I should have done this a long time ago but I only noticed it now,The Jenny was finished a long time ago.Sorry bout that!

I have decided to put the cart in the background,out of the way.
Whenever I look at the airplane sitting there it seems to have a surprising amount of movement built into it already.I don't want to spoil the illusion by tying it to the ground in any physical way.I want to just suggest that it has been sitting there for awhile by the subtle use of tie downs and ropes.Saw horses and other supports can be shown inconspicuously off to the side.

I have decided to put the cart in the background out of the way.Whenever I see the airplane sitting there it seems to have a surprising amount of movement built into it already.therefore I don't want to physically tie the aircraft to the ground in any way and spoil the illusion.A few properly placed ropes and stakes etc.. should be enough.

I like what you've done here...and thanks for guiding me to this thread!

I want to just suggest that it has been sitting there for awhile by the subtle use of tie downs and ropes.Saw horses and other supports can be shown inconspicuously off to the side.

This is the cart with the tarps inside.I decided to leave it pointed in this direction for viewers interest sake.

Now for the fun part,the weathering !

I think that I have found the easiest solution to the landscaping problem.
I will simply put a few tufts of long grass around the wheels and a small bare earth area under the engine/radiator area.
My reasoning is as follows,if the wings, tail and nose areas were covered with envelope type tarps then grass would grow and could still be maintained (cut) under the aircraft.Only the wheels would be difficult to cut around . That solves two problems ,one how to maintain the illusion of movement and two how to make it look like the aircraft has not been moved for some time.Even one blade of tall grass hitting a wing would spoil it.
An old type push lawnmower could be maneuvered in such a way as to keep the grass trim while our hero was away or it could have been cut in anticipation of his arrival home.There will be a "welcome home" sign somewhere that will indicate that he was already expected to arrive that day but they just didn't know when.

Pilots eye view !

nother pic

This is close to the final composition.The aircraft wings are inside the outer modules for easy access.The aircraft is slightly off any 45 deg angle and the pilot figure is also off to one side.
Thank you to whoever it was that suggested this arrangement to me a long time ago, of using this backyard for the airplane instead of the other.Sometimes when you look at something for a long time you can't see the forest for the trees.

Almost finished cart !

Hi guys ! I am doing a "how to" on converting a 1/18th truck bed into a 1/16th cart over on the Auto Modelers section of this forum,as I thought that it would make a better fit.Please see "Building an old cart,How to.."
Any further pics will not be shown here but only over there due to forums rules !

The cockpit !

I have decided not to add a lot more to the cockpit area.Why? because I think that it is an area that our builder would have been very interested in finishing first.Like getting the wings on,he now has something to actually look at that looks like an airplane,even though he knows that it will all have to be taken apart again.These milestones in any build is an important part of the fantasy of flight.Can't you just picture him sitting there thinking about his first flight.I know when my dad and I built the '29 Travel Air sitting in the cockpit for the first time was a big day.

Making old, un-mowed, dried up grass requires that you find an old bristle brush, preferably well used( as shown in the above pic).Trim off a bunch of bristles and glue it between two sticks that have previously been painted with black gesso.Bend and twist the bristles so that it looks natural.

Got some wonderful news yesterday that I just had to share with you guys! The Canada Aviation Museum informed me that my dioramas have been quite a hit at the museum and they are looking forward to getting the fourth one this Fall.
I had better get busy and finish it up.

Making wheel/ground grass patches.
Take some light plastic foam and cut out a patch.Make a hole in the center for the wheel bottom to touch the ground.Take some black or brown gesso and brush on a fairly thick coat.Let dry and then using flush cut snips take the foam off the back but just leave enough thickness for the grass strands to attach themselves when glued .Brush on some white glue on the top surface and dip in sand or earth.Let dry.

It is not necessary that these patches are round in shape as the placement of the grass will determine the final design.This airplane has been sitting on its wheels for some time therefore it would have sunken a little into the turf however you don't want a hump around the wheels.That is why the patch should be as thin as possible.The gesso top allows the foam to be cut thin without falling to pieces however you must leave enough for the upcoming grass to seat itself.