This is an easy tutorial showing you how to make an airstrip for a military aircraft. It also includes a video and I show you some basic techniques for making a military diorama very easily.

If you are interested in the Flying Fortress model. I have a tutorial, including video where I show you how to build it right here: The Flying Fortress Model.

Generally, when I make a diorama there is planning involved. I do a series of drawings to figure out the design and layout of the diorama. I didn't do any of that with this project. I just, pardon the pun, flew by the seat of my pants with this one!

I did have the idea that because it came with a grounds crew and munitions trailer I could display the plane on the tarmac and the empty trailer. This would display a moment in time after the plane had just been loaded with its munitions.

I started by measuring and cutting a piece of insulating foam to be the base of the diorama. It is about two feet square.

Then I quickly sketched out the grounds. It is pretty simple. On the left is a part of the runway. On the right is the roadway. They both will be black. And in between them is the tarmac. This is the area where the aircraft will sit. You can see there is a small area for the munitions trailer.

I then painted it.

Next I will add a little bit of detail to that surface. It is simply tape that goes at the borders between the various areas on the airstrip. The tape is thin aircraft tape. The kind of tape that is used to do detail work on Remote Control airplanes.

Next I wanted some cautionary yellow dashed lines on the edge of the runway. I created this and made them look nice and sharp by masking them off with painters tape. Then painted them in.

When the paint dries and you remove the tape you have very professional looking, sharp designs.

And that's it. The painting of the diorama is done. Let's add some foliage for detail.

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Watch the Video Tutorial Here: