Part Two --- 1/16 Albatross Diorama by John Reid
Posted 9-8-2004 at 11:38 PM
The Hangar
The hangar is made completely of wood. The frame was constructed much as you would a real hangar. Joists, studs and trusses are of cut-to-scale pine lumber and the floor and walls are made of wooden coffee stir sticks and tongue depressors whose ends have been cut off at 90o. Everything was glued together using Lepage's carpenters wood glue. The simulated nails are ? sequin pins available from any dressmaker's shop. The windows are 1.5mm sheet plexiglass sandwiched between two built up window frames, thus avoiding having to cut individual window panes. The lighting is a standard 12.6 V (1.2 amp) system, wired the same as a model railroad layout, using a transformer for power. I used amber model railroad bulbs and some old Christmas bells as lampshades (See Shep Paine's How to Build Dioramas, pages 120 - 126).
I weathered all of the wood in the following manner. The stir sticks are made of hardwood (birch, I believe). In order to soften the wood to make it more porous, I boiled the sticks for 15 minutes, then on the dry, raw wood, I painted washes of a mix of Nimbus Grey tinted with a small touch of Payne's Grey. When these were dry (I used a hair dryer to speed up the process), I brushed on one or two very thin washes of Raw Umber. Using an old stiff bristle toothbrush and a very small amount of the same thinned Raw Umber paint, I finger-flicked (my term) a fine spray of paint over everything to give it a weathered look (Ill. 4). This same method was used to weather the hangar furnishings. In order to make the blueprints on the tabletop, I photocopied a rigging plan of the aircraft to scale and then lightly washed Ultramarine Blue paint on the drawing side of the plans. I then rolled them up to fit the tabletop.
The heating stove is a 112 scale Chrysnbon Inc. Furniture Kit F260. The legs were cut off in order to bring the stove to 116 scale. I painted it flat black using Carbon Black.
I use the Jo Sonja brand of acrylic paint because it is a gouch-acrylic, water-based paint that dries absolutely flat. Adding varying amounts of water-based varnish to the mix gives me complete control of the degree of shinyness of any surface. As an added touch, I placed metal filings around the lathe, wood chips and oil stains on the floor as well as a few bird droppings on the roof. In future hangar dioramas, I will probably add a few bird nests in the rafters and a couple of mice running around the floor (just kidding......I must be going over the edge!)
The Figures
Other than modifying the uniforms from World War II to World War I, there were no major changes to the positionning of the figures' anatomy. The uniforms were altered by simply cutting off unwanted parts with a number 11 x-acto knife or building up some areas with A + B epoxy putty. It was mainly a process of simplifying and changing the style of the uniforms. The figures were both glued and their feet pinned to the hangar floor. Shepperd Paine thoroughly covers figure modification and figure painting techniques in his book on How to Build Dioramas. Figures used were Tamiya's Rommel Kit 36305, Tamiya's Luftwaffe Pilot Kit 36302 and Dragon's Signaler Kit 1608.
Composition
My primary objective in doing this diorama was to tell a story, to capture a moment in time, to take the viewer back to a different era and thereby create a three-dimensional work of art. It was my intention to have the aircraft as the focal point. This is the reason why I left it in pretty much pristine condition in contrast to the general griminess of the hangar. All the figures are positioned looking towards the aircraft in a relaxed stance in order not to draw attention away from the main subject.
The placement of the ladders, saw horses and furnishings is such that nothing is placed 90o to each other. Try to avoid lining things up in too much of an orderly fashion.
The diorama was lit much like a stage. The lighting emphasizes the aircraft itself which downplays its surroundings.
The use of color should also be taken into consideration. Grey is a neutral color and does not draw one's attention. Red and green are opposites on the artist's color wheel and therefore can be used to create color harmony.
In my work I am not a rivet counter, however I do like to have lots of details to keep the piece interesting. I try to be as accurate as possible, however I will use artistic licence for effect. Before and during a project, a lot of my time is spent researching the aircraft, hangar types, uniforms, tools, etc.
In retrospect, I am quite satisfied with the results of this, my first aircraft diorama. Many thanks go to Shep Paine for his inspiration and to Mark Miller for his wonderful website on the Albatros.
Biography
I am a retired pilot and flight operations officer. I spent twenty eight years in aviation doing everything from sweeping hangar floors to flying instructor.
In the 1960's, I helped my father restore a full size 1929 Curtiss-Wright Travelaire bi-plane D4D (CF-JLW) which now resides at the Reynolds Museum in Alberta.
I have spent the last seventeen years in the visual arts, teaching woodcarving and making decorative birds of prey sculptures.
During my working years, as a hobby, I constructed a 172 scale model of H.M.S. Victory over a fifteen year period and 6,000 hours of shop time.
I have been married to the same women for 39 years as only she (Micheline) could put up with me and my hobbies.
I presently have a Newport 28-116 diorama underway and am also working on a Wright Brothers Flyer. I hear through the grapevine that Model Airways has a 116 scale Jenny in mind, Hmmm! Now if I can only keep this 62 year old body in shape!
Dedication
There is no glory in war but there is honor. This aircraft model is dedicated to those airmen of all nations who fought honorably in aerial battles of the past, in the hope that there will be no more.
References
Books
- Albatros Flighters in Action SquadronSignal Publications 46 1115 Crowley Drive Carrollton, Texas 75006
- Knights of the Air Time-Life Books 541 North Fairbauks Court Chicago Illinois 60611
- How to Build Dioramas Shepperd Paine Kalmbach Books
- How to Photograph Scale Models Shepperd Paine and Lane Stewart Kalmbach Books
Movie
- The Blue Max CBSFOX Video Industrial Park Drive Farmington Hills, Michigan 48024
Sources
Models and Furnishings
- Model Airways Kit MA 1001 Albatros DU 3850 North 29th Terrace, Suite 101 Hollywood, Florida 33020
- Tamiya Kit 36305 Feldmarschall Rommel
- Tamiya Kit 36302 German Luftwaffe Ace Pilot Tamiya America Inc. 2 Orion Aliso Viejo, California 92656
- Dragon Kit 1608 Signaler Dragon Models Ltd. 603-609 Castle Pear Road Kow Nam Industrial Building 10FL, B-1, Tsuen Waw, Hong Kong
- Chrysnbon Stove Kit F260 Chrysnbon Inc. P.O. Box 13 Western Springs, Illinois 60558
- Multi-Minis Doll House CD Catalog Hobby World 5450 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, Qu?bec, Canada H4A 1V9
Internet
- Mark Millers Museum Site http://www.pilots-n-planes-ww1.com
- Virtual Art Museum http://www.wwi-models.org
- Holcomb's Aerodrome http://www.angelfire.com/va2aerodrome
Modeling Supplies
- A + B Epoxy Paste Hexcel Resin Chemicals 20701 Nordoff Street Chatsworth, California 91311
- Jo Sonja Acrylic Paint Chroma Inc. Lititz, Pensylvania 17543
- Liquidex Gesso Binney and Smith Inc. Easton, Pensylvania 18044-0431
- Spray Varnish Flecto Co. Inc. Oakland, California 94608
- Carpenters' Glue Lepage's Ltd. Brampton, Ontario, Canada L6T 2J4
- Prismacolor Permanent Markers
- Sequin Pins Symak Sales Co. Inc. Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4R 1C1
- Music Wire K & S Engineering Chicago, Illinois
Go to Part One
By John Reid
Continued from "1/16 Albatross Diorama by John Reid - Part One"
The Hangar
The hangar is made completely of wood. The frame was constructed much as you would a real hangar. Joists, studs and trusses are of cut-to-scale pine lumber and the floor and walls are made of wooden coffee stir sticks and tongue depressors whose ends have been cut off at 90o. Everything was glued together using Lepage's carpenters wood glue. The simulated nails are ? sequin pins available from any dressmaker's shop. The windows are 1.5mm sheet plexiglass sandwiched between two built up window frames, thus avoiding having to cut individual window panes. The lighting is a standard 12.6 V (1.2 amp) system, wired the same as a model railroad layout, using a transformer for power. I used amber model railroad bulbs and some old Christmas bells as lampshades (See Shep Paine's How to Build Dioramas, pages 120 - 126).
I weathered all of the wood in the following manner. The stir sticks are made of hardwood (birch, I believe). In order to soften the wood to make it more porous, I boiled the sticks for 15 minutes, then on the dry, raw wood, I painted washes of a mix of Nimbus Grey tinted with a small touch of Payne's Grey. When these were dry (I used a hair dryer to speed up the process), I brushed on one or two very thin washes of Raw Umber. Using an old stiff bristle toothbrush and a very small amount of the same thinned Raw Umber paint, I finger-flicked (my term) a fine spray of paint over everything to give it a weathered look (Ill. 4). This same method was used to weather the hangar furnishings. In order to make the blueprints on the tabletop, I photocopied a rigging plan of the aircraft to scale and then lightly washed Ultramarine Blue paint on the drawing side of the plans. I then rolled them up to fit the tabletop.
The heating stove is a 112 scale Chrysnbon Inc. Furniture Kit F260. The legs were cut off in order to bring the stove to 116 scale. I painted it flat black using Carbon Black.
I use the Jo Sonja brand of acrylic paint because it is a gouch-acrylic, water-based paint that dries absolutely flat. Adding varying amounts of water-based varnish to the mix gives me complete control of the degree of shinyness of any surface. As an added touch, I placed metal filings around the lathe, wood chips and oil stains on the floor as well as a few bird droppings on the roof. In future hangar dioramas, I will probably add a few bird nests in the rafters and a couple of mice running around the floor (just kidding......I must be going over the edge!)
The Figures
Other than modifying the uniforms from World War II to World War I, there were no major changes to the positionning of the figures' anatomy. The uniforms were altered by simply cutting off unwanted parts with a number 11 x-acto knife or building up some areas with A + B epoxy putty. It was mainly a process of simplifying and changing the style of the uniforms. The figures were both glued and their feet pinned to the hangar floor. Shepperd Paine thoroughly covers figure modification and figure painting techniques in his book on How to Build Dioramas. Figures used were Tamiya's Rommel Kit 36305, Tamiya's Luftwaffe Pilot Kit 36302 and Dragon's Signaler Kit 1608.
Composition
My primary objective in doing this diorama was to tell a story, to capture a moment in time, to take the viewer back to a different era and thereby create a three-dimensional work of art. It was my intention to have the aircraft as the focal point. This is the reason why I left it in pretty much pristine condition in contrast to the general griminess of the hangar. All the figures are positioned looking towards the aircraft in a relaxed stance in order not to draw attention away from the main subject.
The placement of the ladders, saw horses and furnishings is such that nothing is placed 90o to each other. Try to avoid lining things up in too much of an orderly fashion.
The diorama was lit much like a stage. The lighting emphasizes the aircraft itself which downplays its surroundings.
The use of color should also be taken into consideration. Grey is a neutral color and does not draw one's attention. Red and green are opposites on the artist's color wheel and therefore can be used to create color harmony.
In my work I am not a rivet counter, however I do like to have lots of details to keep the piece interesting. I try to be as accurate as possible, however I will use artistic licence for effect. Before and during a project, a lot of my time is spent researching the aircraft, hangar types, uniforms, tools, etc.
In retrospect, I am quite satisfied with the results of this, my first aircraft diorama. Many thanks go to Shep Paine for his inspiration and to Mark Miller for his wonderful website on the Albatros.
Biography
I am a retired pilot and flight operations officer. I spent twenty eight years in aviation doing everything from sweeping hangar floors to flying instructor.
In the 1960's, I helped my father restore a full size 1929 Curtiss-Wright Travelaire bi-plane D4D (CF-JLW) which now resides at the Reynolds Museum in Alberta.
I have spent the last seventeen years in the visual arts, teaching woodcarving and making decorative birds of prey sculptures.
During my working years, as a hobby, I constructed a 172 scale model of H.M.S. Victory over a fifteen year period and 6,000 hours of shop time.
I have been married to the same women for 39 years as only she (Micheline) could put up with me and my hobbies.
I presently have a Newport 28-116 diorama underway and am also working on a Wright Brothers Flyer. I hear through the grapevine that Model Airways has a 116 scale Jenny in mind, Hmmm! Now if I can only keep this 62 year old body in shape!
Dedication
There is no glory in war but there is honor. This aircraft model is dedicated to those airmen of all nations who fought honorably in aerial battles of the past, in the hope that there will be no more.
References
Books
- Albatros Flighters in Action SquadronSignal Publications 46 1115 Crowley Drive Carrollton, Texas 75006
- Knights of the Air Time-Life Books 541 North Fairbauks Court Chicago Illinois 60611
- How to Build Dioramas Shepperd Paine Kalmbach Books
- How to Photograph Scale Models Shepperd Paine and Lane Stewart Kalmbach Books
Movie
- The Blue Max CBSFOX Video Industrial Park Drive Farmington Hills, Michigan 48024
Sources
Models and Furnishings
- Model Airways Kit MA 1001 Albatros DU 3850 North 29th Terrace, Suite 101 Hollywood, Florida 33020
- Tamiya Kit 36305 Feldmarschall Rommel
- Tamiya Kit 36302 German Luftwaffe Ace Pilot Tamiya America Inc. 2 Orion Aliso Viejo, California 92656
- Dragon Kit 1608 Signaler Dragon Models Ltd. 603-609 Castle Pear Road Kow Nam Industrial Building 10FL, B-1, Tsuen Waw, Hong Kong
- Chrysnbon Stove Kit F260 Chrysnbon Inc. P.O. Box 13 Western Springs, Illinois 60558
- Multi-Minis Doll House CD Catalog Hobby World 5450 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, Qu?bec, Canada H4A 1V9
Internet
- Mark Millers Museum Site http://www.pilots-n-planes-ww1.com
- Virtual Art Museum http://www.wwi-models.org
- Holcomb's Aerodrome http://www.angelfire.com/va2aerodrome
Modeling Supplies
- A + B Epoxy Paste Hexcel Resin Chemicals 20701 Nordoff Street Chatsworth, California 91311
- Jo Sonja Acrylic Paint Chroma Inc. Lititz, Pensylvania 17543
- Liquidex Gesso Binney and Smith Inc. Easton, Pensylvania 18044-0431
- Spray Varnish Flecto Co. Inc. Oakland, California 94608
- Carpenters' Glue Lepage's Ltd. Brampton, Ontario, Canada L6T 2J4
- Prismacolor Permanent Markers
- Sequin Pins Symak Sales Co. Inc. Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4R 1C1
- Music Wire K & S Engineering Chicago, Illinois
Go to Part One
By John Reid
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