Complmentary colors.
In the pic I am checking for the right complementary color scheme for the diorama.I think that the red,green,gray and black is about right.The Albatros in the hangar also has red wheels but of course it is newer looking and not weathered as in this example.There is more weathering yet to be done on the U/C leg and any rust will be subtle against the red background.
With the fuselage I plan to put on a few remnants of the plywood covering, that in places has been sawed off ,while it was being robbed for parts.
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Impressive John! Dust on boots and grime on machines. Life intervenes in modeling too.

Hi Stephen! I don't know but I just enjoy making things look old.Like me!

John...
you made me become a monster: eyes popped and jaw fallen.... and also my brain activity has suffered since I'm speechless!!

Ciao
Edo

I visited a couple of local hobby stores yesterday and to my surprise I saw something amazing.Ten years ago, except for the amour guys ,hardly anyone knew about dioramas or even what they were.Not only most modelers but the arts community too!
Things are finally changing,they now have craft materials for kids, even under ten years old' labeled as "diorama kits".I am not just talking about the modeling section of the stores but in the childrens craft section as well.Sure,I know that this kind of craft thing has been around for a long time but I never have seen a kit designed especially for kids and labeled a diorama.
So what is the big deal?Well maybe sometime in the future makers of dioramas will not have to explain to 9 out of 10 people that they meet what kind of art they do.

Ciao Edo! and thank you.Cheers! John.

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Things seem to be working out so that this junk has been around longer than I originally intended.I like doing weathering so much that I keep adding to it.
Maybe I will have to change the storyline a bit and try to make it look like the stuff has recently been placed there for pickup by the truck.It could have been stored in a shed or even under tarps for awhile.I will leave the grass short and not growing up through the junk and whatever else I can think of to get the point across.
This sort of stuff is important as I can remember bird carvers who painted there decorative birds in a fall setting with spring plumage or model ship yards that were set for sail rig when harbour rig was called for.While those are major blunders the minor stuff also has to be given some thought.

The Model Elephant In The Room
When visiting my local hobby store the other day,I overheard a conversation that seems to be all too familiar these days.A local RR modeler had recently passed away and word finally reached the store about two weeks later.He was a regular visitor and buyer who had spent a good portion of his lifetime building a model RR layout.The store owner called the widow to express his condolences and mentioned to her something about helping her find a good home for his labor of love.She informed him that she had already thrown a lot of his stuff in the garbage and the rest her brother would sell on e-bay.
I hear about things like this all too often.For those who aren't familiar with the modern RR layouts,I can only describe the best of them as 3D works of art.Moving trains in a static setting never much appealed to me personally but when looked at as dioramas ,they are some of the best work I have seen.A lot of these RR types developed their artistic skills over time working on their huge layouts over many years.Their initial interest may have been in the moving train, which was the hook for their interest, but many of these guys became diorama artists in their own right.To see a lot of this stuff go in the garbage has always saddened me.
I wonder if some more thought was given to smaller layouts made in sections and not huge layouts that are difficult move and store, would it make better sense ? I don't know what kind of relationship the modeler in question had with his wife,maybe she considered it junk,I don't know but I am sure that there are families out there that would love to be able to keep some of uncle Joe's or grandpa Fred's stuff for future generations to admire.Whether we realize it or not we are living,in what I believe, is the golden age of modeling ,as we know it.Modelers should think about this because someday this stuff will be rare.If just a little thought were given to this during the construction of layouts then areas of the layout could be made into dioramas.I know a lot of you guys will say "who cares, I'll be dead" but a lot of craftsmen /artists I know, do care whether secretly or not.
You could plan for this by making your favorite areas of the layout into little dioramas of their own but with only a temporary role in the bigger layout.
You could have nice display cases made for your best work to be put into upon your move to a smaller home or after your departure for the "happy hunting ground." You could even take the route I did and approach museums with a gift of your work ,so that kids and the young at heart can enjoy it for many years to come.Cheers! John.

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Maybe this is too rusty looking! I can always come back with some black pastels if need be.The last pic will be the most visible side of the engine in the diorama, so I added a little more detail here.
There is always something that bothers me after I take the pics .In this case it is the casting line on one of the cylinders that will have to be removed because every time I look at the engine invariably my eye will go right there.

WOW John it looks just as I would expect an engine fromthe bone yard to look.Do'nt change a thing.Thanks again for such an outstanding thread,I'm looking forward to you next update.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

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Working on the composition! This will change many times until I drive myself nuts and have to make a decision.
It was the lighting that made the engine look too rusty,now it looks better.

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