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UPDATED - Airfield 1:48 diorama collections


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Hi all,

Made a quite few changes to the model for the 2017 Shuttleworth model show, so keeping updated have taken new photographs and updated this thread.

:)


Ready for Battle:

Hawker Hurricane Mk.I GZ-V from 32 Squadron awaits final sign-off before she and her pilot Rupert F Smythe can get back into the fight. At the height of the summer of 1940, the fate of the free world rested upon the skill and courage of just a few young pilots as the RAF stood alone against the might of the as yet undefeated German Luftwaffe. In the air above southern England Hawker Hurricanes fought vicious dogfights with the fighters and bombers of the enemy.  As they wheeled and fought across the sky it was down to a large group of men and women based on the ground to keep these vital aircraft serviceable and armed during these crucial summer months. Refuelling was the duty of the then common Albion AM463 refuelling truck, which with its three separate hoses was capable of refuelling three fighters simultaneously thus speeding up the vital turn around between fighter sorties. The aircraft were rearmed and maintained by armies of fitters and gun crews, feeding thousands of .303 rounds into the gun bays of the waiting fighters.

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Snake in the Grass:

Stationed at Parchim Germany, during April 1944, this distinctive looking Focke-Wulf 190 A-7 “Red 8” with snake decoration was flown by Feldwebel (sergeant) R. Hartkopf in a specialise unit tasked with developing weapons for use against US bomber formations. The ground crews have pushed their fighter back against the trees for natural camouflage cover. Should the fighter be spotted from the air the German 20mm Flakvierling 38 Anti Aircraft Gun provides close-range air defence against allied fighter-bombers. Even so, the German army officer can't drop his guard and keeps his eyes glued to the sky.

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Mosquito ready to Swarm:

1944 14th April in Hampshire England, and the men of 418 Squadron frantically clear the fresh snow off their Mosquito FB. VI "Black Rufe"in preparation for another mission. Later that morning S/L Robert "Bob" Kipp (RCAF) and F/O Peter Huletsky (RCAF) set out with another Mosquito on a Day Ranger mission to Denmark. Over the Kattegatt, Kipp engaged two Ju 52/3ms fitted with minesweeping rigs and shot them both down, so achieving ace status.

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Spit & Victory:

Spitfire Mk. Vb from 317 'Polish' Squadron tips his wings as the pilot surveys the latest victory, Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4/N, flown by Major Adolf Galland in late 1940. A common sight scattered around the English and French countryside in the late 1940s, was aircraft wreaks like this, that had fallen victim to the opposition. Here, a young pilot officer from the RAF takes this opportunity to get close and personal with the enemies machine, whilst members of the British Expeditionary Force guard the aircraft from souvenir hunters or even saboteurs. Unfortunately for this local farmer, his day has just got considerably more complicated.

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Klutzy the Kittyhawk:

The once sleepy Ondonga airfield in the Solomon Islands sees a RNZAF Kittyhawk from "Gloria Lyons" 18 Squadron, make a rather undignified entrance into the Pacific War as this novice pilot struggles to land on the narrow strip. Ondonga airfield was a ferrying point for many aircraft entering the war. 

 

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Mustang over Peterhead:

Mustang Mk. IV flown by F/L Furneaux of the RAF 19 Squadron P51 soars overhead on its way to rendezvous with the Banff wing Mosquitos as they patrol the Norwegian Waters during the devastating, 1943 shipping raids. Patrols of Mosquitos lead by Norwegian outriders guiding the bombers through the confines of the narrow fjord would rake a terrible toll on the enemy shipping. Top cover of Mustangs were common. Sometimes the Mosquitos attacked merchant vessels while the P51s silenced nearby flak batteries or fighter opposition. No doubt the combination of Mosquitos and Mustangs where formidable combination. As a result, some of the most fearsome aerial combat where seen by these units, so any distraction from the bitter fighting was always welcome. Here, Furneaux takes his P51 rather too low over the main entrance to the airfield and guard hut, simultaneously willfully disobeying the obvious warning sign of speed restrictions on the bridge!

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Edited by Suprastar3000
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Those are all superb!! Fantastic scenes, all with tons of atmosphere. Have you seen there might be a vignette group build? It would be great if you could take part (if it goes ahead - it needs to get through a vote at the end end of the year).

Kind regards,

Stix

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I love these, what a great collection of little dioramas!!!

They are really well finished, both feature models and the scenery, all excellent. There's a good level of interest going on in each of them, and particularly pleasing balanced compositions all round.

Edited by Rob 1
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Thanks guys, Appreciate your kind comments. Every time I see these pictures I notice something I wish I had done differently. Guess thats the nature of the hobby.

Glad you like them.

David Mooney.

I have to admit. Those I did not make. After experimenting with DIY tree kits, and some "ready to use" trees,... and not really happy with ether option, I found a guy on-line who makes them to order to your specifications. They're awesome and so real. I added some weathering moss dye to get the right tones and cut them to shape, but I admit, those I did not make.

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Stix and Rob.

Thanks guys. Lots of messing around with card cut-outs to get the composition looking ok.

Also admit, a few early attempts went in the bin. Sometimes a fresh start really helps.

One thing I really had to consider, is the lighting in the display case they all fit in. The lights made some awful shadows. Many times I had to move things around to find the sweet spot.

The Spitfire and Me109 was a nightmare and was rebuilt a few times until I was happy.

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I would put myself in the "stand well back' or 'squint your eyes' category of skill level. If you get too close to these, the imperfections are obvious.

Still,.. had fun making them.

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Lovely job. Snow and leaves on the ground,nice detail. The Snow scene is superb , it feels a chile looking at it. Ace work,attention to nature's finest, great stuff.Thanks for showing! I can just stare at that.

What is the snow made of/done? sensible answers please!

Edited by bzn20
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Cheers guys. Appreciate your kind comments. I made a 7th dio based around a Grumman Duck on floats, out at sea. Was really happy with how the sea looked,...until I decided to add a pinch more blue dye to the sea as it was drying. It suddenly went pear shaped and was ruined. Think I might trying have another go,... obviously learning by my mistakes.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Cheers Steve. I'm sure you could build just as good, if not better, given the same time as I had.

It took months of building to finish these. I see models on this forum that just astonish me how quick they seem to take.

Some really talented people on this forum.

Thanks :)

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Pure excellence and modelling at its best (IMHO) - such imagination and so much "business" going on within such a small space.

They are equally good but I must say the Mossie in the snow does rather add the cherry to the top of a very well based cake here.. The snow effects even made me feel cold :cold:

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