forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Topic started by: Monty on September 21, 2020, 03:34:43 AM
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During a recent renovation I completely lost this kit when half my work area was converted into a flat for my daughter (Covid refuge, she usually works in Korea, was here on holiday and is still stuck here...) I found it again and I'm quite OK with the work I have done on it before, it is definitely a worthwhile project, I think... I am also inspired by Rick's efforts to improve this kit, I may not go nearly as far as he does, but a little extra work could turn it into a very acceptable model. I do have a Meng Tripe on the slow boat from China, here at the distant southerly tip of the Dark Continent anything important takes time... and I will add it to the thread.... Box top shown as it's not bad... pity about the RE8...
(https://iili.io/2TTk1S.jpg)
Well, I had some help from Mr Eduard...
(https://iili.io/2TTD21.jpg)
Sorry, it fell over and the focus isn't great...
(https://iili.io/2TTgku.jpg)
And I know you're all desperately hoping I Don't do the Red One, well, I've never done it before and now is the time... After all, it's so well documented, thousands of pieces of the airframe and fabric around, one colour, simple crosses, it should be easy... The green one should be good for the Meng kit... So, I have the wings together already, simple modelling, just be careful to align everything ... no warps, thin trailing edges, I know the span of all three may be a bit long, but it appears to be 1mm to me so that is OK... The detail on the bottom of the undercarriage aerofoil has been removed completely, and I won't replace it with the Meng interpretation yet, I'm not happy with that either from what I have seen so far...
(https://iili.io/2Tuf2t.jpg)
And a start to the engine and cowling and some of the interior... The cowling has the lower lip extended with some white plasticard, then filed and trimmed to give a more refined edge turned a bit inwards... looks better to me... I hear from the latest research those nice plywood and spruce side panels should be slopped with red-brown paint, and the metal fuselage frame tubes should be black... latest fad, but hardly visible, so I'll go with it... fairly reluctantly... engine looks OK to me...
(https://iili.io/2TuqYX.jpg)
I'm quite fired up about it, and I value your comments and opinions, but please add some evidence (if you can) as the many, many opinions about this airframe can lead to a lot of heated discussion!
Enjoy your modelling!
Regards,
Marc
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Marc,
This will be an interesting build to follow. Thanks for letting us follow along.
Kevin
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Great to see you back at the bench. Fingers crossed for the success of this project!
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Following with interest Marc :)
Terri
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Closely following this one Marc. Nice to see the Roden kit getting some love.
Ray Rimell's forthcoming special on making the Fokker Dr.1 ( covering all major kits) will become an essential go-to for Dr.1 modellers.
Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia
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Excellent start on your DR1. I guess this is what happens when you actually build vs Comparing kits ::) Looking great although like you, I wonder about the red brown primer 8)
RAGIII
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Thank You, Rick, Przemo, Kevin, Terri and Dave for following this one... I hope to do it justice! So I had a rare day off and some pleasant time to put into this one... I sprayed the framework black, did the red-brown on the plywood frames and even got some base-coat aluminium on here and there... good to get something done! The combination of colours looks very strange ... was it Richard Alexander who suggested this for MvR? We may have to use washes and highlighting to bring it all together....
(https://iili.io/2Y32xp.jpg)
Regards,
Marc
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Excellent work on the basic interior and other parts. I just assembled My Pfalz so I am now switching to My dual DR1 build. It will be great to follow on your progress.
RAGIII
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Must admit , it does look different with the black frame and redbrown panels but she is shaping up nicely so far Marc :)
Terri
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Looks great Marc! I like the shade of red/ brown you used.
Everything lining up very nicely and the interior fabric shade looks spot on!
cheers
Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia
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Great start, Monty. I'll be following this because I, too, am leaning toward the red one when I get around to mine. I just can't bring myself to do a streaked one! Butt ugly!
Maybe Jacob's other black one before the motor change?
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Very nice start!! Roden's kit just needs some love.
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Thank You everyone for checking in! And Ken, yes, the green ones are low down on the list and my Merit 1/24 will be JJ No: 2! Like Rick I'm using the Eduard PE, but it's relatively old, and the colour coating seems to be a kind of vinyl, it flakes off, cannot be glued back on and is resistant to lots of stuff... The new "steel" PE from Eduard is much better. So the Seat Belts got repainted, still need to highlight and touch up, remember the photo is mightily enlarged! The areas that will not be visible I'm not going to model, like the corners of the rear bulkhead..... I'm still having fun, so that's what it's all about!
(https://iili.io/2cSNSe.jpg)
Regards,
Marc
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Nice work on the floor, bulkhead and seat. For some reason I always struggle getting the frames attached to the seat and bulkhead!
RAGIII
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Never fear, Rick! Same for us all! There's lots of gluing, re-gluing and resort to superglue there! ATB, Marc.
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Hi Marc !
Nice work on the seat and floor , wood effect looks fantastic . Eduards earlier per-paint Pe sucked . The paint would peel off and repainted was needed . Their newer per-painted belts are a vast improvement , I use them lots for my WW 2 builds .
Looking forward on your next up-date :)
Terri
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You are probably aware of this but I figured I would mention it anyway. Do not use the fuel pump supplied in the kit for the right fuselage. WNW /Meng has it right. Just a tube with a valve.
RAGIII
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Oops! Thanks, Rick! I took the pump off and touched up the frame ... once again, really enlarged, so looks a bit rough. Any idea what the tube and valve looks like, Rick? My Google fails me!
(https://iili.io/2cy2G1.jpg)
ATB, Marc
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Don't feel bad as all Fokker DR1 kits have gotten this feature wrong! ( Except WNW/Meng)
RAGIII
I have removed the photo of MY model of the Meng kit and provided a link to a crashed DR1 that shows the T valve.
http://www.fokkerdr1.com/images/Dr1-591-17%20crach.jpg
Pretty much standard for the DR1, DVI, and The EV/DVIII.
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Very good start on this, following with interest and I do not fear the all red Dr.I, as you said it's probably the best documented of all and it's a real icon. :)
Ciao
Giuseppe
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Nice looking work, Monty!
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Looking good! I'm picking up more and more pointers for my eventual Roden build! :)
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Very fine work on the interior, Marc.
I am very happy for you, modeling again. Go for it!
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Thank You Rick for your invaluable help! And Thank You Przemo, Giuseppe, Jeroen and Gaz for checking in! A quick diversion as I cleaned up the rudder and I find it matches the plans mentioned by Rick almost exactly, if you look carefully you can see some of the black outline just about all around the rudder - good enough for me! I also skinned the top and bottom of the centre section of the tailplane - with 10 thou card - a slight mistake here - but easy to fix! All in all a good kit...
(https://iili.io/2VCni7.jpg)
Hopefully more progress soon, regards,
Marc
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Excellent work on the rudder Marc! I worked on the tail center section of mine yesterday! I think you have done a better/cleaner job than I did ;D Looking forward to more 8)
RAGIII
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Thumbs up Marc :)
Terri
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This is coming along very nicely. A suggestion for the center wing if I may. I read in an earlier review about the Roden kit to cut the spar on the center wing and to insert the ends into the cowling after it was installed, instead of before. For me, it made the seam and fit so much better and easier.
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Thank you Terri, Rick and Fred for checking in! I am following your builds closely, Rick, and I see your middle wing looks OK so far ... mine seems to dry fit OK, may need some putty! But only a small update this weekend, the ignition cutout switch on the left (not right side as Roden have it) is made from 5 pieces of Eduard PE... (ouch) and the lever on the right as per Rick is from stretched sprue... all still not glued in place...
(https://iili.io/26Gqps.jpg)
Baby steps! Regards,
Marc.
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I love what you are doing and am Happy that you are finding MY build helpful. That is what posting builds is all about in My Opinion! Mine certainly has a seam that will require filling on the undersurface, as did My previous 4 or 5 8)
RAGIII
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Hi Rick! This build is a lot more satisfying and educational due to your help! I think it works for us all... And collectively, our knowledge improves enormously! Thank you for encouraging me on this build! Regards, Marc.
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Well, once again baby steps, using the Eduard PE is certainly fiddly, 4 parts for the throttle quadrant, yikes! The rigging is their PE too... in the left corner of the photo are two cockpit instruments, I made thicker bodies for them from slices of sprue. That red handle comes from a repro Dr.1 but looks interesting... the plaques on the ammunition box I think will be visible, they may not be accurate but add interest!... Anyway, closer too assembling all this in the fuselage...
(https://iili.io/3WeUBV.jpg)
The sheet in the background is a teflon sheet that chefs use, given to me by my friend Doug, very useful as superglue and paint just don't stick to it!
Regards,
Marc
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Your interior is looking Great Marc! I always have trouble with the bracing wires from that set. I screw them up more often than not. Yours look excellent!
RAGIII
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Thanks for your confidence in my PE ability, Rick! Not sure I always agree and there are a few "blue" words now and then! Well, the cockpit is coming together, please forgive the odd shiny bit of superglue, I will touch up the visible bits with a little matt varnish, then it won't be so bad! The PE has delayed me a lot, but I must say the PE is beautifully designed for the kit, did Eduard and Roden have a pre-production chat here? This may bode well for the forthcoming Roden releases! Firstly a photo of the framework glued into the two fuselage halves... just make sure they are identically placed both sides, there's lots of connecting stuff in between!
(https://iili.io/3X1gFj.jpg)
And then some assembly... it suddenly starts to make sense... magnified many times on your screen, I'm sure... But it seems to fit well so far... need to add that extra bit of screen above the rear cockpit wall, I think...
(https://iili.io/3X148Q.jpg)
I need to confess I'm enjoying this...
Regards,
Marc
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Hey Marc ,
Really like what you are doing so far on this bird . She is shaping up nicely in the pit so far , nice tidy work with the PE parts .
Terri
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Your interior looks Terrific Marc! Much better than mine in many ways 8) I am looking forward to your progress!
RAGIII
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Great work on those interior bits, Marc. Looking fotwatd to more progress.
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Coming along very nicely Marc, lovely work and inspiring. I have 3 Fokker Triplane kits sitting beside the bench presently: The Encore F.1, the Roden DR.1, and the new Meng version and have settled on which schemes to Build at least a dozen times! The only assured one is the F.1 will be done in the Voss Scheme. For the DR.1's it's two of the all red 425/17, Lothar von Richthofen's yellow highlighted 454/17, and Jasta 19's Hans Korner's "Lightening bolt" 503/17. Once I solve that quandary the next one is which to do first or , like RAGIII, which two to start with?!
I too have reservations concerning that black frame however considering the source of the information I intend to follow the guidance. I am looking forward to this Build immensely, once I solve the foregoing questions this will prove extremely enjoyable. In the interim I'll be following your and Rick's progress closely, great work by both!
Cheers,
Lance
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Great 'inside job' Marc.
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Looking good - both paint and pe!
/Fredrik
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It's nice to see another Roden kit and especially the DR.I being built here on the forum. Your work thus far is stellar and I will be following as well as you progress through the build. I may have to break down and get the Eduard PE as it gives the modeler so much more to work with and dress up the interior with. OUTSTANDING work thus far.
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Excellent work Marc! Love the detail you've added to the cockpit.
Cheers,
Gary
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Thank You everyone for your encouraging replies! It does help motivate me.. Thank you Terri, Ken, Rick, Przemo, Gary, Mark, Fredrik and Lance.. I really appreciate the comments. I have done only a little work - I added the rigging using stretched sprue... yes, I know, old school, shock and horror, but very little shows in the cockpit.. I think my work here is done, time to close it up... I just put the ammo box in place to prove that not much detail in the forward fuselage will show..
(https://iili.io/FJ482s.jpg)
Enjoy your modelling!
Regards,
Marc
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Nicely done Marc, the "crisp and clean" detail in the cockpit really shines! I'm at the same stage on my Meng one, I'm going to test the stretched sprue technique for the interior frame bracing and, if it works out, borrow the technique from you. That'll be TWO BEERS IOU!
Cheers,
Lance
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Awesome Marc! It may be a slow pace but you are doing excellent work! I do of course, love the use of stretched sprue control wires having used that method on about 99% of My builds 8)
RAGIII
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Thank you all for checking in on the build, and there is progress! Thank You Lance and Rick for your comments, a frosty one would be welcome! I managed to get the fuselage halves together, so real progress. I still need to add the ammo boxes and fuel tank but these can easily be done from above, it's still open. The firewall behind the engine is on just to firm up the build progress. I did break off the transverse bar that supports the machine guns, both at the bottom where it attaches to the rudder bar and where is attaches to the side frames, so at one stage it was only held on by the rudder rigging wires! Full marks to stretched sprue rigging! Just eased it back into place, added glue and disaster averted... Quite a lot of fiddling to get everything aligned.. especially the firewall...
(https://iili.io/Fdc3cG.jpg)
This is where that cockpit detail magically disappears..
Enjoy your modelling,
Regards,
Marc
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Excellent progress and your DR1 is looking great. That bar is a pita, I always struggle with getting it located properly. Nice recovery!
RAGIII
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That is excellent progress Marc :)
Terri
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Thanks for checking in Rick and Terri! It always makes me feel better if someone else struggles with the same thing, Rick, I feel less ham-fisted! But I was playing around with the wings and the struts, and just with a minimal amount of trimming got it all together, securely dry-fitted but beautifully aligned... Roden did very well here....
(https://iili.io/FqPEPf.jpg)
Hoping to make some progress this weekend, my only modelling time!
Marc
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So, some progress... I decided to mate the wings up to the fuselage, just dry-fitted, to check all the alignment and make sure it looked like a Dr.1... and here I had a few surprises.. suddenly the wings weren't exactly parallel when viewed from above. and it seemed to be the lower wing that was throwing everything out via the wing struts... there was also a small gap where the middle wing under-surface met the fuselage...
(https://iili.io/Fot39s.jpg)
The tailplane is dry-fitted and the fuselage seam needs attention. No one has really commented on the different plastic colour of the two fuselage halves.. well, I lost a fuselage half (put it in another kit box) and thought the kit was history... then another kit came up for sale really cheaply here in SA so I nailed it... and was surprised to find the plastic colour completely different! I subsequently found the other fuselage half, so there will be another Triplane! So on with the build! The best wing fit was the middle wing but I needed to fill those gaps on the lower surface - so I cut strips of 10 thou plastic card and glued them to the fuselage stubs, seen here in the photograph as white strips...
(https://iili.io/Fot1l1.jpg)
Some putty on the fuselage join as well, leave it all to dry and add the other fuel (or oil) filler on the right upper fuselage cover... made a bit of a pooch of that, so no detail photos... weathering is very forgiving...
Then glued the middle wing to the upper fuselage cover as it mates up well, makes a strong structure, and sets the angle of attack.. I see Rick did it this way.... and leave it to dry... and trim my bits of plastic card....
(https://iili.io/FotSJn.jpg)
....and finally glue this structure to the fuselage for ever, ensuring it is at exactly right angles to the fuselage center line... good-bye cockpit... I do not intend to detail the top of the ammo boxes as precisely nothing will be seen..
(https://iili.io/FoDJsV.jpg)
....and sand the fuselage join, (will still need surface primer). The tailplane is dry fitted and the gap at the front edge (prominent on the real plane) will be improved.... so far everything lines up and is square... and that's OK for now...
ATB,
Marc
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That will be a nice triplane! Your build shows, that also a Roden one could be built nicely.
All the Dr.I builds here reminds me, that my collection has some triplanes but no Dr.I yet ::)
Cheers,
Frank
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The cockpit is very realistic, nice steps in the building of your Fokker.
Ciao
Giuseppe
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Your DR1 is really taking shape. Lovely interior and excellent construction!
RAGIII
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That is some really nice work happen here Marc , Keep up the excellent work !
Terri
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Thank you Rick, Terri, Giuseppe and Frank for checking in! Your encouragement is so appreciated! And after a lot of dry-fitting and fiddling I worked out that the lower wing fitting was indeed the problem... it sat too high up in the fuselage and put stress on the struts and threw the alignment out too... I added a 10 thou piece of plasticard on the upper surface of the cross strut and suddenly everything seemed to fit so much better... seen here...
(https://iili.io/FGWNV4.jpg)
... and I could instantly glue the lower wing in place with little problems and the interplane struts now fitted perfectly... Here the upper wing is dry-fitted and I'm happy so far.. I only need to glue those struts in very lightly as the fit is now so good... You can also see lots of putty and ongoing gaps on the lower surface, with Rick's invaluable help a plate will be added over the lower wing spar and a hatch underneath the forward fuselage... I feel things are taking shape...
(https://iili.io/FGWsiQ.jpg)
Enjoy your modelling!
Regards,
Marc
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Your Triplane is really looking Terrific Mark! Nice work on figuring out the fit issue and the correction!
RAGIII
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This is coming along quite nicely with the pre fitting of everything, you have made good progress. These Roden kits do reward the modeler with a very striking model with some care and time. Yes, doing the engine inspection door on the underside will blend everything in nicely. Nice tip on the lower wing shim. I will have to try that on my next Roden DR.I build.
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Great work, Marc. Dry-fitting is the key, isn't it? ;)
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Thank you Rick, Mark and Prezmo for checking in, and yes, this one needs lots of dry-fitting! Just sorting the lower wing position out took me a day... Well, on to some fiddly stuff, and the cowling definitely needs some help, and well, some difficult detailing... The lower lip of the front plate with the turn in has been replaced with a thin strip of plasticard, and now I've started on the semi-circular join line.. a strip of 10 thou, carefully glued on edgewise to mark the spot... hope I got it right... it will be sanded down later... I have plans for this...
(https://iili.io/FjLP5l.jpg)
Regards,
Marc
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Hey Marc ,
You are making excellent progress on this bird . Nice fix on getting the lower wing to fit and the edgeing on the cowl is off to a nice start . Looking forwar on the next up-date .
I also think that solving fit issue and such really do aid in developing ones skills for thinking out side the box .
Terri
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I'm watching carefully Marc, and learning a lot despite having built this one before! The fix for the lower wing is a real jewel but the cowling work really got my attention; as Terri says "out of the box" and looks like it will be very effective.Great work!
Cheers,
Lance
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Nice work on te cowling Marc. You are showing what can be accomplished with this kit
RAGIII
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Just sorting the lower wing position out took me a day...
Yes Marc, that careful fitting takes its time, but it pays back at the end with a great model!
I needed also a lot of time to adjust the length of the struts ...
Cheers,
Frank
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Thank You Terri, Lance, Frank and Rick for checking in! Yes, an AM cowling is not an option in darkest Africa, so we battle on! Next we add some surface primer round the edge of the plasticard strip, I use this as it has a finer grain than normal putty, and it gives a smoother surface when sanded, and also is about the same hardness as plastic, useful when attacking with sandpaper! Two photos to show this close up: Comments welcome!
(https://iili.io/FN5TVR.jpg)
(https://iili.io/FN5RKN.jpg)
Difficult to show these details in the poor light this evening, but hope it's understandable....
Regards,
Marc.
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Your Cowling is Really looking Great Marc! Excellent work!!
RAGIII
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These small details can really bring out a model , looking forward on seeing how the cowl turns out .
Terri
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Nice work, Marc. Don't think I've ever seen the Roden cowling fixed before.
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Thank you, Rick, Terri and Ken for checking in... Still going bravely where no-one has trod before...!
After lots of sanding and feathering the edges, 1000 grit wet-and-dry sandpaper... The feline quality control inspector got a paw in...
(https://iili.io/KBHIV9.jpg)
(https://iili.io/KBHAKu.jpg)
The edge has to be really thin, looks a bit messy, may have to prime and sand too...
Regards, Marc.
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Beautiful work as well as inspiring and instructive!
/Fredrik
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You are doing an Amazing job on the cowling. When you are done No One will know it isn't an aftermarket item or a repurposed Meng cowling!
RAGIII
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That looks beautiful. Great work.
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Thank you all for checking in on this kind of slow build! Here is the cowling undercoated - in Tamiya acrylic titanium silver - just to see how it looks! Not sure if it's perfect, but shows some of the subtle curves... Many period photographs of the early Dr.1's show a row of rivets where the sheet metal join occurs, but this is not visible on many machines, especially if they had an overpainted cowling, and in the case of 425, the one photo that shows a Little bit of cowling there are no rivets.. so here we go...
(https://iili.io/Kny5Fe.jpg)
Magnified a few times...
Regards,
Marc
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Great work, Marc. You're really going the extra mile here :) I have this kit at home as well so I will surely have a close eye on your build.
Best,
Tim
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You may be going slow but the results are worth the time and effort!
RAGIII
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Very nice modeling proving AM is not required!!
Steve
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Most excellent out come on the cowl Marc :)
Terri
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Yes, nice work on the cowling.
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Looks better then my cowling in 1/8 in front of the Dr.I on the roof!
Cheers,
Frank
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just enjoyed reading through your build, great work on all the details and i look forward to seeing more
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Thank You Frank, Terri, Steve and Tim for checking in! Yes, there is a little progress... however slight! I added the opening for the inspection patch for the top wing spar.. moved forward a bit.. needs some sanding... also the ailerons finished and added... and all the sanding on the fuselage... lots of layers and colours of putty here! Oh, and some details for the undercarriage wing lower surface.. Lots of little stuff, but no great real progress!
(https://iili.io/KTdX14.jpg)
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Excellent progress, Marc. That cowling really turned out nicely - great idea and follow-up.
Cheers,
Gary
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Progress is progress and she is shaping up most excellent so far ! :)
Terri
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Your work on this one is looking great Marc! I like the addition of the inspection panel and the added pads to the Axle wing! Well done 8)
RAGIII
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Thank you so much for the encouraging comments, Rick, Terri and Gary, I can feel a blush coming on... And today some time off, it's a public (Bank) holiday here and for once I have some time! I spent a bit of effort on the underside of the fuselage, since the kit is quite blank in this area... from the front, a curved plate coming down from the firewall with little cut-outs for the forward undercarriage legs, I used 5 thou card and sanded it back a bit... then the hatch under the forward fuselage, just card again, the latches just representative, may need sanding down, then a plate over the lower wing spar, it hides a multitude of modelling sins! After a lot of worry about representing the stitching down the centre of the rear fuselage, I read Spyro's thread and realized I had a completed DVII, so I took some household aluminium foil and burnished it down over the detail, flooded some superglue on the inside to hold the detail, then added some surface primer to keep the shape.. carefully cut out when dry and super glued on... the kind of 20 minute fix I like! It may not be perfect but is better than nothing in this difficult-to-view area..
(https://iili.io/KAbNCx.jpg)
Regards,
Marc
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Congratulations Monty, now looks like Dr.I :)
Spyros
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Excellent details Marc! I also have been thinking about Spyros Idea for when I run out of Archer Transfers . Your DR1 is really taking shape now!
RAGIII
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Good job on the seamline, looks very fine. It might be in a hard-to-see spot but it's these little extras that make a model feel special :)
Have a great day,
Tim
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Thank You Rick, Tim and Spyros for checking in! The encouragement and good advice is really appreciated...
The tasks for today were to attach the undercarriage struts to the axle wing, and here I simply had to get all the angles right first time... there is now a nasty filling job where the struts have a tie-bar, not present on the real aircraft, reach for the putty! Also the upper elevator cables run through the tailplane, I have modified the center section, so now need to add minute PE grommets (fortunately supplied by Eduard) and this took a few attempts... The tail plane seems to fit OK so it was added and glued.. That seam line at the front should be there, and it's not that small a gap in reality!
(https://iili.io/KRicva.jpg)
The picture may explain this all better...
All The Best,
Marc.
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Some more progress, but just a little... the elevators are attached, and I dry-fitted everything to make sure they all looked OK... the cowling and wheel covers are loose, so the fit will improve! Good to see something emerging... The undercarriage assembly seems very weak, it fits but seems very shaky... I may have to use steel wire bracing between the legs to stiffen things up... Any ideas on how to do it better?
(https://iili.io/KYqRvn.jpg)
ATB,
Marc.
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You are catching up quickly to My build 8) Your work is looking terrific. As for the gear I checked one of My older ones and it does stiffen up a bit once glued. Not nearly as wobbly as a WNW Albatros ;D I think the Steel Wire will help or perhaps Turnbuckles and Monofilament . I just used Stretched Sprue on Mine ::)
RAGIII
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Marc, again impressive and careful work!
I think also a rigging with fishing line is stabilizing the gear. No force, which is possible between the model parts, will be able to stretch it.
Cheers,
Frank
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Great work Monty. I think I would use monofilament for the undercarriage.
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Thank You everyone for the helpful replies! Rick, it's good to hear these struts are stronger than they look - or feel - I do remember being very dubious about the WNW DVII U/C struts, but mine survived a 2000 km trip to a convention, by car, standing on it's U/C, and 3 years later is OK! Must admit I did add wire cross braces... Frank, I know it works well for you, but I'm a bit scared of adding too much tension on the struts with my ham-fisted efforts by using fishing line! Ferry, I also shy away from monofilament as it tends to be affected by heat and humidity, maybe it's just me!
So, on with the build... did the masking now, tissue crammed in the cockpit, but careful marking of the upper strut attachment points... to prevent fitting problems later!
(https://iili.io/KYq5ps.jpg)
Then a very thin coat of a brew of flat black, medium grey and my last bit of Nato black, Tamiya acrylics, thinned with their thinner and a touch of gloss and a drop of acrylic retarder.... (Mix really well, dance around it three times making whooping noises and you're good to go...)
(https://iili.io/KY8Qp4.jpg)
Wait a minute, I hear you say, this wasn't going to be Josef Jacob's Dr.1... Well, this is just the first undercoat. A dark glossy colour kills the translucency of the plastic and shows up flaws much, much better than any other colour, have you ever owned a black car? The armour modellers are into "black-basing" these days, where they start with a black colour and go to successively lighter shades to get that 3D effect, I'm not really aiming for that but it may help... Need to let this all dry...
Regards,
Marc
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Looking Great Marc! Your Meticulous approach at filling the strut locations and priming are sure to pay dividends 8)
RAGIII
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The dark base coating looks like your goat-to way of starting the paint....
Steve
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Heh, Heh, Pepperman! Yes, It's worth bleating about, and helps head-butt the build along... Rick, my joints just weren't up to scratch, and I had to revisit them...
(https://iili.io/KY8bQS.jpg)
And I forgot the struts under the tail-plane...
(https://iili.io/KY8yG9.jpg)
And then out with the sandpaper, not for the squeamish....
(https://iili.io/KYSJ3u.jpg)
Even the goat is disgusted ... he's actually just there to help the colour contrast... Hopefully I'l get some time to proceed over this festive season, so best wishes to You and your Loved Ones!
Regards,
Marc
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That seam is a Devil to be sure. Even when I think it is gone it re appears... even a bit on the Meng kit ::)
RAGIII
-
Rick, you are so right about that seam! Just like the WNW DVII in fact... and it needs multiple tries with filling, sanding and re-coating... and here is try number 2...
(https://iili.io/KkB6pS.jpg)
... and doesn't look so good... You can see the rough areas on the centre line join and my tailplane "fix"... so did some sanding...
(https://iili.io/KkBLQe.jpg)
... and looks like a mess all over again... How could I miss that sink mark near the wing tip??
Will need to primer this again...
Regards and Keep Safe,
Marc.
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Hopefully this will be the last filling and sanding of that Damn Seam! I have to admit I reached a point where I said Hell, No One will see it but Me!
RAGIII
-
Finally you'll get there.
-
I hate this happening with seams on my models. Most of them appear when the painting is done.... I keep my fingers crossed for a seamless fuselage after not so many filling and sanding steps!
Andreas
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This is why I use CA to fill seams. Solvent based paints and puttys always seem to shrink over time, revealing the seam.
-
Yeah , those seems have a way of coming back to haunt us over time and during the build . CA works the best but with out of time during the day if not sanded right away it is a bitch the next day . Heat stretch plastic or the right size of plastic rod works well for filling seems .
Looking forward on the next up-date Marc :)
Alexis
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I'm sure you will nail it!
The end result will be nice, one round more or less - you will not remember.
Cheers,
Frank
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Thank You everyone for checking in! Rick, yes, the time comes when you just have to accept it! Ferry, the time is soon! Andreas, we are our own worst enemy sometimes! But this is coming together... Ken, ACC is always a good idea, but needs careful timing and application... it can be difficult to sand and file, and then the plastic suffers! Surface primer is my go-to at the moment... Alexis, yes your advice is spot on... Frank, it's all about the fun, isn't it! But here is my final rendition before colours, the very small slightly matt areas will succumb to some finishing pads, I'm sure!
(https://iili.io/KkPHJV.jpg)
While this cures there will be a slight diversion...
Regards,
Marc
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Smooth as a Babies Bottom Marc! I am looking forward to the colors!
RAGIII
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Well, you can blame Rick for the diversion! He suggested a comparison build of the Meng and Roden kits a while back, and what a great job he has done! I made a comment that maybe I would join in, and so here is the "maybe more" in title since I realised it would be many moons before the Mengnuts kit hit Africa.. but here it is! And firstly, I want to say what a great kit it is, some superfine details, some interesting construction methods, but, as with every kit ever produced, needs attention in some areas... And I must say some really nice builds have already been posted. My comments are for discussion and help, please chime in if you disagree... And some of my comments apply to the demise of WNW so please tread carefully (as I will) as the mods do not need to lose sleep...
(https://iili.io/KkBm3x.jpg)
When the kit was announced the ex-WNW staff commented that Meng didn't have the moulds for the engine, well, Meng went ahead and made their own mould... The two engine moulds for the LeRhone 9J/UR II are on the box: Meng to the left, totally new mould, and ex-WNW to the right (from their Le Rhone Camel). There is at least 10% difference in the sprues etc so there is no copy-right infringement, but the actual engines, when assembled are very, very similar... as they should be! So very nice, Meng has their own mould, maybe a Hanriot, Mr Meng?? And here is the engine assembled:
(https://iili.io/Kkze0g.jpg)
It went together so easily, I didn't even break a single push rod... I was also amazed at the similarity of the Fokker and Camel sprues, layout size and attachment points, perhaps I'm going a bit far here in supposing the same manufacturer...
(https://iili.io/KkzhzB.jpg)
Well, I'm going to really enjoy this one, I hope Meng seell thousands and give us more WW1 kits!
Regards,
Marc
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Excellent Marc! Now I am not the only crazy one working on the Meng and Roden kits ::) Nice work on the engine and not breaking a pushrod is an accomplishment! I managed MY second one without breakage but the first was a disaster! Be careful handling the Horizontal tail. The control horns come off easily. Again So far on My second no breakage but the first one I lost all four!
RAGIII
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Well Marc, it was just a matter of time! I'm looking forward to your assessment of this kit as it progresses, I've been really dragging my feet on mine and been plagued by all sorts of delays due mostly to my own errors and a really bad run of no luck at all in the construction thus far. Like Rick I managed to break every control horn on her, knocked the elevator off three times, and had no end of grief trying to mount the guns. Maybe it's my age induced deterioration of steady hands and basic skills coming into play or I was just due for a less then wonderful Build experience! I'll try to get a few photos done and update my Build thread soon, I want to get this one completed and break into the Roden Kit which will be the follow up. Yours has come along beautifully, I hope I can get similar results.
Cheers,
Lance
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This working on two kits at once can be quite a task, Rick, but you provide Lots of inspiration! Who can really resist the Meng-Nuts kit? Well, maybe Przemo, it doesn't have much rigging!
Thanks for checking in Lance, I have been following your build really carefully, and it is a great help - you are making amazing progress and it is looking good! But I think I have a few things to add, as I am fore-warned!
So continuing with the Meng kit, I started with the wings. Yes, all three of my wings had warps. This is not that unusual with wings with such thick single piece mouldings. There are lots of comments about the WNW Albatross upper wing and I had great warps in the WNW Camel wings... So, lots of warmish water, lots of careful, and I mean careful bending and then plunging in cold water... Hold it under a heavy book overnight, check it in the morning and go back to step one... Well, after a few days they all look much better... I am not that enamored with the rib tape and stitching detail on the wing upper-surfaces. Under-surfaces look OK. Particularly the head on period photographs show smooth leading edges, so I attacked them with sand paper and files. Quite a lot of cleaning up made them look better in my eyes. Remember to remove at least one set of the leading edge stacking pads on the leading edge of the middle and upper wings. these pads varied, check your references. Winsock DR.! Special has quite a lot about this, IIRC. I think this photograph shows it.
(https://iili.io/KvgSEv.jpg)
I also wondered about warps in the fuselage, but I was surprised that so much cleaning up of sprue attachment points and ejection pin markings near the tail was required. ( The blade tip shows where some nasty EP markings were...)
(https://iili.io/Kv6Frx.jpg)
Then I noticed the fuselage halves didn't line up... so I opened up the holes for those little pegs all round the fuselage half, and filed down the pegs on the other fuselage half so I could wiggle the two halves around a bit.. and to my delight if the upper fuselage seam is perfectly aligned that strip of fabric lacing fits just so perfectly in the belly of the fuselage... This is really worth doing, it will save time (and heartache)... More photos soon...
The Roden kit has had some attention...
(https://iili.io/Kv69I9.jpg)
Ee, Gads! I hear you say. First he tries to do Lt Jacob's kite, and now it looks like Lt Weiss's machine! Well, white is actually the best undercoat for red, so colour change coming up! (Top wing loose). This white coat was unfortunately not a good coat as it had powdering and eggshell (Lots of wind here and dry) so I will need to rub down and recoat... C'est la Vie...
Regards,
Marc
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Excellent progress on Both kits Marc! That is a great tip about the mounting pegs. Too late for Me on this one but if I ever build another I will certainly follow your lead!
RAGIII
PS: From what I have been reading on FB sanding down the "Nailed" look is probably correct, at least according to some folks with more knowledge than Me 8)
-
I would say your hands are full now , looking forward on seeing what you do with the Meng kit .
Alexis
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Thank you, Rick, for checking in! Yes, that mounting pin problem was quite unexpected but was easily sorted for me! I have a second Meng kit and will definitely note if it happens there as well! The surface detail - well, this is individual preference, and also depends on your particular painting technique, so all I can say is this works for me! Hi Alexis, yes, I'm trying to get two rather complex kits together at once, but I have reached the painting stage on the Roden kit, I need to let the paint layers not only dry but cure properly before applying the next layer, this is to avoid disasters and is simply how I do it... in the meantime I fiddle with the really nice Meng kit...
Here is the second coat of white on the Roden kit, you can easily compare it to the previous post and see how smooth and regular it really is... Happy with this!
(https://iili.io/KSvvJS.jpg)
(https://iili.io/KSvrzu.jpg)
Regards and Happy Modelling!
Marc
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Extremely smooth paint and that seam is absolutely gone!
RAGIII
-
all the prep work has paid off as that looks a really nice surface now
-
Perfekt !
Alexis
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Thank you everyone for the great encouragement... Well, the time has come and I'm seeing Red!
(https://iili.io/KgnEwx.jpg)
Not a great application of Red, I used Tamiya acrylic gloss red with a touch of Red-brown thinned with their lacquer thinners that contains retarder, and although the coat is shiny and quite thin, it's extremely fragile - there is a "ding" in the top wing already... it's also a bit patchy for me, so this needs to cure thoroughly and then needs a re-coat, I think... So a little delay here... Regards, Marc
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Looking Lovely Marc! I like your red and I am sure it will be even better after the second coat. I use a lot of Tamiya paints but just straight up X20a or Lacquer thinner. Usually very stable and scratch resistant. By the way, I forgot to mention how nice your prop and engine look in My previous post!
RAGIII
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I have to ask Marc , are you using their Lacquer line of paints or their acrylic , the lacquer with the retarder is for their lacquer range only and doesn't work well with their XF paint numbers .
I do like the direction this is heading , very promising Marc :)
Alexis
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Hi Rick and Alexis! Thank you for checking in and yes, you are both so right! Tamiya acrylics and that newish Lacquer Thinners with retarder is a disaster! The coat of paint is fragile, it seems to react poorly to the coat underneath and the finish is miserable ... So big delay on the 'Baron red Triplane as I let it dry completely, sand it down and recoat... Next time I will use my tried and true formula as in the photograph: 45% paint (in this case white); 45% Acrylic X-20A thinner; 9% X-22 Gloss Clear and 1% Acrylic retarder... This works for me!
(https://iili.io/KQxJpV.jpg)
But I think I can fix it... The prop isn't quite finished yet, Rick, but it is coming along...
In the meantime I did some undercoats for the wood effects on the Meng kit... I suppose a kit isn't started unless there is some paint on it! Note I mask the mating edges of the fuselage halves - these tolerances are tight! Also a few other props for biplanes there.... (Not all WW1)... And wingtip skids for the Roden kit...
(https://iili.io/KQx3hP.jpg)
Enjoy your modelling!
Regards,
Marc.
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Nice start on the base coat for the wood Marc. As always I look forward to the next update!
RAGIII
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Thumbs up Marc ! :)
I sure your repaint will turn out perfekt ;)
Alexis
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Catching up. Great progress.
Steve
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Great to see you working on those Dr.Is, Marc. :-)
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Thank you, Steve, Alexis Rick and Przemo for your encouragement! I must confess I'm struggling a lot with the red paint, I do remember having issues with this Tamiya acrylic red before! My paint now stays tacky, and I've just ruined the finish on one elevator... modelling always seems to be ricocheting from one disaster to the next! But I tried again and the finish is just a bit better, but will need at least a few weeks to settle down and harden before I tackle the decalling... bear with me please! Here is the underside, those extra details look like an improvement...
(https://iili.io/KpzWsR.jpg)
And so I amused myself with a few details.. I've got one decal on and removed the moulded detail on the guns and filled in the sink marks, I'm planning to use the Eduard PE on them...
(https://iili.io/KpzPgS.jpg)
Well, that's all for now..
Regards,
Marc
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Although I can't explain your difficulties with the Tamiya red I do like how it looks! The rudder looks great and nice prep on the Machine Guns!
RAGIII
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Sorry to hear about your problems withthe paint. I don't use Tamiya paints so I can't help you. Maybe try another brand of paint?
-
Not sure what to say about your troubles with Tamiya paints . Never had this happen and that's all I use . But I would suggest maybe spraying Tamiya clear to rid the tackiness of the surface .
Nice prep work on the guns as well as the rudder Marc :)
Alexis
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Beside your trouble with the paint you really nailed the color shape!
It looks exactly like the Mr.Paint "Richthofens red":
(https://mrpaint.sk/image/cache/catalog/250-1600x1600.jpg)
https://mrpaint.sk/index.php?route=product/product&keyword=richt&product_id=331
On the picture it looks darker, but sprayed it looks like yours!
Cheers,
Frank
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Thank you Rick for checking in. Yes, the paint problems may be self inflicted. That pot of Tamiya's red may be more than 20 years old! Also some thinner problems as I explained, I won't be using much retarder any more either. Thanks for the vote of confidence on the colour, Frank. I added just a tad of Red-brown to the red and went for it! I would really like to try some other brands Ferry, but here in South Africa we take what we can get! Just getting imports in these days is a real problem... Thank you for your advice, Alexis! It seems to work.... Anyway, not really much progress, so move along, move along! Not much to see here... I got a coat of clear X-22 on thinned only with X-20A and it went much better... a quicker drying and harder coat... nearly ready for decals!
(https://iili.io/fFVyQ9.jpg)
Regards and enjoy your modeling! Marc.
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Marc,
That is a nice shade of red. I've got some Tamiya paint that must be nearing 35 years old. It has held up just great.
Kevin
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Lovely! I have to mention again what a great job you did on the panels on the lower forward fuselage. Very convincing!
RAGIII
-
Although I never ever heared of a Dr. 1 painted red, this looks really nice! :)
Andreas
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The joys of paint and modeling. Nice to see that you are making progress on the model in spite of a paint set back. I use Tamiya paints as well and use Lacquer Thinner from the hardware store (Home Depot, Lowes, Etc.)with excellent results. I like your mix of paint as well. Tones down the brightness of the red.
-
Thank You Rick, Kevin, Mark and Andreas for checking in, and I'm glad the shade of red seems OK! Well, before I went on holiday the poor model got knocked off a high shelf. It's first flight was terrible followed by an even worse landing. Strut off, wing root broken. What is it about these self-destructing Fokkers?? So I thought about it all holiday, and now I'm back I tackled the repairs.
(https://iili.io/qdxmXf.jpg)
I used Kristal Klear as it dries slowly, it may not be the strongest glue but doesn't attack paint, doesn't make a mess and cleans up with water. To my surprise the broken edges mated perfectly, no need for a touch-up even. The tail plane needs some attention too...
(https://iili.io/qdzH12.jpg)
So no progress but onward I go!
Regards,
Marc
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Welcome back Marc :)
Just think of this as the six million dollar Fokker , we will build it stronger faster and more red then anything else on this planet !!! ;D
Alexis
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Luckily you could restore the damage. Nice job.
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Great recovery Marc! I hope the Kristal Klear holds! Perhaps these Triplane crashes can be classified as Art imitating Life :-[ Lets hope you are back on track. I look forward to seeing this one completed 8)
RAGIII
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Oh Marc, it is hard to see a result of a crash in this late state :o
I hope for you, that the Kristal Klear can hold it together!
I must admit, that I use this glue for creating instrument glasses, but it is not very strong. I would pin it with thin brass, one side a bit bigger hole. If this is filled with glue, you can still move one side for a perfect match, but will get a much stronger connection even with that glue.
Just my thoughts ...
Cheers,
Frank
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Thank you all for checking in and the encouragement! Yes, repairs took a while! Alexis, I have an old red Porsche, now that is fast, red, and feels like I've spent 6 million dollars on it! Thank you for checking in, Ferry! And yes, Frank and Rick, the glue sounds iffy but I have had success with it before and it seems to be holding up! And it appears the paint has finally hardened, that took months! So on to the decals, and I must say these Eagles-Cal decals are a big disappointment. They are really, and I mean really, old decals, and have become brittle. There is a difference between fragile and brittle. Fragile I can deal with, (Like early Roden decals) but brittle decals just crack and chip and destroy themselves. So here there will be lots of patching up, smoke and mirrors and hiding stuff... sorry. One of Those builds!
(https://iili.io/qIJpoX.jpg)
Not a great photo ... poor light...
Regards,
Marc
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I must say again that in spite of the issues this one is giving you the results to date are Terrific. I can't see the cracks and chipping in the decals but I will take your word. Or did you already touch them up? Looking excellent!
RAGIII
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Nice that you were able to manage it, the picture looks great! I like red Dr.I!
Cheers,
Frank
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Thank you Rick and Frank for checking in and the encouragement! Sorry about the slow progress, but due to the many coats of paint and strange thinners I have used, I need to let every coat dry thoroughly before the next... so here touch-ups and tweaking. I didn't really like the grey bits representing the over painted maltese crosses on the fuselage sides, so I over painted them in white. I also touched up a few cracks and chips in the decals. It may not all be perfect, but I think the original aircraft was repainted often enough by hand for me to get away with it!
(https://iili.io/q1bFIa.jpg)
Not that exciting yet, but progress! A coat of semi-gloss to seal it all in next...
Regards and enjoy your modelling!
Marc
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Progress is progress be it a lot or a little! The crosses look excellent and I see no tell tale signs of your touch up!
RAGIII
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Progress is progress be it a lot or a little! The crosses look excellent and I see no tell tale signs of your touch up!
RAGIII
Second this :)
Alexis
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looks pretty damn good to me and when it comes to paint it takes as long as it takes :D
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Thank you everyone for the very encouraging replies! Progress is slow. I did the semi-gloss coat using Tamiya's flattening agent mixed with their gloss clear acrylic - my go-to as I know I can get the effect I want and it is reliable. This takes the over-gloss appearance away, and I think helps scale effect. Then on to the dry-fitting to make sure everything will come together, and in this photo, no glue! Even the rudder stays on, the upper wing and even cabane struts just pop into place! Well done, Mr Roden! I need to do a lot of detail painting, wood effects on the wing-tip and tail skids and the MG's are started - some PE on but I need to get the courage up to roll those fretted jackets! I have got it right before (and also messed it up thoroughly...)
(https://iili.io/qwDoFe.jpg)
Some progress is always good...
Regards,
Marc
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Progress is progress Marc and she is moving forward very nicely . Good luck with the rolling of those gun jackets ;)
Alexis
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I like your clear sheen mix! Looking great!
RAGIII
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Another nice progress in the "Red Fokker weeks". I should join ???
I have used HSS drill shafts for rolling jackets (there are very cheap set of drills in 0.1mm steps). Only a example:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/HSS-Spiralbohrer-Set-150tlg-0-4mm-3-2mm-Metallbohrer-Stahlbohrer-Satz-Koffer/142068960337
Cheers,
Frank
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Thank You Frank, Alexis and Rick for checking in and the encouragement! Well, it's on to the details, and I spent a good two hours just rolling the PE for the First MG! Yes, I annealed the PE first, but it is the old (Nickel-silver??) PE, as hard as anything, and using my trusty micro- screwdivers (hard shank - plus a handle!) managed to get one rolled (sort of...)
(https://iili.io/qU4viN.jpg)
Many times larger than life on your screen, I'm sure.... So also painted the wheels, did the wood on the wingtip skids etc...
(https://iili.io/qU4Ult.jpg)
.. and stole the padding for the machine gun butts from the Meng kit....
Regards and enjoy your modelling!
Marc
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All looking excellent Marc, clean and very nice indeed! Your "sort of rolled" gun cooling jacket looks perfect as well. I stole the gun butt padding from the left overs of my Meng Kit as well as this aircraft had the cutout for easier access to the cocking handle. The bad side, this little devil gave you a pretty hard time; the good side, it's a beautiful model already!
Very nice!
Cheers,
Lance
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Continuing excellent progress Marc! The rolled jacket looks perfect to Me. Great idea to use the padding from the Meng Kit, I did the same ::)
RAGIII
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I wish I could roll a jacket like that, I have to buy them for nice looking MG's.
-
One down and one more to go , nice job on rolling the jacket . Yes some of Eduards PE sets are nickle silver and are hard to roll compared to brass PE ones . For brass jackets I only used one tool , for the nickle silver I will use many different sizes starting with a large one slowly working my way down to a smaller size . What helps as well is rolling the jacket on a piece of foam ( what meat comes pack in ) .
Looking forward to the next up-date :)
Alexis
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Somehow I have missed this up until now so I have read through and followed with interest your progress. Very impressive modelling - especially some of the finer details and the painting. I could never have rolled that mg jacket no matter how many times I tried - so I too have to make do with prefabricated ones.
Will be keeping a closer eye in future.
Stephen.
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Thank You everyone for your replies - this time so many comments! I am very grateful and find the interest and advice really helps... Today I had some time and worked on the Meng Triplane instead, no real reason, it just took my fancy! I did a lot of interior painting, I know the triangular side fairings should be red-brown, but wood tones are close and look pretty... The control column could be better thought out and a better moulding but I suppose will do. The wooden floor I distressed a bit... but the black leather on the seat was a total foul up and out comes the paint stripper and repeat! The visible ejection pin markings on the fuselage halves won't show... I checked... But I did have some good times, and it is a really fun kit to get together... (I got a second one... don't tell on me...)
(https://iili.io/qp4MKB.jpg)
Instrument decals next...
Regards,
Marc
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Lovely work indeed, Marc!
Cheers,
Gary
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That looks like a good session at the modelling table!
Stephen.
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Great start Monty, the Meng kit looks nice. I'll be interested to see how it all goes together as I have one in the stash. Will this be a Richthofen mount?
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Hey Marc , don't mix the parts up ;) !
Really nice work in the pit so far , and the wood effect on the fuselage side panels is really good as well as the floor !
Alexis
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Great work on the Meng interior parts Marc! Looking Terrific! I Still like the Wood panels. After all the red primer is a theory, No matter how well researched, that can't be proven as fact . JMHO.
RAGIII
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I like your stick to it edness on the Red Fokker. Nothing like taking two steps back after you have made some good progress. I get frustrated when that happens. Good recovery. I would be a bit Leary about the white crystal clear, but if you don't handle it a lot it should be fine. The start of the Meng kit looks good. The wood tone looks good and is hardly noticeable once the fuselage halves are buttoned up. Kudo's too for being able to work on two kits at a time. I can't. Looking forward to the updates.
-
Nice work on the interior Marc. Maybe I should get one.
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Thank You all for the replies! Gary, that praise is undeserved! But thank You. Stephen, it felt just like working on a WNW kit, good fun! Richie, it is a really, really nice kit! I can recommend it thoroughly, and it builds up beautifully, the only problems are the warped wings and the small piece that breaks off the middle wings - all very easy to fix due to the good advice on this site! I haven't decided on a colour scheme, I now have about 5 options, including the Richthofen mount decals in the WNW Albatross kit! I am tempted... Thank you for the compliment Alexis, fortunately there are very few parts not used for the Roden kit so no chance of doing a hybrid model! (Like Rick's!) Hi Rick, your encouragement is really appreciated, and I agree these colours are not set in stone - - there is simply not enough original info for us to be sure.. Mark, thank you for checking in and the compliments, my modelling time is limited and precious, so I want to always work on something I enjoy. So models take time, and I do stop and start at will! I suppose we are all different... Ferry, Thank You for checking in and you should treat yourself and get one... I see the price isn't bad at all now!
Well, the seat from the Meng kit was so badly painted it took a bath in paint stripper, this one is a commercial one, quite toxic I'm sure, but I discard it appropriately after use and take care... it works quickly and thoroughly on any type of paint and doesn't harm the plastic...
(https://iili.io/BCNQrG.jpg)
So with this minor hiccup, back to the Roden kit. I did some typical rotary engine-type weathering before putting things together, the under-surface of the fuselage needs some and I steer clear of black or very dark colours, the total loss oil lubricating system sends a fine spray out, more light grey or light brown. Also the upper surface of the undercarriage wing gets a lot - worth while adding some here and very visible in photographs.
(https://iili.io/BCNbkl.jpg)
This photo from WNW (research purposes only) show this effect well, I saw one modeller use this photo to surmise this wing was fabric covered with rib detail! It's just dirt...
(https://iili.io/BCO2Eu.jpg)
And I'm making some progress on the Spandau's... I decided the add the ammo shutes and shell ejection chutes first and then try them for fit first, I'm so glad I did this as quite a lot of trimming and sanding was needed to get them in place, and then I saw they touched in the middle so I just glued them together and lined them up parallel and here they are drying - next I'll add the butt pad that will firm up this assembly - instant gun-pack! Only after all this fiddling and filing will I add the PE jackets to lessen the chance of squidging them...
(https://iili.io/BCOHQ9.jpg)
That's it for now, enjoy your modelling!
Regards,
Marc
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Nice work on the guns and chutes Marc! You have acheived a better fit than I did on some of My Triplanes! I also like the chipping effect on the left fuselage. Looking great.
RAGIII
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Nice update Marc, I totally agree with avoiding going too dark with the oil stains. Especially after seeing your results.
Good idea to add the Spandau coing jackets last, I thoroughly squidged the jacket on an Eindecker through clumsy handling.
Richie
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Love the weathering Marc , it's just right !
Alexis
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Nice update
Steve
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Thank you, Richie, Rick, Alexis and Steve for checking in! The positive vibes are always welcome! Thank you for the comments on the weathering, I go mostly by available photos and they show some, but not much on 425....
And I finally used up all the PE and have my "gun pack" together! For me, a big moment...
(https://iili.io/BTvS9t.jpg)
Hopefully some more progress soon...
Regards, Marc
-
You can be proud of this!
Cheers,
Frank
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Always feels good when the guns turn out ;)
Alexis
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Big success Monty, I'm finding that builds have a number of key moments. This is one of yours and you totally bossed it, really pleased for you, it looks terrific.
Richie
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Very fine progress, Marc. Watching with interest.
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Excellent work on the Jackets Marc. Looking great.
RAGIII
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Wow, the guns came out really nice and clean.
Bye Manni
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The guns look great and very well alligned. Well done.
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Thank You all for your comments and vote of confidence so far on this... it is really great encouragement! There are too many comments to reply individually, but they are really appreciated! I find that as I approach the end of the build I get more hesitant - as I don't want to foul it up at the last minute! So when it comes to painting the cockpit surround leather padding (freehand, just like Rick!) I hesitate and agonize... The guns got some paint too, not too unhappy now!
(https://iili.io/BhHolf.jpg)
Progress is progress, even if it's slow! Regards, Marc.
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The padding looks excellent Marc. I Love the leather color! MG's are also looking sharp!
RAGIII
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Nothing wrong with that at all . Real nice shade for the padding . I hand paint my as well ;)
Alexis
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Hi Monty.
Very nice leather colour. Could You tell me names of the used paints?
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Thank you Rick, Alexis and Von Salza for the comments! The leather colour is Simply Tamiya Enamel XF-9 Hull red, painted on quite thickly - it seems to settle down with it's own highlights! I'm going to use it more often... Regards, Marc.
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Great work Monty, nearly there! Slow progress much better than no progress.
Richie
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Looking good so stay focused.
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Thank You Richie and Ferry for the comments, and yes, I must get moving on the Roden kit! There is no reason now not to turn it into a Triplane, and I used my favourite glue - Micro Krystal Klear! It just seems to work... the engine and cowling demanded to be added and the engine still rotates in the cowling! Another Roden win... Some center section struts need to go on next, and I am making progress on the undercarriage...
(https://iili.io/BeaPus.jpg)
Regards, Marc
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Such neat and clean work! Really looks great Marc!
RAGIII
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Hi Marc, terrific work! I love the beautiful clean and clourful result and hope for more to come :D
Rafael
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Thank you Rick and Raphael, the encouragement is appreciated... So today I unusually had a few hours free and the Roden model jumped ahead... Here all the kit parts are on, still some paint touch-ups to do and the rigging, but so nice to get a model to this stage! Quite a lot of glue has to dry, my favourite Krystal Klear! The pics are not great, sorry poor light and poor depth of field, will do better in future...
(https://iili.io/BkSYWx.jpg)
(https://iili.io/BkS7xj.jpg)
(https://iili.io/BkSRDb.jpg)
Regards, Marc.
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Looking very impressive all together! Neat and clean assembly and a lovely red as I said previously! You are inching closer to the finish line ;D
RAGIII
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Second Ricks comments :)
Alexis
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Very nice work
Steve
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Eye candy! Lovely one, Marc.
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It's looking very nice indeed Marc - looking forward to your completion!
Cheers,
Gary
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Beautiful work Marc!
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Beautiful work Marc!
;)
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I'm pretty sure everyone thought this thread had demised, but there is some progress on the Meng Triplane! And I need to express my thanks to everyone who commented on the Roden kit - I still need to add a few touches and do those final beauty shots! But here are some potos of today's work, a lovely experience to be building again...
(https://i.ibb.co/HqCpVpc/IMG-2940.jpg)
Firstly, the lower surface of the middle wing and the two side pieces of the cockpit cover (here painted silver) don't worry that it's a bit rough, it won't show! But the instructions show that the transverse bar that supports the gun butts (part A59) needs to be added first. It's fit is quite secure and precise, and if your cockpit upper parts are broken off or loose, this will help strengthen the entire assembly... Also check at this stage if it fits onto the two dry-fitted fuselage halves, this will save frustration later!
I also did a whole lot of little decals, the instruments that went on well and will look good once I add a bit of clear varnish for the glasses, and the Axial decals on the prop, strangely not supplied by Meng but here taken from a WNW kit. I also started with the PE seat belts, here dry-fitting and bending started, and will be painted before assembly.... Note the cross wires on the rear bulkhead are simply stretched sprue glued in place, smoke 'n mirrors, as Rick says!
(https://i.ibb.co/vjT5qLF/IMG-2943.jpg)
Thanks for watching and have fun modelling! Marc
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Hooray, Monty's back! All those little instruments look great, it's good to see this back underway. Life really has a habit of getting in the way of the hobby doesn't it!
Richie
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Excellent work on the interior Marc. Looks Fantastic!
RAG III
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Summer break is over! Hurrah!
/F
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Nice start!!
Steve
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Marc , super job on those details and your prop is beauty !
Alexis
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Neat work, Marc. Fingers crossed for the continiation!
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Thank you everyone for your comments and encouraging replies. The Meng Triplane will make progress... and I have recovered from a terrible computer crash ( The new one does work beautifully now!) and I have returned from a two week break in one of those seaside places with No mobile or WiFi reception! Peace!
So I fiddled with the seat belts, you can see one looking very straight and another just starting the bendy process in the previous photo - what I do to try to get is that natural look to fabric belts. So here marked with tape (helps to hold it too) and bent:
(https://i.ibb.co/GTrNLB9/IMG-2990-2.jpg)
And here I sprayed them a linen colour. I use Tamiya acrylics as it is a bit flexible when I work on them in situ!
(https://i.ibb.co/bmkBq8N/IMG-2993-2.jpg)
Also fiddled a bit with instruments and dry brushing in the cockpit, but nothing photo worthy!
ATB,
Marc
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The seatbelts look properly bent ;D Excellent work Marc! Good to see you back on this one.
RAGIII
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A plus on the belts shape Marc :) Glad that things are all sorted now :)
Alexis
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Thank You Alexis and Rick for your continued encouragement - it is appreciated. So I hauled this one off the backburner... Wow! Last worked on it long ago! I never really scrap kits... OK the Merit Spad13 is an exception, but I carefully store them and come back to them when I get a chance. So the cockpit parts of the Meng 1/32 Dr.1 are coming together, rigging wires should be double but the imprssion is OK. I add some control wires but not all as things get messy for me! No, I don't have Przemo's skills! There is some nice detail here by WNW/Meng...
(https://i.ibb.co/sV8kpWK/IMG-3446.jpg)
One thing that bothers me about the !/32 and 1/24 Meng Dr.1 kits is a slight gap where the fuselage meets the top of the lowest wing spar, just check this area on a few completed builds and compare them to photographs of the original. Although the fuselage and wing are definitely separate assemblies they fit close together... I have added a sliver of plastic card here to fill things a tad... I need to sand back and maybe add some surface primer. A small thing I know, but it bothered me!
(https://i.ibb.co/LhRW8K0/IMG-3444.jpg)
Enjoy your modelling!
Regards, Marc.
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This was discussed a wee while back, Marc and it is actually correct depending on which particular aircraft you are building. Some had a noticeable gap here between the spar and the connecting u-bolt.
Achim Engels posted some really useful pictures. If you search his posts you'll surely find it.
HTH
Sandy
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It is great to see you back on this one Marc! Like Sandy said that gap is there but I am sure you are not the only Modeler that eliminated the thing. No one will notice and you feel better for having eliminated it, Win/ Win 8)
RAGIII
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I was recently gifted this kit so I'm following with much interest!!
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Truly lovely to see you back to this build, Marc. ;)
But you might have skipped that remark on my apparent skills... :o
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Thank You Zac, Przemo, Rick and Sandy for the great replies and checking in. Yes, I am aware of Achim Engels and his great reproductions, but I have to reiterate there is no complete surviving Dr1 and not even a full set of factory plans so we are left with monochrome photographs, sketches and memory, none of which are infallible! I am led to believe there are enough bits and pieces and scraps going around the world to build three all red triplanes of a certain ace, but that is another story.
My own observations in B&W photos show the early F.1 and Dr.1's had a bit of a gap between the upper surface of the lowest wing and the fuselage, but this was much less on later airframes, and here I show two photographs, I admit my references are not the greatest, but here is some evidence!
(https://i.ibb.co/Mkf4Dq7/IMG-3510.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/0Q2TQ4C/IMG-3508.jpg)
Apologies for the quality, they are copies...
So what I was trying to say (my opinion) and I thought I did it quite well, (Together with British rail on the Underground with their "Mind the Gap!" campaign), was to simply say the gap is there for sure, but in my humble opinion Meng have it a little large and I have added the slightest sliver of plasticard to make it a little smaller... please forgive me my sliver!
I have started assembling the cockpit parts, a real trial. Just remember to remove all paint from mating surfaces (Just like any WNW kit) and trial fit, the tolerances are tight. I didn't remove all of the ejection pin markings on the inside of the fuselage, something I should have
realized earlier, as they interfere with the fit of the cockpit parts... I do suggest you do the rigging after getting the main cockpit assemblies together...
(https://i.ibb.co/nMK3808/IMG-3506.jpg)
Some progress!
Regards,
Marc
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Your interior is looking sharp Marc! I agree about the rigging due to the tight fit. Works better for Me that way mainly because of the way I tend to use stretched sprue on the innards ::)
RAGIII
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Hi Rick! Well, to my distress I used stretched sprue for the bracing rigging here and well, I continually mess it up every time I try to add something - today the seat! I broke the lower rear support, had to replace it, trim, trim and readjust, break a whole lot of stuff, repair, repair, and look at the final result with a bit of regret... most of the problems of my own doing! Nevertheless, the seat is in, the rigging will be replaced and there is (slight) progress! The seat belts are next, I anticipate mayhem!
(https://i.ibb.co/kJ5tGBS/IMG-3519.jpg)
Regards,
Marc
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Sorry to hear you have developed a case of RAGIII syndrome ??? In spite of that this one is looking great!
RAGIII