forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Topic started by: Chris Johnson on April 17, 2012, 08:48:18 AM
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To get things started here on the forum, I'm going to post a build log on the Roden 1/32 S.E.5a in the distinctive markings of 'Schweinhund', as flown by Duncan Grinnell-Milne shortly after Armistice Day, 1918.
As you can see below, my references include the instruction booklet from the WnW S.E.5a kit as well as Datafile, Squadron and Osprey titles.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/SE5aCollage.jpg)
This will be my sixth rigged aircraft build since getting my feet wet in June 2011 and I have three new goals in my efforts to improve my aircraft models.
1) Detail the pulley inspection ports on both wings and tailplane.
2) Through careful masking, achieve sharp, straight demarcation lines between the top and underside colours, as appear on the underside edges of the wings and tailplane.
3) Employ the pastel technique for rib shading.
My first step was to hollow out the pulley inspection ports. As seen in the image below, I drilled out the centre sections and corners of each port to remove as much material as possible. Then I pared away the rest of the plastic with my hobby knife and files. Next step will be to block in the undersides of each port and add the pulley detail.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Wings-02Apr12-001.jpg)
Thanks for looking and all constructive comments welcomed.
Cheers,
Chris
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Excellent start Chris, with the scheme you have chosen you will end up with a very striking model. You have done a great job so far on the inspection ports, they will really look the part once the pulleys are fitted, looking forward to your next updates.
Des.
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Excellent project Chris!
I'm very grateful to you for uploading this build project. I have the Roden kit in the stash with plans to also do the scheme you are doing.
It is very helpful to have someone show the way and highlight any issues. Des has been outstanding with his various Wingnut builds in guiding us through any hidden problems so I'm sure your SE5a build will be of immense help to fellow modellers.
Cheers and happy modelling
Dave W
Gold Coast
Australia
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Hi Chris,
Good to see you’ve kicked things off with you SE.5a project. The work you’ve done on the pulley ports looks very good. Did you get a chance to pickup any of Vallejo’s Still Water for a possible clear filler for the inspection windows?
Anyway, I’ll sure be tagging along and watch you develop this beauty.
Paddy :)
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Nice work on the pulley ports. I'm trying to figure out how to do that on Roden's 1/48 kit.
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Did you get a chance to pickup any of Vallejo’s Still Water for a possible clear filler for the inspection windows?
The last time I was at the LHS, I completely forgot to have a look for it but I'll put it on my next shopping list. Twenty years ago I didn't need a list . . . :-[
Cheers,
Chris
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It is very helpful to have someone show the way and highlight any issues. Des has been outstanding with his various Wingnut builds in guiding us through any hidden problems so I'm sure your SE5a build will be of immense help to fellow modellers.
Oh, I'm running into issues alright Dave, and I'll be sharing them with you fellows. Frankly, they're of my own making, as I've still got a lot to learn, but more on that a little later.
Cheers,
Chris
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Nice work on the pulley ports. I'm trying to figure out how to do that on Roden's 1/48 kit.
I don't envy you fellows doing them in 1/48 scale as I had enough of a challenge in 1/32! The thinner wing in 1/48 scale would be very problematic for me when trying to add the interior pulley detail, so I tip my hat to you 1/48 scale fellows who make it look like child's play!
Cheers,
Chris
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Nice work on the pulley ports. I'm trying to figure out how to do that on Roden's 1/48 kit.
Hey, Rob. It's pretty much the same procedure in 1/48, only smaller.
Cheers,
Bud
(http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af342/coyotemagic_photos/Roden%20SE5a%20Project/DSC00394.jpg)
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Did you get a chance to pickup any of Vallejo’s Still Water for a possible clear filler for the inspection windows?
The last time I was at the LHS, I completely forgot to have a look for it but I'll put it on my next shopping list. Twenty years ago I didn't need a list . . . :-[
Cheers,
Chris
That 2 part epoxy really does work great, Chris. Trust me. You can get it level.
Cheers,
Bud
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Chris,
Outstandin progress my friend.I'm happy to be able to follow along with this project again.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Lovely start Chris, just watch out when you get to the engine, there are serious fit issues when you try to get it in the fusilage, I think Roden supply their stand alone engine with the kit and it appears to be too long for the engine bay.
Cheers
Pete.
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With the pulley ports hollowed out, I filled in the undersides and added the pulleys, brackets and cable from various sizes of plastic rod.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Wings-02Apr12-006.jpg)
I had a devil of a time getting these pieces to fit in the pulley ports and this is at 1/32 scale. Bud and Rob, I have a much better appreciation of your abilities when you're doing it in 1/48 scale. If I see someone doing it in 1/72 scale, I'm going to take up hooking rugs! :P
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Wings-02Apr12-013.jpg)
With the pulley ports detailed, it was time to shoot the underside colour and when it was dry, I sealed it with Testor's Dullcote. I then masked it off to lay out the demarcation line between it and the topside colour.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Wings-08Apr12-030.jpg)
I then shot the topside colour and peeled off the masking tape. It came away perfectly, without any paint lifting at all. This is an important point as you'll see. I sealed everything again with Testor's Glosscoat, added the decals, sealed them with several coats of Dullcote, and ended up with this.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Wings-06Apr12-023.jpg)
So far so good. I've accomplished two of three goals in this build. And then the model started going into a spin. Moving on to trying my hand at pastel rib shading as Bud has done so successfully in his builds, I started to lay out the mini-ribs and spars on the underside of the wings. I wanted to adjust some of the tape and when doing so, I encountered a disaster with areas of paint and sealer lifting right down to the plastic. I gently pulled up all of the tape at this point as it was pretty evident that some repair work was required, and here's what I ended up with.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Wings-08Apr12-027.jpg)
Arrggghhh! Remember when I wrote above that I masked and pulled off the tape with no paint lifting whatsoever? Now I run into this issue! :o :o :o
Stay tuned as my S.E.5a spins out of control . . . :P
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris, I'm so sorry that this happened to you. It is fixable, though. Once you get the paint touched up, get yourself some of this stuff:
http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?GenreCode=Sup&Maker1=AIZ
and apply it over a truly matt finish. When you're done with your shading, pull the tape back on itself slowly and you should be fine. By the way, I always wash the parts or wipe them down with alcohol to ensure that the paint will stay put. I've learned this stuff the hard way, just as you have.
Good luck, buddy.
Cheers,
Bud
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Thanks for the tip on the masking tape Bud. I've been using Tamiya tape and slicing it into strips and this stuff will eliminate that step.
What really irritates me is that when I masked the whole wing and pulled up the tape after airbrushing, there was no paint lift at all. Then I seal and mask the same surface a second time, and I get areas of paint lifting. ??? It just makes no sense to me.
Am I downhearted? Not at all! This S.E.5a may be a step backwards after my Roland and Dr.I, but I'll soldier on and see what I can salvage. After all, when all is said and done, it's only a toy airplane and I'm still having fun with it.
I'll have some further images of my sputtering S.E.5a in my next update.
Cheers,
Chris
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Lovely start Chris, just watch out when you get to the engine, there are serious fit issues when you try to get it in the fusilage, I think Roden supply their stand alone engine with the kit and it appears to be too long for the engine bay.
Thanks for the warning Pete. This could be my most challenging build to date.
Cheers,
Chris
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hats off to you taking up the challenge of scratching the pulleys, i took the easy way out by getting the encore usa kit which has resin pulley inserts.
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Chris
Your S.E.5a is coming along very nicely, the pulleys and the masking/painting came out great!...... Just a minor ARRRRRGH!
We all know this feeling.... I have only had paint lifting issues when using acrylics.... ( I don't use them often ) When I use Tamiya for a base coat I thin it with Lacquer thinner ..... Also if you have any issues with enamel or lacquer based paint it is easily sanded and feathered. Acrylics not so!
Can't wait to see more!
Ken
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Sorry to hear about the paint issue Chris, I hope you can sort it out OK.
Cheers
Pete.
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Sorry to hear about the troubles, Chris. That sounds annoying.
Do you have any pictures of how you got a nice sharp line when masking the top or bottom of the wing? I'm brush painting my dh4's wings and am having trouble getting a good sharp demarcation between the top and bottom. Even just a reference to another post would be helpful.
Thanks,
Lindsay
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Do you have any pictures of how you got a nice sharp line when masking the top or bottom of the wing? I'm brush painting my dh4's wings and am having trouble getting a good sharp demarcation between the top and bottom. Even just a reference to another post would be helpful.
Sorry, but all I have is the image of the masked underside of one of the wings I posted below. I know fellows here do it a bit differently but I taped together a couple of strips of masking tape and stuck it to the wingtips. I traced the curved section of the wing tip and removed the tape and stuck it to my cutting matt. With a sharp hobby knife I sliced just inside the outline. With those curved shapes completed, I stuck them back in place inside the wingtips. Then I ran straight pieces of masking tape between the two wingtip masks to ensure that I had nice straight lines along the inside of the leading and trailing edges of the wing. Then I masked the rest of the interior of the wing, to end up with what's in the image below. I used an airbrush to lay down the topside colour but there's no reason why using a brush wouldn't work too, as long as you ensure that the tape is well sealed along the edges so the paint doesn't creep. I hope this helps a bit.
Cheers,
Chris
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That's great, thanks for the help.
On with the build!
Lindsay
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Chris,
Well, I hope you get this one well and sorted soon.... I have a feeling that it is taking what little hair you have left. ::)
Actually, considering the issues you have had with it your build is going remarkably well. Now you just have to dig out a 1/48th scale one and give that a try....
Bob, aka tankbear* :o
*Don't ask... :)
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Bob, aka tankbear* :o
*Don't ask... :)
Oh, but I absolutely have to!
Cheers,
Chris
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The Uncontrolled Spin Continues
After repairing the lifted paint areas, I decided to seal the wing with Glosscote as I thought that perhaps the masking tape had adhered too much, thus causing the paint to pull up.
Then I laid out the ribs again with Tamiya tape. This time, taking the advice of Tankbear, I stuck the tape to my forehead first, to reduce its adhesive properties. The composite image below shows the tape in place on the top wing.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/WingMaskingComposite.jpg)
In the image below, the lower wing is masked and it's here where I made a major mistake. You'll note that I neglected to lay out the wing spars! Doh! :o
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Wings-09Apr12-033.jpg)
Next step was to apply the pastels and I used an eye shadow applicator to accomplish that task. I found the pastel dust a bit difficult to move around, which surprised me, as I thought the Glosscote smooth surface would've promoted that effect. Evidently not. When I pulled up the tape this time, I had paint lifting occur again, for the second time. More repair work followed.
With the second bout of repair work completed, I sealed the pastels with Dullcote. It was at that point when Tankbear pointed out that I had missed the spars on the bottom wing. Doh! x2 :o :o
I used two part epoxy to fill in the pulley inspection ports after painting the pulley detail. Just as Bud said it would, it leveled out perfectly and dried crystal clear. I would recommend this technique unreservedly.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Wings-19Apr12-049.jpg)
For some reason, I thought I needed a woodgrain effect on the undersurface of the bottom wing. Of course, had I checked my references more closely, I’d have discovered that it should be the same colour as the underside of the fuselage. Oh well, so much for accuracy. I masked off the area and applied the woodgrain and this time when I peeled back the masking tape, I had no paint peel off at all. Who knows why, when it peeled twice before on the same wing! ???
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Wings-19Apr12-054.jpg)
I like the pastel shading technique but I definitely need to practise more to get better results. Even though the wings are a real mess, with numerous repairs, missing spars, and perhaps an inappropriate woodgrain appearance on the bottom wing, I'm officially done with them.
I'm beginning to understand why this stringbag is called 'Schweinhund'. :'( ;D
Cheers,
Chris
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Even with all your trials and tribulations your perserverance has paid off, the wings turned out excellent, well done Chris for not throwing the towel in.
Des.
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Chris,
thanks for sharing your trials and tribulations with your build. Very informative and appreciated ;)
Andrew
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Chris,
very inspiring work. Sure beats what I did with this kit(Even before mine crashed)
RAGIII
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Thanks very much for sharing the detail of your techniques and even the anomalies. You’re a patent gent and as Des said it paid off. Also great to hear that Bud’s recommendation was spot on about using epoxy for the inspection ports. I'll remember when he says ‘trust me’ its money in the bank.
There is no doubt in my mind that you’ll have another special build when this beauty is completed and worthy to be added to your growing squadron.
Paddy
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Chris,
Problems or not a great build! I've had my share of ARRRGHHHH's along the way, but as the wise old modeler once said, if you can build it once, you can fix it many times!
Frank
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I've got this kitand will be watching this build with interest,as am doint this version too.Well done so far. 8)
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Chris,
Nice wing work. ;)
I think you have battled through the worst of it.
It's all downhill from now on in. Downhill in an 18 wheeled arctic stuck in neutral... lol
Keep going.
BVB
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Great wing work Chris, keep going mate.
Cheers
Pete.
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Chris your patience is admirable. I would more likely be a patient. SInce you spray your paint Im going to guess you use a mask and so my suggestion should be considered safe. I cut all my paint with laquer thinner - even Tamiya and Gunze acrylics (ok NOT citadel paint). Although it is a "hot" solvent the atomized paint hits the model and drys quickly, smooth, glossy and rock hard. As mentioned by someone earlier, an absolutely clean surface is important too. Arent Roden kits "fun?" They are certainly wolves in sheeps clothing. "Gee this looks nicely detailed but simple at the same time.....clamp, saw, table vice, hammer...third hand...." Please WNW just DO a Dr1....
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It's all downhill from now on in. Downhill in an 18 wheeled arctic stuck in neutral... lol
Keep going.
Geesh! It's been all downhill since I started! You mean to say it gets . . . worse?? :o :o :o ;D
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris your patience is admirable. I would more likely be a patient. SInce you spray your paint Im going to guess you use a mask and so my suggestion should be considered safe. I cut all my paint with laquer thinner - even Tamiya and Gunze acrylics (ok NOT citadel paint). Although it is a "hot" solvent the atomized paint hits the model and drys quickly, smooth, glossy and rock hard. As mentioned by someone earlier, an absolutely clean surface is important too. Arent Roden kits "fun?" They are certainly wolves in sheeps clothing. "Gee this looks nicely detailed but simple at the same time.....clamp, saw, table vice, hammer...third hand...." Please WNW just DO a Dr1....
I've been considering cutting my Tamiya paint with lacquer for some time now. After this fiasco, I think I'm just about ready to take the plunge.
Cheers,
Chris
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...play safe!!!!
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Wolseley Viper Engine
Bear with me here. Aside from easy jobs like changing engine oil, I have absolutely no mechanical ability at all, so I get confused easily. I've had a look at Jamo's excellent images for the Wolseley Viper engine and I must admit to being confused about the plug leads and how they run to the magnetos.
Plugs: Just to confirm; eight per cylinder bank - four on each side, for a total of 16. Correct?
Plug Leads: Roden has thoughtfully provided the leads to the magnetos coming out of a pipe mounted across the tops of the magnetos. My problem is in deciphering how the 16 leads go into the pipe. It appears as though the leads from the plugs on the outside of the cylinder banks run into the ends of the pipe, but where do the leads from the insides of the banks go? They seem to disappear under the pipe, to my mechanically challenged eye.
Cheers,
Chris
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Further to my last posting about plug wiring for the Viper, Des' S.E.5a build log on his regular site has some excellent images that answered my questions. I should've thought to look there first.
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris,
I know how you feel about figuring out that Des had the answers to your questions posted on his site. I have been working on a project and finally found some more references in a book I have had for a few years... Which changed a couple things and explained a lot more.
However, I am sure that no matter where the information for your engine came from you will end up with a great looking one for your plane...
Bob
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I am sure that no matter where the information for your engine came from you will end up with a great looking one for your plane...
Right now I'm fumbling around with plug wires and magnetos so I would disagree with you at this point in time. How Des manages to do the intricate work he does, boggles my mind. If I'm lucky, my wiring will look like last night's spaghetti dinner. Don't ask what the alternative is. ;D
Cheers,
Chris
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I'm pretty well finished with my Wolseley Viper engine, with only some detail painting and the application of a grimy wash to go. I added plugs from 0.5 mm brass tubing (16 in total) and plug wires made from 0.10" lead wire. This is the first time I've used lead wire for plug leads and I found it more flexible than copper wire, holds its shape better, and overall, it's just much easier to work with. Luckily, it fit right into the 0.5 mm tubing too.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/engine-23Apr12-019.jpg)
I replaced the plastic plug lead tube on top of the magnetos with a length of 1.2 mm brass tube. I fed the plug leads into each end and super glued them in place. Although you can't see it in the photos here, I added some very short wires from the tube to the magnetos. The water pipes to the cylinder heads is made from household solder.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/engine-23Apr12-017.jpg)
That's all I plan to add to the Viper as I'm told by two members here that there are some major fit issues when installing the engine in the fuselage, so if I have to use a pair of side cutters to prune off parts to make it fit, I can't see the point in adding any other detail.
Cheers,
Chris
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Looking good Chris.
Paddy
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Chris,
Your Viper comes off very well; I'm particularly impressed with your ignition wiring harness. I havn't built this kit, stayed with the WNW "Hisso" version and only finished the portion of the engine visible with the cowlings on. Nicely done.
Looking forward to more photos as she's completed.
Cheers,
Lance
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Chris,
Your Viper looks very good! I have heard the same about fit problems with this kit! But also heard with a little coaxing, everything will go together just fine!
Just move the baseball bat to another room if you happen to have one in close proximity to the work area ..... getting up and having to go get it gives you time to realize what your about to do!
Can't wait to see more!
Ken
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Looking good Chris.
Paddy
Thanks Paddy. I appreciate you dropping by to have a look.
Cheers,
Chris
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Excellent work on the ignition leads Chris, the lead wire was a good idea. Looking forward to seeing more progress on this beauty.
Des.
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Chris,
Your Viper comes off very well; I'm particularly impressed with your ignition wiring harness. I havn't built this kit, stayed with the WNW "Hisso" version and only finished the portion of the engine visible with the cowlings on. Nicely done.
Looking forward to more photos as she's completed.
Cheers,
Lance
Thanks for taking the time to comment Lance. I seem to struggle with wiring harnesses made from copper wire but this lead wire makes the task a lot easier for me.
Cheers,
Chris
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Just move the baseball bat to another room if you happen to have one in close proximity to the work area ..... getting up and having to go get it gives you time to realize what your about to do!
I've never been a patient modeller (or anything else for that matter) but since starting to build these WWI birds, I've found that I've changed. I'm now able to walk away from the model when I run into difficulties, sometimes after just a few minutes of working on it. Some days, when things don't go well, I spend more time setting everything up on the kitchen table and taking it down, than I do modelling. Two years ago, before I retired, I'd have used the bat!
Cheers,
Chris
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Excellent work on the ignition leads Chris, the lead wire was a good idea. Looking forward to seeing more progress on this beauty.
Des.
Thanks for the images of your WnW engine on your site. Before I saw those, I was lost. My plug leads are getting better with each build I tackle, although I'll be the first to admit that I don't enjoy doing them at all. The lead wire did make it easier for me but I'll never approach the craftsmanship of your wiring jobs!
Cheers,
Chris
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You certainly have overcome some major hurdles with paint pulling etc. It is coming along quite nicely due to your perseverence and skill. Like Lance, I only spent enough time on the visible portions of the engine, vice detailing it, as I like the buttoned up look of an in service a/c. Your work is noteworthy and will certainly add some interest to the forward section of the a/c. Patience is a virtue learned and practiced every day. I do the same, get up and get away for awhile, and then come back to it.
Best
Mark
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Thanks Mark. As odd as it sounds, everytime I experienced the paint pulling was when I was using thin strips of Tamiya tape. The larger pieces of masking all peeled off faultlessly. I don't know why that would be, but I'll be apprehensive every time I use narrow strips from this point forward. Bud posted a link for a source of masking strips he uses and I think I'll give them a try.
Cheers,
Chris
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Great looking motor. Now the only fear is the dreaded Roden engine to fuselage fit. Why did they name their company after a giant Japanese rubber flying chicken? Toko was so bad?
Steve
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That 'Viper' is looking real good Chris.
Cheers
Pete.
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Great looking motor. Now the only fear is the dreaded Roden engine to fuselage fit. Why did they name their company after a giant Japanese rubber flying chicken? Toko was so bad?
Steve
Roden wasn't that bad but, personally I love Gamera the mutant turtle, especially his flying technique ;)
The Viper looks great Chris!
Andrew
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Chris,
Great job on the Viper my friend.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Chris,
Looking good so far! Gives me some confidence to tackle my next project, a Roden D.III.
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Great looking motor. Now the only fear is the dreaded Roden engine to fuselage fit. Why did they name their company after a giant Japanese rubber flying chicken? Toko was so bad?
Steve
Thanks Steve. Yeh, I'm not looking forward to the engine fit issues!
Cheers,
Chris
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Roden wasn't that bad but, personally I love Gamera the mutant turtle, especially his flying technique ;)
The Viper looks great Chris!
Andrew
Thanks Andrew. Were these things in Godzilla movies, or am I showing my age? :P
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris,
Looking good so far! Gives me some confidence to tackle my next project, a Roden D.III.
Roden kits can be trying at times but from my limited experience, the final product always seems to look pretty good. I find their instructions to be somewhat vague in part placement at times so I tend to build these kits very slowly . . . and still make mistakes. :P
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris,
Great job on the Viper my friend.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
Thanks Gregory!
Cheers,
Chris
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its really hard to believe youve only done a handful of biplanes. cudos to you my friend you got some modelling skills.
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Great looking motor. Now the only fear is the dreaded Roden engine to fuselage fit. Why did they name their company after a giant Japanese rubber flying chicken? Toko was so bad?
Steve
Technically It's RODAN not Roden..
RODAN is the flying Monster of Godzilla film fame... Roden is the Czech model company... ;) ;D
(http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/18830/Rodan_Money_Shot.jpg)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2272/2250846033_e5401d5edd.jpg)
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its really hard to believe youve only done a handful of biplanes. cudos to you my friend you got some modelling skills.
I couldn't do any of this without guys like you giving tips and advice along the way. I'm still climbing that learning curve.
Cheers,
Chris
Cheers,
Chris
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Really nice progress on this one Chris,
The engine and the wings look very nice indeed.
Best Regards
Keith
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Really nice progress on this one Chris,
The engine and the wings look very nice indeed.
Best Regards
Keith
Thanks Keith. I look at your LVG C.VI and I see where I'd like to be in terms of craftsmanship, so I work away at trying to get better with each of my builds. This one is proving to be particularly trying though, and I can't help but think that I've fallen back a step or two!
Cheers,
Chris
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Really nice progress on this one Chris,
The engine and the wings look very nice indeed.
Best Regards
Keith
Thanks Keith. I look at your LVG C.VI and I see where I'd like to be in terms of craftsmanship, so I work away at trying to get better with each of my builds. This one is proving to be particularly trying though, and I can't help but think that I've fallen back a step or two!
Cheers,
Chris
Thanks for the kind words Chris, I'm looking forward to seeing you progress with this
Best Regards
Keith
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Chris, Really nice work on the Vper engine! Looks fantastic!!
RAGIII
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Chris, Really nice work on the Vper engine! Looks fantastic!!
RAGIII
Thanks RAGIII. I'm rapidly approaching the time where I'll find out just how bad the fit issues are for it in the fuselage. :o
Cheers,
Chris
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I've got the woodwork done on 'Schweinhund' at this point in the build, and now I'm trying to figure out how the cockpit goes together.
I airbrushed Tamiya Deck Tan on all of the woodgrain parts first and followed that with a streaked wash of Burnt Sienna oil paint. When that was dry, I brushed on a thinned coat of Tamiya's Clear Yellow. Lastly, I sealed it all with a coat of Satin clear coat.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-008.jpg)
Roden doesn't supply any instrument decals so I used some from Airscale's 'WWI Instrument Dial Decal' sheet. The molded bezels were painted with Humbrol's 'Brass' and Vallejo's 'Old Gold'. I clear coated each dial with 'Future'.
In both the image above and below, you'll see that I added cockpit bracing. It's made from 0.10" lead wire and brass tubing for turnbuckles. It looks overscale and that's my intention. When the fuselage is buttoned up, there's not much light inside the cockpit, and the view is restricted, so I wanted the bracing to stand out a bit. It seems to me that 2lb monofilament bracing gets lost inside a dark, busy cockpit. The downside is that it's difficult to pull lead wire taut. :(
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-028.jpg)
The following images are of the finished struts and propeller.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-018.jpg)
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-022.jpg)
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-021.jpg)
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-025.jpg)
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-024.jpg)
In regards to the propeller, I haven't added the laminations that are so apparent on German aircraft propellers. I think I read somewhere that the laminates for British props were very similar in colour so it's not necessary to show contrasting laminations. Is that correct, or should I think about showing laminations?
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-031.jpg)
Thanks for looking!
Cheers,
Chris
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Beautiful Chris! Love your wood graining throughout. The grain looks very scale to me. The IP is top drawer also. She's going to be a grand machine.
Paddy
P.S. When brushing the Tam Clear Yellow what do you thin with and the ratio if you don't mind?
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Chris ,
Outstanding interior my old friend. Absoluely beautiful wood work, so much so it actually looks like you've used real wood.The same applies to the landing struts and prop. A tip for you,when you use wire for riggingit works best if you roll it first on a hard surface while pressing down with a book. I roll mine on the glass covering my bench.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Re propeller laminations; not all german props had the highly contrasting laminations that are often modelled. Axial props, in particularly, often appear to be a uniform colour similar to british ones. I'd be inclined to add laminations if you have a period photo of the particular aircraft that supports it, otherwise not.
I'll look through some of my refs again to see what S.E.5a props look like and then make my decision. I kinda' like it the way it is though so it'll take a photo with a glaring lamination to make me change it now. ;D
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris ,
Outstanding interior my old friend. Absoluely beautiful wood work, so much so it actually looks like you've used real wood.The same applies to the landing struts and prop. A tip for you,when you use wire for riggingit works best if you roll it first on a hard surface while pressing down with a book. I roll mine on the glass covering my bench.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
Thanks Gregory. That's high praise indeed from a modeller of your calibre. I'm finding this project is a real challenge so hearing that the woodwork is okay makes me feel a bit better about it.
In hindsight, I should've used regular wire for the bracing because lead wire is too soft and flexible for the rolling technique to work.
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris,
Lovely work on the interior and struts! Beautiful wood grain effect!
RAGIII
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Beautiful Chris! Love your wood graining throughout. The grain looks very scale to me. The IP is top drawer also. She's going to be a grand machine.
Paddy
P.S. When brushing the Tam Clear Yellow what do you thin with and the ratio if you don't mind?
Thanks Paddy for your kind words. As for the Clear Yellow, I'm embarrassed to say that I just put several brush loads of windshield washer fluid in my pallet and then I add a couple of brush loads of colour to it. I stir it up with the brush and add more colour or thinner until it looks runny enough. That's the way I approach my painting and modelling. There's absolutely no science to it at all. Just flying by the seat of my pants.
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris,
Actually I use lead wire quite often with good result,and I always roll it .Just may require more work than the harder tempered wire. I use a lot of brass craft wire too. The only wire I don't roll is the heavier gauges I use for for interior piping and engine piping. Another tip silver solder work great for all sorts of piping
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Chris,
Lovely work on the interior and struts! Beautiful wood grain effect!
RAGIII
Thanks RAGIII. I appreciate your comments!
Cheers,
Chris
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Actually I use lead wire quite often with good result,and I always roll it .
I'll give it a whirl next time around then. Thanks!
Cheers,
Chris
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The woodwork looks great Chris and the prop looks lovely - it would almost be a pity to do any laminations!!
Andrew
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Thanks Paddy for your kind words. As for the Clear Yellow, I'm embarrassed to say that I just put several brush loads of windshield washer fluid in my pallet and then I add a couple of brush loads of colour to it. I stir it up with the brush and add more colour or thinner until it looks runny enough. That's the way I approach my painting and modelling. There's absolutely no science to it at all. Just flying by the seat of my pants.
Cheers,
Chris
Good for you. One of my problems I think is I get wrapped around the axle trying to be to specific. I should try that approach.
Windshield washer fluid... that's new to me for sure. ???
Paddy
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Brilliant work Chris, I really like your wood finish especially on the struts. You did a great job on the instrument panel and all the instruments, this is turning out to be a real gem.
Des.
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Hi Chris,
The work you have done on the cockpit interior and the Instrument panel is first class, the colouring and grain of the wood is very realistic.
I also really like the effects you have achieved on the Struts and the Propeller, very convincing indeed.
I'm Looking forward to seeing the next stages.
Best Regards
Keith
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Stunning work Chris, I really like the woodwork.
Cheers
Pete.
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Gorgeous so far.
Thanks for this, I maybe using some of the techniques when I can
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This is coming along very nicely. Excellent wood simulation
Steve
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what the hells the diff btw a viper and a hisso anyway, at first glance they look pretty daan similar to me.
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Scott,
As far as I know main difference is the shaft height. I problely have this backwards but the shaft is higher in the Viper and lower in the Hisso.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Thanks fellows for dropping by and leaving your comments. I appreciate your support!
Not too much to report this time around except that I'm getting close to buttoning up the fuselage. This is a first for me where the floor of the cockpit is part of the lower wing, and not part of the fuselage itself. The way I see it, I'll have to glue up the fuselage sides and then install that assembly on the lower wing.
With the rudder pedals attached to the lower wing, I can't see how I could draw it's control cables taut with the fuselage installed, so I used 0.10" plastic rod with 0.5 mm brass tubing for the cables. As they remain straight and level, I can just feed them into the fuselage under the seat.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-040.jpg)
All I did with the control stick was wrap the handle with a thin strip of masking tape, add a cable to the lever, and add two control cables. Once again, because the cable is rolled wire, it'll also stay straight, so I can feed it into the fuselage under the seat too.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/cockpit-27Apr12-034.jpg)
It's my hope that these straight pieces of plastic rod and wire should give the illusion of taut cables when looking into the cockpit. Time will tell.
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris,
Excellent update my friend. I think the idea of using the 0.10 rod for your control cable is an excellent idea.As always quality work.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Those look great. Thats going to be lots of feeding lol......
Steve
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chris, the cables look great! By the way the wood grain on your floor is fantastic! Well done as always ;)
RAGIII
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Hello Chris:
This is coming along nicely. Your work is very nice, the wood grain, the control cables, very clean and neat. Looking forward to seeing how this all comes together.
Best
Mark
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After posting a question in another thread, I've taken some of the advice proffered and gone ahead and installed the acetate viewing port.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/VisionPort.jpg)
I pre-painted the edges of the viewing port in the front deck, dipped the piece of clear acetate in Future (twice) and then super glued it in place on the inside. It worked! There was absolutely no frosting from the super glue, as you can see on the left side of the composite image above.
Seeing how that worked so well, I picked up a bottle of Micro Mask at the LHS (it's all he carries) and I brushed it on over the acetate, burying a piece of thread within it. If this goes well, I should be able to pull the masking off the acetate with the piece of thread, thereby eliminating the possibility of scratching it with the tip of a hobby knife.
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris,
The viewing port instalation looks great my old friend. That's an excellent tip on using a bit of thread to help pull up your masking.I normally use a blunted tooth pick to remove mine never an xacto. With my luck I'd cut myself and still srcatch the acetate.
Highest Regards.
Gregory Jouette
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cool chris looks like you got it sewed up. i always liked that se5a scheme, little diff from all the drab pc-10 stuff.
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Thanks very much for documenting this for us in picture and word. A bloke can't go wrong paying attention to your solutions. :)
Well done.
Paddy
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Looks great!!!
Steve
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Thanks very much for documenting this for us in picture and word. A bloke can't go wrong paying attention to your solutions. :)
Well done.
Paddy
I can't take credit for the solutions Paddy. Among the many good suggestions I received, it was Piltdownman (Trevor) who came up with the thread idea here.
http://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=180.0
Cheers,
Chris
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Nicely done, Chris ;)
You are doing great work! Long may it continue.
BVB
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Enjoying following you along on this one,Chris. Very nice work and a very unique scheme. Looking forward to the completion.
Cheers,
Lance :)
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Hi Chris,
Thanks for passing on the thread tip, this will be very useful.
The perspex window looks really nice, I'm looking forward to seeing the red scheme on this one.
Best Regards
Keith
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Looking very good so far Chris, love the attention to detail, are you going to paint it red? If I remember correctly I think I read somewhere that the plane wasn't painted red until 1919, after the war, but I could be wrong about this, perhaps somebody else could throw some light on the subject.
Cheers
Pete.
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Looking very good so far Chris, love the attention to detail, are you going to paint it red? If I remember correctly I think I read somewhere that the plane wasn't painted red until 1919, after the war, but I could be wrong about this, perhaps somebody else could throw some light on the subject.
Yes, I'm going with the postwar red scheme. My understanding is that this occurred soon after the armistice.
Cheers,
Chris
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Looking very good so far Chris, love the attention to detail, are you going to paint it red? If I remember correctly I think I read somewhere that the plane wasn't painted red until 1919, after the war, but I could be wrong about this, perhaps somebody else could throw some light on the subject.
Yes, I'm going with the postwar red scheme. My understanding is that this occurred soon after the armistice.
Cheers,
Chris
Yes this was my understanding as well, that the plane was painted red in very late 1918 and carried the colour over to 1919 when he flew the red plane on his posting to Egypt, but there again I'm not too sure if this is correct.
Cheers
Pete.
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I Might Be Wrong Here - But I Think They Give Us Instructions For A Reason :o
I shot a couple of coats of Tamiya Flat Red on my fuselage, and was pretty happy with the result. That was until I looked at the instructions and suddenly realized that the headrest that I had installed wasn't supposed to be there. Seriously. :o What to do?
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/fuselage-05May12-001.jpg)
Well, there was nothing to do but remove it, and that called for some delicate work. So, armed with a my trusty pair of plyers, I ripped it right off. Luckily, I had glued it on so well that it only took four applications of the pliers to get it all off. :'(
After taking the image below, I noticed that there was a small sunken mark on the left side of the fuselage so I decided to address that too. Never having tried correction fluid as a filler, I gave it a shot and it really does work quite well.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/fuselage-05May12-003.jpg)
Let's have another look at those instructions, just for the fun of it, says I. Hmmm . . . it seems that I had also forgotten to apply a giant white 'W' on the top wing! Well, well, isn't that just lovely, especially since I had sealed the wing after considering it to be completed.
After the requisite sanding of the fuselage, I'm ready to mask it again and re-shoot the red. I've also brushed a liberal coat of Future on the wing, so I can apply the 'W'.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/fuselage-05May12-007.jpg)
You know, I think they really do expect me to read their instructions. One of these days, I probably will. ;D
Cheers,
Chris
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When all else fails.......Looks good anyways
Steve
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chris, good to see you are recovering from your small issues ! The overall painting looks grreat. Like your choice of PC10 and the red is a good match for roundel red.
RAGIII
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Looking good Chris, shame about the 'hump', hope it turns out OK.
Cheers
Pete.
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You really do excellant work Chris. It seems the only place you're deficient is in you reading skills or is that attention skills? ::) Just joshin'ya.
It’s coming along grand. Fun to watch and read too. ;D
Paddy :)
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Looking good, there Chris -
I would not worry about the mistakes - we all seem to make one or two during a build. In fact, I never fail to be amazed at how they just seem to creep up an bite you - one of those arghhhhh!!! moments. They always seem to get resolved in the end though.
Just be aware (I've recently built the Hisso engine version of this SE5a Roden kit) that with the engine fitted, the cowling covers do not fit well.
Good luck with the rest of the build - will look forward to seeing the end result of all your hard work.
Dave
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Thanks for your support guys. None of my issues in building this kit are attributable to the kit, but instead, I shoulder all the blame. Part of the fun with these build logs is to tell you fellows about all of the trials and tribulations I encounter along the way. If you get a smile or two when reading about them, then it might keep you coming back to see if I ever do end up with something that resembles an S.E.5a.
Full steam ahead and damn the instructions! ;D
Cheers,
Chris
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Thanks for your support guys. None of my issues in building this kit are attributable to the kit, but instead, I shoulder all the blame. Part of the fun with these build logs is to tell you fellows about all of the trials and tribulations I encounter along the way. If you get a smile or two when reading about them, then it might keep you coming back to see if I ever do end up with something that resembles an S.E.5a.
Full steam ahead and damn the instructions! ;D
Cheers,
Chris
Chris, this is one of the things I love about your builds! Makes me realize just how "Normal" my building experiences are. If you ever want a giggle go back and read some of my IM build reviews. I am quite honest in them about MY Mistakes and screw ups, try to make it humerous most of the time ::)
RAGIII
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Thanks for the refreshing humility Chris ;)
Enjoying your build, warts and all!! ;D
Andrew
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Yes I have screw ups as well, but don't you guys find that the screw ups occur when you have a beautifully finished part that you are assembling to another beautifully finished part and grrrr a wayward blob of glue spoils the finish on one of the parts, the air turns blue, the wife leaves home and the dog seeks refuge in the garden and so it goes on.
Cheers
Pete.
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Oh, Pete -
I could not agree more, mate -
During these times, I get the bit from the wife along the lines of 'I thought model making was supposed to be a relaxing hobby - it's only a model so why are you getting so cross?'
If only non-modellers could understand all the hard work and effort that goes into it......................
Chris - apologies for hijacking your thread, mate.
Regards
Dave
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The 5a is looking grand Chris, I really like the red you are using, this will be one very smart looking model when she is finished. Mistakes, errors, blues, hiccups, these are all defined as being a learning curve, we learn by these trials and tribulations and end up as being better modelers and better prepared for the next challenge. You show tremendous talent by how you overcome these little bumps in the road, your skills as a WW1 aircraft modeler are certainly shining through.
Des.
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Yes I have screw ups as well, but don't you guys find that the screw ups occur when you have a beautifully finished part that you are assembling to another beautifully finished part and grrrr a wayward blob of glue spoils the finish on one of the parts, the air turns blue, the wife leaves home and the dog seeks refuge in the garden and so it goes on.
Cheers
Pete.
As a matter of fact, I just dropped my completed Viper engine on the concrete floor of my workshop after clear coating it. :o My wife said she almost jumped out of her chair when she heard the string of curses eminating from the basement. The engine is repairable (already done) and as I'm no fool, I'll be making dinner reservations shortly. ;D
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Sorry to hear that Chris. I do know how one of those crash and burn, heart stopping episodes goes, but in this case I'm thankful to hear it turned out to be a small crash causing a short delay in your progress. Do feel you’re proceeding in the correct manner for sure. ;D ;D ;D
Paddy
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Chris,
Curses eminating from the basement, Oh my. I do feel your pain my modeling brother. I'm glad to hear the incident was recoverable and your Viper is now as good as new. But on to happier subjects, I love your red fuselage,the shade of red used reminds me RLM 23 "Rot". All and all with all the ups and downs this is still one outstanding project my old friend. Looking forward to the next updates.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Yes I have screw ups as well, but don't you guys find that the screw ups occur when you have a beautifully finished part that you are assembling to another beautifully finished part and grrrr a wayward blob of glue spoils the finish on one of the parts, the air turns blue, the wife leaves home and the dog seeks refuge in the garden and so it goes on.
Cheers
Pete.
As a matter of fact, I just dropped my completed Viper engine on the concrete floor of my workshop after clear coating it. :o My wife said she almost jumped out of her chair when she heard the string of curses eminating from the basement. The engine is repairable (already done) and as I'm no fool, I'll be making dinner reservations shortly. ;D
Chris, dont know if you remember my posting my SE5a "That Didnt make it" thread on the other site but the short story is: The model was rigged and just awaiting touch up. I turned in my chair and knocked the model off of my display case with the chair back! TOTAL LOSS!!!! So.... Your mishap ain't so bad .... right? :-X
RAGIII
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Chris, dont know if you remember my posting my SE5a "That Didnt make it" thread on the other site but the short story is: The model was rigged and just awaiting touch up. I turned in my chair and knocked the model off of my display case with the chair back! TOTAL LOSS!!!! So.... Your mishap ain't so bad .... right? :-X
RAGIII
Whoa! My goof ups definitely don't measure up to that disaster, and I hope they never do. I'm betting that you weren't particularly happy about that incident.
Cheers,
Chris
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How was dinner? Its amazing how relaxing this hobby can be.......
Steve
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How was dinner? Its amazing how relaxing this hobby can be.......
Steve
I'll wait for Mother's Day on Sunday and kill two birds with one stone. ;)
Hmmm . . . I'm still waiting for the relaxing part to start! :P
Cheers,
Chris
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there are no problems only solutions.
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there are no problems only solutions.
Very well said Scott.
Des.
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Things are progressing, although not as well as I'd have hoped. I encountered my usual issues with Roden decals when I added the first of the stripes at the rear of the fuselage and it disintegrated. I ended up painting all four stripes instead. The 'W' and 'Schweinhund' decals also disintegrated to a lesser degree so I was able to patch them with white paint. Unfortunately, despite several applications of gloss coats, all decals have silvered a bit at points around their edges.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/fuselage-14May12-033.jpg)
The cabane struts are wound with masking tape and painted and weathered with various Tamiya colours. There are no locating guides to obtain the correct angles for these struts, so I measured the distances between the mounting holes in the top wing and set the struts accordingly. Hopefully, they'll be close to correct but I'm not holding my breath. I also cut some pressed strengthening ribs into the front face of the fuel tank.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/fuselage-14May12-031.jpg)
The engine fit perfectly into the fuselage, but I'm not even going to try to install the covers as I can tell that my sparkplug wiring would interfere with them. I like to see the engine anyways and have always left them exposed in my previous builds.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/fuselage-14May12-028.jpg)
The seatbelts are from HGW and I had to cheat a bit with them as by the time they arrived in the mail, the fuselage was already buttoned up. I still need to weather and seal them.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/fuselage-14May12-038.jpg)
In this last image, I've just shown the tailplane press fit in place. I still need to do some further detail work there before I finalize it. Next step is to figure out the rigging mounting points and install all of the eyelets.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/fuselage-14May12-021.jpg)
Thanks for looking.
Cheeers,
Chris
P.S. This thing is aptly named! It's definitely a schweinhund to me!
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Chris,
She's one outstanding bird my old friend. I really love that red fuselage,what red did you use?
Highest Regards ,
Gregory Jouette
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Sorry to hear about the failing decals Chris but in spite of that she’s looking good. Those seat belts from HGW give that extra detail I believe. Sounds like you have a handle on the strut locating issue.
Looking forward to seeing more of your progress.
Paddy
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Chris,
Ahhh, the joys of Roden's decals! I've built two Roden kits and like them a lot however, as I said in another forum, the best qualities they have are restricted to their filling capability in a garbage can! Not a slam on Roden but hopefully they eventually change suppliers, the decals are unusable and I've tried every trick in the book to no avail. My DIII and DRI have a mix of Pheon and WNW spares; I did manage to repair the shattered "Winged Sword" fuselage emblem on my DIII however the paint literally peeled from the walls of my den from the verbal tyrade that occurred.
Your build is looking very nice indeed despite the set backs; quick question if I may: I used tamiya tape to wrap the cabane struts on my WNW SE5a, what did you use and did you seal or overcoat them?........they look great BTW.
Looking forward to more progress photos, she's going to be striking in red.
Cheers,
Lance
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Chris,
She's one outstanding bird my old friend. I really love that red fuselage,what red did you use?
Highest Regards ,
Gregory Jouette
Thanks for your generous comments Gregory but this kite is fighting me every step of the way. I used Tamiya Flat for the fuselage.
Cheers,
Chris
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Sounds like you have a handle on the strut locating issue.
You have more confidence in their placement than I do Paddy. I'm hoping for the best!
Cheers,
Chris
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Chris,
Ahhh, the joys of Roden's decals! I've built two Roden kits and like them a lot however, as I said in another forum, the best qualities they have are restricted to their filling capability in a garbage can! Not a slam on Roden but hopefully they eventually change suppliers, the decals are unusable and I've tried every trick in the book to no avail. My DIII and DRI have a mix of Pheon and WNW spares; I did manage to repair the shattered "Winged Sword" fuselage emblem on my DIII however the paint literally peeled from the walls of my den from the verbal tyrade that occurred.
Your build is looking very nice indeed despite the set backs; quick question if I may: I used tamiya tape to wrap the cabane struts on my WNW SE5a, what did you use and did you seal or overcoat them?........they look great BTW.
Looking forward to more progress photos, she's going to be striking in red.
Cheers,
Lance
I used thin strips of Tamiya tape too. I just glued the tail end of the pieces to the strut with superglue and painted right over them, forgoing the sealer. I wondered if the paint would cause the glue on the tape to fail, but it didn't. I may have lucked out there!
I wish that Roden would include something like Pheon or Cartograph decals too, but my understanding is that as it's a Ukrainian company, it's required to use decals produced in the Ukraine. After completing my Dr.I, I swore that I'd never use them again, but here I am struggling with them again. If there is a next time, I'm going to seal the entire sheet first, with the hope that it prevents the decals from self-destruction.
Cheers,
Chris
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You're cruising along quite nicely Chris, the fuselage colour is excellent and the engine looks terrific sitting in position. Don't you just love those seat belts, easy to use and adds so much to the model. I'm looking forward to seeing your next update, very well done so far.
Des.
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She looks great despite the struggles. I suggest we put a Roden-athon thread together with all the different woes..could be fun reading.
Steve
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i'm not sure but roden may have changed their decals. i decaled my roden dh-9 today and not a crack. in the past i have also had the roden decals shatter. i did option 3 in the kit so there were roundels the tail flag and these long blue arrows with white outline. they all went on without a hitch, they responded well to micro set and conformed to the raised ridge down the fuselage. i did my typical future,decals,future,dullcote method and there is no silvering either. perhaps they are using a new company or the old guys upgraded their gear?
by the way your se5a looks great chris
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The Cabane Struts look really effective Chris and the colour of the fuse is very striking - she's going to look great when finished, well worth the tribulations ;)
Andrew
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Looking very nice now Chris, very effective lagging on the struts.
Cheers
Pete.
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Chris,
Good luck with the rest of this project. It's coming along just fine regardless of the small setbacks now and then. Thanks for being so detailed in this thread!
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I generally avoid British subjects, owing to the rather bland appearance they oftentimes had (just a personal thing with me), but this is going to be one colorful machine. I'll watch with keen interest. Nice job so far, keep it up.
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I generally avoid British subjects, owing to the rather bland appearance they oftentimes had (just a personal thing with me), but this is going to be one colorful machine. I'll watch with keen interest. Nice job so far, keep it up.
Kevin,
For the most part I'm with you on the subject of British types my old friend. The French types are my favorites with 4 or 5 color camouflage schemes.That being said the German types aren't too shabby either.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Bland!!!? We prefer to think of Allied schemes as - reserved. Have you seen the Pup trainer schemes that Pheon does?
Steve
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It's been awhile since I've posted anything, so thanks for dropping by and leaving your comments gents. After building three German aeroplanes now, I have to admit to a developing fondness for their colourful schemes. That in turn has led me to building this machine.
I've been busy with the model on almost a daily basis but it's been small steps everyday. As for the struts I installed in my last update, they had no inherent strength, so I removed them. I installed the top wing relying only the outboard struts, and then I fitted the cabanes. That worked much better than the first go-round. After I got a handle on the rigging runs, I rigged the cabanes first, then the flying wires, and finally the landing wires. It was only when I got around to the landing wires that I realized just how important it is to ensure proper placement of all of the eyelets in the wings. Luckily for me, the flying and landing wires didn't interfere with each other. No planning skill there; just pure luck!
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Rigged-27May12-011.jpg)
The rigging is all 2lb Maxima Chameleon with 0.5 mm brass tubing turnbuckles and connectors. The line is painted with Mr. Color Steel. Along the way, I only managed to pull out three eyelets when applying tension to the lines. I'm improving!
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Rigged-27May12-003.jpg)
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Rigged-27May12-010.jpg)
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Rigged-27May12-009.jpg)
If you look closely at the trailing edge of the bottom wing, just left of the fuselage, you'll see a bit of a mark. After installing all of the lines, the left side cabane rigging had loosened up a bit so I needed to tighten them. Having read here about using a heat source to shrink the monofilament, I decided to try that myself. No one smokes in our family, we don't burn candles, and I have an electric start barbeque so there wasn't a match or lighter to be found in the house.
Hmmm . . . that soldering iron in my workshop looks like it's tailor made to do the job! ;) And it did . . . but I managed to touch the trailing edge of the wing with the shaft, leaving a 'lovely' scallop that needed to be fixed. :o :o Looks like I'll need to touch that up a bit more. :P
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Rigged-27May12-008.jpg)
The decals in this kit continue to give me fits. This time, while painting the rigging, I discovered that the red centre circle from the right side fuselage roundel was now firmly attached to my thumb. ??? :o This after the application of three clear coats to seal it! Luckily, I was able to find another red circle to repair the damage, but I've officially lost all patience with Roden decals. I like the kits, but I cringe at the thoughts of using any of their decals.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Rigged-27May12-007.jpg)
Next comes the tail and then the undercarriage. Thanks for stopping by and having a look. I'm still having a blast with 'Schweinhund' despite those decals!
Cheers,
Chris
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Thats looking really impressive. Youre in the home stretch. The decal warning(s) are well heeded. Im just not going to use them-EVER!!!
Steve
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She's looking grand Chris ;)
Andrew
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Chris,
Ah, the memories. The 5a is a "Beach" to rig for sure however you've got her beat by the looks of it. As for the Roden Decals, been there and done that and here's the T-Shirt to prove it etc. etc. As I said before, have a really good shredder on hand and step one is to get rid of them; they'll give you grief one way or another guaranteed!! You've done a wonderful job with this kit, strongly recommend you take on the WNW Version soon as a "treat" to yourself, I think you'll like it a lot!
Cheers,
Lance
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Chris ,
The ol'Girl sure is looking outstanding. Her rigging is just fantastic. As a whole the project shows your high level craftsmanship and modeling skills mu old friend. I'll also chime with Lance,please do treat youself to the WNW SE-5a. Somewhere down the line and you're feeling adventurous take the WNW kit and convert her to SE-5 configuration.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Lovely work on the rigging Chris, you really have mastered the technique with excellent results. Can't wait to see her up on her legs and to have the tail finished, it is a very eye catching colour scheme, very well done so far.
Des.
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Chris, that looks outstanding, sorry to hear about the mishap with the soldering iron, perhaps the next time you are by a supermarket, pop in and get yourself a bag of tealights, the small, shallow candles in the metal holders, you get quite a few in a bag and they are reasonably priced.
Cheers
Pete.
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Chris,
This one is continuing to look most impressive! Your rigging is excellent. As for a heat source another option is incense sticks. Inexpensive, easy to control, and work great!
RAGIII
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Chris, she’s looking good. Love your dialog, the sharing of detail, your sense of humor, and most of all how you
hang tough until you’ve wrestled the bear to the ground. Great work buddy. :)
Paddy
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Chris,
We seem to share a penchant for finding obstacles and falling into deep pits of adversity. As Paddy alluded to, it ain't the finish, it's the "getting there" that matters and you are doing a great job on this one!
Cheers,
Lance ;)
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Bland!!!? We prefer to think of Allied schemes as - reserved. Have you seen the Pup trainer schemes that Pheon does?
Steve
Yes, quite outrageous they are too. I've considered doing one in fact. Perhaps reserved is a better word at that. My bad!
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Steve: I know that some modellers have no real problems with Roden decals, but for me, they're just pure trouble. If you look at the fuselage roundel you can see how it's off register, and it's not the only one. The worst aspect though is that they're prone to disintegrate as soon as you try to position them.
Andrew: You're too kind, but thanks!
Lance: I'm looking at the WnW kit but I think I'll take a bit of a break with something else before building it. I'm about S.E.ed out right now. Good to hear that I'm not alone in finding those pits of adversity! They're like a magnet for me.
Gregory: Hmmm . . . S.E.5a to S.E.5 configuration, eh? This could be a good choice for my first aircraft conversion project. I'll have to look into the complexity to see if I could handle it.
Des: I only have your tutorials to thank for any modest success I've had in learning how to rig. No need to look over your shoulder yet though as I'm still an awful long way behind yet. ;D
Pete: How do you get a tea light in-between the rigging? I'd have the whole kite on fire in no time! :o
RAG III: I'll keep those incense sticks in mind. Saaay, you weren't at Woodstock in a flower-power microbus were you? ;D
Paddy: We should never lose sight of the fact that this is just a hobby. I learned a long time ago to laugh at myself.
Today I installed the tail assembly. Rather than torture myself with the tricolour decals for the rudder, I took the easy way out and masked and painted it. I still have to paint the rigging so it's difficult to see in these images, but it's there! I also added the undercarriage and I used two part epoxy for that job to ensure everything is good and sturdy. I'll brace it tomorrow.
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Rigged-28May12-007.jpg)
(http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l474/ChrisJohnson56/Rigged-28May12-005.jpg)
All of a sudden, the old girl is starting to take shape.
Cheers,
Chris
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Very much. She looks wonderful!!
Steve
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More excellent work.
Is it just the picture or is the fuselage glossier red at the front then at the back?
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A few more steps Chris and she will be done, it is looking really good now.
Des.
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Chris,
Beautiful work my old friend. It won't be long now and she'll be a done deal.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Top drawer Chris. She's looking right smart.
Paddy
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More excellent work.
Is it just the picture or is the fuselage glossier red at the front then at the back?
It's just light and shadow playing its usual tricks.
Cheers,
Chris
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Taking shape indeed! This is a great build and thread. Really nice to see it all come together...
Keep posting,
Dan
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Chris,
What do you use to paint your rigging? If there's one "code I need to crack" that's it; just plain unhappy with results to date. I've tried both enamal and acrylics, thinner, thicker, and in between and also various permanent markers. Any advice most welcome. Oh, and she's still looking very good!
Cheers,
Lance
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Chris,
What do you use to paint your rigging? If there's one "code I need to crack" that's it; just plain unhappy with results to date. I've tried both enamal and acrylics, thinner, thicker, and in between and also various permanent markers. Any advice most welcome. Oh, and she's still looking very good!
Cheers,
Lance
I use Mr. Color 'Steel' which is a lacquer. Again, I have to give credit where credit is due as it was Des who tipped me to it. He actually uses Mr. Color 'Stainless Steel' but my LHS doesn't have that colour, so this was the next best thing. I dip my brush in lacquer thinner and then into the paint and it flows on very nicely, and dries almost instantaneously. It put an end to those unsightly globs that I used to end up with from Tamiya or Humbrol paint.
Cheers,
Chris
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Hi Chris,
You have tickled the old girl into shape and tickling great she looks - well done!
Von Buckle ;)
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Really nice Chris,
You have made a cracking job if getting this together, I know that the Roden kits are not the easiest of builds.
Keep up the good work, your nearly at the finish line.
Best Regards
Keith
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Chris,
Let me know if you want some SE.5 drawings and such my old friend. From what I can tell the conversion is very doable. "Schweinhund" looks awesome in red.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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It does indeed look an awesome build. I certainly would be interested in a conversion as I wouldn't fancy the battles Chris has had with this kit.
I have to say he's done a cracking job.
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Thanks for the info on Mr. Color. I've never been able to locate it here but will be visiting a different shop tomorrow; hopefully I'll spot some.
Cheers,
Lance
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Thanks for all the comments guys. I appreciate your interest and support during this project. I've added all of the last minute detail parts along with the propeller and spinner. As the final step, I gave the model a coat of Satin Clear, and she's done. All that's left to be done is to move her over to the 'Completed Models' board.
Cheers,
Chris
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First rate build, Mr. ex-OPP! If nothing else, I've learned from this thread to forego Roden kits and keep zeroed in on the Wingnut offerings. Two or three more to come, and I should be set for the next few years. Super work, Chris! 8)
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First rate build, Mr. ex-OPP! If nothing else, I've learned from this thread to forego Roden kits and keep zeroed in on the Wingnut offerings. Two or three more to come, and I should be set for the next few years. Super work, Chris! 8)
Trackpad,
I agree that Roden Kits can be a challenge however they do a number of things well: (my opinion only)
- Subject matter is very good; for eg. their Alb DIII. recent Nieuport releases, Tripehound and SSW DIII are all unique at this point. I've only built the Alb. DIII and It's a pretty good kit, the rest seem to Review from average to "pretty darn good".
- some things are actually done better, albeit marginally, then their big competitor,WNW. Getting "into the weeds" I believe they did a better job on the flight control column/joystick on their Albatros DIII then the WNW DV/DVa kits as just one example.
Someone remarked earlier on that Roden started the 1:32 trend in WWI Modeling and that is no doubt true. They really put us "on the map".
You are right on the mark, I too far prefer the WNW Kits, they cannot be beat. On the other hand if WNW doesn't put out a kit of what I'm after, I'll go Roden and pay the price. I guess we get spoiled by such supurb products as WNW; and now I see on another thread that one of their supurb kits is listed OOP!?!! I guess what I'm saying is (IMHO) grab all the WNW boxes you can but don't totally exclude the "Ukranian Connection" , they provide a pretty reasonable product (excluding those horribly deficient decals!)
Cheers,
Lance
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Chris,
OOps, sorry! Forgot to include in the foregoing, the "Red SE5a" is looking mighty handsome, you've done a marvellous job and not without a lot of setbacks. Unusual scheme, less the optimum Kit, several set backs and you've still come up with a winner.
I'd certainly be real proud to have her in my collection. Nice work!
Cheers,
Lance
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Trackpad,
I agree that Roden Kits can be a challenge however they do a number of things well: (my opinion only)
- Subject matter is very good; for eg. their Alb DIII. recent Nieuport releases, Tripehound and SSW DIII are all unique at this point. I've only built the Alb. DIII and It's a pretty good kit, the rest seem to Review from average to "pretty darn good".
- some things are actually done better, albeit marginally, then their big competitor,WNW. Getting "into the weeds" I believe they did a better job on the flight control column/joystick on their Albatros DIII then the WNW DV/DVa kits as just one example.
Someone remarked earlier on that Roden started the 1:32 trend in WWI Modeling and that is no doubt true. They really put us "on the map".
You are right on the mark, I too far prefer the WNW Kits, they cannot be beat. On the other hand if WNW doesn't put out a kit of what I'm after, I'll go Roden and pay the price. I guess we get spoiled by such supurb products as WNW; and now I see on another thread that one of their supurb kits is listed OOP!?!! I guess what I'm saying is (IMHO) grab all the WNW boxes you can but don't totally exclude the "Ukranian Connection" , they provide a pretty reasonable product (excluding those horribly deficient decals!)
Cheers,
Lance
Hi, Lance,
All good points, and I agree. In my case, for example, I was about to try the Roden Sopwith Triplane, and then WNW came out with the news that they'd be doing one as well. And then they also said that the Snipe was on the way. With the 2.5 metric tonnes of plastic in my loft, I can afford to wait for these to arrive, maybe to be accompanied by the Fokker DVII. I've already done the Roden Fokker Triplane, and so have a bit of an idea about their kits. Don't get me wrong: I'm not knocking the Roden lineup per se. They are all right for what you get. But if I have a choice (and the time to make it) between "pretty good" (not mentioning the decals!) and "Gawdawful good" I'll go with the latter. As you say, "The Ukrainian Connection" does have its niche! ;D
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Trackpad,
We are unanimous in that! I too have the Roden Sopwith Tripe and as soon as WNW announced their version down the road I'm afraid the other version was doomed to the stash pile/spares box for life. If Roden had a 1;32 Camel I swear I'd buy two just so WNW would immediately release one!
Cheers,
Lance :) ;)
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Chris! So glad you got her done. For some reason I've missed every single post after page 1, in spite of having 'Notify' selected. I'm so sorry. Could've helped you through the pastel process. It should go on a matt finish, not gloss. The pastels go on more evenly and the masking tape won't adhere so aggressivly. Still, you did a marvelous job and the results are superb. I look forward to your next build.
Cheers,
Bud
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Chris! So glad you got her done. For some reason I've missed every single post after page 1, in spite of having 'Notify' selected. I'm so sorry. Could've helped you through the pastel process. It should go on a matt finish, not gloss. The pastels go on more evenly and the masking tape won't adhere so aggressivly. Still, you did a marvelous job and the results are superb. I look forward to your next build.
Cheers,
Bud
Hi Bud,
While the pastel process didn't go as well as I had hoped, the problem sure wasn't with the process itself, but just a result of my negligence. I finally figured out that the paint lifting I experienced was a direct result of forgetting to wash the wings before painting them. I washed all of the other parts and had absolutely no difficulties with paint lifting so it has to be the source of my issues on the wings. I know I can do a better job next time around, and I will!
Cheers,
Chris
Cheers,
Chris