How I Build Dioramas in 1/16th.

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Slow progress.... Thank goodness I only dry fit everything first!

When I modified the angle of attack of the wings in relation to the level ground,that also altered the undercarriage and the rear wheels required clearance of the frame.At first I attempted to change the angle of the struts that support the nose wheel by moving a fitting at the rear of the engine bearer.Darn thing wouldn't move so I had to take everything apart again and in the process broke a few ribs off and cracked one of the engine supports.

I finally was able to unjam the fitting and put it all back together and now the nose wheel beam seems to be at the right angle.

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The tire is temporary.I haven't quite made up my mind on the tires.In pictures some look like bicycle tires and others the balloon type.As I plan to have the airplane in the backyard look like it was abandoned for some time ,with tall grass and weeds etc..the wheels may hardly even be seen in the finished diorama anyway.Another possibility is just to make temporary wheels in wood or a combination of a bicycle nosewheel, which is more visible ,and wooden mains.

Beyond the wood building stage I don't want to put too much into the airplane.Why? Wheels,wires,engine etc...if he even had them ,would have been stored away out of the elements and the wooden airframe at least put under tarps.

The family obviously knew about his upcoming arrival home as the "welcome home" banner indicates.They could have removed the tarps as a nice gesture for his homecoming.

I wanted to capture the moment of his arrival,before the family even knew he was there and what may have been going through his head at the time "can it ever be the same?"

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You guys may have noticed that my signature contains "Once Upon A Time.......

storyboard dioramas.This is my little tribute to the great film artist Sergio Leone.

His western "Once Upon A Time In The West" is recognized by most as the best westerns ever made and probably one of the top 100 films ever.

I love his attention to detail combined with majestic landscapes.His use of closeups and facial expression to create a mood.His minimalist approach to dialogue,only 15 pages of dialogue in a three and a half hour movie yet he still gets his story across magnificently .His use of music and the fact that a special theme was developed for each of the central characters ,which was played on set while that characters scene was being filmed.

I guess what I am trying to say is that he was a master of telling a grand story in a wonderful new way.

I think he would have loved storyboard dioramas.Thanks for the inspiration Sergio!

Cheers! John.

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I decided that our novice builder could not afford to buy the wheels,so I made them up from wood.I have actually seen similar type wood wheels used on early aircraft factory floors, for moving aircraft around before they got their rims and tires.I reduced the length of the fitting that supports the main beams front end just aft of the nosewheel.Working from pics is difficult so you have to be prepared to adjust things as you go along.Because this is my own version of a backyard flier I am building it to my own specs and what looks good to me.

This summer I plan to buy the wood for the base and finalize the design of the diorama, so that I can build up the two modules next winter and hopefully put the whole thing together the following summer.Anyway that is the plan for now.

Judging from past experience however, I usually seriously underestimate the time involved. __________________

"Once upon a time......." Storyboard dioramas by JohnReid.

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Finally it is temporarily on its gear!The stance looks about right when on a level surface. I will now put it back in the jig and rig the wings.

I have in the spares box an old Ford T radiator and engine.I am thinking about installing an engine but covering it with tarps and tie downs ,so that something will be there that looks like an engine but really can't be clearly seen.The wing tarps will be removed and put off to the side but will be visible.The idea is that his family removed them in anticipation of his arrival.

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After some experimentation this turnbuckle assembly seems to be the most practical for a number of reasons.First and foremost the hook that attaches to the wing fitting is the easiest to install at this stage.If I had to do it all over again, I would have installed the turnbuckles first for a more authentic look, but then again it is an amateur build so I guess anything goes.(for other designs please see my photobucket "backyard flier "album)

I used plastic coated beading wire for the flying wires and the turnbuckle ends.By threading the wire thru the brass tube and then back on itself you can make a nice little assembly.Once it is weathered with" blacken-it"

it should look just fine at scale distance.

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