"Memories of Flight School"

[JohnReid]

This is the composition so far around the lean-to area!
The next step will be to weather the lean-to flooring.I thought that this may be a good opportunity to review how I do my barn siding/flooring including the weathering with acrylics and pastels.
The flooring of the lean-to is made with tongue depressors cut to length and glued to a plywood base.They are birchwood I believe .Before gluing them down,on the bare wood I painted on a couple of very thin washes of Jo Sonja nimbus gray with a touch of raw umber.(Why Jo Sonja ? because it dries absolutely flat).I then took an old toothbrush and loaded it with very thin raw umber and finger flicked (my term) a spray of crud until I was happy.Then I took out the gray, black and brown pastels and shaded between the individual boards and in the edges and corners of the floor.An ordinary pin was used to create a nail pattern on the wood .Then with a HB grafite pencil I twisted in a little black into the holes to create nail heads.Now with a dab of watery raw umber the nail holes are swelled back again retaining their black coloring.The last step is a subtle use of a dab of watery burnt sienna to represent a little rust.(pics to follow)
When doing this I like to treat each section of flooring as though it was a palette upon which I am creating a picture of a floor .Because of the wood patterns each one is different and deserves individual attention.Do not try to take shortcuts,remember the floor of the lean -to is just as much part of your diorama and just as important as Jenny, to the overall success of the diorama.Believe me when taking pictures the camera will seek out the most obscure areas

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

The only thing left to do to the floor now is a few tire tracks and maybe some oil stains under the engine.I decided not to use a burnt sienna pastel over the burnt sienna acrylic ,which I sometimes do to soften out the color a bit more.I just didn't feel it was necessary at this point.I could add a bit more mossy green pastel here and there later if I want to.For a little different look I used full length boards here instead of making joints.
Next step will be to permanently fasten down the Mercedes showcar to the floor and raise the lean-to into position.
Speaking about fastening things down, to get this diorama out of my basement it will have to be turned on end 90deg. therefore,my goal is to be able to turn it upside down and have nothing move.This is very important as some of the diecast parts are very heavy and if they ever came loose they could damage the delicate aircraft and other structures.The only other option is to send it in pieces(individual modules) and re-build it on site but this would take some time to do.
I cant believe how heavy this piece is getting now that the base and sand etc.. has recently been added.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

The above pic gives a good idea of how the camera can seek out areas that need attention.I sometimes use a flash ,as in the case to help me find them.
Not too bad eh? but look at the tires,they sure need a little wear and tear,especially the treads.You could get away with it by saying,well the tires are new but somehow for our diorama purposes it just doesn't look right.Those bolts holding on the tire could also use some attention.
Your camera can be a really helpful when weathering as it can narrow down your field of attention to concentrate more on the particular.Can you find any other areas that I could work on?
__________________
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]

 

[JohnReid]

Working my way down the line ,this will be the next module subject to completion.I still haven't decided whether to put an outdoor light over the garage doors as they will be left open and there seems to be plenty of light that will flood outdoors from the interior lighting.If necessary I always could add them later when I put the roof rafters on permanently.The Ford van in the doorway does not really block the sight lines to the interior .The carpenters shop ,the figures and Jenny are readily visible ,as the garage doors were purposely made quite large ,besides there are also a couple of windows to look through on that side of the hangar.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

"Memories of Flying School" storyline.
For those who may be newcomers to this thread this pic tells the main storyline of the diorama. Billy Bishop (facing camera) is welcoming Eddie R. (on the right) and some fellow vets to a Rememberance Day (Nov.11)ceremony at a local Southern Ontario airport around 1925.Although you cannot see Billy's hands in this pic he is giving the familiar "thumbs up" to his fellow aviators.I had thought of using another universal pilots gesture ,with the hands showing one aircraft chasing another, but that would indicate a discussion about aerial combat tactics rather than a funny story about their initial flying training.
__________________
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]

For those who are new to this thread and wonder why it is so darn long,the primary reason is so that I can keep it all in one place until it is finished.When completed I will write up a easier to read summary of this build.The other reason is that it is the only way I have of knowing just how popular this subject is on the different websites that I contribute to.I am sure that you guys understand that if I didn"t have this kind of indirect feedback I would have lost interest in posting this never-ending ,near monologue a long time ago.
There is a site where I have written short summaries on all three dioramas that I have worked on to date.
Please see:

http://www.wwi-models.org/Images/Reid/index.html

Cheers! John.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

The above pic is of the engine shop roof.I have divided it in two with a slightly larger wood strip to help break up the monotony of the B&W squares.If need be I may even paint it a little different color.The unfinished square is where I thought off having a viewing hole, but have since realized that when the case is on ,this would be useless.Even the large viewing hole in the main hangar roof will be somewhat restricted.Good thing that I put in lots of windows!
The weathering will be the same as you see in the pics main roof corner.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

On the Larger Scales!
As you guys know,I really like 1/16th scale and would recommend it to anybody interested in doing dioramas.1/18th would also be great and the availability of diecasts in that scale is a real plus factor.Personally ,I think that the smallest I would go is 1/32.I have ,waiting in the wings ,a lot of 1/32 air racers of the 30's ,for a future diorama that I am planning titled "The Calm Before the Storm" .A diorama based upon the night before the big race.At 1/32 scale it would be half the size of what I have been doing up until now.(Don't hold your breath though as this would be after I do the RAF Hendon piece.)
If your goal is to ultimately do something for a museum it seems to me that they also prefer the larger scales.If you want something to keep at home ,some of the modular size scenes such as those that are contained in the "Memories......." diorama ,could be used to tell a good story with just the addition of a few figures.
The larger scales are great for beginners ,who would like to do lots of detail ,as just about anything can be reproduced.They are also more forgiving while developing your techniques.Believe me I worked for 25 years in 1/72 when building ships, so I have had some experience in both small and large scales.
After you develop your basic skills and gain a little confidence ,that you really can do it,the smaller scales can be attempted with a greatly reduced frustration factor.I know a lot of builders have the opposite view of starting small and then going big but my experience has been quite different.
__________________
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]

In the beginning!