forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Topic started by: lawman56 on March 27, 2013, 11:35:37 AM
-
So after I got home last night I find that my aftermarket arrived for my D.V! Yay! Eager to start, I made a quick cleaning of my bench to line everything up. Of course my camera was dead, so I'll have to post pics at a later time.
I carefully opened all the packages and inspected each piece, wondering why, exactly, I am going to strain my eyes putting in those tiny spark plugs!
Then I got my glue and paint ready, put it all in a big bag and shook it up as I rubbed my magic genie lamp.
Worthless genie. ;D
::)
In reality, I'm really looking forward to this.
I also aquired a set of Eduard control horns, any advice in where or how they should or should not be used? I plan to use them, but only if they will add to, and not detract from, the aircraft.
:)
-
i for one will be watching closely cheering you on from the sidelines Joe :)
michael
-
I also aquired a set of Eduard control horns, any advice in where or how they should or should not be used? I plan to use them, but only if they will add to, and not detract from, the aircraft.
:)
I assume you are referring to the WNW Albatros. If so, I don't know that the Eduard Control horns would be worth the effort unless you are going to be building a model for a contest and really want to trick it out. Sometimes that stuff can be more fiddly and frustrating than what the overall effect is.
Good Luck
Mark
-
I'll be watching this build with interest, good luck.
Cheers
Pete.
-
Started on the WnW Albatros D.V this morning. Thanks to mmguns for giving me a heads up on the Eduard control horns. After looking at everything in depth, I realized the Eduard set, at least on the WnW D.V, more hassle than it's worth. No worries, though, as I'm sure they will come in handy for a future build.
Quick rundown on what I have:
WnW Albatros D.V (obviously)
Taurus spark plugs and timing gear set
Old Propeller seat, exhaust and intake manifold
HGW detail set
Master Models spandaus
I decided to start with the engine and all it's tiny bits, so as my sanity disappears, the build gets easier, (I hope!)
Here's all the Old Propeller stuff. Very crisp detail and minor clean-up needed.
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130328_083251_zpsad0ac4f8.jpg)
-
Here's the Taurus "patience testers". Highly detailed, no flash and did I mention they're tiny?
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130328_094203_zpsf0dc121c.jpg)
-
In the amount of time I had before I left for work, (approx 3 hours), I've managed to clean the flash off the Old Prop stuff, assemble the oil pan and cylinders of the engine and install 6 valve springs. This is gonna take awhile, but I'm looking forward to every minute! :D
On a side note, you'll notice two things I habitually do when working on tiny parts. One is to lay down a clean, white paper towel. This allows major color contrast to the grey and green pieces as well as act as a buffer to prevent launching tiny bits into oblivion. Secondly, I keep an empty zip type baggie to put anything tiny and ready for assembly in so I know it's been cleaned and, again, to prevent loss.
Hopefully by tomorrow morning, my eyeballs will be back to normal :o and I can install the last six springs and start on the rocker arms.
Once I get the springs all on, I'll post another picture, provided I haven't gone bonkers!
-
Great start Joe :)
Iknow what you mean about the old eyes, mine need a good spell off every now and then ;)
Is the after market seat much of a improvement over the kit part Joe?
cheers
michael
-
Thanks for the tips on the white paper towel and baggie Joe! Even we grizzled veterans can still learn new things! ;) With such a measured and steady approach, I am sure your build will progress extremely well.
Regards,
Bob
-
Great start Joe :)
Iknow what you mean about the old eyes, mine need a good spell off every now and then ;)
Is the after market seat much of a improvement over the kit part Joe?
cheers
michael
Thanks Michael,
In my opinion, the aftermarket seat itself is not much different, with the exception that it appears to be more in scale with what a cushioned seat would look like. The seat cushion itself is a vast improvement, as the kit doesn't have one. That being said, I've seen some pretty remarkable seat cushions formed from putty or other materials. I took this picture so others could compare for themselves. The kit seat is on the left while the Old Propeller seat and cushion is on the right.
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130329_084409_zps0ffa25e7.jpg)
-
After installing all the springs, I laid the cam down to test fit it. One thing immediately clear was that you can't install the Taurus valve springs in the same place as the molded springs. I had centered the springs at the outside edge of each cylinder, basically in line with the intake and exhaust ports. Once I laid the cam in place, I noticed that by doing so, the springs ended up centered on each rocker cover. This is incorrect, (btw, thanks for the merc DIII pics you posted Jamo), as the rocker arms are atached to the front of each cover. The nice thing is that the Taurus parts are made of soft polystyrene, so a light, quick twist of tweezers and they pop off cleanly. No damage. My suggestion would be to install the kit water pump/magneto assembly on the rear of the engine first, then the Taurus cam, followed by air pump. Then you can line the valve springs, rocker arms and push rods properly.
My poor eyeballs. :o
-
Funny how when I needed parts for my D.V, I had time. Now I have the parts, yet very little time. C'est la vie! Since I last posted, I've recieved the correct parts from Taurus for my Mercedes engine. I even found a little time to install a few. :)
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/20130413_082031_zps391be87c.jpg) (http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/lawman56/media/20130413_082031_zps391be87c.jpg.html)
You'll notice the cam, valve springs, intake nuts and spark plugs. Next comes the rocker arms, and an aspirin from eye strain. :o
-
Cant notice anything since the pic was removed but Im looking forward to the progress report!!
Steve
-
Now that's odd. It was there after I posted it. Evil gremlins. >:(
-
Try loading the photo again Joe, we would love to see what you have done so far.
Des.
-
Ok, I figured it out. My technologically challenged brain loaded the pic, previewed the post, (which showed the pic), and posted it. Then I went into my photobucket account and moved the pic into the "Albatros" album. My assumption is once I did that, the URL changed, so it "moved". Anyway, here's the pic I originally posted.
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130413_082031_zps391be87c.jpg) (http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/lawman56/media/Albatros/20130413_082031_zps391be87c.jpg.html)
And here's a pic after I installed the rocker arms, plug and magneto wires.
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130420_113737_zps412730f4.jpg) (http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/lawman56/media/Albatros/20130420_113737_zps412730f4.jpg.html)
-
Joe,
Looks like the beginning of an outstanding project with excellent details my friend. Looking forward to seeing more and keep up the good works.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
-
Looks good. Are those the Taurus rocker arms people have said are too long? Any problems?
Steve
-
Looks good. Are those the Taurus rocker arms people have said are too long? Any problems?
Steve
Steve,
Yes those are the Taurus rocker arms and cam people have had some issues with, but I honestly can't say why. The first set I recieved gave me problems, in that the cam was a hair too long and the rocker arms wouldn't line up with the centered valve springs. However, I also realized that I had accidentally ordered the timing set for the DIIIa motor, when mine is a DIII. The DIII rocker arms are mounted center of the cover, whereas the DIIIa rockers are mounted at the end of the cover. Given the fantastic amount of detail in the Taurus set, I have to believe that the gear is engine model specific.
I ordered the set for the DIII and have had no problems at all with it, so I'm not sure if I just lucked out or not. Regardless, the detail is crisp and fantastic, but you will need good tweezers, a magnifier of some sort, a steady hand and never-ending supply of aspirin to combat the eye strain!
The wires and photo etch comes from the HGW Albatross set. Another aftermarket product I would recommend. The "Detail" set includes a PE radiator, exterior details, interior details, engine details, seatbelts, paint masks and a wood grain decal.
-
Thanks - a very interesting point.
Steve
-
Ok. This is to be filed under "I have no idea why I did this". :o While browsing through the various Albatros pics, especially Jamos and TVALs, of the cockpit interior and controls, I noticed that on the right, interior side of the fuselage, just behind the right Spandau, there is a small board, with what I originally assumed to be 5 guages. Further inspection revealed that they weren't guages, but switches of some sort. So, I have no idea why I decided to do this, but I am attempting to scratchbuild these. Here's my progress so far:
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130429_095618-1_zps4b77ae2c.jpg) (http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/lawman56/media/Albatros/20130429_095618-1_zps4b77ae2c.jpg.html)
I started by drilling out the five molded on faces with pin vise bits of appropriate sizes, finding 5 very short model railroad screws from the junk box with heads of the same diameter, and a small, (.03mm I think), brass rod I keep in stock as antennas for my AFV builds.
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130429_100035_zpsf028bc27.jpg) (http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/lawman56/media/Albatros/20130429_100035_zpsf028bc27.jpg.html)
I then superglued the screws into the holes. I chose to use Philips or cross head screws in order to make the next step easier.
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130429_112153-1_zps5c780d7b.jpg) (http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/lawman56/media/Albatros/20130429_112153-1_zps5c780d7b.jpg.html)
I then cut the brass rod into 5 3mm length pieces.
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130429_112516-1_zpscaa10a19.jpg) (http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/lawman56/media/Albatros/20130429_112516-1_zpscaa10a19.jpg.html)
Then I bent 1mm of the rod as close to 90 degrees as I could.
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130430_064453-1_zpsd3e7afd9.jpg) (http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/lawman56/media/Albatros/20130430_064453-1_zpsd3e7afd9.jpg.html)
Lastly, for today anyhow, I glued the 1mm short side into the center of the screw heads. This is why I chose a Philips type screw. The center of the "x" allows me the rod to fit perfectly center with no guess work.
Tomorrow I start to paint!
-
Nice work on the engine and the switch panel! Looking forward to more,
RAGIII
-
The AMS is kicking in! ;)
You might be interested to know that the panel is for controlling the fuel system; the levers open and close various valves relating to pressurization and flow from the two tanks and two sources of air pressure ("bicycle" hand pump and motor driven pump at the front of the engine). The top most thing on the panel is a pressure gauge.
There is a wonderful book published by the Smithsonian NASM covering the history and restoration of their D.Va which has complete details of the workings of this thing. Unfortunately it is OOP but copies can be found...
Cheers
-
You're off to a great start, Joe. The screws are an interesting solution. I never would've thought of that. Looking forward to your next update.
Cheers,
Bud
-
Bo-thanks for the info. Although I've already mounted a handle there in my ignorance, it won't be that difficult to remove and scratchbuild a guage there. Here's the nearly finished board, minor touch up needed, and I'll post how I built the pressure guage. :)
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s556/lawman56/Albatros/20130501_093528-2_zps267d250d.jpg) (http://s1305.photobucket.com/user/lawman56/media/Albatros/20130501_093528-2_zps267d250d.jpg.html)
-
Nice work. After the "gluey" in progress shot its cleaned up nicely under paint.
Steve
-
Thanks Steve. :) I also tried something a little different in that I back-dragged a #11 Xacto blade across the surface to replicate wood grain, then hit it with a light Raw Sienna wash. Aside from needing a possible second coat to bring the grain out a little more, it seemed to work fairly well.
On a side note, my crew chief has been grumbling about having to replace the one switch with a pressure guage, but like the good Prussian mechanic that he is, he'll do it regardless! :D