The idea for the base was simple - a Spitfire scrambling during the Battle of Britain.

Spitfire; one name that typifies the British people’s resistance to the might of Nazi Germany. This resistance came to a head in late 1940 when Hitler, Goering and the Luftwaffe began the air assault on England preceding the invasion of England through Operation Sea Lion.

While the German airforce droned overhead day after day the Royal Airforce became the prime target for the German bombers. If the RAF could be destroyed the invasion could take place. Hitler knew it. Churchill knew it. The British people knew it. This was a turning point. This was the Battle of Britain.

For months bases around southern England received a tremendous pounding. By day the German bombers damaged airfields, destroyed hangars, blew up aircraft and killed their crews. Yet each night the runways were repaired, the planes serviced and the crews rested. There was no rest; there was no relaxation, just a war to fight and an enemy to kill. Then, one day the air raid sirens stayed quite. A nervous calm that made all England uneasy settled over the countryside, broken that night by more explosions. This time however the bombs fell not on the airfields but on London. Hitler’s attempt to break the British people’s spirits gave critical relief to the overworked RAF crews, relief that allowed them to regroup and rebuild. Operation Sea Lion was cancelled. The Battle of Britain ended not in a decisive air battle, with hundreds of planes but with a silence from the air raid sirens.

I’ve always liked the Battle of Britain; a story of strength and determination, resistance against all odds. After watching the British movie, ‘The Battle of Britain,’ and a Czechoslovakian movie, ‘Dark Blue World,’ I decided to build a Spitfire, not in a standard, static display but in a dynamic diorama.

See this story to read about building this model.

I started my diorama by purchasing a wooden cutting board from a local grocery store. I started by laying out some plans, first on paper then on the board. I chose to have my Spitfire lifting off the grass with its landing gear still retracting as it crossed a farmer’s fence.

A thin coating of drywall plaster was applied to the base to replicate some small rolls in the grass airfield. There’s nothing worse than perfectly flat groundwork on a large base. When the plaster had dried, I used some old acrylic paints (really cheap ones) to cover everything in a layer of dark green; this was to keep any white spots from showing through. I then sprinkled a layer of ground foam ‘grass’ over the section, leaving a large ‘V’ below and behind the propeller. This area was covered in another foam, coloured slightly more brown. A small fence was made from strips of wood and invisible thread, normally used for aerial wires. Finally the farmer’s crop of wheat was planted, using a decorative broom, bought at a local Michael’s craft store.

I like my diorama. It shows movement and it tells the story of a RAF pilot taking off on a scramble. Was it his first, his last? What happened? That’s up to the viewer to decide.