The Art Of The Storyboard Diorama

A friend asked so I thought that you guys would find this of interest also.

Hi Jason ! these dioramas were originally made for kids and were to be displayed in a classroom setting.The teacher of course would be there to answer questions and help tell the story.I was planning to do a small booklet with a lot of this stuff in it for the teachers reference purposes.

The museum has since changed its mind and they now plan to display them on the main museum floor,maybe even one in their new lobby.The plan now is to do some kind of audio/visual thing where you push a button to get pictures and some of the storyline.I don't know exactly how all that stuff works and it should be interesting to see what they come up with.

These dioramas were made for my own picture taking purposes as well and I lit them in such a way as to have a more dramatic effect.Unfortunately I think that a lot of this will be lost with only natural light.Also such areas as the carpenters shop,engine shop etc... have only somewhat restricted views.Therefore to really appreciate the dioramas there will have to be some kind of slide show and dialogue to accompany them.

Cheers! John.

Hi Jason ! these dioramas were originally made for kids and were to be displayed in a classroom setting.The teacher of course would be there to answer questions and help tell the story.I was planning to do a small booklet with a lot of this stuff in it for the teachers reference purposes.

The museum has since changed its mind and they now plan to display them on the main museum floor,maybe even one in their new lobby.The plan now is to do some kind of audio/visual thing where you push a button to get pictures and some of the storyline.I don't know exactly how all that stuff works and it should be interesting to see what they come up with.

These dioramas were made for my own picture taking purposes as well and I lit them in such a way as to have a more dramatic effect.Unfortunately I think that a lot of this will be lost with only natural light.Also such areas as the carpenters shop,engine shop etc... have only somewhat restricted views.Therefore to really appreciate the dioramas there will have to be some kind of slide show and dialogue to accompany them.

Cheers! John.

John you have gone beyond building a diorama with a story line, by reading the text it seems you are there telling about the repair shop and everything going on there. Harley is a perfect addition to the office as every crew needs a mascot.

The detailed text, is this to be posted with the diorama in the museum or is it to be left to the viewers to decide?  Either way it will make a excellent addition to the museum!

Jason

This is the view through the dispatch office window.You can just see the back of Harley's head and ears in the lower left corner.This inner door looks out upon the main hangar floor.As you can see the boss allows me to park my motorcycle against the carpenters shop wall.The inner window on the right looks out upon the carpenters shop itself.During the winter we leave this window open to provide heat for the office .The window does have shutters though when things get too noisy.Providing heat to the hangar floor can be a problem  on very cold days.We have a removable tarp on the carpenters shop ceiling and another coal stove in the engine shop which helps with the heating also.

I have a Tamiya 1/48 kit around here somewhere of one the mossie's my dad flew on a regular basis.Unfortunately his radar operator/navigator was killed on his first mission after dad came home on leave.

JohnReid

Hey that sounds like a great idea! My dad was from Cape Breton  and flew the Mossie for 409 Sqdn.

Hey John, 

I bought a great 1/48 Mossie from a guy here who was a navigator, he said, under great pressure, I'm just glad I'm still here ! He gave me his map of landing sites.

This is where Harley and I hang out most of the time here in the dispatch office.Today it is pretty quite but it can get busy in here at times especially in bad weather.
One of the pilots was just here and told me a pretty funny story that he had heard.It seems that these two guys were out practicing their wingwalking routine .The wingwalker began climbing a seven foot ladder atop the upper wing of the plane as the pilot prepared to execute a loop but he fell off in the process and landed in the cockpit on top of the pilot.One of his pant legs slipped over the control stick."There I was my flying controls up the wingwalkers leg wondering how the hell do things like this happen to me.I told him to hold on and I will try to land." They did with the pilot holding on to his leg and the stick too.

Meet Harley the company mascot.His bark is worse than his bite ! All the employees love him ,in fact if you look closely through the engine shop window you will see a picture of him hanging on the wall.One of the pilots took it of him sitting in a mail plane cockpit usually however he sits here on the chair just inside the dispatch office door and keeps it warm for the pilots.

Hey that sounds like a great idea! My dad was from Cape Breton  and flew the Mossie for 409 Sqdn.

WOW!

The model T looks very real as does the aircraft, excellent work John.

I have lived here in Truro 1 year today. Left everything in Alberta and gave east coast life a try, going well yet it is the have-not province with high taxes & low wages. 

Sounds like you have the ultimate job!

I acquired a 100 year old store display case (24"x24" by 36" tall) that I want to display models in at possibly Halifax international airport? It will require me to build some larger scales as 1/144 scale models will not be very visible inside. Have a few in mind that flew in Canadian colors, a post war 1/32 scale Spitfire PR airplane, a 1/48 scale Canadian captured Fw-190 and of course the 1/24 scale Airfix Mosquito!

Hi ! Everything you see here is 1/16th scale. I leave the fabric off of my airplanes so the viewer can see how they were made.Cheers !  John. Truro ? I went to school at St. FX.

I visited the museum in the mid 80's. Change happens and I am sure the exhibits have as well.

Is this a 1/1 scale story board exhibit? The picture of the model T seems to be.

Also Billy Bishops aircraft is the biplane without fabric on it? Interesting as the skeleton of the aircraft is I like the look of 'cut away' aircraft as to see the look of its color and markings. If going that route it would be authentic to see the complete aircraft at first then after walking by seeing the internal skeleton. For scale models you have no choice as to what is viewed first but a museum usually has clear paths and direction of foot traffic to see everything in the chronological order of events or items. 

Canada Aviation Museum names new Director General
April 29, 2010, Ottawa - Denise Amyot, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Quick as Director General of the Canada Aviation Museum.

“Mr. Quick brings a heartfelt passion for aviation to his new position at the helm of Canada’s national aeronautical museum,” says Ms. Amyot. “With his extensive experience within the public and private sectors, and more than thirty years as a professional artist, Mr. Quick is uniquely qualified to guide the Museum in showcasing Canadian achievement and innovation.”

“As museums,” says Mr. Quick, “we should not only function as stewards and guardians of our collective past, but be proactive in introducing future generations to the tools that will help forge their future. We should act as extensions of established learning institutions, helping to shape the future and engender pride in Canadian endeavours by telling the stories of those who have dared follow their dreams, and by showcasing the next wave of exploration and innovation.”



Deeply involved in Canada’s arts and culture sector, Mr. Quick has been painting professionally since 1978, and has been a professional aircraft and military illustrator since 1984. He spent 27 years in the Canadian publishing industry, including senior positions with both McClelland & Stewart and Stoddart Publishing. He has also worked within the public sector, including positions at the Department of Canadian Heritage and the National Gallery of Canada, prior to becoming Associate Director General of the Canada Aviation Museum in 2008.

The Canada Aviation Museum is Canada’s finest aviation museum, with an internationally renowned aeronautical collection. The Museum, a component of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, is located at the intersection of the Aviation and Rockcliffe Parkways, just ten minutes from Parliament Hill.

It is really nice to know that a fellow artist is finally running the show!

Now that we have finished our initial walkaround of the hangar it is time to invite our guests inside.
Billy Bishop our host for this occasion is welcoming his fighter pilot friends at the door of the dispatch office.The old Model T has just pulled up to the door after a open air,bumpy ride to the airfield from the ceremonies in town.Luckily it is a warm day for November 11th and besides these guys are quite used to conditions like these,in fact they look like they rather enjoyed it.
Just to Billy's left is Eddie Rickenbacker. The others are mutual friends of them both but I haven't got their names yet.

Here at the dispatch office I like to keep a file for our pilots to refer to for airport information .Most of this has been compiled by the pilots themselves and sometimes through bitter experience.
Someone one day should put this all together into a proper manual of some kind.

The spirit of our times is best reflected by this note left behind by one of our fellow airmail pilots down south and was recently posted to the company bulletin board.

"Beloved Brother Pilots and Pals".(to be opened in the event of my death)

"I go west,but with a cheerful heart.I hope what small sacrifice I have made may be of use to the cause.When we fly we are fools,they say.When we are dead we weren't half bad fellows.But everyone in this wonderful aviation service is doing the world far more good than the public can appreciate.We risk our necks,we give our lives,we perfect a service for the benefit of the world at large.
They, mind you, are the ones who call us fools.But stick to it,boys.I'm still very much with you all.See you all again."

Leonard Brooke Hyde-Pearson

Amellla was a bit of a publicity invention and not considered a very good pilot by her peers and her co-pilot was known to like the bottle,not a good combo for sure.

Thanks Bockscar ! will do. Happy holidays.Cheers! John.

I would like to find out conclusively what happened to Amelia Earhart!

Hey John;

I was an art instructor at a museum, dioramas bigger than my house. Congratulations on becoming a 'director.' Keep us updated for sure, you've hit the big time.