Hi all - recently I reviewed the re-release of the Eduard Albatros DV, kit 8113:
https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=13239.0As part of that review, I promised a build log. Well, here it is!
Up front, I want to state that this is a build of a kit provided free to the forum by Eduard as one of our sponsors (and many thanks again to them for the kit). As a kit provided by a sponsor, i'll state that I did not pay for the kit personally, though I may have paid for some of the bits and bobs i'll add along the way.
Now, that aside - I've built a few of these kits before. They go together well, and without a hitch. I decided that I'll make a couple of enhancements along the way; noting too serious, but a few tweaks along the way.
I've started with the cockpit. Out of the box, the kit cockpit is quite comprehensive, with nothing really needing to be added. I did decide though to replace the kit floor and rear bulkhead with items scratch built from sheet and strip plastic. The only reason I really did this was to crisp up a little bit of the detail, and more accurately represent the cockpit floor, which only stretched across one fuselage frame and not two frames in the fuselage as is provided in the kit. The bulkhead behind the pilot seat is likewise moulded as a solid piece in the kit. This is generally correct, as this was a fabric covered panel. I decided to 'remove the fabric', so to speak. I used the kit part as a template for the shape and hollowed out the centre. I also used the forward cockpit floor bulkhead as a template, and added the seat rails from brass rod and foil. I also did the same for the bulkhead that holds the ammunition boxes and oil / fuel tanks. Again, not really necessary (as the kit parts are perfectly fine, buried away in the fuselage), but I wanted to give it a go. Again, I used the kit parts as a template:
The fuselage sides were detailed with strip, to help them 'pop' under paint and a wash. I also added the omitted diagonal structural reinforcements, which the moulded interior omits.
And squeezed into the fuselage:
This should give me a solid basis for more details.
Again, not a huge amount of progress, but I really wanted to get this build log started, so here we are
Feedback and hints / tips always welcomed.
Cheers!
BC