Airport Mat/Foil needed

[ahkhan99]

Hi,

Is there a place in the US where I can order some really high quality diorama Airport mat, that is printed on flex banner or any thing similar? I am aware of https://www.nopoint-airport.com/pg-2...e/product.html but this is in The Netherlands. Anything in US? Anywhere to print in the US?

Thanks.

[SurfDawg]

Hi there,

I'm just seeing your post and more or less have the same question. I have been collecting planes for years and now want to start "building" my airport. I have been searching for mats and there just doesn't seem to be much available. I imagine you have found the few eBay merchants in China offering the same 2 or 3 mats. Not sure how good the quality is but the obvious problem is these sort of limit your "design." I did find a company selling various airport dioramas and accessories. Mostly they provide downloadable files that allow the buyer to print out the entire airport. They also have files to download, print and assemble airport buildings. As the price is much less than the pre-made mats, I'm considering this as an option. In case you haven't found this company, the website is: airport-diorama-designs.com. This seems like it might be the easiest way to create a decent tarmac.

When it comes to airport buildings, the price for pre-made terminals, hangers and such seems a bit expensive (at least as compared to buildings for H.O. scale trains for example). I know some modelers make their custom buildings out of various items (such as legos) and some of those look really great. Looking down the road (no pun intended) I'm looking to find options for passenger cars and delivery vehicles. Lots of GSE items available as you are probably aware but again somewhat pricey.

If you find some good options, pass them along and I'll do the same.

Good luck!

[cesarut]

Hi. Do you know if this website (https://airport-diorama-designs.com/) is still operating? Thank you!

[ahkhan99]

Hi there,

I'm just seeing your post and more or less have the same question. I have been collecting planes for years and now want to start "building" my airport. I have been searching for mats and there just doesn't seem to be much available. I imagine you have found the few eBay merchants in China offering the same 2 or 3 mats. Not sure how good the quality is but the obvious problem is these sort of limit your "design." I did find a company selling various airport dioramas and accessories. Mostly they provide downloadable files that allow the buyer to print out the entire airport. They also have files to download, print and assemble airport buildings. As the price is much less than the pre-made mats, I'm considering this as an option. In case you haven't found this company, the website is: airport-diorama-designs.com. This seems like it might be the easiest way to create a decent tarmac.

When it comes to airport buildings, the price for pre-made terminals, hangers and such seems a bit expensive (at least as compared to buildings for H.O. scale trains for example). I know some modelers make their custom buildings out of various items (such as legos) and some of those look really great. Looking down the road (no pun intended) I'm looking to find options for passenger cars and delivery vehicles. Lots of GSE items available as you are probably aware but again somewhat pricey.

If you find some good options, pass them along and I'll do the same.

Good luck!

Hi, thanks for the note. Yes I have seen the airport-diorama-designs.com. The foils are decent, but I was looking for a bit more detail in it. Especially the parking pays. The aircraft type is not on the foil. Plus you have to cut to fit it correctly. So I was hoping for something in 8.5"x11" print out that I can just glue it on a 4'x8' foam board. Let me know if you have any other finds. I also use https://web.archive.org/web/20120222...ine.no/~an-lh/. These are decent as well.

Thanks.

[SurfDawg]

Hello again, After sending the first message I happened across the free downloads right here in this forum! Quite a few of them. I tried printing a couple on my Epson last night and they look pretty decent. I think they would be very workable if printed on some better paper - maybe photo-quality paper. If you've tried any of these, let me know how they work!

[ahkhan99]

Hello again, After sending the first message I happened across the free downloads right here in this forum! Quite a few of them. I tried printing a couple on my Epson last night and they look pretty decent. I think they would be very workable if printed on some better paper - maybe photo-quality paper. If you've tried any of these, let me know how they work!

Can you send me links? I want to make sure I have those. Thanks.

[SurfDawg]

Just click on the "Airport" tab and there are the "Free Model Airport Foils."

[ahkhan99]

Just click on the "Airport" tab and there are the "Free Model Airport Foils."

Are these 1:200 or 1:400? I couldn't find anywhere that mentions that.

[SurfDawg]

I printed a few out and would say they are definitely NOT large enough to be 1:200 but most likely suitable for either 1:400 or 1:500.

[Phrog74]

Years ago, I started to make my own stuff. Now, I was trying to make 1:200 scale which was pretty big considering. I started with a section of runway, but haven't done much since. You could always take aerial/Google Earth imagery and try to create your own based on the scale you're wanting. I've even explored making my own buildings and terminals out of stuff to make them to scale. I have pretty much exclusively collected 1:200 scale, so I get back to the issue of size. Interested to see what you might come up with should you make your own.

[SurfDawg]

Thanks for sharing. I too have thought about making buildings out of different items (often plastic packaging materials) and have saved some items I think are promising. I've seen a few buildings constructed from legos and some of those look pretty decent. I just used a couple of packages of lego-like blocks (from The Dollar Tree) to try my hand at building a hanger. Considering it's my first attempt, it isn't too bad but I'll need a few more blocks to finish it off. I also made a couple of signs (in this case DELTA AIR LINES) in Google Sheets to see how they might look on my building. Again, not bad for an initial try. I have a friend who built a model "refinery" in H.O. Scale out of ordinary "stuff" and it turned out so well he won an award from Model Railroader. That's what I'd like to do (given the time of course).

[ahkhan99]

Thanks for sharing. I too have thought about making buildings out of different items (often plastic packaging materials) and have saved some items I think are promising. I've seen a few buildings constructed from legos and some of those look pretty decent. I just used a couple of packages of lego-like blocks (from The Dollar Tree) to try my hand at building a hanger. Considering it's my first attempt, it isn't too bad but I'll need a few more blocks to finish it off. I also made a couple of signs (in this case DELTA AIR LINES) in Google Sheets to see how they might look on my building. Again, not bad for an initial try. I have a friend who built a model "refinery" in H.O. Scale out of ordinary "stuff" and it turned out so well he won an award from Model Railroader. That's what I'd like to do (given the time of course).

Do you have pics to share your airport apron? I am trying to figure out how to arrange the foils that is in the "Airport" section. I have printed it out but not really sure how they all fit together like a puzzle. Any diagram or pic would help!

Thanks!

[SurfDawg]

Actually, I just started printing the pics and am having a little challenge getting each of them to come out in the right size. Apparently, it depends on how each file gets downloaded. Some have matched up perfectly but others come out either too small or too large. I also just purchased a better grade of photographic paper (recommended by the company who sells the files) and will start printing and gluing down my "design" once I get the size consistent. I haven't settled on my airport design yet either. When I first was thinking about it, I wanted to model Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson but realistically that would take a lot of space, work and money! I have drawn up a design based on ATL but with just 2 runways, the main terminal and one detached concourse. The other "unknown" at this point is how large of a base I can use and exactly where it go in our house. I was thinking the size of a standard 4x8 sheet of plywood but as my wife wants it to "live" it in my office, I may have to downsize a bit. We'll see. I probably need to look at some other airport designs to see what others have done. As I progress, I'll be happy to share pics.

[Aero Kangaroo]

HI,

Airport Designs.com also features detailed model airport buildings in 1:400 and 1:500 scale also airport mats/runways, aprons, taxiways, etc. the buildings look good when printed on glossy photo paper for the terminals, and thick cardboard for the others.

[ahkhan99]

Actually, I just started printing the pics and am having a little challenge getting each of them to come out in the right size. Apparently, it depends on how each file gets downloaded. Some have matched up perfectly but others come out either too small or too large. I also just purchased a better grade of photographic paper (recommended by the company who sells the files) and will start printing and gluing down my "design" once I get the size consistent. I haven't settled on my airport design yet either. When I first was thinking about it, I wanted to model Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson but realistically that would take a lot of space, work and money! I have drawn up a design based on ATL but with just 2 runways, the main terminal and one detached concourse. The other "unknown" at this point is how large of a base I can use and exactly where it go in our house. I was thinking the size of a standard 4x8 sheet of plywood but as my wife wants it to "live" it in my office, I may have to downsize a bit. We'll see. I probably need to look at some other airport designs to see what others have done. As I progress, I'll be happy to share pics.

I am just so confused with all the pages that I printed out. Trying to put it together like a puzzle. I wish they had a pic of what it should like. I have printed them out on heavier than normal printing paper: HP Printer Paper, 32 Lb, 8.5 x 11, 250 Sheets (link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I also bought some A1 size paper from Amazon that I just got delivered today. Blake Premium Office A4 210 x 297 mm 120 gsm Paper (34676) Ultra White Wove - Pack of 50 (link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I have a feeling that a lot of these foils are designed for A4 size paper. For the base, I went with Dow R-5 1-in x 4-ft x 8-ft RESIDENTIAL SHEATHING TONGUE and GROOVE Faced Polystyrene Garage Door Foam Board Insulation with Sound Barrier from Lowes (Link: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Dow-Common-...ier/1000168163). It is light weight and easy to move around if I need to. I bought three of these.
Share when you have something. Thanks.

[SurfDawg]

Thanks for sharing about the Polystyreen foam. That would definitely be a lot easier to work with than plywood! I had planned to put my base on either a pair of plastic saw horses (pretty cheap at Aldi or Harbor Freight) or a Lifetime folding table. With the Styreen the saw horses would likely need some added support. I think what I might do is get an overhead picture of the ATL tarmac I want to model and try to get the pages I need to more or less replicate that. I see where several pieces of runway, taxi way and parking seem to be meant to fit together. Just got to figure out which ones fit! BTW - Have you run across non-airport cars and trucks to use on the roadways and parking areas?