"Memories of Flight School"

[JohnReid]

Finishing the old fuse!
Before installing the R/H sidewall it will be necessary to finish the basketcase fuselage.I have removed it for this purpose and must now decide how I want to secure it down to the hangar floor.The main thing going on here is the mechanic is removing the instruments from the panel.In reality the panel probably would have been removed in one piece a long time ago ,but I had I have him doing something and I had a lot of nice 1/16th flight instruments that I thought would be an interesting detail.
To secure the tail I decided to attached it to a old plastic wheel I had hanging around from another build.I painted it metal and weathered it and attached it to the tail post with a chain.
__________________
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]

 

[JohnReid]

Winter project.
The last major build of this diorama will be the Camel/Ford truck assembly.I am really looking forward to getting back to building airplanes again.The car in the pic is a diecast and used here for reference only.(it eventually will be weathered and parked outside the office).It will be nice to finish this diorama on a high note with a aircraft/truck build.I really want to take my time with this as it will be the best closeup view of any airplane in the composition.I would also like to improve my figure painting to a level that I have seen elsewhere,as my next diorama "The Backyard Flier" will not have the advantage of indoor stage type lighting.The Flier will also require some totally scratchbuilt figures which is an area of this artform that I have yet to explore.I have always much admired the guys who can do small scale figures and actually make them look like some historical figure.It would be a wonderful place to finish up this modeling adventure of mine.
__________________
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]

 

[darkeye]

quite an impressive undertaking this, such detail! John. for your next project , i can reccomend Andrea miniatures book; Converting and Scratchbuilding Figures. it started me along that road.... but it never stops!
i shall keep loooking in on this piece though. keep it up John.


regards --- tim

 

[JohnReid]

I appreciate the wonderful responses that I get from posting my work.While it is great for my ego,it really isn't my primary reason for doing it .I believe that dioramas that tell a story are really "little works of art" and I think someday they will probably be better recognized for what they really are,3D art..Think of Shep Paine or Ken Hamilton's work, are their dioramas not like little one frame movies?The great thing about good dioramas is that they demand a certain level of involvement of the viewers imagination.The image of a well done diorama will stick in the viewers mind, and in the case of other future artists ,may well have some inspirational value.As artists, in the end that is all we can hope for,to be a part of this never ending flow of creativity.I know in my own case Shep Paines work had enormous influence on me long before I started doing dioramas.I bought his book years before and would pick it up and read it from time to time.
I was very involved with decorative bird carving at the time but those images stuck with me.When I was looking around for something new to do,it finally struck me.Why not combine my lifetime passion of being in and around aircraft with my interest in dioramas as art?
I never met Shep Paine but he had enormous influence on me .When I heard that he was tired and wanting others to run with the diorama ball a bit ,I took up the challenge ,as I am sure many others have done.I am in no way comparing my work to his but it is different and I hope it contributes in some small way to what I believe is a growing form of artistic expression.
__________________
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]

Looking at this picture now,I probably could have got away without using all those aircraft parts on the floor at the bottom R/H corner.Actually they are mostly made up of parts that I never used on the Neiuport aircraft in my 2nd diorama.Gizmology I think it is called!Those rolls of coiled wire hanging down from Jenny's fuselage were originally to be attached to the flying controls but I have since decided they look good as they are besides at this stage of a real aircraft build rigging the controls would be one of the last things to be done.This Jenny depicts an airplane being test fit before breakdown for the final fabric covering.
I see I forgot the little piece of broken rib that should be on the floor next to the wheelbarrow.Believe it or not but a small touch like this will draw a viewers eye every time.Gilding the lily so to speak,much like a painter of portraits will add a small sparkle to the eye.My first experience with this phenomenon was when I accidentally knocked over some nuts and bolts off of a work table that were sitting in the Neiuport diorama .It became the object of so much attention that I just left it like that.
Today I will finally glue down the old Jenny's spare wings to the racks which will pretty much finish off the L/H side wall.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Movin along!
Today was a major milestone in the evolution of this diorama.All the hangar walls are finished and everything is glued down to the hangar floor except for some minor work on the Jenny tie downs and the fighter pilot group.
I think that I will put on the rafters and hook up the lighting and then work on finishing the modules exteriors where necessary.
All the exterior landscaping panels top screws will have to be removed and re-screwed from the bottom and the landscaping can then be finished.The one panel that will serve as the base for the Camel/Ford truck will be finished as a unit and will be installed last.Anyway that is the plan for now.
__________________
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]

Here is a prime example of looking at something so long that you fail to really see it anymore.
I was thinking of permanently fastening the Jenny down to the floor when I thought that I had better check her over one last time.Well look what I found! I had also forgotten the kingpost wiring and the drag wires not to mention the braces under the tail.Needless to say Jenny is now sitting back on the workbench!

 

[JohnReid]

Now I remember why I didn't add the drag wires,it was because they would interfere with the pilot group of figures and besides they would probably be one of the last things to be rigged.Same thing with the kingposts,only after the covering.I trimmed and tightened all the wires and made up the wooden tail braces that connect the tailpost to the horiz. stab.Looks like I will have her back in the hangar tomorrow.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

She is finally back in the hangar!I put the rafters on but have yet to hook up the lighting.The fighter pilot group will be next to go in permanently and then I can concentrate on the outside.
The Camel research is still an ongoing process .Ken's pics are a great visual help
when coming up with a list of modifications to be made.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

After looking carefully at the last two pics I think that I will probably make a major change in this diorama.The Jenny looks so nice taking center stage that I think that I will place the fighter pilot group aft of the wing near the motorcycle.This will help to downplay the "Memories of Flying School "idea and give all the figures a more even level of importance as,"Keepers of the Flame" 1918-1927.After all Jenny's participation in the war effort was just a part of her history here in Canada.It will require taking things apart again but what the hell I am used to that by now.Nothing is written in stone anyway until it is finally finished and that is the way I like it, as that way it keeps the whole thing interesting for me too.Imagine if I had an idea six years ago and felt compelled to see it through unchanged until the end.( boooring)
Especially in the finishing stages, I find that taking lots of pics really helps you to focus on one area that may need changes or additions or in some cases complete removal.
Little things ,like extending the rusty water spot on the rag where the rad is ,onto the hangar floor itself. (yet to be done) Or big things like moving a major figure group.Also the parts on the floor which I thought needed removal as being just too much, can now hardly be seen with the roof on.
The camera also really helps to find little things that need attention, like the inside of the light electrical boxes in the rafters that require painting black.
__________________
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)