New to Diorams, some tests.

[oldmodeler]

Hello All!,

To test making   diorama bases for 1/48 WW2 aircraft, I got a 4ft square foam board (,the art board  with paper covering) , rolled matt black emulsion over it, it(dried in seconds in our heatwave) 2 coats, then some matt grey rolled on emulsion, then used a felt tip to make the tar fill in between ash-felt / and or concrete blocks , pressing the large Pentel round in to make a slight depression, then rubbing a lot of pastels all over, in very small steps, vacuumed  off the access, looks OK. I  did the block outlines, large rectangles, all  different shapes, plus tar crack  repairs the same way, as hardstandings tend to crack.  I did the whole thing slightly tapered  off the the distance for forced projection. then added a few railway model bushed at the edge. Behind is another 4ft white foam board, out of focus for the sky.

Added a few Tamiya 1/48 vehicles, toolboxes etc. plus ICM 1/48 RAF air-persons and: Photographed using a old NIKON D70 and  NIKON 35-105 MACRO MANUAL or Tamron  18-200,  AUTO + tripod,    at   minimum aperture and about 1/20  testing, + some, minus some  secs  to  make it look as  would be in the era:  blurred, under exposed, b/w etc. Added a few Tamiya 1/48 vehicles, toolboxes etc. plus ICM 1/48 RAF air-persons, the 1/56 truck behind that, then 1/72 Wellington III just behind that. I think I got away with it beginners luck. Also did a 1/48 Mozzie and Contrail/Sangar 1/48 Halixax 2 series 1 :

 

Mozzie:  Dark, as at night time. Picture taken at what would have been eye-level on the ground from an ERK with a camera.

 

Halifax: this was the biggie,  at least 100 hours work:

 

And again, same technique

 

and the Sangar 1/48 Halifax completed as V9977

This one shows all my modeling faults making a vac-u-form: needs blurring I think

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[Icabod]

I think that Halifax looks superb.  Something you should be very proud of. 

[oldmodeler]

Hi Icabod, the Halifax is average to poor I think, so many compromises compare to say: HK Lancaster. Some parts were way off shape, but had to be  as there was no alternative.Some bits: cockpit canopy etc, are messy and poor.  It was big, and I did it for a museum who have a glass cabinet  to keep the dust off. All models there are / will be under Glass. The NT RAF Defford museum, near Croome , Worcestershire , is now filling up with  equipment relevant to the work there and at RSRE Malvern :  H2S , Gee, Oboe, Rebecca etc. Though only  very small place, the exhibits apply to us modellers.

Croome, near High Green, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR8 9DW

 

https://deffordairfieldheritagegroup.wordpress.com/

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/croome/features/raf-defford

 

M