried to keep the shop as interesting as possible and centered around just minor repairs being carried out.It is meant to be a maintenance shop and not one for production.
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Post by johnreid on Mar 18, 2006 11:02:03 GMT -5
I am planning to begin an online story of a newcomers development as a dioramist.It is the story of a fellow named Larry who contacted me and asked if I would be interested in guiding him through his journey as a budding dioramist.I kind of liked the idea and especially the format.Rather than me just spouting off in what can be,for you and for me, a boring monologue, the idea of having a diologue sounds like it could be a lot more interesting for any budding dioramist to relate to..He is an absolute beginner with no background in building dioramas other than an architectual model in high school many years ago.I don't even know his skill level as a modeler.I know that he is very interested and highly motivated to learn and that is all I care about.
I will post our dialogue here under the title of "Hi Larry" if it is OK with you guys.I would really like to hear what you guys think about this but I will consider no response as being an OK to go ahead.
Cheers! John.
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Post by johnreid on Mar 18, 2006 11:27:59 GMT -5
Everyone is welcome to follow a beginner through a diorama!
Hi John!
Please give me some guidance regarding the many aspects of building my own diorama. This post is intended to get your input as I go along. I've decided that I've always been intrigued with wooden airframe skeletons. The only plane I've ever built was wood framed and it was beautiful...until I attached the paper skin to it. The wooden framed plane you have chosen as your center piece (The Jenny) is beautiful. The building construction is period with wood beams and rivals the plane as the centerpiece. 1/16" scale as you selected, really shows detailing and simplifies availability of scale items during the building. That brings up the styles of both the plane and building construction I would chose for my diorama.
I'm partial to bi-planes and the wood building construction, so I guess that generally dictates a World War I & into the barnstorming era for me, perhaps (1918 - 1930) Selecting a plane would be the next step. This is also dictated by model kits. Perhaps Eddie Rickenbacker's Favorite Fighter, the 'NIEUPORT 28'.
user posted image
Perhaps the Abatross D.va, 'The Red Baron's Forgotten Fighter'.
user posted image
The building construction generally would follow the 1918 to 1930 period also. So far am I generally in there for authenticity? What was the height of the barnstorming era? Which of these planes would possibly been used? What is the maximum date the building construction of timbers would have been around?
Thanks John for any input you can give. Larry
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Post by johnreid on Mar 18, 2006 16:10:10 GMT -5
Hi Larry!
I am a little reluctant to start a airplane build on this, an auto site.
The reason I have put my present dio over here is because, although it has an aviation theme, it also contains many cars and a lot of the info is for basic dio information.
The first thing that you will have to decide, is your work going to be strictly airplanes or not?If yes, I can suggest many other sites devoted solely to aircraft.I contribute to about 15 websites as of now and the info you desire is mostly already published there.
I dont want to step on anyones toes here and up until now they have been very open with my posting here.I do this strictly for fun.Cheers! John.
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Post by johnreid on Mar 18, 2006 16:23:29 GMT -5
Hi John!
Thanks for your honest and forthright answer. I certainly don't want to step on any toes here either, although I sincerely doubt the administration or members would mind us communicating. As for the overall diorama, one side of the barn (hanger) would be a plane being built. A shop, benches and equipment would be incorporated in the center and the other side would be auto storage with perhaps two or three (whatever will fit) cars. If you feel more comfortable about the plane portion, maybe you could steer me to the best of the aviation sites you referred to for some posts to select the barnstorming plane. Got a link? Larry
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Post by johnreid on Mar 18, 2006 16:33:55 GMT -5
Hi Larry! Now that you have decided to include cars into your diorama and the admin doesn't seem to mind,its OK by me.
However because I am pretty busy these days with my build and websites most of my contibution here will be as it is now.I will in many instances have to refer you to other sites where a lot of your questions have already been answered.I am sure that you understand that I just dont have the time to re-write a lot of this.
I do however like the idea of helping a newcomer from the beginning of his development as a dioramist.We could set something up whereby we could use the thread to help other newcomers get started on their dioramas which is and always has been my primary goal.
Getting back to your build.There is not much choice out there right now as far as open structure kits are concerned.In 1/16th scale Model Expo seems to have cornered the market on airplanes.They offer 4 different kits right now.Albatros,Neiuport,Jenny and the Wright Flyer.Except for building an HMS Victory shipmodel years ago and a half-finished classic car diorama all of my diorama experience has been centered around the model expo kits ,mostly because nothing else is available.The quality of their kits is highly variable which we can get in to later after you make a few more decisions.
Next decision is what era are you most interested in? Depending on your storyline and a little creativity just about any era could be the subject of your diorama.Is your dioramas theme going to be mainly about cars that happen to have an airplane in it or airplanes that happen to have cars in it.?
Personally I love the Barnstormer era as it was the most romantic and freespirited era in aviation history .Before all the rules and regulations.
Cheers! John. wink.gif
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Post by johnreid on Mar 18, 2006 18:26:30 GMT -5
Larry,after re-reading your post above I realized that you have already answered most of the questions.
A few suggestions:
You could use old airplanes in a modern setting such as being re-built or at an airshow
You could also do a museum scene with classic cars,motorcycles, figures or whatever.
May I suggest that your local bookstore or library would be a good place to look for ideas if you havent already decided.
Now the most important part of diorama making ,The Storyline.Here you will have to let your imagination run wild.It doesnt have to be nailed down totally, at this point ,but you have to know at least the direction that you are going in.In fact, it is best to leave some elements of your story open at this point and just let it evolve.Plus it is more fun that way,not knowing exactly where this will end up.It kind of makes it an adventure for you too.
Cheers! John.
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