airplane dioramas

[artoodeeto]

howdy y'all, thought I'd post some pics of 3 model dioramas I built years ago. Due to their size (4' x 4' for two, and 4' x 2' for the other), I tossed the bases long ago, but still have the airplane models. They're all 1/48 scale, and the bases were 100% scratch built. The first one I did is set in WWII North Africa, subjects are a couple B-24D's. Tents are canvas, copper wire, and toothpicks. Crunched wing on the crashed plane is aluminum foil.

Second diorama is WWII South Pacific island. three F-4U Corsairs, two Zeroes (one crashed), lots of water (epoxy), sand, and homemade palm trees. The trees are redwood branch tips, plaster of paris, wood dowel wrapped with crumpled aluminum foil and string. I'm proud to say this one won the Best of Show award at the Sonoma County (California, USA) Fair back in 2000.

third diorama is a mountain and lake, seen from the vantage point of a flying B-26. "Snow" is actually sugar, and I used gutter screen mesh, cardboard strips and more plaster of paris to make the mountain. Water is once again epoxy.

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/Diorama1Tentsassembly.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/Diorama1Tentscloseup.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/CrashedB-24assembly2.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/CrashedB-24notweathered.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/CrashedB-24weatherednosand.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/CrashedB-24rightrearaerialview.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/CrashedB-24closeupleftcockpit.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/CrashedB-24rightside2.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/FullShotofDiorama--Africa.jpg

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/Fullview.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/FullShotofDiorama--SouthPacific--Al.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/CrashedAirplane--aerialview.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/ParkedCorsair3--printthisone.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/ReverseView.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/ParkedCorsair.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/JapaneseZeroinflight3.jpg

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/Fullview2.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/Messerschmidt.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/MountainReflection.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/MountainRightView.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/pictureinthelake.jpg
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/InderHalledesBergkonigs.jpg

[xRyokenx]

Whoa, amazing. +rep! :D

[msmrx57]

Nice! Very talented.

[Liquid_Scope_99]

Nice! Very talented.

What he said

[d_stilgar]

Those are great. I want to do something like that for a board game I own. It's called Last Night On Earth. It's the best. +Rep.

[billygoat333]

wow, love the detail on the mountain!

[artoodeeto]

thanks guys, they were fun! I got a book on model railroad building, which among other things clued me in to using epoxy for water. hard as a rock, but reflects light the same way liquid water does :D incidentally, I achieved the detail on the mountain and on the airplanes with oil pastels...scribble n' smear. I've since read up on how to properly apply weathering, but my original method looked ok. Not great, but ok.

[chaksq]

Very nice, I got into model trains a while ago. When I eventually get my own house I want to setup something similar to what you have done but with trains in my basement.

[Twigsoffury]

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt53/artoodeeto/model%20dioramas/pictureinthelake.jpg


some 500lb bombs coming out on that one would be ftw.

BF-109d is the fighter?

[artoodeeto]

that would be pretty cool...I still have the B-26, although the Bf-109d (you're right, that's what that is) is long gone. I'll have to keep that in mind, it'd be easy enough to string a few bombs dropping back at a slight angle from the plane. Course, that means I'd have to find a few bombs.... :)