How I Build Dioramas (step-by-step)

[johnreid]

John, I've already learned that coming up with a story line means some research. Here is what I have discovered so far. I want to depict the barnstorming era. The heyday was 1920 to 1927. Generally, at the end of WW1, there were several thousand Jenny bi-planes available through military surplus and an abundance of out of work pilots from the war that wanted to pursue flying. During the heydays, there were generally three types of barnstorming pilots. Independents, Flying Circus and Air Racing. Since people hadn't ridden in airplanes at all, pilots supplemented their income by giving them rides in their planes. I've chosen 1927 or a little later for my theme. Since pilots were most successful as members of the Flying Circuses, that will also be incorporated. The plane in the diorama will be a skinned Jenny painted in bright period colors and flying circus logos, since the majority of barnstormers had them. The vehicles will be 1900 to 1915, stressed and in storage along with the farmers wooden wagon and tractor?. The building will be an Indiana farmer's post and beam barn with wooden floors and sliding front doors. The center shop will be era machines driven by belts with motors under the floor. A few of the reasons for my choices are:

As you said, there is a minimal choice of available 1/16 scale museum grade planes for open frame display. The cost to me is pohibitive. $160 to $300. That's why I'm building skinned in plastic or silk, which can be picked up cheaper in smaller scales.

Because of restrictive space, the wife insists that I build a smaller diorama. That may take me all the way down to 1/32 scale, because of plane and car availability in those scales. Compromise, compromise....Modelers do that every day with the boss of the house. Next, I'll be selecting an old or newer furniture piece that the boss will accept for the diorama. Maybe a boxed end table with a glass top for viewing, electrical transformers for lighting, etc. etc. Just have to find the maximum size she'll accept before I confirm the scale of the diorama. It'll be a while before my next posting.


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[johnreid]

Hi Larry,what you have described here is the era that you are interested in.By storyline I mean will you be telling the story of air rides,people climbing aboard? waiting in line? that sort of thing.Or maybe a flying circus story,a stuntman being stapped to a pole on the upperwing? Streamers being attached to the rigging? Or how about a farmer helping a pilot pull his Jenny out of the mud?
Once you have the makings of a storyline, you can build from there.Most viewers of your work will want to see something interesting going on ,some thing they dont see everyday.Your goal should be at first to grab their attention and then have their eyes wander over the rest of the piece and connect with the story you are trying to tell.
This is where the creativity comes in,You have to go beyond just creating a bunch of objects and create an interesting story.This is not always easy but it is the essence of being a dioramist.
Dioramas are so much more than a nice looking model.

Larry,would you mind if I run this thread on a few other sites .I am sure that it would be helpful to other new dioramists and it makes for a nice format rather than me just spouting off all the time.If others want to join in feel free to do so.We could call the thread "Hi Larry" What do you think?

Ian,by all means it doesnt have to be about aviation,I also have some experience with cars and ship dioramas.Anyway the basics are much the same in any case.
Cheers! John.

[johnreid]

Hi John!

I've been thinking of my story line and will have it for you in the next posting. As far as using beginning diorama posts at other sites you select, Feel Free. I know if I had an opportunity to follow a starting project and have input from such an accomplished diorama builder like you, I would have been building projects years ago. As far as my car modeling skills, my greatest love is detailing, even in areas that one will never see. In other words, you could call me a super radical detailer. Full steam ahead!

[johnreid]

Hi John!

Here is a story line for my diorama. Remember I'm a beginner.

STORY LINE OF LARRY'S BARNSTORMER DIORAMA

In early September of 1925, the "Tidman Flying Circus" came to Akron, Ohio. J.D. Tidman, the owner of the airshow, included Akron in his circuit annually because it had become one of the show's most profitable cities. All of his flyers were allowed, even encouraged, to give the locals airplane rides to help supplement their wages with his shows.

Skip "Triple Ace" Filmore was Tidman's best flyer, with the show's only tri-plane. The plane was Triple Ace's absolute love. He had modified the one seater war plane into a two seater just for this purpose. It was no accident Triple Ace owned the brightest colored tri-plane emblazened with air show graphics, as he was also an incredibly successful entreprenuer. Years before, he had made arrangements to hold his airplane rides at the Steadman farm, just a few miles Northeast of the airport. Barton Steadman and his wife Anna ran a successful farm and had an entreprenurial spirit. Over the years they had developed a successful scheme with Triple Ace to make his annual visits incredibly profitable for both.

The Steadman's had set themselves up with Tidman to post his "Air Show" posters around Akron a month or more before their arrival. That was their opportunity to post their own "Steadman Farm Airplane Rides and Dawn to Dusk Jubilee" posters, featuring 'Triple Ace' Filmore. They also touted their vegetable sales, bake sales, late afternoon barbecues, ice cream, peanuts and coca-cola refreshments. The Steadman's and 'Triple Ace' had an agreement that they would throw all money into a box and split their profits 50-50. Triple Ace set it up to use their barn to work on and store his tri-plane as needed and board in the barn with his pet monkey 'peanut'. Triple Ace used peanut with an old organ grinder wherever he went. Whether at the airshow or the airplane rides, peanut did very well bringing in extra tips. The Steadman's youngest daughter Terissa would run the organ grinder this day. Three of the Steadman's other daughters helped Anna with the Jubilee's sales activities.

Captured in 1/32 scale, our Diorama depicts the first day of the "Steadman Airplane Rides & Dawn to Dusk Jubilee" on early Friday morning, just after dawn. Triple Ace's plane is still in the barn because he overslept in the hay loft and the barn doors have been cracked with many airplane riders peering in with great anticipation of the rides beginning. Some have already started to push the plane out of the barn with Triple Ace. In front of the barn, either side of the doors, are Anna's sales setups with her daughters manning their stations. Anna is trying to corral their two dogs near her tables so they won't eat up any profits or peanut. The chill in the air is making her coffee sales brisk. Without regard to proper parking areas, a few cars are nosed to the barn doors with people using them for seating, since most arrived before dawn. Now they are frantically trying to back up through the crowd to clear a way for the tri-plane.

Out of view, Barton Steadman has recently harvested his hay in the field backing up to the barn. The field makes a perfect runway for Triple Ace's plane. A tattered ticket booth with some early birds standing in line is at the corner of the barn. From there they will be allowed to round the barn to the rear where Triple Ace will taxi in and out to pick up and drop off riders. This is an incredibly exciting start to a very long and profitable day!

Regards, Larry

[johnreid]

Hi Larry!
Wow! that sounds to me like an incredible start to a very exciting diorama.You have really given this some thought.I love the idea and the storyline.
The only area that may require a little more research, to keep the storyline within the realm of believability, is what aircraft were actually used as barnstormers post WW1?.
Especially airplanes that were capable of giving rides? I think that you will find that the list is very short.Then, there is the problem of availibility of models in 1/32 scale.
Of course,on the other hand ,you dont have to even build an airplane.Your diorama could be set up in such a way as the airplane is actually off giving rides and you are depicting the activity surrounding the main storyline.Selling tickets or whatever.You may want to consider doing an interior stage like setting,a circus tent like setup.Just remember most of these guys were poor and operated on a shoestring ,so things cant get too fancy.
You could also think along the lines of forced perspective,using 2 different scales.
Take a look at Shep Paines book "How to Build Dioramas" and Nick Infields diorama,"We'll always have Paris" for an idea of what I mean.If I havent mentioned it before you will want to pickup Shep's book for general reference on all types of dioramas.It is published by Kalmbach Books ISBN;0-89024-195-3.Another good book is Ken Hamiltons "How to Build Creative Dioramas" by the same publisher( but I think it is out of print.)If you have trouble finding it I can put you in touch with the author who may have a few copies left.
As we go along there are a few other good reference books that I will recommend from time to time.
Now that you have an idea of where you are going it may be a good time to work up a floorplan ,so to speak,of your ideas.You may want to make up a cardboard mockup of your proposed diorama.You will find that due to space considerations you may have to eliminate certain aspects of your storyline or enhance others.When you actually have these mockups before you some hardest decisions in diorama building will have to be made. What to leave in and what to leave out?
You want to leave in enough to tell your story but not so much that it becomes distracting of confusing for your viewer.It is very important to step away once in a while from your role as artist and think like your viewer.You want to take your viewer gently by the hand and lead them into your world of makebelieve and thereby introduce them to another reality.
Cheers! John. wink.gif

[johnreid]

Jenny #1 ,the Canuck is now finished except for putting on the wheels and tail assembly.I will now put her aside until she is ready for final installation in the hangar.I decided that she would be just too vulnerable to damage out of the jig.
Now its on to Jenny #2,the JN4D basketcase.This I am really looking forward to having fun with as I plan to show lots of damage and weathering.It will be my first shot at covering anything with fabric.(however I did help cover the real thing in the 60s).
First I will have to decide on just how much floorspace is available for the 2nd fuselage and whether or not to build it in one piece.I have lots of leeway here in that it could be a fuselage that was involved in an accident and in many pieces.The wings can be stored up against the walls or hanging from the rafters depending upon viewer sightlines.Most of the engine parts are destined for the engine shop.Other components can go on parts racks or shelves.
I will probably drive myself crazy(if I'm not already there)trying to find just the right place for everything to go.At this stage it is critical to get it right.
Man,this is fun!

[johnreid]

Hi John!

The most difficult aspect of this diorama has been deciding what I want vs. what is believable. I want a plane that was different and exciting. Of course, to me, that was a tri-plane vs. the common everyday bi-plane. This meant finding one that was historically believeable. Well, none are, except maybe the Sopwith Allied tri-planes that possibly could have shown up on the Canadian surplus market and landed in the U.S. There were also references that Russia procurred a few after WW1. The only other two period planes would have been the Fokker DR.1 German tri-planes and the seagoing Fokker pontoon tri-planes.

First choice was the Sopwith tri-plane in 1:32 scale. I could only find 1:48 and 1/4 scales. Last choice was the Fokker DR.1 (Red Baron) 1:32 scale. I found old out of production Revell kits in 1:32 & 1:28, new Revell 1:28, two new Hobbycraft 1:32 in two old & new styles and a Roden Ro601 1:32 kit. I couldn't find any period pontoon tri-planes in any scale, but retrofitting them with wheels might have worked. There were references to U.S. to Hawaii flights by them in 1925. Both the Sopwith and the Fokkers were single seater fighter planes, leading to another hitch. Modifying either of them to two seaters may have been possible, but unlikely.

I could and probably should go back to the Jenny J-4. Making it different and exciting would have to be in the paint and graphics job. I couldn't find 1:32 kits (unless some of your aircraft forum people do), only premade desktop models. An acceptable one is pictured below in true 1:32. It means revising my story line already and re-painting, re-graphicing a desktop plane like this. Compromise, compromise!

Regards, Larry

[johnreid]

OK, I am another car/truck guy that is into dioramas, and I also want to do an airplane with a car diorama.

At a recent swap meet I ran across a Hobby Craft kit of a 1/28th scale Fokker DR.1 I think this is a "re-box" of an old Revell kit from the 60's , not sure though. Opening the kit up I found three figures included and....away we go.....ANOTHER project. I am looking at using a 1927 T Touring car by AMT in the setting.

Where does one find out where the "rigging"....(the directions are vague), the wires for stability go and how do they attach, is there an airplane site for this? As I said I am a car guy, but am always willing to learn new stuff.
Dave

[johnreid]

Hi Larry,to be totally honest with you I really dont have much experience in the model market itself,as I have pretty much concentrated on 1/16th wood airplane models up until now.My plastic experience is mostly with a couple of cars and figures.
There are some beautiful plastic kits out there now.Check with www.modelingmadness.com for kit reviews.
For WW1 airplanes see www.theaerodrome.com and www.wwi-models.org

A good site to check on whats available in any scale is www.greatmodels.com click on catagories for the list of scales.

The deskmodel Jenny looks like it might have some potential especially with a little modification.You make want to check that the overall measurements are within the ballpark though.

Dave, Hi! welcome aboard,take a look at the same sites and get back to me.
Cheers! John.

[johnreid]

Yesterday, I spent doing research on the 2nd Jenny,the basketcase.I started off thinking that I would just do the "D" model as representted in the plans and booklet for the original kit.Well plans have changed.I noticed in a pic of a painting that I have that the artist ,Robert Bradford shows 2 Jennys ,one a typical Canuck version and the other what I thought was a JN4D.Upon further examination of the painting I noticed double ailerons top and bottom and a strange wire and brace rigging of the lower wing.Further research shows that 2 types operated in Canada ,the Canuck and the JN4 A (production model).
This is a version not often modeled so I think that I will go for it.The fabric color is antique linen and the cowlings and trim olive drab.Other than a tail number and box like insignia there is little color here to distract from the main subject ,the Canuck.The fuselage appears opaque, while the wings and control surfaces are clear doped linen.
I mention all this to give you an idea as to how I leave myself open to change as I go along.It is good to have an idea of where you are going when you start but nothing should be written in stone.Fun isn't it ?
Cheers! John.

[johnreid]

Jenny JN4A(prod)
Due to its long fuselage and because of space considerations ,I will be breaking up the fuselage into 3 sections.
I have often seen pics of Jennys that have been in accidents, and they seem especially vulnerable to breakage just behind the rear cockpit ,so I probably will break it there and leave a few wires hanging out, as though someone had just collected the wreckage from a field.Between the main engine compartment and fuel tank/firewall area I will cut the longerons to make it look like someone had just sawn off the engine and hauled it off to the engine shop.The wings will be stored up against the hangar wall and maybe one on saw horses with the fabric being ripped open.
I am building the fuselage sides now, in one piece, on a flat board covered with insulation and wax paper.A lot of the fittings will be left off as they were either robbed for the Canuck or will not be seen behind the fabric.
I have a good set of color pics from the museum of a Neiuport 12 undergoing rebuild several years ago.There are many good details of what can be discovered under old fabric.Nice aged wood tones some corrosion and water stains etc...All great ideas for weathering.One thing that I have noticed is a kind of white paint that has been applied to the wing rib capstrips, where they meet the fabric.Was this a size or sealer of some kind?If anyone knows please advise. In my next post I will be listing the main differences that I have discovered between the JN4D and the A model.
Cheers! John.
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[johnreid]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the imput.I still have a while to think about it as I am invovled in building the 2nd Jenny right now.
I am kind of leaning towards the "build only what you need to tell your story" school of thought.The Jenny story is two fold.The main story is a group of veterens getting together on Rememberance Day .The sub story is Jennys contribution to aviation.
I figure that I can "keep it tight" by having all the action centered on the pilot group.
All the other figures will be looking towards this main group, which will be placed front and center(actually off to one side) in the dio.The central theme here is the human experience not so much the objects.Everything ,including the Jenny, is sort of in a supporting role. Interesting but not essential. So I guess that it is a question of how much importance to give to the secondary storyline.
The showcar ,advertising trailer and the motorcycles are optional but I still would like to find a way to include them as they are colorful and help to balance an otherwise somber mood.The second showcar and the Model T's are really not necessary at all and may be just distractions.The only way that I can see including them would be to put some figures near or in them looking on into the main pilot group.Maybe on the ramp area off to the side somewhere or with the front of the cars pointed towards the pilot group.
One other thing here that I forgot to mention earlier is that the Billy Bishop figure is central to this group ,he is laughing and giving a" thumbs up" signal indicating that he is telling a joke or funny story.The others are looking on in surpise not expecting to hear laughter on such a sad day.I wanted to include this element because I know the nature of fighter pilots and barnstormers .I want to show what seperates them from the civilians.(shared experience & a devil may care attitude towards life)
At this stage I think that I will eliminate the ops/radio shack and the 2nd hangar but will keep the engine shop module as it is attached to the main building and any figures therein would be standing at the door looking in.
This post has b

[johnreid]

Differences between the Jenny A(prod) and D models.
-Dep type wheel not sticks in the cockpit.
-upper and lower ailerons with steel wire interconnections.
-lower wing braces same as top wing but on the underside.
-small differences in wing span and length but a major difference in dihedral of 3 inches.
-engine exhausts differ
-wing center section outline is squared on the A model.
-lower wing tips pointed and not round as on the D model.
-Landing gear wheels Ackermann type spring spokes and not the standard 40 spoke.
Thats what I have discovered so far.

[johnreid]

Hi John!

The dimensional plan of this diorama, in my case, is dictated by the size of the end table I selected to house it. After some shopping with my better half, we purchased two end tables that she was happy with. Both are the same size. One will house my diorama, and little does she know, the other will too, down the road. I have scanned rough sketches of what the end table is now and what it will become in the final diorama version. See the pics below. The dimensions between the legs dictate that my diorama base dimensions will be 24 1/2 by 21 1/2 inches by 1/2 inch thick.

Knowing the end table & diorama base dimensions, the layout can now be established. Following my story line, the largest piece is the Jenny airplane at a 1/32 scale wingspan of 16.34" by a length of 10.22" by a height of 9.83". One half of the end table's length dimension is 12 7/8 inches. By splitting the diorama base in half with a divider, one side could be the barn space and the other the outside space.

In order to know the barn dimensions I have to convert 1/32 scale to an architectural scale of 3/8" = 1 foot. (both are the same). The architectural scale will also be used down the road for verification of figures, building miscellaneous items and verification of automobiles. (ie: a 6 foot standing man figure should be 2 1/4" high & a sitting man figure should be 1 5/8") Working in one scale throughout, while building the diorama, becomes very important. I will be using a 3/8" = 1' foot throughout.

Since I will be using some train scale items, they will be #1, Std., or G scale. Train scales are an animal unto themselves. For instance, G scale items range between 1/20, 1/20.5, 1/22.5, 1/24, 1/29 & 1/32 scales. #1 and standard items are 1/32. In the case of G scale figures, I want to make sure they are all six feet or below. I don't want any 1/20 giants in the diorama. I'll possibly use 1/32 diecast or plastic model items too. All of them will have to be verified at the 3/8" = 1 foot scale.

My next posting will be the diorama plan by itself.


Regards, Larry

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[johnreid]

Hi Guys!
Well yesterday was spent experimenting with fabric covering the Jenny A fuselage sides.
I thought that I had better cover them now before putting them in the jig and adding the cross braces.
Basically ,what I did was take the flat fuselage side and glue on the fabric and cut with an xacto around the perimeter.
First I laid down the fabric(Coverite antique) on a flat surface ,glued on the fuselage side using carpenters glue and put some light weights over and let it dry for a few hours.Then I cut around the perimeter and spray laquered(2-3 thin coats) the whole thing and let dry.
Next ,I airbrushed multiple coats of straight titanium white ,which is almost exactly the color of the antique white fabric, until it was just opaque enough to be able to barely see wood longerons underneath.
I will not be putting the military insignia on the side but will make it look like someone washed it out using a paint brush.It saves me the hassle of making the insignia and is probably is what would have been done anyway.
I havent put on a lot off the fittings or cross brace wires as they would not be seen anyway .Where I decide to selectively ripe the fabric I will install fake ones of piano wire.
Next I got out the pastels and antiqued the interior of the flat fuselage side while I still have easy access to this area.
One thing I forgat to mention about the Coverite fabric.Although it is made to be heat shrunk over the aircrafts frame ,I did not use it for that purpose as it would probably distort the delicate wood structure.Instead I put it on as tight as could while it was laying flat.Even then I did notice some loosening during the subsequent laquering and painting but on an old basketcase airplane this only adds to the look of age.I used the Coverite mostly because of its fine weave and antique color.Now its on to the other side.

[johnreid]

Before I forget to mention it again,I have recently been invovled in bending more stripwood for various parts required on the fuslage.
I have found that a good cheap tool for bending wood is an ordinary hand held curler iron.It seems to constantly give off just the right temp for this procedure without being too hot to scourch the wood or too cool.Find a way to clamp the handle to your workbench and then with the ends of the strip, one in each hand, slowly bend the wood to the shape you want.
Depending on the density of the wood let it soak in warm water for awhile before attempting to bend it.You will have to experiment a bit here.if you run into a piece of wood that seems to break no matter how careful you are, check the direction of the grain in you can and make sure that it is running lengthwise through the piece.Crossgrain will break very easily.While most woods will maintain the newly bent shape, if you want to be sure you can pin it to a board until it is thoughly dry.
Yesterday,I continued weathering the fuselage sides using watery Raw Umber flicked on with a toothbrush.Pastels were used for shading here and there especially where dust and dirt would gather.I left the fabric semi-transparent so the the structure barely shows through.I painted over what would have been the military insignia and left a few paint drips here and there.I will now finish off the other side and then put the 2 sides in the jig for installation of the cross members.
I think that I have figured out why I enjoy this weathering stuff so much.For me its like taking a empty canvas and painting a picture.It can be very creative figuring out how to age something.A little of this here and a little of that there.Your imagination can run wild trying to imitate the natural world and how nature ages things.It really increases your powers of observation and respect for natures power to destroy even its most beautiful creations.

[johnreid]

[johnreid]

This is an image of a JN4A production model in Canadian colors and markings in 1917.Note the double ailerons and aileron braces under the lower wing.Also note the interconnecting aileron steel wires, and the increased dihedral of the wings(4degs).It is really hard to see if the center section trailing edge is cut square and of course the wheel spokes are impossible.

[johnreid]

Machine gun.
I forgot to mention that behind the pilots head, near the turtle deck there seems to be a machine gun mounted, or it could even be on the side of the fuselage,it is difficult to see in this image.The JN4A was used for pilot training,aerial gunnery,towing targets and combat tactics.

[johnreid]

Hi Larry!
Another very interesting thing going on in this era was "Flying the Mail". If you find the barnstormers aircraft types too limiting, the number of aircraft equipped to fly the mail were comparitively quite numerous.If you can get your hands on a copy of Time-Life book series"The Epic of Flight"and the volume entitled "Flying the Mail" it has a lot of good pics and info.
A lot of the same group of ex WW1 military types were also invovled here.It was called the "suicide club" for good reason, as in 1920 alone it claimed the life of one in six of the airmail pilots.But it did have its compensations.According to Hamilton Lee a famous pilot of the era," I loved what I did,loved flying .We could fly at any altitude,fly under bridges,drop a newspaper to our friends if we wanted to.Today they sit up there at 35,000 feet.What fun can they have?Oh ,those were great days.They were dangerous days too,but you didnt mind that,that was nice in a way too.If it wasn't for that memory I'd go nuts.I live on it.I still think about it when I go to sleep at night."
Cheers! John. biggrin.gif