MAGIC: San Ysidro, Dromedarius, and St. Francis - Page 2

uncle beat · 03-14-2020, 02:19 PM

Since I made mention of the elephant sanctuary on the island of Dromedarius in my reply to Speedbird 001 above, I will offer just a teaser picture of the sanctuary (note the presence of several toppled palm trees--elephants do this all the time!) and adjacent runway 9/27. As can be seen in this view, Dromedarius has a much larger airport, with full-length parallel taxiway, and a runway with edge and centerline lighting. The island geography is desert, reminiscent of the Canary Islands, which is in stark contrast to the lush, green, semi-tropical oasis of San Ysidro.

uncle beat · 03-14-2020, 04:47 PM

Another "teaser" photo from Dromedarius, this time showing a TWA L-1011 (final colors) taking off over Playa Fideos--this is the urbanized end of the island, which is in contrast to the serene desert setting of the elephant sanctuary. Also, my apologies but that as of the date this picture was taken, the aircraft gate situation was still being established at DRX, so there is quite a jumble of (mostly) AA planes on the taxiway and apron while the terminal configuration was being worked out. By the way, as any fantasy airport modeler knows, this is one of the most enjoyable parts of the planning process

uncle beat · 03-14-2020, 05:06 PM

One more thing that these dioramas offer, is the 'artistic license' to incorporate geographic features, structures, and other miscellany of the creator's discretion. In the case of Dromedarius, among other things that I fabricated was a 1:500 rendition of the famous Miami Babylon Apartment building, which was the first landmark structure made by Architectonica (a Florida-based cutting edge design firm). Here is a picture of the original:

The next photo shows my re-creation of this beautiful structure, as seen from the land side:

[/url]

Finally, a bayside view shows the building sandwiched in between the Marriott and Gulf hotels. I show this perspective, because it indicates how this structure is somewhat shorter than the buildings on either side of it, being in the flight path of arriving and departing planes from runway 9/27 (see the post above with the departing L-1011 picture). Sadly, the real version of this landmark building is being removed and replaced by a skyscraper; thus as I always am harping, part of what we do as both model airplane collectors and as diorama builders is for nostalgia and the sake of preserving history.

uncle beat · 03-14-2020, 05:29 PM

Well, good night to all--enough posting for one day! Here is what the pilots see on a nighttime departure over the bay in Dromedarius:

Thanks to all for viewing, and especially to those commenting.... There is much more to come in terms of airplane action from these airports, so stay tuned.
Pete

getifero · 03-14-2020, 05:55 PM

This is MAGIC fun, ingenuity and passion. Thank you very much for sharing!

Capt. Rasho · 03-14-2020, 08:01 PM

Wow such an amazing great diorama!

uncle beat · 03-14-2020, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getifero

This is MAGIC fun, ingenuity and passion. Thank you very much for sharing!

My pleasure to share all of this, and may I thank-you for your positive comments!

Keep following, because there is a ton of stuff yet to come
Pete

uncle beat · 03-14-2020, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt. Rasho

Wow such an amazing great diorama!

I am glad that you enjoyed my posts so far. Thank-you for the compliments! I will be posting much, much more, as all three related MAGIC projects (San Ysidro, Dromedarius, and St. Francis) are far from completion. I plan on showcasing as many of my 1:500 planes as possible, too, as well as diorama and building tips plus the occasional urban planning message thrown in for good measure.

I hope to make all of this as light-hearted and entertaining as possible; I think we share a great hobby.
Pete

uncle beat · 03-15-2020, 06:57 AM

San Ysidro Diorama, The Early Days

The current San Ysidro consists of six, 17 inch X 34 inch panels and has runway centerline lighting, taxiway lighting, and most buildings illuminated. There are 10 gates with a linear terminal design (with 5 gates) and a hexagon-shaped Satellite concourse (5 gates). The diorama topography includes numerous hills and small mountaintops--an archipelago of volcanic origin. This is a far cry from the 'original' San Ysidro made on just three panels, without any runway or taxiway lighting, and just a few illuminated buildings. The terminal design was linear, four gates, none of which had jetways. The terrain was specifically very flat, of coral origin, to create a Florida Keys effect.

The original 'circa 2014' concept was to reflect a simpler, easier, more compact way of making a diorama.

Here is Delta, making the pirouette turn in preparation for takeoff:

A gaggle of American Airlines planes at the original San Ysidro: the "W," photographed here for experimental purposes, is admittedly way too much aircraft for this scenario!

uncle beat · 03-15-2020, 07:26 AM

San Ysidro, Winds of Change

Over the years, I created several rudimentary mountains to mimic Mt. Otemanu on Bora Bora, Diamond Head in Waikiki, and The Pitons of St. Lucia. Although the "Diamond Head" rendition had already made a cameo appearance as Mount Rumplestiltsken in my (now discarded) Punta California diorama, it occurred to me that it was such a waste not to use these beauties to create some topography for San Ysidro.

Here is a Virgin Australia 737 taking off from San Ysidro, version 2.

Also, a picture of three beautiful, all-white DC-8 Stretch aircraft at SYX, v. 2. (The DC-8, in all its different lengths, wingspans, and engine options, is my all-time favorite plane--got to fly it on Air Jamaica, United, and Delta. There were some interesting planes back then!)

Charter · 03-15-2020, 08:54 AM

A pleasure for the eyes, the entire thread.
Great Pete, thanks for sharing this wonderful airport and landscape.

LeoMuse747 · 03-15-2020, 09:55 AM

What an exotic diorama, really interesting to see all the effort in creating the surrounding layout!

uncle beat · 03-15-2020, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charter

A pleasure for the eyes, the entire thread.
Great Pete, thanks for sharing this wonderful airport and landscape.

Thank-you--I have been inspired by people like you on this forum, by your persistence, generosity, and beautiful contributions. Make sure to stay tuned because there is more to come!
Pete

uncle beat · 03-15-2020, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeoMuse747

What an exotic diorama, really interesting to see all the effort in creating the surrounding layout!

Many thanks, Leo. People like you have contributed so much to our forum over the years. It has been enriching to all of us, and now that my projects are finally coming to fruition and ready to display, I would like to share as well. The sum of everyone's contributions and comments help to keep the forum up and running! Keep watching, there is more to come.

Pete

uncle beat · 03-15-2020, 11:01 AM

San Ysidro--The Epiphany

After the small-size (3-panel) SYX v. 2 diorama was removed from storage in early 2019, I realized many things. First of all, the concept of the airport being a small operation, almost all by itself on a barren tropical island with just a small town implied an UNSUSTAINABLE airport operation. What point would there be in displaying a diorama with 2 American Eagle flights a week?? The decision was made to create instead a vibrant (albeit populous) little island, drawing much inspiration from St. Maarten, St. Barth's, Key West, and Waikiki. Quite a lot of ingredients in this casserole!

I explored the 'theoretical maximum' number of airplanes using an expansion of the existing linear format: 4 737-800 or A-320 airplanes, along with 2 regional jets

I also decided to double the number of panels from three to six. This would allow for a good-sized local population living in three distinct towns, and enough hotels and ancillary businesses to support a vigorous airline operation. Also, the length of the runway would be doubled and taxiway lighting and centerline lighting would be retrofitted to the existing version 2 panels that were to be utilized in San Ysidro version 3.

The increase in panel numbers was also to become my new layout standard (total dimensions 34" x 102"). Thus, the other projects being worked on (Dromedarius and St. Francis) would be made at this same final size. I constructed a rolling display base of this size, so I could move the entire diorama around my condo and allowing access to different sides of the project as needed.

San Ysidro v.3 on the rolling display base: