How I Build Dioramas(step-by-step)

Meet Ace,the Canadian barnstorrmer .He got his handle during the first world war.Ace will be in a seperate grouping of three figures ,along with Al Capp the airport manager and Duke the RFC type.
Ace is part or a group of barnstromers known as "The Flying Aces" based out of the "Reid and Sons "hangar at this local southern Ontario field.
He is painted is various shades of black which does not show very well on the scanner.His redfox collar was retained but I toned it down a little.I added his hand holding a pair of gloves,dry brushed his boots and glossed his goggles using Gloss Medium.

If I knew how to post this pic right side up ,I would.Anyway,don't get a kink in your neck trying.
After I finish this next set of 4 figures,I plan to weather this model T truck.I understand that Henry would sell you just the engine and chassis in those days and you could build your own body.This leaves all kinds of room for mods and design changes.I am really looking forward to what I can come up with.I have one more additional figure to do and that should be it for figures in and around the main hangar.If I decide to press on ,who knows!

I re-worked this figure and although he is still out of proportion I decided to rescue him for the mens room.He can only be viewed through some windows in the privy ,at an angle looking down ,so it really is not noticable and he adds a little humor to the scene.He is a 2nd barnstormer wearing a watch cap and leather jacket.
"Taking a nervous one" before going flying is something every pilot can relate to.
Cheers! John.

Would the fellow from Kalmbach who was inquiring in regard to "About School" please contact me again.I deleted your E-mail by mistake.
Cheers! John.

The Bomber cont.....

Ken Hamilton has published a whole series of new pics on his bomber diorama.(please see http//:www.scaleautomag.com forums,dioramas)
Cheers! John.

In my opinion "The Bomber" is one of the best dioramas that I have ever seen.Why? Well I think that it captures everything a great diorama should .#1 it sure grabs your attention(great marketing idea by Texaco at the time)and it keeps your attention in many subtle ways.It represents an everyday object presented in a very creative way.It tells a story.
It has significant historical context and is representative of a certain period of history that is unmistakable.It has humour,wonderful composition and color harmony.It can be lighted for a wonderful dusk scene (note the lights on the props)It is believable.The figures are well thought out and add life and humor to the piece.They are well painted and do not detract from the scene by being too shiney or haphazardly placed. (both common mistakes) Yes ,it is very neat in appearance but so is the real life photo ,and in our diorama world this scene could have taken place just after the photo was taken .Ken has also gone a step further and personalized this piece by actually naming the central characters,Lone Wolf and Peggy Sue.
Lastly,and most importantely , it is unforgettable.I can't tell you how many people have responded to Ken's bringing this piece out of storage after 15 years.They tell of remembering seeing it here or there,in this mag or that,at shows etc...That as far as I am concerned is the greatest compliment an artist can receive.
Well done Ken ,you are truly a master dioramist.
Cheers! John.

John your figure painting absolutely astounds me.

Keep up the good work

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This is Bonnie giving her best Venus statue performance.She is the only female in the diorama so far .She is Aces' girlfriend ,a stuntwoman and wingwalker.She only looks tougher than she really is!
This figure is from the Legends and Lore series of 1/16th figures and is part of the Bonnie & Clyde duet.

Some 1/24 scale figures.

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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)

This is John D,Harley's friend, the office manager.His hand and the book are a little distorted due to the scanner but you can get the idea.His ultimate destination is in the office module.I am using mostly shades of browns and greys for the civilians as I don't want them competeing with the military guys but just to act as the supporting cast.Bonnie maybe the exception though!

I now have 3 figures still to finish but I feel I need a change of pace.so I thought that I would start on the model T Ford truck.It will be a company truck with a Red Indian gas logo.
It came apart very easily with 1 small phillips head screwdriver.A little superglue remover in a few spots worked fine.I will start by weathering the body part shown above and changing the Texaco logo.Unfortunately this is a limited edition collectable (1 of 5,000 worldwide)but at least when I am finished it will be 1 of 1.
I could do pretty much anything with this model as Henry Ford often sold just engines and the basic frame so you could in effect build your own truck.i think that I will retain the basic shape as is but change a few things.By 1925 this truck would have been converted to a 6 volt electrical system and of course the white rubber would have been replaced by black.
For you aircraft guys out there this weathering tutorial is also good for ground equipment and such..I will try to make it as interesting as possible.
This truck started off life as a 1913 Ford Model T Delivery truck in 1/16th scale by Gearbox.They also make a black police paddy wagon in black with NYPD logos.Generally they are both of an acceptable standard except for the rear door hinges which are way out of scale.(they wont be seen in my diorama)
Cheers! John.

When weathering a diecast this is usually this first step.Normally I would use 600 grit or higher sandpaper and sand off that nice shiney enamel finish.In this case I used a very fine rotary abrasive burr and worked slowly in and around the artwork that I wanted to retain.Two purposes are served here one to deaden and age the surface and the other to provide a nice textured surface that the future application of pastels will stick to.

Here is a wonderful example of great work on a small scale.This is a 1/72 scratchbuilt BE2c diorama by Bob Wheeler.
More of Bob's work can be seen at http//:www.wwi-models.org see Galleries.
Cheers! John.

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to antique a chrome or nickel surface:

-immerse the part in household ammonia till all the chrome disappears from the part.
-take an old toothbrush and scrape off any remants
-deburr any mould lines
-paint part with a 50/50 black gesso-water mix
-paint on one thin coat of acrylic silver(let some of the black undercoat show through)
-whan dry,dab on some foamy burnt sienna(dabbing is the secret to an authentic looking surface)
-dab on as many coats as you like but let some of the silver show through.

Remember,work with very thin, flat acrylic paint.You want to build up transparent layers not cover up all your hard work. Cheers! John.

Here is a couple of things I learned when antiqueing a plastic 1/16th Ford model T truck that I modified.
-to make brass look like weathered copper spray very thin washes of burnt umber gesso followed by spray washes of black gesso
-to make brass look weathered just spray with washes of black gesso only.
In both cases I used flow medium and distilled water in the mix.