Pacific Dogfight (Corsair vs Dinah) 1/144th Scale
Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:40 pm
So the reason I got into 1/144th scale aircraft is definitely, with out a doubt, my father's fault. I enjoyed viewing his builds that were (thankfully)safely tucked away behind glass from my destructive hands when I was a kid, and that lead him to building a fleet of planes for me to play with when I was younger. In the early 80's he created a series of 1/144th dioramas that were built on cut, clear Plexiglass bases and rods. There was the Apache B-25
My Grandfather's B-24, Zero, and P-38. (Sorry for the bad photos)
And I even took one of the leftover clear bases and made one myself, with a modified Revell P-51B, converted into an A Model, and a A6M2 being shot down. (I went with a different idea for the smoke.)
And then there was the Corsair vs Dinah. Another diorama similar to all the others, and I'm ashamed to say I can't find an original picture of it. Anyways a few yers ago the diorama was being transported from a show and wouldn't you know it, it broke. So it stayed that way for about a year or so, the planes were just fine, but the Plexiglass base and rods were busted. So I set about creating a new base for these two planes from my childhood to live on.
I figured a more substantial, traditional base would work well for what I envisioned. I wanted to create a forced-perspective diorama, with the two aircraft flying over an island, somewhere in the Pacific. It was fairly straight-forward to make and I kick myself for not documenting the entire process for you guys. I first started with a basic base you can get at any hobby or craft store. From there I looked at some pictures of Pacific Islands until I found one I liked. (I wasn't trying to be too accurate to any specific battle since the Corsair is painted in inaccurate markings with early pre-war stars. I can't blame my Dad, it was the 80s!)
So after finding an island I liked I went about recreating it, Or at least as close as I liked. I started by going into my scrap plastic box of sheet styrene. From there I found triangles of all sizes and shapes and some rectangles, and started gluing. No real laid out thought or plan, just the basic shape in mind. Once a lot of plastic and glue was laid down, I used clippers to cut and shape the island just a little bit. At which point I used the remaining putty I had to fill in all the valleys and area of the island to give it a real three dimensional shape. I didn't worry about sanding really, as these rough sections would help create the rocky areas. After drying, I shot the whole thing with filler primer and let it dry. After-which I then started putting down the paints. The water started as a medium blue to just coat the area, and a basic green for the island. I started then layering the paints on both sections, dark colors for deeper / darker areas, and lighter paints for lighter areas. I made sure to thin down my colors so they would be nice manageable. After multiple layers, I put a clear gloss coat on the water, and little white caps. For the island I dived into the foliage box and found some Woodland Scenics Foliage Medium Green which was more of a connected sheet of foliage, and not just loose powder. This made cutting and gluing sections super easy. I also used some darker foliage to break up the overall terrain of the island. I then used some shades of grey, tan, and white to create the rocky cliff areas.
I used some clear rods to use on the planes that seemed to work just fine. The last thing I wanted to do was to replace the clear disks (now yellowed) my dad had made over 40 years ago! Since I had some prop blurs, I began the task of building a new hub / ring for the Corsair, and just glued the other props onto the Dinah's hub. Afterwhich it was just a matter of final assembly and then done!
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I'm still considering adding a 1/4800 scale Japanese Battleship down below and maybe a simple plaque but otherwise I'm calling this one done. Hope you like it!
My Grandfather's B-24, Zero, and P-38. (Sorry for the bad photos)
And I even took one of the leftover clear bases and made one myself, with a modified Revell P-51B, converted into an A Model, and a A6M2 being shot down. (I went with a different idea for the smoke.)
And then there was the Corsair vs Dinah. Another diorama similar to all the others, and I'm ashamed to say I can't find an original picture of it. Anyways a few yers ago the diorama was being transported from a show and wouldn't you know it, it broke. So it stayed that way for about a year or so, the planes were just fine, but the Plexiglass base and rods were busted. So I set about creating a new base for these two planes from my childhood to live on.
I figured a more substantial, traditional base would work well for what I envisioned. I wanted to create a forced-perspective diorama, with the two aircraft flying over an island, somewhere in the Pacific. It was fairly straight-forward to make and I kick myself for not documenting the entire process for you guys. I first started with a basic base you can get at any hobby or craft store. From there I looked at some pictures of Pacific Islands until I found one I liked. (I wasn't trying to be too accurate to any specific battle since the Corsair is painted in inaccurate markings with early pre-war stars. I can't blame my Dad, it was the 80s!)
So after finding an island I liked I went about recreating it, Or at least as close as I liked. I started by going into my scrap plastic box of sheet styrene. From there I found triangles of all sizes and shapes and some rectangles, and started gluing. No real laid out thought or plan, just the basic shape in mind. Once a lot of plastic and glue was laid down, I used clippers to cut and shape the island just a little bit. At which point I used the remaining putty I had to fill in all the valleys and area of the island to give it a real three dimensional shape. I didn't worry about sanding really, as these rough sections would help create the rocky areas. After drying, I shot the whole thing with filler primer and let it dry. After-which I then started putting down the paints. The water started as a medium blue to just coat the area, and a basic green for the island. I started then layering the paints on both sections, dark colors for deeper / darker areas, and lighter paints for lighter areas. I made sure to thin down my colors so they would be nice manageable. After multiple layers, I put a clear gloss coat on the water, and little white caps. For the island I dived into the foliage box and found some Woodland Scenics Foliage Medium Green which was more of a connected sheet of foliage, and not just loose powder. This made cutting and gluing sections super easy. I also used some darker foliage to break up the overall terrain of the island. I then used some shades of grey, tan, and white to create the rocky cliff areas.
I used some clear rods to use on the planes that seemed to work just fine. The last thing I wanted to do was to replace the clear disks (now yellowed) my dad had made over 40 years ago! Since I had some prop blurs, I began the task of building a new hub / ring for the Corsair, and just glued the other props onto the Dinah's hub. Afterwhich it was just a matter of final assembly and then done!
I'm still considering adding a 1/4800 scale Japanese Battleship down below and maybe a simple plaque but otherwise I'm calling this one done. Hope you like it!
Re: Pacific Dogfight (Corsair vs Dinah) 1/144th Scale
Wed Jun 17, 2020 8:29 am
I like it. Thanks for sharing. Also, keep it the way it is.
Re: Pacific Dogfight (Corsair vs Dinah) 1/144th Scale
Wed Jun 17, 2020 9:52 am
Nice work Chris... 
Phil
Phil