1/400 Model and Airport Blog - Yesterday's Airlines

1:400 Airport Accessories - Lighting Poles

19/4/2018

My Xīn lóng International airport model has been close to completion now for sometime but one thing I have been struggling with has been adding some relief to the surroundings. Partly this could be achieved with some fake lighting, however selecting the lights has proven difficult. There are however several options for lighting in this scale all of which are pretty good.

Xīn lóng International - Pier I

17/11/2017

One of the last parts of Xin Long left to complete is the thin pier that runs along the rear margin of the field from Terminal 2, which I've nicknamed pier I (since the other piers are J and L based on their shape.

Xīn lóng International - Final touches

9/9/2017

It's been 10 months now since groundbreaking began on Terminal 2 of Xin Long International Airport and construction is drawing to a close. Actually construction has been near complete now since May but I haven't found the time to update the blog with new entries. Sorry 'bout that. Last time I finished the major detailing on the terminal piers and in this part we finish off the gate detailing, taxiway markings and add airbridges.

Xīn lóng International - A Bit of Architecture

31/5/2017

The completion date at Xin Long's terminal 2 rapidly approaches and it is time to add some realism to the barebones. I have to admit that I am not much of a model designer, but what I have found is that just playing about with the materials you have at hand can sometimes create surprising results, especially when there is a problem to get around. In this case an attempt to hide some unseemly joins has allowed me to add to one of the piers a bit of an architectural flair, that I originally never intended to create.

Xīn lóng International - Apron Detailing Begins

25/4/2017

It's been so busy here at Yesterday's Airlines that I've been remiss in providing updates about ongoing construction of Xin Long's terminal 2. There has been plenty of work going on and in this post we take a look at adding windows and beginning the details of the apron markings. One thing to be really careful of when producing a model airport is that all the gates are arranged sensibly so that the airbridges can reach the aircraft and always do so using the port side of the plane. This can sometimes be tougher than it sounds!

Xīn lóng International - Trees & Backgrounds

5/3/2017

Realistic looking backgrounds have always been an issue for my airport models. The terminal area is now 8ft wide, which means I can't pilfer backgrounds from elsewhere easily, plus they have to fit into a depth of field that matches the terminal. Once you have a background then it gets really tricky as you have to print it. After many years of thinking about this I have however finally solved the problem. Here's how...

Xīn lóng International - Gates & Terminal Connectors

17/1/2017

Another month has passed since my last update on progress constructing terminal 2 for my modern Chinese 1/400 scale airport model - Xin Long. In the last update the apron painting was completed and the main terminal updated. In this part the gate layout is confirmed and work begins on the connectors between the piers and main terminal.

Xīn lóng International Airport - T2 Painting

14/12/2016

Since my last update, a month ago, there has been loads of progress on the new terminal, far more than can be covered in one entry in fact. So for now we'll take a look at painting progress and I promise to do more frequent updates to keep pace with construction. In this part we get stuck into the painting and spruce up the terminal.

Xīn lóng International Airport - Terminal 2 Groundbreaking

20/11/2016

Expansion and growth are the bywords for Chinese civil aviation and so it is only fitting that my Xin Long diorama has reached capacity and needs a new terminal! This post is the start of a series following planning and construction of Terminal 2, which will more than double capacity at my airport.

Xīn lóng International Airport - Taxiway/Runway Markings

10/10/2016

With the runway and taxiways painted the obvious next step is to mark them up with the correct linework. I have found that paint pens are absolutely marvelous for this. You can use a ruler with them, they produce lovely thin lines, are quick drying and there's no clean up. Of course if you're doing linework it helps do to some homework too and there are several resources available online to help you get the right look and feel.

Xīn lóng International Airport - Runway/Taxiway Surfacing

5/10/2016

With the rough design of the new taxiway and runway sections marked out it was now time to get down to the painting. For those who've followed Xin Long's progress you'll already be familiar with the simple methodology here, with which I hope to show that anyone can make excellent layouts without needing to go near a computer.

Xīn lóng International Airport - Phase 2

21/9/2016

Since I moved into the new Yesterday's Airlines hangar my work on and in the design section of the hangar has been limited. Now however I have reorganised the airport diorama space again and it is time for some expansion at Xin Long. Phase 2 and 3 are now in the pipeline. Phase 2 sees a doubling of the airport's real estate and the addition of taxiways and a runway.

Xīn lóng International Airport - Backgrounds

11/5/2016

It's been about a month since I moved house and I have finally gotten around to getting my model airports back in working order. Xīn lóng survived her transport to the new property with no damage but in order for her to really shine she needed a custom made backdrop. Thankfully help was at hand!

Xīn lóng International Airport - Completion

15/2/2016

It's been just over 7 months since I started my new diorama designed to represent a modern Chinese airport and the major construction period has now ended. Xin Long is open for business, yet ironically it may soon find itself at a new home, if all things go as planned.

Xīn lóng International Airport - Corrections

14/1/2016

Well it turns out a few mistakes had slipped into my diorama but thanks to help from fellow collectors I've hopefully been able to fix them. Plus I thought I'd get out some GSE and try out a few shots as a pre-opening test. So here's the latest update on progress showing my fixes and the first 'in operation' photos of parts of the diorama.