This will be Phase 1,the first part to be finished.I will have ready access to all the phases of the build as I go along.I planned it this way so I can use each phase as a photographic background for other diorama stories before I put it all back together to become the Backyard Flyer again.
I want to do a gangster series using models of old cars,figures etc...as well as some old classics.Should be fun!

nother pic

nother pic

Before I go much further I will have to decide about the eves trough (gutter) and downspout in the far corner,which will probably lead to a rainbarrell of some kind.
The next step will be to put a little of last years dead foliage along the boardwalk/facade.After some experimentation I decided to use an old bristle floor brush for this.

At the end of your corner boardwalk, how about a rough workbench?

Good idea Stephen ! but as you know it is always a battle between what is too much and what is just enough.

Up until this point nothing has been permanently installed,even the frame is held together with only removable screws.Well as they say in flying I have reached the point of no return and now I must start the final process,from here on in there is no going back.I keep procrastinating trying to think if there is something that I have overlooked completely. Believe me after looking at something for so long the obvious sometimes completely escapes me.If you guys see something that doesn't look right please advise me now.

When it is altogether, how about some people looking out of the windows?

After pondering the overall color for the row house trim I decided on that good old standby neutral gray .I figured the landlord would be OK with their tenants painting their individual units trim different colors.This is a Victorian house in the middle of the city and gray to me would be low maintenance as well.From the art point of view, all of this is really just window dressing for the main subject ,the airplane and the returning airman's relationship to it ,so subtlety really is the name of the game when framing the subject.

here.
How to crack paint !

nother pic

Reminds me I have to go let the dogs in. That must be the view they get out side.

This is actually an unintended but really cool effect.Using foamboard and watercolor paper has allowed for some pretty dramatic lighting effects.Notice the warm glow that the bricks take on is actually an effect of the interior lighting.You have to be careful to properly diffuse the light but when done properly I kinda like it

WnW Multimedia Build ?
I wonder when we will see our first multimedia build ? wood and plastic together.
We are gettin close now with some wooden fuselage panels being done.But when will someone actually sit down and really do an open sided half plastic and half wood build ? Don't you think that it would be so much more interesting and challenging to do ? You would not have to spoil the look of the design of the airplane as from one side it looks like the finished thing ,while from the other it would be so much more interesting. When you think about it the way it is now one side is just basically a mirror image of the other.
Put it on a slowly rotating stand and I guarantee an instant hit with the viewers.
I know not everyone wants to show their stuff but for those that do I have seen this done at so many bird shows in the past,when it moves it just stands out from everything else no matter how well done.
There will come a time and it won't be long when we will have a lot of perfect (WnW) builds out there with little to separate one from the other.I have seen this happen in the bird carving world ,where there are actual differences in individual birds of a particular species.But everyone carves the perfect Mallard or whatever and then the judges have to pick between them.
Well a lot of the time it comes down to "well he one last year maybe this other guy should win this year,I don't know."
What I am trying to say is that at one time,and it is not far off,when it will become boring just having all these perfect little WnW builds around even if they have different paint schemes.This is where multimedia,dioramas,vignettes and scratch building comes into the picture.What I am trying to say I guess is the opportunity to really be creative will become narrower and narrower as the kits approach perfection,then where do we go from there?In the past a lot of the discussion has been around improving or modifying less than perfect kits and doing research.Now we are more centered on decals and paint schemes and having that perfect miniature representation as a stand alone model with all the really fun stuff to view all covered up.
You see I think that our hobby can be an living,breathing artform and as such we need to keep pushing the envelope to greater and greater heights.
What do you guys think ?

John,
Very thought provoking comments and perspective. I think you are absolutely on the mark; the WNW phenonema coupled with the incredible quality and variety of after market goodies brings us closer and closer to the "perfect replica" and the "what/where now" point of the hobby.
Here in lies the salvation however...........not everyone has or will have the skills to reach that perfect point. In my case I know I'll never reach the quality and results of some of the supurb craftsmanship (including your work) that I see on this site however, I suspect like many or in fact most, the fun's in the trying and in learning as experience provides improvement. I believe one of the results is in the degree of what many refer to as AMS that each of us has and the progression of that quality as we model on. As the basic product of our efforts improve we will, by nature, seek other effects to enhance results. In simple terms, if/when I think the basic kit has gone as far as I can take it, I'll start thinking about the diorama approach, cut-away or other simulations such as enhanced weathering, battle damage, or even under construction builds.
I love this hobby and the rewards are endless as long as I strive for the best results but accept my limitations. If I thought for a minute that, since I can't do as well as "so and so" I needn't bother, it would cease to be fun.
Not sure if I'm making sense here, but you did ask what others thought. In the meantime I'll keep watching and marveling at your progress and most important, learning from it.
(Thank Gawd it's too early in the day for a beer or this could get really philosophical ! )

Cheers and my compliments on beautiful work!

Lance