Very cool work John. I keep cursing my Model Expo 1/16 Alb. D.Va but every once in a while I do work on it. So many errors that my AMS gets in the way. If you ever publish your notes on these 1/16 beauties I'll buy a copy.

Hi guys! For the casters I used some old brass block sheaves that I had from my model shipbuilding days.The housing is made from flatten tubing with everything held together with pins.
The belaying pin drawer pulls are available in many sizes and are also can be had in wood as well as brass.
The rags on the table top were made from kleenex cut out with a sharp xacto and soaked in a mix of 1/3 carpenters glue and water.It is dabbed on to the kleenex till wet and then placed on the table to dry.You can work with a soft round brush to eliminate bubbles or create wrinkes or waves in the cloth.
I am not really happy with mine as they look a little plastered down and normally I would do them again but in this case I plan to add another rag or newspaper that contains an engine part.There will be lots of things on the tabletop so none of this will be readily seen.(these rags look like they have been out in the rain!)

I have a better idea,you write the book and save a chapter for me!

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We'll call it "Polishing a diamond in the rough" or "Reid all about it!"

Except for a box of nuts and bolts on the tabletop and a few parts and pieces on the lower shelf, this table is finished.As you can see from the pics with the use of just the simplest of tools,xacto ,sandpaper and brushes for painting, an acceptable piece can be done.I don't use a lot of power tools,airbrush etc.. in my work ,although I do have them available to me if I need them.I just enjoy using handtools and paintbrushes and the piece and quiet that comes with them.
This piece took me 4-5 days(probably about 15-20 hours) to do and was easy to make.
Craft stores have many wooden parts available that can be adapted to diorama work.
Hobby stores have a host of odds and ends to rummage through as well,look especially amoung the RR and shipbuilding sections.I have been in sewing shops,flyfishing supply stores,hardware and computer stores etc.....looking for inspiration.The internet is also great for miniature stuff,take a look at
www.printmini.com for mini printables such as newspapers etc.....
Now its on to the stationary workbench and parts shelves.

It is hard to imagine today that this was once a state of the art fighter plane,not much bigger than a present day Cessna 150 with a gun on it.It really is a beautiful design with its all wood fuselage,wings and control surfaces.

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I plan to build 2 workbenches for the engine shop .This is the beginnings of the smaller of the two.It is of a pretty basic design in basswood and birch popsicle sticks.The nails are the smallest I could find ,although I have seen smaller ones in brass used in shipmodeling.These ,I believe ,are from the RR track suppliers used for nailing down the rails.Although I could have used only glue the nails make for a little faster and stronger build.Large nails and sometimes bolts were used in 1:1 scale.
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Here are a few of the boxes that I am making for the engine shop.For solid boxes(not meant to open) build up your box around a solid block of wood.The ones meant to open are a little more involved but just try to keep everything nice and square and you should have no problem.
By the way,I got some nice news from the museum where these pieces are going.Their funding has been approved and my dioramas are to become an integral part of their new teaching classrooms where they will be on display for the students.
I am very happy as my only reason for doing them since the beginning was to help educate the young ones on how real airplanes were built in the early years.Wood and wire,they gotta love it! Cheers! John.

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The second to last pic shows how by leaving a wider space between the boards you can get more of an orange crate look.
The last pic is of the various leftover pieces that I have decided to use to make a washing tub that they would fill with a liquid to remove oil and crude from aircraft parts.The wooden barrel comes from a craft store and the feet are leftover parts from an old woodstove kit.Should be fun!

I added individual boards around the tub and now I will fit some metal hoops to the exterior.I have been thinking though ,that maybe a cleaning liquid may not have been kept in wooden containers.Oh well I can always change my mind and use it for water or line it with metal I guess.