forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Paper and Card models => Topic started by: DMPopa on May 22, 2024, 08:13:37 AM
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I am new to this forum and this is my first post. This will be a build log of the Orlik Phonix D.I in 1:33 scale. I am doing a repaint using a skin of the Otto Kullas Phonix DI taken from the website www.ss1946.com. Wish me luck.
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Sweet! I have this model too and looks like a nice kit. Can't wait to see your recolor. Will you recolor with an airbrush or do you have the skills to do it digitally? That's a skill I wish I had.
Welcome aboard!
Dan
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I use GIMP to do what I am calling a repaint. I take the downloaded Phonix DI skin and overlay and match the kit graphics which in GIMP is a separate layer. I made a change to upper wing as I decided to render it as a single piece as opposed to the three piece upper wing from the kit.
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This is a picture of part of the repaint.
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Very interesting to see what you can do with paper models. Best of luck with the rest of the build.
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I have a question, how does Insert Image work. I see on other posts that an image is included including an attachment. I tried dragging the image and doing copy and paste but nothing seems to work.
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Hi DM!
I go down below this text box to the "Attachments and other options". Click on that. Then go down to "Browse" under the Attach header. You can click more attachments as you go. It is restricted in that you can only post up to 5 images in one post and the size needs to be small.
I hope this helps/works. Can't wait to see your Phonix.
Dan
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I learned how to attach images. There is a discussion in my Introduction page as to how to add pictures to a post.
Modeling requires an inquiring mind, a mind that frequently asks "how did you do that". I never knew that there were applications where pictures are archived for use in providing links in other applications, like a forum.
These images are of the Phonix DI repainting I am doing. Most probably I will be making changes as I build the model.
(https://i.imgur.com/NJlloHb.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ChQImLW.jpg)
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Look like we have another Matt77 in our midst! Really nice renderings!
Dan
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Hear hear! This is an excellent concept and really opens up the opportunities for the prospective builder (if they have the skills or can find someone willing to assist).
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The fuselage structure is made using repainted versions of the kit pieces glued to 0.02" thick cardboard. I have had good success with this thickness cardboard as it matches pretty closely with the thickness consistent with the thickness printed on most kit parts. I source my cardboard from promotional materials I acquired General Electric Power System Promotional materials. Cheap is good. The cardboard is sandwiched between layers of a slick paper material, which perhaps adds to its good properties, although I have to rough up the gluing surfaces to ensure good adhesion.
The structure is in two parts, behind the instrument panel and at the instrument and forward.
(https://i.imgur.com/Ct15jil.jpg)
The cockpit is repainted in parts but structurally is the same as the kit design. I did not do any research so to make modifications to make the cockpit more accurate. I deviated from the kit assembly by attaching the instrument panel to the front structure. The kit design has the instrument panel attached at the right and left ends into notches cut into the two sides of the fusulage structure. I thought this to be two weak and I also wanted to be able to line up the instrument panel top surface with the rest of the structure so the interface to the fuselage covering along the width of the fuselage would be smooth. I smooth out the structure using sanding sticks so strong is good.
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I added an additional piece under the engine support to the instrument panel bulkhead as the kit design is two weak at this location.
(https://i.imgur.com/VDxMMAZ.jpg)
I test fit the side pieces to the forward structure and I cut the notches at the bulkhead a little higher to ensure that the side pieces will fit correctly. As originally made up the side pieces would hang down too low.
(https://i.imgur.com/NT4zVHv.jpg)
At the rearward fuselage structure, I sanded the top joint using a sanding stick wo ensure that the fuselage covering to follow will be smooth at this location.
(https://i.imgur.com/y5efT4J.jpg)
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Looking great! I'm glad you can post pics now.
Dan
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I don't build paper models but it's fascinating to see how you guys put them together. You have a lot in common with the folks who do scratchbuilding.
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I attached the side piece of the front fuselage structure by gluing and pinning into place. The front of the fuselage structure has a rather severe curve that the flat side has to conform to. Kind of like bending a plank on a plank and bulkhead ship model. I used T pins for this operation.
(https://i.imgur.com/LXFJWzO.jpeg)
The side piece has to line up accurately with the structure it is being glued and pined to, especially at the forward position. The pins help keep the cardboard side piece in place while the glue dries. For glue I use Aleene's Tacky Glue which I can buy a 3 fl oz for $1.25. To cut the cardboard I use an Excel #2 medium duty knife.
(https://i.imgur.com/Mz3ma7G.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/1yiXxfp.jpg)
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I glued in place the rear part of the fuselage structure to the side panel. To ensure a tight fit and good alignment, I pinned the side panel in place as I did the forward part.
The kit has the seat sitting on a representation of a single board that is glued to each side panel. Since I am working on one side at a time, I added another piece of cardboard structure under the seat and glued this piece, and the single board to the side of the panel.
(https://i.imgur.com/ysAX5rf.jpg)
This is the fuselage structure with the left side panel glued in place. To achieve a good alignment, I trimmed the cockpit floor to shorten the distance between the forward structure and the rear structure. Always pays to test fit everything before gluing.
(https://i.imgur.com/naQu9th.jpg)
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Taking pictures of airplane details and blowing up the views makes me see things that do not look very pretty in retrospect. One area is the instrument panel. The instrument panel looked too dull and the attachment points of the black levers was very messy. I smoothed out the attachment points and added gloss, first applying Testors Glosscoat followed with several coats of Future Floor Wax. The reason for first coating with the Glosscoat is because putting the Future Floor Wax directly on inject printed graphics causes the ink to be activated, i.e. it liquifies and smears. The result is still not as good as I would like, so next time I will try printing the instrument panel on photo paper, the glossy version.
(https://i.imgur.com/HesLVdw.jpeg)
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Adding the right side panel , pinning the panel to the bulkheads.
(https://i.imgur.com/3fomrca.jpeg)
Adding the bottom panel, also pinning the panel to the bulkheads
(https://i.imgur.com/QUgHA8P.jpeg)
Next step is to add a glaze to the seam lines and the pin holes. Then sand the joints smooth, first using 220 grit and following up with 800 grit. The bottom. panel was a bit wide, so the edges that protruded past the side panels need to be sanded to shape. The thinner paper skins that will be glued on top of the fuslage structure will look much better if the prep work is done right.
(https://i.imgur.com/X5FiK9t.jpg)
The glaze I use is MH Ready Patch, a household glaze that is targeted to wall repair. This glaze goes on smooth, dries hard, does not shrink, sands smooth and is a white color. Plus it comes in a big can that can be put to other uses around the house. I am a sucker for non-hobby specific products that does the job and is cheap and easy to get.
(https://i.imgur.com/zGsVdvq.jpg)
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I have continued to work on the fuselage structure. I glazed with MH Ready Patch, sanded and primed the fuselage structure. And I repeated this process until I got smooth surfaces. For primer I used Dupli-Color Primer Filler. I sanded with 220, 600 and 800 grit. Primer has a way of showing off imperfections. In my experience if the corners, where the top color paper pieces will meet and create a seam are not smooth and the edges of the cardboard are exposed, the seam looks bad. And I have experienced ridges in the structure panels where a bulkhead is underneath, these have to be smoothed out. The analogy holds, what you see is indicative of what you don't see.
(https://i.imgur.com/JfNzAHj.jpeg)
It is starting to look pretty.
(https://i.imgur.com/A1gKbOA.jpg)
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That's looking very good, excellent building work so far.
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Smooth!!!!!!! ;D
Dan
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I am working on the engine. The engine printed in the kit does not represent an engine that would have been used in the Phonix D1 so I will use a combination of scratch built and kit parts. With the number of small parts in a small space, this engine is a tough build.
I am using repainted cylinder rounds and I am using craft beads/cylinders for the valve springs, which are the size of the kit paper parts and save me from having to make 24 very small parts.
I started by gluing the springs to the cylinder heads
(https://i.imgur.com/WafaVqm.jpeg)
Then glue the cylinder heads to the cylinder rounds
(https://i.imgur.com/hE8ZIoj.jpg)
Next up is to fabricate a camshaft. For this style of engine the camshaft drive is in the middle of the engine and a shaft runs from the crankshaft to the camshaft. This was fabricated out of rolled paper and painted a pewter color from a rattle can.
(https://i.imgur.com/NHIZdmB.jpg)
This is with the camshaft installed
(https://i.imgur.com/FCOgGwe.jpeg)
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Springs are always so much fun to make! :P
Coming along nicely.
Dan
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Springs from paper are really tough I decided to give paper springs another try and I still don't have the theory. The paper pieces are tiny!
After cutting the paper, I end up with a very tiny square, below these are held in fine tweezers. My first try was to hold in the tweezers and roll the paper around the tweezer. Then put a little white glue on my fingers and roll the pieces until round. Sometimes I get a good result, sometimes not.
(https://i.imgur.com/qgXMeg1.jpg)
Perhaps practice makes perfect. Perhaps on a future model I will use paper springs. Question: Does anyone construct their springs uning paper and what is the best technique to get consistent round pieces from such small pieces?
I decided to improve the valve train by trying another bead, a smaller one and in a metallic color. I also re-positioned the cylinder round to get more separation at the middle of the block to allow more space for the camshaft. I repainted the camshaft stainless steel from a rattle can and added a stiff wire to add strength and straightness.
(https://i.imgur.com/T15kyd4.jpg)
These are the beads I used, sourced from Hobby Lobby:
(https://i.imgur.com/5DxmcDU.jpg)
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Paper modelling certainly has its own unique set of challenges. Very good progress here.
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I did not give up making paper springs and I believe that I found a way to do it.
The technique that I came up with is to pass the paper pre-folded into a shape close to a cylinder through a small hole drilled in a piece of plastic.
This is the tool/gauge that I made
(https://i.imgur.com/6DYSrjp.jpg)
The hole is 0.030" diameter drilled with a pin vise, and a lead-in chamfer is added using an exacto knife and needle file.
I do not pre-moisten the paper with water or glue as the paper looses stiffness and will not go through the hole. I push the pre-folded paper in the chamfer side and push it through. It is at this point that I add some white glue on the exposed end. I push the exposed end back through the hole and them push it out again.
This is going in:
(https://i.imgur.com/r9HCb6n.jpg)
This is going out.
(https://i.imgur.com/R5TRcYV.jpg)
This is the final product.
(https://i.imgur.com/aaE2qOE.jpg)
The paper I used for this exercise is 20 lb. 100% rag velum. I had some better success with this paper as it is thinner and a bit stiffer than regular ink-jet paper.
A conclusion that I came to is the importance to get the diameter as exact as possible and the way to do this is to use a tool/gauge that the paper is passed through.
The importance knowing the desired diameter and hitting it closely happened when I realized this when the camshaft that I was planning to use was two big for the valve covers that will fit over top of it.
For example, below is a trial piece using the aforementioned velum that I pass through beads that have a consistent .040" inside diameter. I wrap the paper around a specific diameter wire, prefold it and pass the beads through it then add the white glue. The white glue will not stick to the glass beads. The paper came out to a consistent roundness and with a smooth seam. Ounce I have the theory down for a particular diameter, I store the tool/gauge, note the paper width, the wire type and the paper type so I can do this again. I plan to get it together so I will be prepared to do other diameters.
(https://i.imgur.com/rEyt9eW.jpg)
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Wow, impressive work. There are some things that are a lot easier with plastic and wire....... ;)
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it is true, plastic and wire can simplify things. In the posts to come I make ample use of Evergreen and Plastruct round plastic rod. Modeling in paper has the advantage of being able to use a printed part, as well as allowing for diameters that are not on the pallet of available plastic and wire. Since paper model kits include such small parts, I default to believing that these parts can actually be made in paper and it is the hobbyists job figure out how to make 'em. Posts in this and other paper modeler forums includes some incredible work in paper leading me to believe that being able to render small parts in paper is possible and is good to do so on its own merits.
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The engine provided in the kit differs significantly from pictures depicting the actual design, so a lot of scratch building is necessary to achieve a satisfactory model. The camshaft drive is in the middle of the six cylinders and two cooling pipes are positioned over the cylinder heads. The camshaft is supported by two bosses, one on each end of the engine that have to be scratch built. The camshaft assembly is made from velum wrapped around a K&S .032 music wire. A narrow strip of velum is wrapped around the camshaft that makes the point where the camshaft drive meets the camshaft. The entire assembly is painted stainless steel from a rattle can. The two bosses are made from Evergreen 1/6" Rod that is bent and heated under a flame to make the bend. These are painted black.
(https://i.imgur.com/W93PgbW.jpg)
This is what it looks like assembled:
(https://i.imgur.com/uvNT5ct.jpg)
The valve "rockers" (can't think of a better name) are taken from another kit. They are printed on inkjet paper, folded over and I cut the parts so they are longer than the final version, to make gluing them to the engine possible (these parts are tiny). I glue them to the camshaft and the springs, trim them to size and use a brown marker to color the exposed side. In reality there would be a box over the camshaft where the rockers would attach, but since space between the springs and camshaft is limited, and because this area will get covered up I went with what I share here; no box. If I went with tiny springs like I write about above, attachment of these rockers would be problematic so the bigger springs worked out.
(https://i.imgur.com/0MsSlGm.jpg)
Next is the cooling pipe that runs over top of the cylinder heads. The pictures show the pipe going through what looks like valve covers with a riser in the middle so I replicated this as best I could. I used Plastruct .040 Styrene Rod (Item No. 90855) for the pipe and velum for the riser and valve covers. White glue did not stick well to the Plastruct, so I used a drop of super glue to attach the velum which also had the positive result of stiffening up the velum. The entire assembly was painted matt grey. Below is the sub-assembly.
(https://i.imgur.com/gBI8q1e.jpg)
Below is the sub-assembly attached to the rest of the in-process engine.
(https://i.imgur.com/T62LfYD.jpg)
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I did some more work on the engine. The valve covers did not look right as a single piece of paper so I filled the under concave side with glue and glaze. And primed and sanded, primed and sanded, on and on.... . I added the upper hot water pipe with the above mentioned Plastruct. The fixture on the upper water piped is rolled up velum.
(https://i.imgur.com/DOYeIaG.jpeg)
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That's looking pretty good, very impressive work with such tiny parts. And paper!
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Marvelous work, I wouldn't have believed such a level of detail could be achieved on a paper model... one of the things I love the most about this group is the diversity of interests, mediums, and techniques. Between you paper folks, the 1/144 wizards, PJ's painstakingly-researched historical posts, Brad's reviews, and on and on, there's always something new to look at and learn from. Bravo!
Dutch
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I have the parts of the engine completed prior to installing in the fuselage structure. The exhaust ports will be installed after the paper skin is installed as these are likely to be damaged in this process.
I am making the intake manifolds from Evergreen 222, 1/6" rod. I will use Evergreen or Plastruct when bends are required as I have not found a way to get bends from rolled up paper. Below is the in process build.
(https://i.imgur.com/w98qF9A.jpg)
I pre-bend the Evergreen and secure the bend by heating it briefly under a flame. My favorite flame source is this un-named torch which I sourced in a convivence store. I am told these are favored by people who heat Dubs (Concentrated marijuana).
(https://i.imgur.com/5EEsnL6.jpg)
This torch has a nice concentrated flame good for plastic bending work and is relatively cheap. The separate pieces are subsequently superglued together.
These are the completed intake manifolds and painted using Testors copper shot from an air gun. When making the intake manifolds, I was careful to not extend them outside of the footprint of the cylinder block. This is because the engine fits into a box in the fuselage structure and they will interfere with the box if they stick too far out.
(https://i.imgur.com/8ONlDhE.jpg)
I added a circular feature at the top of the neater manifold, to approximate a feature shown on pictures of this engine from the web. It is made from velum wrapped around a slice of Evergreen 214 1/8" rod. I wrap first, push the paper past the end of the Evergreen, slice then push the paper back so it is flat with the outside surface. What I wanted to achieve was good roundness and the Evergreen is thinner than the paper wrap so I get an indentation on the gluing surface side to help to position the feature.
Last is the ignition wire.....shaft? It is made from K&S .032 Music wire with dabs of glue to serve as the spark plug attachment points to the cylinders. Painted silver from the rattle can and followed up with Testors Dullcote. The silver may not be accurate but I wanted to paint with a contrasting color to the valve covers.
(https://i.imgur.com/TTWhg7q.jpg)
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Lots of hard work is paying off! It'll look great all installed.
Dan
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I installed the engine and I painted the fuselage body a shade of green to match the color of the paper skins. My reason for the paint is because if the paper skin seams are not absolutely perfect, the under coat will show at the seam. Painting what is under the seam, plus adding paint at the exposed edge of the paper skin will work to hide the seam. For paint I am using a Color Sample BEHR Marquee Satin, an enamel paint purchased at Home Depot. This way I can get pretty close to the paint color needed for a model either by matching a paint swatch or have the paint dept use the color analyzer to get a color that is a very close match. Or I will mix a special color from what I have. Plus you get a good amount of the paint. For a while I was able to by what they call oops samples for $0.50 and having enough of these I can cover a lot of situations.
(https://i.imgur.com/AgCVJ7H.jpeg)
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Looks cool with that engine in! Keep going...Dan
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Great progress here, starting to look like a Phonix.....
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I am adding the skins to the fuselage structure. The inkjet printed paper was coated with Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating matt finish. I added the bottom and two sides. and things lined up pretty good, the pre-coated structure help to hide the gaps between the sides and the bottom.
(https://i.imgur.com/ry0HQMg.jpeg)
I pre-fit the various top parts and here is where the problems emerged. The two top pieces behind the cockpit did not reach both side pieces and the forward piece right behind the cockpit does not reach forward enough. The pieces forward of the cockpit did not reach the side pieces either. So I will go back to gimp and edit in more color on the paper to correct (hopefully) this problem. One thing that worked out is the Cresent and stars line up on both sides of the fuselage with the top piece.
Best practice: Test fit pieces before final gluing!
(https://i.imgur.com/lfQ9wdq.jpg)
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Best practice: Test fit pieces before final gluing!
I do my test fitting and subsequent adjustments with regular copy paper.
Looking forward to more. :D
Gene K
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I repainted the fuselage skin paper pieces to cover a bigger area. This is the backside of the piece shown in the earlier post. I put paint on the structure to indicate where I will have to trim the piece to fit. Paint like this was not accurate enough so I went back to using a fine pentel pencil to mark the cuts.
(https://i.imgur.com/Ny5FJYd.jpg)
I want to point out a couple of details. The gluing surface on the side of the structure, and above the already applied fuselage skin is pretty narrow. The result is what when fiddling with the piece it did not take much pulling to cause the joint between the top piece and side piece to open up.
I rounded the edges of the "spine" downstream of the cockpit to help in getting a better fold on the top pieces.
The bulkhead midway down the fuselage downstream of the cockpit created problems when the top pieces edge did not land on the bulkhead. I had to add pieces to thicken it up to provide a surface that both the upstream and downstream pieces will sit on.
Another thing that I did was to burnish the centerline crease from the inside with a dollar store sourced tool. This technique made the fold much smoother as the fold is greater than 90 degrees.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZU3tuoS.jpg)
I had the best results when I pre-fitted the tip pieces and trimmed the front, back and one side to size. I glued a top piece on the trimmed lengthwise end after it dried, fold it over trimming to size the opposite end, then glueing it in place. This is the cockpit top piece with one side glued. I did not glue in the kit supplied piece that gets glued in the inside of the cockpit opening, rather I painted the inside. I did this as I expected that a double piece of paper would cause a messy joint.
(https://i.imgur.com/NZRh6pN.jpg)
I also had to resort to thickening up bulkheads, the bulkhead downstream of the engine compartment had to get another piece of 0.020" thick cardboard added.
This is where the fuselage looks now.
(https://i.imgur.com/15sB3Dk.jpg)
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Looking more than good!
Dan
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This looks like quite challenging work but the results so far are looking good.
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The area behind the cockpit, the upper pieces for me is a hard to do. The forward upper piece, the one just behind the cockpit and below the center crease is concave inward just behind the cockpit at the bulkhead and is straight at the midspan bulkhead. Lengthwise the piece is flat. The rearward piece is flat in length and width below the center crease. To get this correct, the downstream piece cannot pucker either inward or outward (there is no supporting structure directly inboard of this piece), and any deviations from perfectly straight and flat after the piece has been trimmed to size opens up the gap between this piece and the flat skin on the sides of the fuselage structure. The pieces upstream of the cockpit were easier to achieve the desired contours in my opinion as the paper pieces are concave outward and there is some spring in the paper which closes up the gap and adds stiffness which works to establish the round contour.
Best practice for difficult to assemble pieces, scan the kit sheet and create using Gimp (my favorite) or some other editing software, duplicates of specific pieces and print on a separate sheet. Test fit and trial and error is good.
I will continue with what I have; however, when I revisit this plane again I will build up the fuselage structure upper and behind the cockpit to give a solid gluing surface to the correct contours. And I will edit the skin so that the seam is at the top midspan. I get why a seam at this location is un-desirable as it will be very visible, however the rudder covers a lot of territory at the top canter negating this argument.
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I did some work to straighten out the back part of the fuselage. I made two cuts, upstream of the upper midspan bulkhead (the one downstream of the cockpit) and one downstream of the bulkhead, and both on each side of the fuselage center rib. I positioned small squares of cardstock soaked with white glue through each of the four cuts and used the exacto knife to move and straighten the skin. The cuts needed to be hidden, so I used the paint I mentioned in an earlier post.
(https://i.imgur.com/KYt7Qfq.jpeg)
The matt paint I used is not as matt as the printed cardstock. To create a more matt finish I brushed the surface with cosmetic powder, purchased from the Dollar Store. This also has the effect of changing the paint slightly to better match the printed color. I brush until I am satisfied with the matt finish and color. I used the dark grey and green colors.
(https://i.imgur.com/yrFZI99.jpeg)
Now on to getting the fuselage nose completed.
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I have just gone through your whole thread. Incredible artwork, construction processes , and dedication to getting things the way you want them! Your build looks amazing to date!
RAGIII
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Do you ever hit a point on a model and say I am done with this part, and then rebuild it, then rebuild it again? I am guilty of the same thing. I decided to test fit an upper fuselage skin piece that is one, not two pieces and I liked the look. The result looked promising so I printed a new piece and went to work. I glued it over the existing parts and his is the result after the glue dried.
(https://i.imgur.com/b6jp5mr.jpeg)
The new skin is glued to an existing surface that follows acceptable contours, and I have a much larger gluing surface by virtue of gluing against a much larger area; the existing skin. The seam between the upper and lower skin parts is noticeable , more forethought in the build and I could have avoided this.
The added piece, because it is glued over an existing piece had to be wider, so that the crescent and star design lined up correctly. So using Gimp I added in an additional piece along the centerline, which caused the two sides to separate. I printed out just the pieces I needed in a separate print file.
(https://i.imgur.com/t5QRyJ5.jpg)
The area where the design is, this is a challenging part of this kit that has to be respected. The stock kit (my version is my own repaint), it has a design that spans both the upper and side pieces, an angled line. If the fuselage structure is a little high, or wide, this top piece which wraps around the fuselage structure will not line up properly. The bulkhead at the midspan of the aft fuselage structure, which is a gluing aid for the two piece upper pieces, this seems to be two thick in the left/right direction and will leave a noticeable bump in the fuselage. The single piece fared in well so I am not sure why the upper fuselage skin has to be two pieces and a bulkhead is necessary.
Here is another view of the finished piece:
(https://i.imgur.com/fCm2Wfr.jpg)
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Wow, that is a lot of work but it is looking good.
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I am working on the front fuselage cowl (or I think this is what it should be called). I first attempted to fabricate the cowl and test fit it to the front of the fuselage structure as a single build up piece, but after failed attempts at fitting, I decided to cut the paper piece into four (4) different pieces and assemble the part in pieces.
(https://i.imgur.com/3av8cVM.jpg)
The first piece is the bottom center:
(https://i.imgur.com/e69Gs89.jpg)
Below is one of the side pieces as installed. The side piece curved part is challenging as it is an edge on edge glue joint on the paper, and it is curved. I rolled the paper, test fit, rolled, etc... until I got a good joint match. I put glue in the structure part and gently placed the side piece into the glue and after it dried, I added additional glue at some joint cracks and put some grey paint over the glue.
(https://i.imgur.com/3qUpEOj.jpg)
I have avoided putting the engine until the last moment so not to damage the engine details. When test fit, I found that I had to deepen the opening un front of the cockpit as the cooling water passages I added caused an interference at this location.
(https://i.imgur.com/SodDE4L.jpg)
This picture shows the deepened engine opening and illustrates where the upper piece of the cowl will go.
I also did some other work on the fuselage, I added the side covers. I cut these out of card stock and burnished the back side, and after gluing to the fuslage, I ran the burnishing tool around the cover. I had also added grey paint on the paint edges.
(https://i.imgur.com/FaMMq1F.jpg)
I added the leather strip around the cockpit. I painted it a gloss dark reddish brown.
(https://i.imgur.com/14nclXP.jpg)
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Nice work on the front. It's a complicated shape and you are nailing it.
Dan
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This looks like a lot of hard work but you are making good progress.
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Nice work on the front. It's a complicated shape and you are nailing it.
Dan
What Dan Said!
RAGIII
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The engine is installed, top part of the cowl is in, the "crown" piece on top of the cowl is in and the machine gun ports are added. The references show the gun ports as extensions to the cowl, which are modeled here as .040" dia. velum paper tubes constructed using the method described earlier. The velum paper tubes are an appropriate diameter that also produces the hole I desire at the exit end. Two angled cuts are made, one angled cut to interface with an angled surface of the cowl and the other angled cut at the exit to match reference photos. A piece of wire is added at the cowl end in the tube, a hole is drilled in the cowl and the tube is glued in place. Any gaps are smoothed with white glue and painted. One governing factor in the length of the tubes are they cannot extend past the end of the cowl, or else they will interfere with the propeller.
(https://i.imgur.com/fp9mthm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/whNmW89.jpg)
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Excellent update! Looks great.
RAGIII
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Something about getting that engine in that really sets it off. Nice job!
Dan
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The rudder has been constructed and this segment will start showing the rudder temporarily attached to the fuselage. I am starting with the in-process, finished rudder to illustrate a challenge that this repaint posed. That is, the Black Cross spans the fuselage and the rudder and care has to be taken so the graphics line up properly. The stock kit does not have this feature so I guess that I brought this on myself.
(https://i.imgur.com/JBnPK4P.jpg)
The test fit of the initial graphics showed that the fuselage and the rudder images will not align with each other. I suppose this is due to some lack of skill on my part, but I elected to fix the problem by creating an enlarged rudder graphic in Gimp and print this separately and position the rudder skin appropriately. I am satisfied that the effect is achieved, even if the graphic is off from the original drawings.
(https://i.imgur.com/iuNIkYQ.jpg)
I will apply the rudder skin in two half's, rather than a single wraparound as the kit provides, so two separate images, the left and right side are required.
The core of the rudder is a backing made of thicker cardboard stock. The trailing edge is feathered to an edge.
(https://i.imgur.com/K08a9Rx.jpg)
Lets pause to talk about tools. To remove the cardboard to create the feathered edge, I used this sanding board, sourced from the local Dollar Tree store for USD 1.25.
(https://i.imgur.com/qHAxOWG.jpg)
The skin is glued to the backing, which is pre-painted at the edges and the excess will be trimmed away.
(https://i.imgur.com/IZ6Ww0w.jpg)
This is the completed rudder. The control arms are thin aluminum cut from a beverage can and painted brown. A slit is cut through the rudder and the aluminum control arm is forced through. No glue is used. I chose aluminum as paper most likely would not survive the process of squeezing through a narrow slot. I also cut slots where simulated hinges will be placed. Additional paint is added at the edges to cover the skins paper edges.
(https://i.imgur.com/aXU3j23.jpg)
The plan is to fabricate the dorsal fin on top of the fuselage and upstream of the rudder and complete the assembly all at once.
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Hard work on this one but it's paying off!
Dan
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Definitely a lot of work but it is looking good.
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The dorsal fin and the rudder are assembled to the fuselage. The dorsal fin cardboard structure was cut out and test fit to the fuselage and rudder. The test fit indicated the dorsal fin needed to be shortened so about 0.100" was cut from the bottom. The skin was glued to the sides similar to the rudder; one side with extra stock is glued to the cardboard and trimmed, the other side is glued and trimmed and the exposed edges painted. The hinge notches are cut.
(https://i.imgur.com/f3r8UuA.jpg)
The dorsal fin is glued in place and a paper clip holds it in place. The dorsal fin is layed on top of the fuselage top and there are no pins or tenons to add security. Glue was put on the dorsal fin, clamped and later glue was carefully run along the seam for extra strength.
(https://i.imgur.com/5goKTiU.jpg)
The rudder is added with .040 dia Plastruct rod painted green or black as the hinges. The hinges do not show much so they are not necessary but are here anyway. Test fitting showed that the fueslage surface was not flat, so the Diamand grinder written about earlier was used to flatten the surface and paint applied afterwards. The rudder needed some cleanup itself. Glue and more glue was needed to get this rudder to stay put.
(https://i.imgur.com/Np3Eo7z.jpg)
Here are some other views:
(https://i.imgur.com/KuNRIAP.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9Gm2J8h.jpg)
My approach to this part of the model was not cut / assemble, but rather cut / test fit / reprint / cut / repeat.../ assemble. The physics of the problem is that small deviations from the ideal can really throw things off and multiple deviations can accumulate into big problems. For example the aft part of the fuselage has three different paper parts at the rudder surface and getting these all to precisely align is not reasonable. The engineering of the kit plays a part in this; the engineering of this kit leaves something to be desired. I do not believe that I am a bad modeler when these things happen, it is the way things really are. Enjoy the build process and modifications that move the model off the ideal is OK as long as the intent is meant.
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Nailing it from here...Dan
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Nailing it from here...Dan
Yep!
RAGIII
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It's really starting to the look the part now, nice work.
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The way this model is engineered the horizontal stabilizer is attached as a flat edge to a flat surface without the help of any tenons or tabs. Pins made of K&S .032 music wire are embedded in the horizontal stabilizer cardboard structure to add support at the joint. Slots are cut in the cardboard and the wire glued in place.
(https://i.imgur.com/nx8eCE7.jpeg)
The wire cuts are smoothed over with Ready Patch, sanded smooth and primed and the wire cut to length. The resulting pins do not have to be too long and in fact cannot be as the fuselage at this point if pretty narrow.
(https://i.imgur.com/sCfdsaE.jpg)
The horizontal stabilizer test fit showed the need to trim the horizontal stabilizers. The horizontal stabilizer fuselage sides are modelled as straight and as built the fuselage has a curve, material had to be removed to follow the fuselage curve to eliminate a gap. Also the right horizontal stabilizer trailing edge had to be trimmed to so that the trailing edges, right to left, lined up.
(https://i.imgur.com/dxrZ5SG.jpg)
Holes are drilled using a pin vise to accept the pins. At this time the rudder control cables (not pictured) are added.
(https://i.imgur.com/FLHisvL.jpg)
The horizontal stabilizer skins are added along with the elevators. Construction is done similar to the rudder described. The horizontal stabilizers are flat and the elevators are feathered at the rear to an edge. Pictured are the elevators clamped for gluing. After the glue has hardened but not completely set, the elevators are bent downwards and additional glue added to the joint.
(https://i.imgur.com/xl3E95X.jpg)
The horizontal stabilizer struts are added, top and bottom made from .040 dia Plastruct rod, painted and glued in place.
(https://i.imgur.com/aet6URB.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OprvEkj.jpg)
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Looks nice with the tails. Very fish-like!
Dan
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Working on the lower wings. This work comes in phases: The internal structure, adding the skin, and attaching to the fuselage.
The kit provides a design for the ribs, really narrow things what include a slot to cut out and, on the ribs, closest to the fuselage, holes for support wires. The picture below is for the upper wing, but the lower wings are basically the same.
(https://i.imgur.com/LlAN5E8.jpg)
I have never successfully cut this rib design out, never mind pushing the spar through the ribs. I took another approach to assembling the wing structure. I cut out the ribs not with a slot but with a notch on the bottom of the rib. The ribs are glued at the slot to the spar. My approach is trim the forward and read of the ribs and in its place attach pieces of .032 K&S music wire. The attachment is made secure with folded strips of velum paper glued to the rubs.
(https://i.imgur.com/HSyEtoe.jpg)
The effect that i want to achieve is a straight wing, fore and aft and the leading edge have a good looking radius.
I add cardboard support in the area where the vertical wing supports will go, and the structure and the skin is pre-painted a matching color to the ink.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZVxIqcS.jpg)
The paper is folded over, the leading edge wire is trimmed and the aft pin is trimmed completely off, as the aft part of the wing does not directly attach to the fuslage. A second pin is added, sliding it in just aft of the spar.
(https://i.imgur.com/XKdlrH5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7Kwarum.jpg)
The leading edge is straight and the fold is consistent along the length.
(https://i.imgur.com/evNBAap.jpg)
Two holes are drilled using the pin vise; these have to be carefully positioned to place the wing in the proper position. In this picture, one of the covers is in a bad location and had to be removed, to be replaced later with a new cover positioned higher up the fuselage.
(https://i.imgur.com/eqf2wuh.jpg)
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The wings are attached are lined up to reference lines to get the positioning correct.
(https://i.imgur.com/arGBP3x.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/stmYkvU.jpg)
This is the overall look:
(https://i.imgur.com/i42DqS1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OIevyCm.jpg)
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Lower wing looks great! Keep on plugging away...Dan
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Wow, that wing looks like hard work! Excellent progress here.
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Upper wing construction: As mentioned in an earlier post, for this repaint I elected to build the upper wing as a single piece, not a three piece with a center section and a left and right wing. I was not comfortable that I could properly construct the wing as a three piece, that the joints would not turn out right.
The upper wing frame is constructed similar to the lower wing construction. The ribs are attached to the spar by notching the rib bottom and gluing the rib in place.
(https://i.imgur.com/WZq6efe.jpg)
The ailerons are construction in a similar fashion to the wings.
(https://i.imgur.com/9fj6QNY.jpg)
These are the subassemblies. The frame is constructed with extra pieces of cardboard in the places where the inter-wing struts will go. The frame and the wing skin is painted in areas where seams will exist.
(https://i.imgur.com/ROYaPOK.jpg)
This is the final wing with ailerons attached:
(https://i.imgur.com/5DiXw3H.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/QLTsBxu.jpg)
The challenge with the upper wing build is the wing is long, skinny and flat and is prone to warping. Sime post build bending was required to get the desired flatness but things turned out all right.
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I am always very impressed by how great these kits can look when done well! Yours is of course, looking great!
RAGIII
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The exhaust pipes have not been added until this point to avoid damage while assembling the wings, rudder and horizontal stabilizer and before adding the wings and struts.
I could not locate on the kit parts that represent the exhaust pipes, even though the assembly instructions identify them with a part number. So I will have to improvise.
The exhaust pipes are made from a strip of paper velum rolled around an Evergreen 222 polystyrene rod using a procedure described in an earlier post. The width of the paper velum strip is just wide enough to create one paper layer, that is the seams meets on edge. The procedure is to white glue up the paper, roll around the polystyrene rod, push the rolled paper and rod through a piece of plastic with a hold drilled to a desired diameter and after the white glue has hardened but not set, the rod is removed. I have a desired diameter of .070". The resulting paper rod was spray painted with red primer from a rattle can.
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To achieve the desired bend in the exhaust ports and to provide a piece that will penetrate into the cylinder heads to fix the exhaust pipe, short pieces of the same Evergreen 222 polystyrene are bent and cut and pieces of the paper velum tube are cut to appropriate angles and lengths to produce the exhaust pipes.
(https://i.imgur.com/mtNUMmC.jpg)
I could have made the exhaust pipes just from the Evergreen Polystyrene rod, but I wanted to capture the effect of an open pipe.
(https://i.imgur.com/OqXM3xv.jpg)
I added some black carbon powder to the inside of the tube.
This is the finished product. Also shown is the windshield made from Squadron Shop sheet plastic. The edges of the windshield were colored with metallic pen.
(https://i.imgur.com/YPWBYVz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nKZzW6E.jpg)
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Great work on the wings. I think you were very sensible to make the upper wing from one part. And making those exhaust pipes from paper is quite an achievement!
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I added the two bumps to the upper wing middle section called out for in the kit. The bump has an under layer made from cardstock per the kit design, and a strip of velum paper that has the upper wing color pattern printed on it layed on top. The bump is a pretty small part and the cardstock piece looked messy, the velum strip cleaned it up.
I prebuilt the radiator. The contraption on top of the radiator is a base made of cardstock with a piece of .032 music wire with a bead of white glue to represent a feature I see in reference photos. The contraption is then painted gray.
(https://i.imgur.com/0DvxOZG.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2YSYAO7.jpg)
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The upper wing, wing struts and rigging has been added.
The struts are constructed with an inner layer of velum paper wrapped around thin wire with an outer layer of paper shaped to represent the strut. The kit shows the struts are wood however reference drawings show them to be painted and in turn I painted the struts green primer from a rattle can. A block of Evergreen Polystyrene 164, .080" by .080" is placed on each end. The plan is to drill holes, one for the center wire running through the strut and another to pass the rigging line. For rigging wire I am using EZ Line, heavy black. The plan is to glue one end of the gigging to a part of the plan and feed the rigging wire through the hole and pull the EZ Line taught. This is a little inaccurate as the rigging line at the strut should attach to the wing just in front of the strut, but the tradeoff here is simplification of construction.
(https://i.imgur.com/2PM7kV6.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Raxgqjz.jpg)
Attachment points to the fuselage and the wings is made from velum paper rolled around .032" music wire and finished as described in earlier posts by passing the rolled paper and wire through a glass bead of appropriate inner diameter. The resulting tube is painted dark gray from a rattle can. The tube attachment points are a deviation from drilling a hole and passing the EZ line through the hole; I believe this is better as getting EZ line to pass through a small hole can be a challange. This also simulates turnbuckles. The factors involve in selecting the size of the paper velum tube require that the EZ line can pass through the tube and is as small in diameter as possible. I have read about modelling rigging wire that is small in diameter and stiffer and is used with aftermarket photo etched turnbuckles but I have not gone in this direction yet. On one end of a rigging piece I put the EZ line inside the tube and glue to the fuselage or wing.
(https://i.imgur.com/Xiq9ch4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Xiq9ch4.jpg)
The free end of the EZ Line is fed through the wing struts as a pre-assembly to assembling the upper wing and struts. A tube is placed in the EZ line which is later pushed out to the strut to simulate a turnbuckle as at the fuselage and wings.
(https://i.imgur.com/UMVNAUL.jpg)
The rigging between the struts, in an X patter do not have turnbuckles and is EZ line crazy glued to the sides of the struts.
This is the result:
(https://i.imgur.com/oJ6iEBq.jpg)
Note that I had to remove a part at the top of the engine to allow the top wing to fit.
(https://i.imgur.com/oF5ahY7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/syY5VNj.jpg)
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Very nice work. It looks like a lot of effort, but well worth it.
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When the upper wing goes on, this is the point in the model build where a bunch of parts and sub-assemblies transforms into a biplane.
Finishing up the upper wing and struts; the middle struts are added, made from Plastruct .040 styrene rod. The lower parts of the struts are pressed flat in a pair of plyers and painted green primer, to represent reference photo features. White glue is used to attach. Also added, at the right side looking down wind is a return pipe, Modelled in Beadalon Elasticity .032 black stretch cord.
(https://i.imgur.com/6Y8IsF9.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XInRxI6.jpg)
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Really impressive rigging technique! Lovely biplane!
RAGIII
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The landing gear struts are made from K&S 3/64 Brass Rod #5161 which are wrapped in an under layer of velum paper and a layer of velum paper is added on top and subsequently painted green primer from the rattle can. I chose the K&S brass rod as I wanted a material that is larger in diameter and easier to bend than music wire, but stiffer than common wire. The thicker brass rod will provide more bearing area to the hole drilled in the fuselage to accept it making everything more stable and sturdier than other methods.
This is the first layer:
(https://i.imgur.com/pxeO93p.jpeg)
This is the second layer, painted. Also shown is the axle which is two layers of paper velum wrapped around .032 music wire. Here the smaller diameter is desired to facilitate fitting into the wheels.
(https://i.imgur.com/j9sR6wb.jpg)
The tires are made per the kit, two rings of thick cardboard with a solid disk in the middle. Ready Patch is used as the glace to smooth out the tire. After sanding and adding more ready path between coats of dark grey primer from a rattle can, below are the results. A hole is drilled to accept the .032 music wire.
(https://i.imgur.com/kgcnJUV.jpg)
Holes are drilled in the bottom of the fuselage to accept the struts brass rods.
(https://i.imgur.com/N8bL5HQ.jpg)
The bungie cords are modelled with Beadalou Elasticity .032 diameter stretch cord and a lot of super glue.
(https://i.imgur.com/oHpW8LJ.jpg)
This is the result with the wheels (with wheel covers) added, the stretch cord trimmed, and the support wires added with EZ line and turnbuckles modeled with velum paper as described in an earlier post.
(https://i.imgur.com/NmXN4qb.jpg)
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Landing gear coming along nicely! Cool bungees too.
Dan
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Very nice work, this is coming toghether well.
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The propellor is made per the kit and the propellor repaint is a good rendering. The propellor consists of a center disk and the two blades. Rolled up paper is added to the disk, a propeller shaft modelled in .032" music wire is added and the rolled-up paper helps to stabilize this music wire.
(https://i.imgur.com/8un4sdq.jpg)
The tail skid and radiator on the upper wing are added. The wind speed indicator included in the kit is not added as this small device is crazy small to model.
Below are pictures of the completed Phonix DI
(https://i.imgur.com/rQuSlS0.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WM4tUMF.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/QecY9VY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DE8usbA.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JC9I2gH.jpg)
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I always liked that machine. Your model turned out great! Nice job, my Paper Brother...Dan
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Well done, this was a LOT of work and it turned out really well. Very nice looking end result!
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Stunning results! I have enjoyed following your build!
RAGIII