Another corner of the shop.
I worked on this corner of the engine shop today!Figuring out where to place stuff sure takes time.Then I pin each piece,glue it down and finish the weathering.All the nail holes look a little overdone at this point but believe me it all blends in OK when viewed at a normal distance.
My adopted grandson (the kid next door) made the sitting bench for me.Pretty darn good for a 12 year old I would say!
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
Guide my hand in your work today.
My photobucket:
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

On mixing scales and forced perspective.
The above represents just how careful you have to be to make your forced perspective pics believable .At first glance everything seems OK but if you look at the right of the pic at the aircrafts wingtip you will see a door and its handle.The height of the windows and hangar door can be variable and even the door itself to some extent but the normal height of the doorknob above the floor is familiar to everyone.By moving the camera just a little to the left I could have avoided the problem.Just take your hand and block off the door in the pic to see what I mean!

Another

I think I am happy with this general arrangement for the engine shop.It seems a little crowded ,Maybe I should of made it bigger.I have yet to fine tune the weathering and add a few more things to finish the interior.
The figure as you can see is the same one .I don't know why I picked this figure as I haven't yet finished the facial features.( that is why I didn't take the pics face on. )Next it is on to the lighting,should be fun!

Another

Barnstormers and Flying the Mail!
As you know a lot has been written about the American cowboy and all of the mythology that goes with it.For my money,the barnstormer reality ,much better represents the rugged individualism that we seem to admire so much in our society.Sleeping in a field under the wing of your battered old Jenny or trying to scrape enough money together to buy the gas to give another show, risking your neck in front of a crowd that secretly hopes you might buy the farm that day and put on a real show.Flying the mail in the face of snow, rain,hail and thunderstorms ,over uncharted terrain ,following the railroad tracks to god knows where ,day in and day out for little reward ,where would we find aviators like this today?They were a product of their time mostly ex-military pilots in love with the idea of flight ,they were willing to do almost anything to take to the air.They were used to risking life and limb and most probably didn't know of any other way of life.
Today they are mostly all forgotten,these heroes of aviations early years.
Their legacy has largely fallen into the hands of historians,artists and modelers like us ,to keep the flame alive.
Cheers! John.
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
Guide my hand in your work today.
My photobucket:
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

John, O' Enlighted One. If you'd like to read more about these pioneers, what books would you recommend?
Fantastic thread!

A good place to start would be with the Time-Life books"Flying the Mail" and
"Barnstormers & Speed Kings."
Glad you like the thread!
Cheers! John.

Cheers John. Much appreciated!

Edit: Found both at Amazon, and I also found this one....
Mavericks of the Sky: The First Daring Pilots of the U.S. Air Mail
by Barry Rosenberg and Catherine Macaulay.

Loading Dock
After finishing the lighting of the engine shop, it will be time to finish the loading dock/garage door area, complete with its lighting as well.(Somewhere in this general area I will eventually put the camel/truck being prepared for transport.)
I am fast reaching the point where I will have to finish Jenny and place her in the main hangar, so I can figure out where everything else will go.To have Jenny sitting on her wheels and permanently installed is a day that I am greatly looking forward to.I still haven't figured out how to finish the outdoor enviroment or just how much to add to finish Phase 1.Whether Phase 2 will ever get built ,at this point ,I really don't know.

Need Ideas!
The above very rough sketch is an idea that I have been tossing around to display the diorama.The museum of course will have the final say but I want to supply them with a few ideas.If you guys have any ideas I would love to have your input.Thanks! Cheers. John.
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
Guide my hand in your work today.
My photobucket:
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

Camel /Model A truck Combo!
After the war a number of Camel aircraft were sent to Canada to be used as teaching aids at some universities.Reid and Sons Flying Services has been contracted to deliver one of these aircraft from the airport to the school.
I plan to build the new Model Airways Camel and attach it to the truck much like is depicted in the pic,except my aircraft will be left uncovered to add more interest for the viewer and will probably be placed at the rear of the hangar near the engine shop/loading dock area.
I only plan to build this after completing the main hangar,maybe some time next winter.I think that it will be an interesting addition to the diorama and at the same time give the viewer a nice close up look at how these aircraft were built.
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
Guide my hand in your work today.
My photobucket:
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

Camel ,first impressions!
Although I haven't yet received my Camel kit,my first impression ,looking at the pics and drawings on their website ,is that it is pretty much the same quality as their Albatros and Nieuport kits, which is to say that it looks like it would make a nice decorative piece built as is, but for the serious modeler it is only a good place to start with a lot of scratchbuilding.
For what I plan to use it for I don't see a lot of problems building it.I think that it will make an interesting addition for the casual viewer and for me something to play around with trying to improve it a bit.Bottom line don't expect it to be a Jenny quality kit.I must say that I am a little disappointed to see what I would consider as a backward step in quality.You can't argue with success though they seem to be selling them ,but I wonder how many are actually being finished!
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
Guide my hand in your work today.
My photobucket:
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/