thought about a diorama with a P-47 buzzing a German AA halftrack on a
bridge, etc... figured I would suspend the plane with wire out of one
wing tip.
Anyone know what an appropriate height to have the P-47 over the
vehicle so they would look as compatible as possible?
Am guessing that they did often get close to the deck on strafing
runs, correct?
but if the idea requires the plane to be a few feet above the ground,
then the idea is kaput because you will lose the theme..
thx - Craig
Gerald Owens - 12 Feb 2008 22:42 GMT
On Feb 12, 5:21 pm, "cr...@earthlink.net" <cr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> thought about a diorama with a P-47 buzzing a German AA halftrack on a
> bridge, etc... figured I would suspend the plane with wire out of one
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> thx - Craig
You don't want to get so close to the deck that the other guy can hit
you with a rock, which is what your diorama would require if you
choose 1/35th and 1/32nd scale models. Seriously, "close to the
ground" means a couple of hundred feet, which is nearly six feet in
1/35th scale. Remember all that neat gun camera footage in the
documentaries, in which something being strafed blows up, and the
plane has to fly through the debris? Even hundreds of feet up, the
plane is danger, since the debris could knock off a propeller blade or
penetrate a fuel tank. Lower than that, an explosion could engulf the
aircraft (remember the accident on the set of the "Twilight Zone"
movie--a special effects explosion blew the tail rotor off a Huey
helicopter, and the aircraft spun out of control and crashed, killing
actor Vic Morrow and two child actors, and that was mainly just a
flashy pyrotechnic, not high explosives).
Even in 1/72nd scale, you'd need about three feet of clearance, though
I guess you could depict a really crazy pilot who's flying below 50
feet, and doesn't mind being shot at by rifles and submachine guns as
well as cannon. Wargaming scales go all the way down to 1/285th,
though I don't know if they also offer any aircraft.
Gerald Owens
crw59@earthlink.net - 12 Feb 2008 23:17 GMT
> On Feb 12, 5:21 pm, "cr...@earthlink.net" <cr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
> though I don't know if they also offer any aircraft.
> Gerald Owens
well another idea bites the dust.
CCBlack - 13 Feb 2008 02:24 GMT
On Feb 12, 5:17 pm, "cr...@earthlink.net" <cr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> > On Feb 12, 5:21 pm, "cr...@earthlink.net" <cr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
[quoted text clipped - 37 lines]
>
> - Show quoted text -
Hold on a second Craig.
Francis "Gabby" Gabreski, top American fighter ace in Europe during
World War II, flew so low on his last WW II mission that he clipped
his propeller on the ground.
( He should have jumped on the transport home and got married ! )
During a strafing pass of He 111s parked on the airfield at
Bassenheim, Germany, his Thunderbolt's propeller clipped the runway,
bending the tips. The damage caused his engine to vibrate violently
and he was forced to crash land. Gabreski ran into nearby woods and
eluded capture for five days, but was captured. After being
interrogated by Hanns Scharff, Gabreski was sent to Stalag Luft I. He
was liberated when Russian forces seized the camp in April 1945.
Sorry Gerald ... there were lot's of " crazy " pilots who flew VERY
low on strafing missions. Mr. Gabreski just pressed his luck too
much.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabby_Gabreski
Chris
WmB - 13 Feb 2008 16:45 GMT
On Feb 12, 2:42 pm, Gerald Owens <lafimp...@aol.com> wrote:
> On Feb 12, 5:21 pm, "cr...@earthlink.net" <cr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
>
>well another idea bites the dust.
I say go for it. Just about everything with building & posing scale replicas
is a compromise, so feel free to take a little artistic license. I would
consider a "disconnect" between the two vehicles - instead of a pitched
battle I would make one unaware of the other. The Jug could be flying low
catching the master race napping, or the flak meisters could be camo'd and
hunkered down really well catching the P-47 in a slow bank. You might even
place a third vehicle in the open (possibly knocked out armor) that the
Germans are using as bait. Any of these setups (and more) would rationalize
why a Jug would not be in a conventional attack position.
Like I said, before you toss your concept - work with it a little. The
worst you can do is wind up with two models and two dioramas. You might
stumble on the right mix in the process. And consider this, how many box
art scenarios have you seen that stretch credibility? I almost get a picture
in my mind that the setup you're describing has actually been done on a box
top somewhere, at some time. Just like a diorama, a painting has a limited
amount of space to tell a story.
And you know we're all suckers for nice box art.
WmB
TankBuilder2@yahoo.ca - 13 Feb 2008 02:26 GMT
On Feb 12, 5:21 pm, "cr...@earthlink.net" <cr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> thought about a diorama with a P-47 buzzing a German AA halftrack on a
> bridge, etc... figured I would suspend the plane with wire out of one
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> thx - Craig
Hi Craig.
Perhaps the aircraft is damaged or out of ammo and is on the deck to
avoid being spotted. The aircraft could be shown flying over the
vehicle which has its gubs pointed in the wrong direction. Said
vehicle could be placed between 2 stands of small trees. You could
have a crewman from the gun shouting and pointing to the P 47 as the
other cre frantically swivel about. The head from an Academy Israeli
Tank commander set is perfect for the shouting figure.
Cheers from Peter
crw59@earthlink.net - 13 Feb 2008 04:43 GMT
On Feb 12, 6:26 pm, TankBuild...@yahoo.ca wrote:
> On Feb 12, 5:21 pm, "cr...@earthlink.net" <cr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>
> Cheers from Peter
thx for the ideas. I did want to have something like you mentioned,
maybe a damaged plane just trying to get home and surprising a few
Germans as it flies overhead.
Craig
Bruce Burden - 13 Feb 2008 05:40 GMT
: thought about a diorama with a P-47 buzzing a German AA halftrack on a
: bridge, etc... figured I would suspend the plane with wire out of one
: wing tip.
:
: but if the idea requires the plane to be a few feet above the ground,
: then the idea is kaput because you will lose the theme..
Instead of trying to make this all one scale (more or less),
why don't you make it a forced prospective shadow box? (See
the latest issue of the IPMS/USA Journal, and flip the perspective).
Also, you may want to consider why the 'track is on the
bridge - that is a pretty exposed position. From my reading,
most of the AA/AAA was along a tree line, which provided more
cover, and made it harder to see them.
Bruce

Signature
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I like bad!" Bruce Burden Austin, TX.
- Thuganlitha
The Power and the Prophet
Robert Don Hughes
robert.skipper1@us.army.mil - 13 Feb 2008 20:52 GMT
Nothing wrong with a little artistic license. That plane at the end
of SPR was kind of low. One of the many dio ideas I have for when I
get home is one of a 1/32 Mustang clipping Egyptian commo lines with
its propellor. It would obviously need a1/35 vehicle and some
figures to add some interest. The two scales work well enough
together.
On Feb 12, 4:21 pm, "cr...@earthlink.net" <cr...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> thought about a diorama with a P-47 buzzing a German AA halftrack on a
> bridge, etc... figured I would suspend the plane with wire out of one
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> thx - Craig