Good for you, Stephen. Great idea and a good cause.


Can't really add anything to this thread myself as all my models end up crowded onto a shelf or back into their boxes or broken in a heap (literally). Unfortunate, but there's not much space and, with one exception, I don't feel that they're good enough to warrant display.

That's an impressive display of Great War planes.

Greetings Samuel,

Thanks for your kind words. Challenge yourself to show others. I did a display at a local middleschool some years ago. The kids loved it. Your audience may not be as picky as you think.

Here are a couple of bases simulating the desert. The Albatros fighters assigned to the Middle East had twin radiators.





The ground cover is a sugar substitute sprinkled over the poly glue surface and then when dry - airbrushed. Several colours can be used to gain the desired effect. Note real sand won't be a good scale representation.

Here is an attempt at a beach scene.

I love how the sand looks wet...nice job.

Forgive my nerve, but I think your kits would show even better with some better photography. For one, don't use direct flash and they'll improve instantly.

Usually I like natural light. Check out some of my Portfolio images.

Here is a modest display using the similar ground cover method discussed earlier in natrual light.

Here is another diplay of a war weary and damaged Spad XIII of Esc.83 The Black Dragon Escadrille. The name plate has the simple statement, Merci de m'avoir ramené à la maison -"Thanks for bringing me home." The machine is partially dismantled. This is from my old Hangar Queen thread. The ground cover here is a commercially available item with a paper backing.

Now for a frozen lake scene. (Natural light)

Great thread. I want to start you off on a bit of a tangent. First a bit of history. I have a few of my builds displayed in a local Hobby Shop. The store owner twisted my arm a bit to get me to enter them into a local model contest. So I packed them up and entered them. What I found when I got there was I was totally unprepared when it came to presenting my builds. I just sat them on the table. I am pretty sure I have heard you mention you have been a judge in some competitions before. So why don`t you tell us how to present our models for competition that will also protect them, and show them at their best.

I had the same experience last year at my first ever Contest. Coincidentally this year's version is about ten days away and I'd appreciate a few suggestions as well.
Great Thread BTW, lots of great ideas and considerations.
Cheers,
Lance

Alrighty then!

Displays at contests is a related subject. Lets have a look.

First begin with the model. The obvious needs to be checked and rechecked. Why?

The Laws of Modeling 101:
19.) The probability of finding an error in a built model increases exponentially after you've entered it in a contest.
a.) The more important the contest the greater the error.

Check for errant glue dots / blobs, unblended seams and that all components are square and plumb to the line of flight. Wing leading edges should be uniform and parallel to each other. Tail must be horizontal and vertical. With the exception of course is the offset rudder fins we see on Fokker aircraft.

Finish should be dead flat or semi-gloss in smaller scales.

Remember WWI aviation is a bit unknown to many mainstream modelers and therefore judges too. They tend to bring some misconceptions to the job. Hollowing out exhaust horns at the opening adds good detail. Most don't know that a Rumpler C.IV has the engine tilted. Adding a short explanation to the contest I.d. form that gets laid down next to the build is a good idea.

Contest tables are meant to level the playing field and the white table cloths are meant to neutralize a judges view of a build. While displays with bases are only supposed to be viewed with the build itself in mind, The bases still tend to add to the judges impression at least subconciously.

Adding a relevent figure to the base gives a scale impression that a lone kit on a white table cloth lacks. The display should visiually seperate your build from others. Remember the contest is supposed to be anonimous until the the end when the award presentations are made. But in local contests most everyone can identify each others build. Even at Regional and National contests judges have a pretty good idea who has built what.

Having a flip book of photo images of your build is ok. The point is you have to get the judges attention and come across that you are knowlegable. And while all this helps judges make choices based on their own understanding of the subject. In a local contest some years ago, I displayed a DML / Dragon Spad XIII (high detail) and the judges gave the 1st place to an older Aurora kit with zero detail in the cockpit.

It is supposed to be about "the best built model" and there are stumbling blocks / hurdles you must overcome. Basics, basics, basics and making your build stand out.

Now is this a normal display or a diorama?

Now that we have discussed "display" lets turn to protection. Our man Von Althaus brought this up in his request. First, the whole reason for covers is protection. When you value the time, effort and money you put into a build it simply makes sense. It is like putting a frame around a painting.

At typical contests (IPMS for instance) judges won't even look at an entry if a cover is attached. Yet, with a cover attached you can pick up the whole affair (single aircraft 1:48) and see it from all available vantage points. You also have little chance of damaging the build. The best comparison is it presents a 3D image in your hands.

As long as the display is uncovered there is a chance of damage. But even when the kit / build is well secured in the closed display box, the nature of models says that the attachments to the base (of the build and the cover) need to be extrordinarily rigid and firm. In the extreme if it gets dropped the only real positive side is that you know where all the pieces are.

Also at contests they frown on you setting the base on top of the loose cover as it sets your build (visually)above everyone elses. Remember the contest table is supposed to level the playing field.

That is indeed an easy way out but also a dangerous one. the long term disadvantage for aeroscale seems to be that important content is hosted elsewhere. How many threads in this forum would become useless if e.g. photobucket goes out of business?

With so much info and images only available in forum threads this site could become quite dull to look at.




Yep, it would take some programming by staff_Jim to transfer personal gallery stuff to a photo feature.





I know, I would already have done that if there would be other payment methods but paypal.




I know, but I don't really want to bother him with this. If any casually mentioned (good or bad) idea would have to lead to a development then Staff_Jim would need an extra 24h every day.

But if you staffers would ever have a brainstorm on what could be added to the site then this may be one of the things to puton the table.

By the way, and back to topic, these display cases look really nice. The modelling work looks brilliant as well.

Drabslab , Thanks for your kind words on my builds & the thread in general.

Here is an older build that has two figures. The crew is walking toward the machine for a mission. Is this a display or diorama?

Here is a bit of fun on the subject of displays.

Noy's Miniatures

It's a display I guess because the focus remains clearly the airplane and the figures mainly serve to emphasise the airplane.

A diorama, at least in my mind, is more like an artwork where the builder tries to create an atmosphere, or tell a story,using perhaps an airplane as one of the attributes to reach that objective.

I would estimate that a diorama would be more complex.

The technical difference between display and diorama could be that the range of attributes used on a dirorama is much larger.

But someone on aeroscale some time ago did a long thread about this that was very good.

The IPMS response is less than 5 figures is a display unless a storyline is presented. Anything over 5 figures even without a specific storyline is considered a diorama.



Click here

Not much to ad after the 2 previous posts on display -diorama other than to expand the display definition to include things such as cut mirrors, multi colored I boards, engraved plates, pilots wings, medals, Squadron patches, etc. that can make the base of the "display" as spectacular as (if not better than) the model.

Regardless, in my experience at contests, the lesser models on even great "bases" were the first eliminated.

As for the white table cloths being a leveler, not quite true, as that might not be the best color to set a particular model on. In general, my suggestion is just a proper contrasting colored piece of I board sufficient in size to "protect" the overall dimensions of the model is very effective and not obtrusive.

very informative thread here. And something that I quite like as well as I usually do diorama's and I know how important displaying can be. I want to show an example I'm currently working on. It is going to be the base of the all white Fokker D.VII that Goering flew in the flying circus.
Here is an overview of a few days back. Ladders and tressle are all scratchbuilt. As is the floor.


Here is a close up of the floor that was done yesterday. The Whole floor is made of evergreen. Airbrushed with Tamiya colors. Additional paint with humbrols. Washed with cheap oilpaints. And the rest of the weathering is done with a variety of well known brands. Still not finished but it starts to look like something.


Would love to know what you guys think of my efforts.

With friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

Greetings Robert, It looks good for a basic display. Have you thought of adding the empty shell deflector plates typical for Göring's aircraft?

The images I will post next of Göring's white D.5125/18 and early D. 4253/18(also an F was originally flown by Udet. But Göring took it over later on and painted the rear fuselage at tail unit white.) The guns were set more than 2.5 inches higher. Both of these aircraft were modified to Göring's specifications and had deflector plates on the sides of the gun breeches angling out. There was a tray from these that laid under the breeches and caught the spent shells and deflected them into the slip stream away from the cockpit. This is a rare set up and is noteworthy to the builder dedicated to building D.5125/18.



Eduard weekend kit review & blog

Ola Stephen

Thanks for the compliments.



The answer to that question is no.. I wasn't even aware of those things. Allthough in hindsight I think the book I have of the flying circus does mention it but it was not in my mind when I assembled the kit. That said... as soon as you pointed it out I went back and added those deflectorplates. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks Ed! It all comes down to the build. Basics, basics, basics. an attractive base helps and can protect a build. But a cover keeps it as safe as it can be. Nameplates as Ed mentions are important(and are a must in my book). creating a scene from history (a photo image) is another good display method.