How I build dioramas Part 2

[JohnReid]

Like everything else, the fitting of the plywood sheets takes a long time and a little planning ,to have maximum access to the interior for gluing purposes.I first made up paper templates and cut the plywood oversize and sanded it down to fit,piece by piece.
Before heat bending with the curling iron,I soaked the plywood in plain water for about 5 mins and then dunked it in ammonia to soften up the wood fibers.
I will leave the cockpit area open for now until all interior work in this area is finished.I am a little tempted to leave a few panels off to show the fuselage interior but I haven"t yet come up with a good excuse to do so.
The pilot would have been removed before the fire really took hold and the rear part of the fuselage placed where it is by the rescue crew, in an attempt to get at the pilot.Therefore ,the tail section would have suffered some fire damage laying on top of the wing like that.The fabric tail surfaces would have had the same fate as the wings.The only thing joining the two pieces together will be the control cables joining the controls to the elevator and rudder.The horizontal stab sort of hooks on the the lower wing at an odd angle which makes for an interesting storyline for those who want to stop to figure it out.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

The wood and the joints still require some work but only after I am finished handling the fuselage .
I will let the rest of the plywood go for now and concentrate on the cockpit area and tail.Once the pilot seat and related hardware is in ,the rest of the axe chopped plywood skin surrounding the cockpit will need finishing.The tail area could be even more heavily damaged by fire.It is a point where a lot of wood and fabric come together creating a concentration of combustible material and an ample supply of oxygen and wind.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Hanging seat belts.
I made up some seat belts to get an idea of how they would look when hanging out of the cockpit.They are just mock ups until I can find some info on how they really looked.The blue stuff is just tack to hold it temporarily together
Anyone have any info on the seat belts? pics?
As you guys who have been following this thread already know,a lot of the emotional response to this scene by the viewer is the play between the empty pilots seat and the dog waiting for his masters return.It is very important to get this right as the success of the whole storyboard part of the diorama depends on it.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Building this wrecked Albatros has been a really fun experience,probably the best that I have ever had modeling.I really enjoy the balance between scratchbuilding ,kit building and creativity.The dog -pilot storyline takes a rather weak original storyline ,contained within the hangar walls ,and gives the whole thing new life.
Having a digital camera has allowed me for the first time to document this part (vignette)of the whole process from original idea to finished product.
It could have been a stand alone vignette but combined with the rest of the diorama it helps to raise the whole thing to a different level.I am really looking forward to seeing the reaction of my viewer to the dog.One of the greatest thrills I get as an artist is to see the emotion that I can raise in an audience using wood,plastic etc...just by arranging it all in a certain way,just like a writer would do with words.
I remember when I used to carve decorative birds,I once did a predator-prey piece of a Goshawk holding a songbird in its claws.People would tell me they hated what they thought was a taxidermy mount and when I would explain that it was only wood and paint, they still hated it.That always gave me great satisfaction as an artist.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

I love playing around with the lighting to get different effects.Boxed dioramas are best for this and with todays digital cameras you can get instant feedback on the results and play with it until you are satisfied.I often will just point the camera and shoot with very little setup,sometimes the results can be quite surprising. It is really easy on the pocketbook to take multiple shots and then erase the ones you don't like.
I find that I often like the pictures more than the diorama itself.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]