Changed my mind!
In keeping with my WW1 theme I have changed the storyline of my next 1/16th scale aircraft diorama.
The focus now will be around 1918 when an airman in uniform has just returned from the war to his hometown backyard.He is standing there hand in hand with his son looking at his backyard flier project that he was working on prior to his military service.
I want to title it "Loss of Innocence,Will It Ever Be The Same."
The "loss of innocence" theme is central to both the history of aviation itself and the man.
The flier will be as he left it partially under tarps and weathered ,with the grass etc ..grown around it,almost like the family considered it bad luck to change anything while he was in the military.A recruiting or victory poster on a telephone pole (and a few other things that I haven't thought about yet ) will be included to help the viewer with the storyline.
The exact date and country ,I haven't nailed down yet.I have done German,American and Canadian themes to date maybe a British theme would be in order.

Looks like it could be the Gavin family, and the Airmans great-grandson is the notorious Diamuid.

John, not sure of the exact Country, but if UK looks like very early April.

Phil.

Hi Phil! I am not familiar with the Gavin family.Is there anything about the picture that would strike you as not being British? It is actually from Chicago I believe.
I am leaning towards this being a British storyline.Cheers! John.

Oh Dear John. Once again I am foolish and deluded. 'Tis All Fools Day but you were not joking. Diamuid Gavin is a TV madcap garden designer, who would find inspiration in your photo and stick something like it,usually in stainless steel, in a suburban garden.

For my penance, I shall study all previous diamora project postings of yours, and I look forward to following this one too.

My dad, see below, had a very high opinion of Canadians in WW1, so I had better start now. Right, classic threads at a guess............

Phil.

This is a pic taken before the Great War when he was still building his backyard flier and was the inspiration for the next diorama.No it is not a WW1 airplane but it is a WW1 storyline.The airplane actually is only a prop to help tell the real story.
The next step will be to build a small scale mock up out of foam board so I can play around a bit with the composition.I like a lot of the elements that are already in the picture above such as the wingtip on the neighbors side of the fence.The relative neatness of the neighbors yard compared to our subjects preoccupation with things aeronautical.The washing on the line is also a very nice human touch.
At present I am only planning for two figures ,the returning airman in uniform and his son standing hand-in-hand.
I am leaving it to the viewers imagination and the title of the piece to help make the connection to the storyline.
What does my imagination come up with?The airman is he wondering "can I return to building this with the same enthusiasm after everything I have witnessed in the air war?

John, I think its a superb concept. Speaks volumes not just for airmen, but for all servicemen in the War. My best wishes on the project. I look forward to your posts.

Why this diorama?
Although I am not a veteran myself I come from a family of WW1 and WW2 vets.Although quite young at the time, I grew up in an area that was reserved for vets and their families after WW2, so I have witnessed first hand the difficulties a lot of vets had in adjusting to civilian life again.I even had the wonderful opportunity to fly as co-pilot with many of them,even some who were aces in Europe and Korea.
I have witnessed some who became airline chief pilots and even presidents of aircraft manufacturing companies, some top flight lawyers and doctors and others who unfortunately ended up on skid row.
To all of them this diorama is dedicated.

A very interesting concept, John. A variant could be to have the returned veteran on crutches or walking with a cane due to a crash. The title could be "Be Careful What You Wish For"

It also reminds me of that much-lamented BBC series "Wings" where Alan Farmer's father was killed in a homebuilt aircraft that the Squire was building, leading Alan to join the R.F.C. and lie his way into pilot training.

Your title made me think of Philip Larkin's poem MCMXIV. This ends with the lines:

Never such innocence,
Never before or since,
As changed itself to past,
Without a word - the men,
Leaving the gardens tidy,
The thousands of marriages,
Lasting a little while longer:
Never such innocence again.

1/48 Mock-up and research stage.
Diorama #4 is finally underway.I am leaning towards the Curtiss DIII/Ingram Foster pusher as a general example for the airplane that I will be building.I am planning to have a little fun with this ,in that I want to take myself back to around 1914 and think of what I would build using the available knowledge of the day.
I have decided to go with the Wright bros. general wing design mainly because I don't want to scratch build all those very flimsy ribs.(I already have a kit of a 1/16th flier from Model Expo which I plan to raid for the above)Wing development designs by 1914 had progressed somewhat but the way I plan to do this diorama small changes in camber etc..will not even be noticeable.Other than the ribs the rest will be scratch.This is the most freedom in modeling that I have ever allowed myself and I plan to have a lot of fun with it.
The 1/48 scale foamboard mock up is well underway and I am using an old 1/39scale biplane model for composition purposes.At 1/16th scale this diorama will be as large as the Jenny at 4feet by 5 feet which will allow me for only 2 instead of three backyards.For interest sake and composition considerations I plan to add an old car(maybe the military vets car?)
There will be no freestanding building in the composition but I may add a small lean-to type structure.The fencing will make a nice perimeter on three sides but I am undecided about how to do the side which would make up the row housings walls.Any suggestions would be more than welcome!!!

1/48 trial mockup.
The airplane's wingspan has been reduced to 1/48 scale,the rest is still 1/39.My airplane will have about a 30 foot wingspan.The other dimensions I haven't worked out yet but will be very much like the Curtiss DIII pusher.A single engine with a direct drive prop situated behind the pilot.An 80 Hp Ox 5 would be nice but my guy probably wouldn't be able to afford it just yet after buying all that wood and fabric.
The diorama is way too square right now with too many right angles.I anticipate that this composition is going to be a real challenge to make look right and get the storyline across to the viewer.My dioramas usually develop a lot over time so I am not too worried yet.
The inner fences are 4 feet and the perimeter fence is 6 feet high.Part of the neighbors yard will have a short lane way along one of the fences with a parked Model T car or truck.The 6 foot fence will be great for victory posters.

Please note:I am in urgent need of dimensions for the Curtiss Headless Pusher aircraft.They need not be to scale,just the life size would do.

Composition cont....
I am really glad to have the Jenny diorama still here, as it is the same size as this one will be, 4X5 feet.Sometimes it is really hard to visualize the 1/48 mock up in 1/16th scale.The tendency is to make things too big.What looks good in 1/48th scale does not always translate well into 1/16th.
As you can see, I am just planning to do the rear facade of the two row houses.This will involve working with some materials that are new to me, so it should be interesting.
There will be windows and doors and lighting in the area behind the facade.I may even have the figures standing in the door or looking out the windows.I am also thinking of having some kind of homemade banner strung up on the wall outside welcoming the veteran home.

I made up this 1/48 scale mock up.The airplane has a 30 foot wing span at 1:1 scale.
My problem with this composition is the row housing ,which usually has the same width backyard.I want to keep it as it represents urban middle class housing of the time.The wing over the fence is part of the sub-story which I also want to keep in.The houses rear facade would probably been about the same in design and dimensions ,so how would you guys go about making the composition more asymmetrical ?

Brickwork, beyond the barnsiding look!
Well here is something different,making brickwork for dioramas.After having spent some time on research there is one particular method that I found on another forum that I really like.It requires making the bricks individually out of artist's watercolor paper and then gluing them to foam board to make a brick wall.I haven't found anything else that looks as realistic as this in any scale.
I expect that it will be time consuming to do but luckily I only have one backyard wall to do.The same watercolor paper can be used to make foundations and stone faces too.Should be fun!

Do I ever have a new appreciation for all those who design buildings and such!
This little mock up took me almost 2 weeks to figure out(must be gettin old I guess)
What you see here is the different levels that had to be worked out before any other work could begin.The base itself will have to be in multi-layers of plywood and then covered with landscaping materials.I can already see nice possibilities of all kinds for this arrangement.
The Flier's wingspan I will cut back to 25 feet to better fit the backyard(something like the Curtiss's Racer).The outer perimeter is actually part of the base which will be added to the 4X5 foot diorama and probably painted matte black or a dark natural wood like ebony or dark walnut.
The car will probably be a Model T in keeping with the middle class storyboard idea.The outer fence is 6 feet high while the inner fences are 4.
Now it is on to work on the backwall facade and where to put all the doors and windows.I left room behind the windows for inside lighting.
It has been brought to my attention that the backyard is way too big for a typical English storyline .Therefore that will narrow it down to the US or Canada.However I could add an Enlgish flavor by using a poster that was used in North America to recruit Britishers living here.

What to leave in,what to leave out?
The older I get the more I wonder will I ever live long enough to see all my projects finished,well the answer of course is no because I keep starting new ones.This has especially been on my mind recently when I was debating whether to start another long term project or not or finish up what I already have on the go.Sure,all my life I have known that we are all just one heart beat away and have had many close calls to prove it.So what !you say ,that is just the nature of life.Why should an artists life be any different?Maybe being involved in the creative life and being goal oriented I sometimes tend to lose sight of the process.It is the process of creating that is the reward not the end game.
I have always known this but as you get older you tend to want to finish things up.
Last night I watched a tv show about what would happen if man ceased to exist today?It kind of brought me back on track.We know that nothing lasts forever but this show really brought it home.In about 10,000 years there would be little trace that we ever existed.In a 100 years most of the history of our existence would be gone.Books,films,DVD's,computers etc... Gone forever.
So where does that leave us? It is the process that matters,the fun of creating in the here and now.Forget about finishing ,that is just an illusion.Funny how a program like that can put things back into perspective.Now I will shut up,get down off my soapbox and go have some creative fun.Who cares if it ever gets finished. Not me anymore!

John,

I care if it gets finished 'cause every time this thread surfaces my cock-up is exposed for all to see. You are a sensitve soul with the talent and determination of a true artist. What I felt about your previous work still holds true, but I have been with you on this one from Day one. The bit that gets me is your questioning every detail of the design, sharing it with this community, and taking things on to the next stage. I don't feel qualified enough to make suggestions on the plans you show, as this is all new to me. Airfix kits and Hornby-Dublo were the limit of my creative work and since then it has been cabinet making[well carpentry] and old car an motor-bike restoration. BUT, I admire the painstaking skill you have, and the patience, and look forward to the next stages of your project.
Oh yes, and put the Wireless on, its way better than TV.

Cheers for now,

Phil.

The world's first "hot" airplane.
This airplane is probably aviation's first attempt to build a "hot" airplane.Clip wing,large engine,large control surfaces and built expressly as a racer to fly faster at low levels.Building a similar airplane to the racer, I really get an idea of how far they were trying to push the envelope all in one foul swoop.This airplane was probably the first to be built with speed in mind.The forerunner of all that was to come later and which still continues to this day.Guys working and re-working their airplanes to get the last ounce of speed out of them.
The backyard flier also represents all the EAA guys to come later.Those who create and build their own backyard or basement fliers to this very day.I know because I was one of them.
Just imagine in those early days of adding and subtracting,modifying and re-modifying and then "taking her up" to see if it works! A day when every pilot was a test pilot.

The Impossible Dream.
Of course for every success there were many failures.Probably none of these early fliers ever got off the ground in their backyard machines but their hearts were in the right place.
Where would we be without the dreamers? especially in those early years.

Please note:If anyone has any pictures of other backyard fliers, please let me know where I could find them.

The not so impossible dream!
Speaking about dreams,in the 60's this was my impossible dream,to restore a 1929 Travel Air 4000.By 1965 this is where we(my dad and me and our friend Al Pow) were at after a few years of on and off restoration attempts.The rest of this basket case was scrapped and everything from here on in was scratchbuilt.We were lucky in that the basic tubing of the fuselage was in great shape and it gave us a place to start.
__________________

Upper and lower wings woodwork is now finished and temporarily in a jig.Next step will be to prepare the wings for the strut and wire fittings.There are no internal drag and anti-drag wing wires required and no dihedral.The large inter-wing ailerons will have to be built and provided for with fittings etc....
Fortunately during this era the Wright's were involved in a lot of litigation about their wing warping patent ,I say fortunately as it forced others to think beyond this end of the road concept of longitudinal control. However, unfortunately it did have a somewhat negative effect of slowing down aeronautical progress in North America for awhile.

Strut fittings.
The strut is shaped to a streamlined cross section and then the ends were rounded.I slipped a short piece of aluminum tubing over the rounded ends.I prepared the wing leading edge with a small piece sticky backed metal. I tried various types and finally came across a sticker from my EAA membership which was just the right thickness and could be cut to the required size.(#1 rule for dioramists,never,ever throw anything out) The copper part was from the Jenny leftovers and the eyebolt behind was obtained from a fishhook with the hook part cut off.The completed fitting will be painted black.

Scratchbuilding is a lot of fun but the thing that you have to really be prepared for is repetition.As an example,it is lots of fun to build that first fitting ,trying out this and that, but by the time your finished making 24 of the same thing it can get a little dull.It is not the type of work for those who constantly need to be doing something new.Self imposed quality control is very important, the first example must be as good as the last.
I find that for the creative stuff I have to set aside some uninterrupted time for this.No music,tv or other distractions.Progress can be slow but time really flies while you are in this mode.
For repetitive work,(#2 thru 24 for example) I find just the opposite is true.I kind of go into automatic mode and enjoy the distractions.The key to quality work I think is to put your best work in each and every detail while holding on to your excitement for seeing the finished piece in mind.

Engine bearer braces.
These are the engine bearer braces(my term)The engine sits between the braces and it bolted on.There are two extra braces on the rear end of the bearer where the prop is located.
I am building this airplane from pics and only dry fitting the parts for now.I figure that the best way to go about this is to work from center outwards ,to allow as much access as possible to the interior.All the brass tubing will be blackened with chemicals(Blackin-it).I will hit the hobby store this week and see if I can find some bolts small enough to attach the braces to the bearers and the struts,if not I will use pins.
I don't have any plans to install an engine (unless someone could tempt me with a spare 1/16th OX5 they may have hanging around.I figure that if there was an engine on my backyard flier it would have been removed for safekeeping until our aviator/builder had returned from the war.I also have to consider just how many of these backyard fliers even got to the engine buying stage.I figure most of these backyard guys were probably pretty good carpenters but for the more technical stuff I wonder if many got beyond the wing building stage?In fact,I have never seen a pic from this era of a finished backyard flier.

I plan to keep the rigging simple like it was in the early versions of these airplanes.Some modern flying versions do show a different rigging setup with turnbuckles etc...
I have allowed myself a lot of leeway when it comes to my backyard flier as they were all mostly fantasy pieces when they were built.A lot of these builders were full of enthusiasm but had little real knowledge of what they were doing beyond the carpentry stage.I may put all or only some of the rigging up depending on how my enthusiasm holds up.
In this diorama the airplane is important but it is really just another prop in telling the story.The airplane will be weathered and the backyard left a little messy to give it a sense of loss and abandonment.

Slow progress....
Thank goodness I only dry fit everything first!
When I modified the angle of attack of the wings in relation to the level ground,that also altered the undercarriage and the rear wheels required clearance of the frame.At first I attempted to change the angle of the struts that support the nose wheel by moving a fitting at the rear of the engine bearer.Darn thing wouldn't move so I had to take everything apart again and in the process broke a few ribs off and cracked one of the engine supports.
I finally was able to unjam the fitting and put it all back together and now the nose wheel beam seems to be at the right angle.

The tire is temporary.I haven't quite made up my mind on the tires.In pictures some look like bicycle tires and others the balloon type.As I plan to have the airplane in the backyard look like it was abandoned for some time ,with tall grass and weeds etc..the wheels may hardly even be seen in the finished diorama anyway.Another possibility is just to make temporary wheels in wood or a combination of a bicycle nosewheel, which is more visible ,and wooden mains.
Beyond the wood building stage I don't want to put too much into the airplane.Why? Wheels,wires,engine etc...if he even had them ,would have been stored away out of the elements and the wooden airframe at least put under tarps.
The family obviously knew about his upcoming arrival home as the "welcome home" banner indicates.They could have removed the tarps as a nice gesture for his homecoming.
I wanted to capture the moment of his arrival,before the family even knew he was there and what may have been going through his head at the time "can it ever be the same?"

You guys may have noticed that my signature contains "Once Upon A Time.......
storyboard dioramas.This is my little tribute to the great film artist Sergio Leone.
His western "Once Upon A Time In The West" is recognized by most as the best westerns ever made and probably one of the top 100 films ever.
I love his attention to detail combined with majestic landscapes.His use of closeups and facial expression to create a mood.His minimalist approach to dialogue,only 15 pages of dialogue in a three and a half hour movie yet he still gets his story across magnificently .His use of music and the fact that a special theme was developed for each of the central characters ,which was played on set while that characters scene was being filmed.
I guess what I am trying to say is that he was a master of telling a grand story in a wonderful new way.
I think he would have loved storyboard dioramas.Thanks for the inspiration Sergio!
Cheers! John.