forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Topic started by: NigelR on September 25, 2025, 10:38:16 PM
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As I've completed my Lothar von Richthofen Fokker DVIIF build (see here if you missed it: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=15133.0 (https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=15133.0) ;)), I'm now moving on to a Nieuport 28. This is the reboxing of the Roden sprues done by Aviattic which includes some beautiful 3D printed upgrade parts along with a range of decal options. I've decided to do the plane originally flown by Capt J Huffer that was later flown by Rickenbacker. I'll be doing it as Rickenbacker's mount with twin machine guns and his St. Christopher's medal on the fuselage (which is included as a small decal in the Aviattic set).
Here's the bundle of goodies:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54822872089_5ea0a038ef_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rwvxSz)
The decals are (as always) stunning, but the 3D upgrade parts are amazing. The machine guns in particular are a work of art. I've made a start on the interior but the oil paints on the wood areas are still drying, so no photos of those for a few days. However, here's a quick shot of the beautiful 3D printed Gnome Monosoupape:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54822958555_4abd6c737f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rwvZzn)
The quality of the engine is fantastic. It only took a few minutes to assemble.
I'll be using Mike Norris' build guide throughout this build and also some of the previous builds on here (like Rick's for example).
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Ready by Telford, then?
Paul.
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Outstanding Nigel - Love a '28 and the upgrades should make this one a sure fire hit 8)
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Ready by Telford, then?
Unless I cock it up, yes!
Outstanding Nigel - Love a '28 and the upgrades should make this one a sure fire hit 8)
For some reason I've not been a huge fan of the 28 but when I saw the bundle with the upgrades I couldn't resist! It's a great package, I'm really looking forward to what Aviattic are doing with the EV/DVIII.
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This will be good.
Alan.
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Nice choice Nigel. I happen to really like the Nieuport 28. Your work on the engine is top notch!
I just thought of something. Were the Vickers guns mounted on the left side to counter the torque of the radial engine?
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Following along ...
Alexis
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What a wonderfully detailed engine!
Willem
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Thanks Alan, Tim, Alexis and Willem :)
I just thought of something. Were the Vickers guns mounted on the left side to counter the torque of the radial engine?
I have no idea Tim, but that's very plausible thinking......
I've finished most of the interior parts. The Aviattic additions are delightful, the peach basket seat and the control column with twin triggers in particular are superb. They also provide replacement magneto switch (?), mixture control and oil pulsometer. I was confused because there are two pulsometers included in the set, one has the bulb moulded in situ, the other doesn't so that you can add it from stretched sprue or a Taurus set. The set also includes an ammo box with tachometer, which is missing from the Roden kit. The Roden kit includes an incorrect instrument panel which should not be used. The Roden fuel tank needs to be cut down to fit behind the Aviattic ammo box but I will probably leave it out as I don't think it will be visible anyway.
You might notice I used black EZ Line for the interior rigging. This is because I found a reference in the 1917 "Notes on Rigging" published by the US Army Air Service which states that internal bracing wires that cannot be reached for regular greasing should be lacquered, and the photos of the Carlson rebuild of the original Nie 28 seem to show these wires being quite dark. But I don't really know if I am correct here.....
The wood colour turned out darker than I intended for the plywood that was used on the original, but I can live with that. Very little can be seen through the cockpit opening anyway.....
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54822872104_94e5e480cb_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rwvxSQ)
Note that I used some of the photoetch elements from the Part set in a couple of areas (for example the shoulder boards). The Aviattic set also includes some nice 3D buckles for the seat belts which will be the next job.
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Great start. I'm planning the Roden 28 next after my 17 in Campbell markings then the Eduard SPAD XIII in Rickenbacker markings.
Looking forward to your decal application as I've never done the Aviattic and have a set for my Gotha G.V.
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Initially I could see all the photos in this thread, but just now it says 'not viewable in your region' on all of them. Odd.
Paul.
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Initially I could see all the photos in this thread, but just now it says 'not viewable in your region' on all of them. Odd.
That's because Imgur (my hosting site) has stopped allowing people from the UK to use the site. I've switched the photos to Flickr, so they should be visible.
Great start. I'm planning the Roden 28 next after my 17 in Campbell markings then the Eduard SPAD XIII in Rickenbacker markings.
Looking forward to your decal application as I've never done the Aviattic and have a set for my Gotha G.V.
Thanks Allan. The tricks with Aviattic decals in my experience are good prep (a nice glossy surface) and use plenty of water on the surface when you apply them. This helps you position them accurately.
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Nigel, good show. It worked, but what a faff, eh?
BTW, re 'The Roden kit includes an incorrect instrument panel which should not be used.' I think it's fair to say that most kits that actually supply cockpit parts have that panel, because it was a temporary job fitted to the Historic Aircraft Collection's example for test flying. According to the Windsock Datafile, period instruments were used though.
Paul.
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Making slow but steady progress here. The fuselage is buttoned up, most of the other components have been prepped and sanded, so hopefully it's on to decal application later this week.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54840738525_e03f438228_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ry67Wz)
It's really hard to see any of the cockpit detailing work I did:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54839553327_a9c679c77b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rxZ3C8)
Which is actually a good thing, because while I was doing some sanding on the fuselage I accidentally knocked the lovely ammo box out of its mounting and there's no way I could get it back in place with the fuselage closed up......
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Zooming along with this one Nigel 8)
Shame so little of those lovely details can't be seen through the cockpit, but at least we'll know that they are there (including the loose ammo box) ;)
Looking forward to seeing the decals in place on this
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Good progress Nigel. Yup, thats a pretty tight cockpit opening but what we CAN see looks great.
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Once again, great work on your part. I also think it's a shame that so little of the cockpit is visible, considering how much effort you put into it. I particularly like the seat cushion.
I'm already excited to see how you'll cover the double flying wires later on.
Greetings
Joerg
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I also think it's a shame that so little of the cockpit is visible
You never know an ant or money spider might go in there and they would be able to see it!
Alan.
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Thanks Paul, Allan and Joerg, much appreciated. Hopefully there will be some major progress over the next few days.
I'm already excited to see how you'll cover the double flying wires later on.
"Excited" is not a word I would use in relation to those damn doubled and covered wires! I have been reading Mike Norris' build guide, Dal Gavan's posts on here and also looking at various build threads for ideas. I'm planning to use plastic strip combined with Modelkasten thread, and I hope the etched brass rigging points from the Part set will help as well. We will see, this is definitely not my favourite part of the build......
You never know an ant or money spider might go in there and they would be able to see it!
Now that made me spit my coffee! ;D If they do go in there, I hope they are wearing their Go-Pro......
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Beautiful interior Nigel. I?ll definitely reference this for my 1/72 builds.
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Nigel,
I've been following your progress here with great interest and enjoying the memories of my own adventure with this kit some 11 years ago. Wonderful work on what's a solid Kit for it's day by the way, you are really doing this classic justice! Richard at Aviattic has provided a wonderful package of additions by the looks of it and as you can read in the Log helped me along with my build as well way back then.
Like you I dreaded the prospect of replicating those "double" wires and the supporting treatment and turned to the previous experience of Builders here for a start on how to overcome the apparent challenges there in ........
FWIW my solution worked well for me (using "curled" decal material to fill in the void between the double wires) and I just checked them in the display case ...... they are still in solid form 14 years later so I can recommend this method without reservation! The Under Construction post can be found here dated July of 2014 and may be of help if you haven't already checked it out (despite the effects of the Photo Bucket crash and burn event!)
Hope this may prove of some help; keep up the great work on this one!
Cheers,
Lance
Thanks Paul, Allan and Joerg, much appreciated. Hopefully there will be some major progress over the next few days.
I'm already excited to see how you'll cover the double flying wires later on.
"Excited" is not a word I would use in relation to those damn doubled and covered wires! I have been reading Mike Norris' build guide, Dal Gavan's posts on here and also looking at various build threads for ideas. I'm planning to use plastic strip combined with Modelkasten thread, and I hope the etched brass rigging points from the Part set will help as well. We will see, this is definitely not my favourite part of the build......
You never know an ant or money spider might go in there and they would be able to see it!
Now that made me spit my coffee! ;D If they do go in there, I hope they are wearing their Go-Pro......
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I love the Roden Nieuport 28. Perhaps their best in the series IMHO! The Aviattic seat and the relative pieces of the Part set really enhance the kit! Your wood tones are outstanding! Looking forward to seeing how those Aviattic decals look!
RAGIII
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Thanks Tim, Lance and Rick.
Lance, I've read your thread thoroughly along with Rick and Mike's. I'm experimenting with strip infills but if they don't work out I will definitely go for the decal method. But I've got a way to go before I have to cross that bridge......
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Some steady but unexciting progress here.
The upper wing decalled with the rather lovely Aviattic decals:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54861311675_777ace586f_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rzUyC4)
Some of the detail parts, decalled and ready for assembly:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54861265169_95f1e8317f_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rzUjNe)
Note that there is an option to use decals for the struts that include the woodgrain, linen wrapping tapes, the Nieuport logos and type number. I decided to try these, even though I prefer to paint my wood grain. They are quite fiddly to apply but I think the end result is quite good. Aviattic do supply the logos and type number as separate decals if you do want to paint the wood grain.
Finally here's the big job ready to go, the fuselage and lower wing undercoated ready for decals.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54860151557_0b228486bc_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rzNBL2)
Hopefully more on this soon.....
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Those decals look splendid! If I didn't have two Nieuport 28s' in the case I wouldn't be able to resist ! Lovely work!
RAGIII
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Ooooh ready for Telford then Nigel 8)
Did you mix any silver with the white undercoat to get the effect of 'silver flop' ? (Looks good either way)
P
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Thanks Rick and Paul!
Ooooh ready for Telford then Nigel 8)
Did you mix any silver with the white undercoat to get the effect of 'silver flop' ? (Looks good either way)
Yes, it will be ready for Telford. It won't be done by Yeovil though as we have family visiting next week.
I didn't add any silver to the undercoat, because it would affect the roundels and markings as well as the linen. As the roundels and markings are painted on top of the doped fabric, they would not have any flake in them.
The markings really do look painted on this way, especially because the decals include subtle brush markes. But that will make the weathering challenging.....
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More progress here. The decalling is complete, I now have to do some touch ups of areas where the white undercoat is showing through. This is quite a complex decal job but it mostly went without a hitch. I did cock up the join on the CDL areas on the underside, so I'll have to use some weathering to hide that.....
I think it looks pretty good so far....
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54875752410_ca6faffd50_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rBbzmf)
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One can't tell from the photos that anything is "Cocked" up :D Looks Lovely to Me!
RAGIII
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That's looking rather splendid young man 8)
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Thanks Paul and Rick, it does look quite spiffing so far.
One can't tell from the photos that anything is "Cocked" up :D
That's because it's on the underside and I'm not photographing it until I've had a chance to cover up my error!
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I somehow missed this build log. Great work on the interior, matched by the fine paint work on the outside. Looking forward to its completion!
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Thanks Przemo!
Some more progress to report here. I've touched up the various small gaps that inevitably result from such a complex set of decals and have started on the weathering. The Aviattic decals look great but I wanted to add a little more depth and variation to the overall finish (and also hid my cockup on the decal join on the underside).
I have a very particular approach to weathering because I probably spend too long looking at photos and trying to replicate the original. The US Nieuport 28s were generally pretty well cared for and this specific aircraft didn't look battered and worn (except in a couple of places). In this case I used the oil dot approach to introduce some patchiness to the linen surface without losing the rib tapes, which I masked over. I like using the Mig Oilbrushers for this process, because they act like oils but have a very blendable consistency out of the tube.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54886413640_492051d79a_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rC8dyy)
This approach gives a subtle variation to the linen, representing the dope discolouring slowly in a patchy way, without creating "zebra stripes" all over the aircraft (which IMO can look overdone). I also carefully avoided the markings, because these do not weather in the same way as the underlying doped surface. They were painted on top of the doped fabric, so would not discolour like the underlying fabric.
Here's what I ended up with:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54885248062_7086a57d1e_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rC2f5o)
The difference is subtle but just adds a bit of depth IMO:
Original:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54886126446_e75d7389c5_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rC6KbW)
Weathered:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54886365879_340f249888_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rC7Yn6)
Maybe I'm wasting my time but it's all part of the fun...... :D
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Looking great. I love the subtle effect of your weathering technique!
RAGIII
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Looks good Nigel (I use a similar technique, but using artists tube oil paints) 8)
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Stunning work on your project here, Nigel. I'm just catching up on things here and glad to see your progress on such an involved project. The engine, struts and oil paint weathering are aspects of the build I'm quite taken by. Very interested to see how you'll manage that rigging wire challenge, too. Hopefully you'll get it done for your Telford deadline (and of course my brother Tony will be popping by to have a look at that time :) )
Cheers!
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Thanks Rick, Paul and Gary. Rick, you build has been very helpful for me.
I managed to get the tricky undercarriage wires attached. I simplified the arrangement a bit but it looks the part IMO:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54897068540_921bd4aff9_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rD4PTJ)
Here's where I am at now. The build is complete, I'm ready to mount the top wing, add the struts and then it's the wing rigging. Doubled flying wires here I come.....
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54897009619_7b1e0ddfe9_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rD4wnR)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54896993913_df696ae80b_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rD4rH4)
Hopefully you'll get it done for your Telford deadline (and of course my brother Tony will be popping by to have a look at that time :) )
I've got three full days to work out that rigging challenge, so it should be done for Telford. I look forward to seeing Tony again, maybe one day you'll visit while SMW is on.... ;)
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Coming along nicely Nigel! I am looking forward to the finished product!
RAGIII
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It is stunning work Nigel. Excellent detail internally and out. I've never got the oil dot weathering to work for me but yours is superb. / Ian
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Thanks Rick and Ian! The model is now finished, here's a quick phone pic of her undersides while the wheels are drying:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54902384023_a6116f5576_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rDx4ZZ)
Just got to add the prop and then I'll post some completed pics (tomorrow).
I've never got the oil dot weathering to work for me but yours is superb. / Ian
Thanks Ian, it's something I'm working on and developing. I really like using oils for weathering and modulation on WWI aircraft because the effects that can be achieved seem much more suitable for fabric covered aircraft IMO.
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Beauty mate 8)
Love those streamlined wires (I knew you'd sort them out despite your initial qualms about them) ;)
Looking forward to having a closer look at this over the weekend
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Beauty mate 8)
Love those streamlined wires (I knew you'd sort them out despite your initial qualms about them) ;)
Looking forward to having a closer look at this over the weekend
Thanks! Actually the streamlined wires were quite easy in the end. I purchased a random set of Evergreen strip on a visit to Jadlam recently and they turned out to be exactly the right size (width and thickness) to fit between the wires. So I attached both wires, cut the strips to length and then applied a little thinned PVA glue to one of the wires which held the strip in place. I eased the strip between the wires and then used more thinned PVA glue to secure it in place. Much easier than I thought it would be......
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It's finished! Completed pics are here: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=15187.0
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That was an excellent way to do the streamlined wires !! The only drawback for Me would be having the wires exactly the same distance apart on both ends :o
something I rarely achieve 8)
RAGIII