How far do I want to go with this ?


But before starting I think that you must ask yourself a few questions first.
Will this be a piece that you are doing for yourself ? well then anything works as long as it pleases you. Or
will your goal be a piece that will hold the interest of an audience or viewer as long as possible ?.Well then that changes everything.It can be as simple as adding a little weathering or leaving a cowl off an engine.The viewer will then fill in the rest.Not much of a storyline there but still it is more than a "factory fresh" example sitting in showcase.I am not criticizing those that prefer to build this way but it holds little interest for me or the average viewer.
Next step up would be the simple vignette,un-cowled engine or bullet holes or weathering,or steps in the sand,ground or oil on the floor,some sign of human presence without having to do a figure.(sometimes it is even a more powerful story this way)
The next step can be a little intimidating for some modelers,modifying or painting figures but it really doesn't have to be this way.Personally I am only an average painter of figures in the traditional sense.In fact I find that most of the professionally painted stuff a little overdone.Just avoid the bug eyed look and let the light and shadows work for you.In my case the viewer never gets close enough to see if the eyes are painted or not.Here is a little experiment you may want to try for yourself.Don't paint the eyes in at all but just leave shadows where the eyes would have been and most viewers brains will fill them in for you.It seems that human beings are so used to seeing eyes where they should be that the brain automatically fills them in for you, at a normal scale viewing distance.Where judges or nitpickers will actually pick up your work and look close up for flaws of course it wouldn't work.
The next step would be a vignette or diorama of a neutral or landscape type setting.Something like a travel documentary.Nice to look at but....
The best dioramas tell a story and need little explanation other than the title.The storyboard diorama is designed specifically to hold the viewers interest as long as possible. It can be hard to get right and nobody is successful all the time.What looks good on paper will probably have to be revised many times.
A storyboard diorama puts you in the directors shoes except you are the lighting guy,carpenter, ,producer,costume gal etc.. I am sure you get what I mean.And you must accomplish your storytelling goals with no music,dialogue or movement of any kind,a pretty tall order that may even intimidate Spielberg a bit.

The next level of diorama building,in my opinion, is what I am attempting to do right now with my Bleriot/Falcon piece ,which is to mix not only the media aspects together but the modeling and the art genres together as well.
In other words taking whatever is available to you out there to help tell your story.Plastic,wood,kit or scratch,hobby or art ,it really doesn't matter when the storyline is your most important consideration.