An Airplane diorama - ACK!!!

Looking good, what did you use for the palm leaves.

They're cut from the Tamiya foliage paper they provide you with in the their dino kits...

Cut a leaf shape, fold it over, then make lots of cuts with an X-acto blade, then open it up and glue to the trunk, which is floral wire painted tan...

J

Went to your site, very nice pics. Are you going to add some troops?

Eventually, I'm still deciding what aircraft to plop into the middle, I have a PBY in 1/350 scale, but I'm also thinking about a scratchbuilt B-24 or something like that...

Figures will more than likely be photoetched...

J

Looks great!

Jeff, it looks great! The paint bottle in the final picture on your site would be a scale 30' in diameter!

I have some photos of Japanese wreckage at an airfield that my grandfather took on either Tinian or Guam. Do you want me to scan them and send them to you?

Regards,

Simply awesome...

Fantastic right down to the smallest details.

Big hand for the small wingy thingies.

It's just a thought, and im no expert on dioramas by any strech, however from far away the ground work under the japanese plane looks ok but up close in the enlargement, it looks just alittle to chunky and stiff, my monitor sux so it might just be the display, but if i am right by some slim chance, u might go back and make it alittle unstiff look. However that is an EXCELLENT JOB over all. Keep up the good work! =D

my apoligizez i hit my moniter again to sharpen the image lol (YES HIT THE MONITER) and it looks much better and i visited ur website and wow that is some small planes, how did u make them that small? yet that detailed. Nice job, disregard the last post. =D cept for the Excellent Job part.

These are Trumpeter 1/350 planes originally intended for use on the Trumpeter aircraft carrier models. Since I was too lazy to build the carrier, I thought this would be a good (and smaller) alternative.

I'm working on the PBJ-1s now (Navy B-25s).

J

Jeff I've seen some of your other works in person and there outstanding but this time you have out done yourself. When I first saw the picture I though for sure it was at least 1/72 scale.

1/350, How do you do it? I can hardly manage 1/72. Nice job Jeff!

Thanks guys...it's been a fun project...the stuff is so small that I can actually see progress on a nightly basis...last night I painted and decaled a pair of B-25s as PBJ-1s...tonight is dry-brushing,weathering, and some more palm trees.

Trevor, where you at in NJ? How come you're not coming to the NJIPMS meetings??

J

Very nice work.
Qustion...within the context of your story, how did the Betty get broken up like that? Not physically how did you do it, but how do you envision the ac to have gotten into that position and sustained that damage?

Very nice!!! Thanks for sharing the picture with us Jeff.
mark956

Jeff,
I live near Trenton.
I talked to you last year at the Ukranian Cultural Center in Somerset . I know you by way of Marvin.
I was unable to make it to Mosquito Con so I missed you there, but from what I understand you were pretty busy judging some tough competition.

Ok Trevor, I remember now...(I suffer from CRS) I'll see you at NJHMA this year I presume...since you're near Trenton, I'll also be headed for Harrisburg on the 27th.

Al, I envisioned the Betty as having been pushed by the Marine's best friend in the Pacific...a SeaBee bulldozer!!!

I'm scratchbuilding one now...the way I see it, the weak point in the Betty's fuselage is at the hinomaru, since there was a large circular hatch in that location. With that hatch removed, and the airplane forced in a direction against it's will, it probably would have broke right about there...or, I can say an artillery shell did it...there's lots of photos of severed tails in Donald Thorpe's Japanese Naval Aircraft Camo and Markings of WW2 book, although none admittedly are Bettys...without the tail broken off, it kinda looked like it didn't belong there...it's hard to make an airplane that small look derelict without breaking something. :-)

Jeff

Okay, that bulldozer will make a world of difference in the story line. Thanks for the reply.
Al

Course, this is just one little corner of the whole mess, it's on;y about 10% complete here...

J

Jeff that Dio is incredible!!! As was stated above ,, When I first saw it I quickly figured 1/72 boy was I wrong. Now for my question,,,, After all that,, can you still see??? I think I would probably go blind doing them that small.

It's really not that bad...although painting the canopy frames is tedious, and I do use a magnifier for that.

J

Update - I've added a Quonset hut and a pair of PBJ-1s (Trumpeter B-25s)



I've been sidetracked by some other BIG aircraft...you can see those in the aircraft forum...an F-4, Guppy, and a few in progress.

Jeff

Very nice. Cheers! John.