forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Topic started by: gedmundson on May 27, 2022, 06:15:41 AM
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Having this kit sitting in the stash for a while I thought I'd finally put it together, along with the after-market decals I'd bought from WnW a while back to make Ernst Udet's one with the natural wood fuselage. I'd picked up a Proper Plane propeller for it, and the corrected spinner, along with the Aviattic lozenge decals, so I'm all set.
There have been a lot of very nice Albatrii built and shown on this forum...so I'm hoping my effort measures up.
Cheers,
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/vlb2D04.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/G79mfFE.jpg)
I always start with the engine, and have added the wires from the magnetos using thin lead wire.
(https://i.imgur.com/g0C9QJ4.jpg)
Trying something different for the insulation on the intake manifold here using miniature ship's rigging rope which of course will be painted over.
(https://i.imgur.com/6RTOSmZ.jpg)
I added the throttle to the control column with some spare bits, and also glued in some control lines for it, the guns, and the elevator.
(https://i.imgur.com/aDvr2a6.jpg)
Learning a trick from Eric Larsen's build, I've masked the slots for the formers so paint won't build up and interfere when I need to fit everything together.
(https://i.imgur.com/FepX0q9.jpg)
Even though I did buy the Proper Plane laminated wood propeller (which is bueatiful) I painted the kit prop ....maybe for a future build (since I also have the "Green Tail Trilogy" kit).
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That's the kit prop painted? It looks magnificent!!
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That's the kit prop painted? It looks magnificent!!
Thanks Zac - yes that's the kit prop. I copied the pattern from the Proper Plane one, pictured with it's spinner here.
(https://i.imgur.com/qEG8ui8.jpg)
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Now this will be fun to watch. Great start
Steve
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Your off to a great start. That prop looks amazing.
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Excellent start, Gary. I like the rigging rope idea.
Sandy
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To me the Albatros' with natural wood fuselage and some nice lozenge wings are among the most beautiful WW1 subjects you could possibly build. Looking forward to seeing your take on it.
Will you paint the fuselage like with your B II Albatros?
Best,
Tim
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To me the Albatros' with natural wood fuselage and some nice lozenge wings are among the most beautiful WW1 subjects you could possibly build. Looking forward to seeing your take on it.
Will you paint the fuselage like with your B II Albatros?
Best,
Tim
Thanks Tim - I totally agree about the scheme :-)
My plan is to paint the woodgrain in a similar fashion to the way I did it on the B.II, but to make it lighter. I've been taking notes from some of the builds here, and Kensar & Eric Larsen have done some terrific work on their respective projects. I plan to make my woodgrain quite a bit lighter than the B.II build by undercoating with a different base paint, and using more ochre oils in the overall finish.
Cheers,
Gary
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Outstanding work on the engine, and that Painted Prop is Gorgeous! I am looking forward to seeing you work your Magic on the wood grain fuselage!
RAGIII
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Outstanding work on the engine, and that Painted Prop is Gorgeous! I am looking forward to seeing you work your Magic on the wood grain fuselage!
RAGIII
Thanks for that, Rick :)
While getting ready to apply the underside lozenge to the lower wings, I noticed my decals were for an Albatros D.Va, which had the access panel cut-outs for the aileron pulleys The Albatros D.V has the cables in the upper wing. Perhaps I bought the wrong set of decals?? But when I checked Aviattic's website - that's all they had (for the D.V and D.Va). Regardless, I had to remove the access panel surround and patch up the hole (even though the national marking covers most of it). I did end up cutting out a new section of lozenge from another sheet, and put in a patch between the rib tapes.
Cheers,
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/TgopbWZ.jpg)
Removing the offending access panel surround, and attempting to patch it with a small rectangle didn't work at all.
(https://i.imgur.com/TFoDmnS.jpg)
Using another sheet of underside lozenge, I cut a strip needed to fill the section between the rib tapes.
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Nice fix on the lozenge. Looking terrific!
RAGIII
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Nice save on a tricky situation!!
Steve
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Rick and Steve - thanks for the comments!
Continuing with the engine and whilst studying reference photos I noticed that the 180hp Mercedes had primer cups on the engine cylinders. Not sure why I missed this detail before on all of my previous builds of this type? I had some 1/32 primer cups from an order to Aviattic from my last build, so included them here.
I made spark plugs from styrene rod cemented to bolts salvaged from spare parts of a 1/35 Takom armour model, and added some small tubing from copper wire at the front, coming down from the air pump. The Smithsonian book about the Albatros D.Va restoration has come in very handy for this build, indeed.
Cheers,
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/b67tBq0.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Y2QnhZs.jpg)
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Rolling Stones - You Can Start Me Up!!!
Steve
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I like this engine - you can see, feel and smell the hot oil.
The thin cord around the intake manifolds even looks quite convincing.
I would not have thought that before.
Great job!
It's almost always a shame to let these engines disappear into the fairings never to be seen again.
But thank goodness there is relatively much of the engine visible on the Albatros.
I am currently building three of them at the same time. 2x D.Va and one D.V.
The D.V, which I am currently building, is the first option on the decalsheet in your first picture.
I continue to look over your shoulder Gary. ;D
Servus
Bertl
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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Beautiful work, Gary ;)
Thanks for the inspiration.
Cheers,
Bob
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8)
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Awesome work!
RAGIII
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Oh my. That is beautiful. Great work Gary!
I love that prop especially. Are you able to describe your method?
Cheers,
BC
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Thanks to all who took the time to comment - greatly appreciated!
Oh my. That is beautiful. Great work Gary!
I love that prop especially. Are you able to describe your method?
Cheers,
BC
Thanks Brad - I really should have taken more photos. But to steal one from a previous build, I've included an example below. I airbrush the propeller with Tamiya XF-57 Buff, then gloss coat it. Then, I take really thin strips of masking tape and form the pattern of the laminates (using a photo of a real one for reference) and put tiny, rounded pieces to make the curves. Then, airbrush a slightly darker brown over that. After removing the tape, the pattern is revealed and touched up, then gloss coated again. Then, a wash of diluted raw umber oil paint to give a wood grain effect is used. Then, more gloss coat. I've sometimes airbrushed the whole thing with Tamiya's clear orange...but not necessary sometimes.
Cheers,
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/23YdQ5B.jpg)
masking applied (Voss's triplane earlier build)
(https://i.imgur.com/P9PJpbA.jpg)
Buff and darker brown applied - ready for gloss and wood grain (current build...but I'm using the Proper Plane on this one....)
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Nice one, Gary.
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Some really inspiring work going down here, Gary! I will be following with great interest.... Regards, Marc
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Off to a great start Gary!
I have this one on the shelf as well, will be taking notes 8)
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That engine is exquisite! Bravo!
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Thanks everyone for the kind words of encouragement. A bit more progress to share here...
(https://i.imgur.com/BD57l0R.jpg)
The cookie-cut lozenge for the lower side of the upper wing went on quite well.
(https://i.imgur.com/6Y6v2TL.jpg)
Fuselage interior painting with oil paints and Tamiya XF-76. The masking tape worked well, allowing a good fit for the cockpit frame.
(https://i.imgur.com/G0DbaCG.jpg)
I dappled a bit of Vallejo acrylic silver onto the Alclad II Duraluminum ammo cans to get the squiggly effect.
(https://i.imgur.com/DsSsz71.jpg)
The trickiest part of the cockpit installation was to get the control stick mounted with all of the cabling in place.
(https://i.imgur.com/ziVeSDQ.jpg)
With the fuselage now buttoned together I made better exit holes for the elevator control cables using my Smithsonian book of the D.Va restoration as a guide.
Cheers,
Gary
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(https://i.imgur.com/G0DbaCG.jpg)
I dappled a bit of Vallejo acrylic silver onto the Alclad II Duraluminum ammo cans to get the squiggly effect.
Those are beautiful, Gary! WOW!!
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The Lozenge looks perfect Gary. Your interior is gorgeous! Neatly painted and constructed. The ammo cans are works of art!
RAGIII
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Nice work, Gary, and your 'dappling' and interior woodgrain looks great.
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Great simulation of the ammo can finish. They looks awesome installed too!! Just adds more interest to an already well detailed cockpit.
Steve
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Thanks guys!
With the fuselage put together I've base-coated in a mix of XF-59 Desert Yellow and XF-2 White, and after a gloss coat I've added panels of an oil paint based rendition of wood grain streaks. Hoping to get a bit of variation between the panels, I've used mostly Yellow Ochre, and a touch of Burnt Sienna and/or Raw Umber.
After seeing what previous modellers have done with the HGW nail head decals, I picked up some for this model and tried them for the first time. Very tricky.
Cheers,
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/Qo0rlpK.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GltWAbY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/YNBVXlT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CpyzrwY.jpg)
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Just beautiful workmanship, WOW!
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The wood looks beautiful Gary, and I hope the nail heads aren't too stressful for you as I think they'll really make it pop.
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Sorry to chime in so late Gary.
I just now read your whole build log and you amaze me (again) at the level of detailing and craftsmanship.
The engine with the lead magnet wires, the rope-wound manifold intakes and the prop are beautiful.
The squiggly effect texture on the ammo cans looks a little like our zinc plant watering can and the cockpit with the control lines from the control column is very convincing.
I love the woodgrain you made on the panels. When I first looked, I thought they were decals!
The use if the riveting decals really add something. It must have been a hell of a job!
Looking forward to seeing this progress :)
Willem
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This is brilliant work, Gary! And some great explanations and photos too! I am so pleased to see that amazing wood finish on the fuselage - and keeping that yellow colour the Brits reported so often! Regards, Marc
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Looks awesome! Masking over the previously oil painted panels wasn't a problem? The nail decal process looks like fun.
Steve
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Thanks to all who commented.
Willem - I appreciate the time you took to mention your observations, and I quite enjoy passing along my experiences if it helps others on their builds, or to try something new.
Looks awesome! Masking over the previously oil painted panels wasn't a problem? The nail decal process looks like fun.
Steve
Thanks Steve - I actually sprayed a clear coat on all of the panels as I went. Which meant I removed the tape from one session of oils, and waited a couple of days for them to dry. Then airbrushed on X-22 gloss, and waited for that to dry before re-masking and continuing with more panels. The tape did make a mark on the gloss surface of the previously painted panels...but disappeared after I re-sprayed it with X-22. It was a bit of a slow process - but a safe way to go forward.
The nail-head decals have been the same - protecting each step with X-22 gloss as I go. Also, I used MicroSol to apply them, as opposed to the manufacturers recommended Mr. Marksofter or Mr. Markset. I just experimented with the Microsol beforehand on a small section before using the bigger, more important sections. You get plenty of spare strips in my "Albatros D.V/Va" set. Plus I bought two sets to be on the safe side (and I have more Albatros kits ;))
Cheers,
Gary
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Now that is a gorgeous Wood Fuselage Gary!
RAGIII
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I quite enjoy passing along my experiences if it helps others on their builds, or to try something new.
Gary, thanks for sharing your wood panel process. As you said it may not be a quick one but the results speak for themselves!
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Breathtaking work Gary - real 'jaw on the floor' spectacular modelling on display. I'll just chuck my models against the wall now and make something out of Lego....
Seriously your work is an inspiration and I really appreciate the way you have walked us lesser souls through the 'how to' steps to achieve your results. Thats one of the biggest advantages of our Forum, the way members share their knowledge and help others.
Its modellers like you that make our Forum what it is and I really appreciate you sharing your inspirational work with us.
cheers
Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia
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Wonderful work so far, Gary -
Brilliant wood tone effects on the fuselage.
Regards
Dave
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Nice variations in the wood tones
Alexis
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Thanks again to all for your kind words! I’ve had to take a break from the project due to last minute travel, but hope to be back to the bench soon.
Breathtaking work Gary - real 'jaw on the floor' spectacular modelling on display. I'll just chuck my models against the wall now and make something out of Lego....
Seriously your work is an inspiration and I really appreciate the way you have walked us lesser souls through the 'how to' steps to achieve your results. Thats one of the biggest advantages of our Forum, the way members share their knowledge and help others.
Its modellers like you that make our Forum what it is and I really appreciate you sharing your inspirational work with us.
cheers
Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia
Dave, I have to tell you that your comment made my day, I appreciate that more than I can describe. Thanks and I hope to get a few more updates soon 🙂
Cheers,
Gary
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Spectacular work at every detail.
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I have a little more progress to share on my build. With the fuselage buttoned up I had to add a couple of items to the left side of the cockpit. An auxiliary throttle handle (stowed position) and a linking rod to the spark-control handle (if you've built this kit you'll know what I'm speaking of!). My photo is deliberately over-exposed to see the cockpit interior. It was tricky to do this with a pair of tweezers and the utmost concentration...and some cyano glue on the end of a very thin wire.
Decals are on to the fuselage, and if you squint hard enough you can make out the nail heads.
I'm using the 1/48 scale Gaspatch turnbuckles which are much more realistic than the over-scale (in my opinion) 1/32 ones.
Cheers,
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/w74BLpW.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5BMrC4p.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Fdd6s3v.jpg)
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Beautiful work again Gary!
As I said before, the nail heads really add to the realism.
I agree with you on the turnbuckles. Sometimes it's not about scale, but about what looks proportionally right.
The lozenge on the wings and the rudder give a nice contrast to the wood of the fuselage.
Willem
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Amazing. The nail heads add another level of interest to this!!
Steve
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Just wonderful Gary.
WD
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I'm using the 1/48 scale Gaspatch turnbuckles which are much more realistic than the over-scale (in my opinion) 1/32 ones.
I see it same way - 1/48 look much closer...
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Gary, your builds just keep getting better and better.
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Absolutely gorgeous work Gary!
And I confess I'd not been brave enough to voice my opinion about 1/32 turnbuckles looking too big.
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Wow , really impressed with how this is turning out so far . ;D
Alexis
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My sincere thanks to everyone again for the kind words - it's very encouraging for me ;)
Although decals are provided for the stripes on the tail, I decided it was simpler to paint the pattern. The instructions suggest the lighter colour was silver-grey, but since this aircraft had no other silver-grey parts, I wondered how that was possible? Other references said that it was black on white, so I painted the parts with an off-white and NATO black (which is a sort-off black-grey). It also helps handling the model with protected paint..rather than decals which love to disintegrate at the edges.
I mounted the engine inside the fuselage, and like all of my builds, the cowlings will cover up a good part of it. For me it's the only way to enjoy the beautiful, elliptical smooth streamlined look of an Albatros fighter.
The tubular gun sight had to be modified to fit, since the plate it sits on would interfere - the instructions don't allow for this (?). And I had to drill a hole in the wind screen to align with it.
Cheers,
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/Y9d4iPY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2ei9tTp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9f9sOuV.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Zbfgard.jpg)
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Really coming together!!
Steve
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Gorgeous work Gary! FWIW, NATO Black is my "go to" black for most things. I took the advice of Sir Harry Woodman and avoid pure white and pure black. I think I'm going to have to mix a couple of custom off-whites to use with my NATO Black from Tamiya. (I need one in a grey tone and one in a warmer brown/yellow tone.)
WD
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Gorgeous, utterly gorgeous!!
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Gorgeous work Gary! FWIW, NATO Black is my "go to" black for most things. I took the advice of Sir Harry Woodman and avoid pure white and pure black. I think I'm going to have to mix a couple of custom off-whites to use with my NATO Black from Tamiya. (I need one in a grey tone and one in a warmer brown/yellow tone.)
WD
I'm totally with you on this. I like to scale down all my colours, and find that bright tones make for a very toy-like appearance to models in general. I find with decal manufacturers, some have given a toned down look to their markings...but the WnW national crosses on this model (for example) are harsh black-on-white and need some work to fade them down. I'm actually looking at my Aviattic lozenge, in that it's not very faded and looks like it's wearing a brand new set of pajamas. Not sure how I'll sort that out just yet.
Cheers,
Gary
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Great work Gary, you absolutely nailed those wooden panels (pun intended). I will also note down your method on the aluminum pattern - very convincing result. Everything else also looks very well done, this is going to be a beauty!
Regarding the aviattic lozenge, I am sometimes using a bright grey oil filter (Abteilung faded white) to give them a more bleached appearance.
Best,
Tim
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Gorgeous. I especially like the wood imitation.
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Your nail heads and woodgrain look great on the fuselage, Gary. I think painting the tail vs. decals was the right thing to do. Generally, all large markings look better painted.
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The Tail Stripes look Gorgeous. Simply outstanding work overall!
RAGIII
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Regarding the aviattic lozenge, I am sometimes using a bright grey oil filter (Abteilung faded white) to give them a more bleached appearance.
Best,
Tim
Hi Tim - thanks for that suggestion. Would you brush paint that onto the decalled surface, thinned with mineral spirits??
Cheers,
Gary
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One of the little details of the Albatros D.V are the small spring attachments that were attached to the front of the cowling sections. I made these from fine copper wire culled from an old unused electrical cord. The wire was wrapped around a #80 drill bit and the ends were bent down to form a reasonable facsimile. The two nail heads on the access cover had to be removed later...after I took the photo ::)
Cheers,
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/7a8aP2D.jpg)
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Nice detailing work, Gary. The ones on my Albie were made from a wound guitar string.
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Nice detailing work, Gary. The ones on my Albie were made from a wound guitar string.
Thanks Ken, handy to know - I have a few of those 8)
(https://i.imgur.com/HAskYPP.jpg)
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Gary,
Very nice Les Paul, had a starburst just like that when I was 17 but it was stolen.
Now I have Gold Top, love me some Les Paul, they are my favorites.
Going out jamming tonight with an old friend. What's you style of preferred music? Mine is blues and old 70's rock.
(https://i.imgur.com/BNlQ8cV.jpg)
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What's you style of preferred music? Mine is blues and old 70's rock.
Thanks Grant - exactly the same - good ol' classic rock and blues. In fact I find myself trying to work through the lead solo to "Aqualung" when I should be working on my Albatros ::)
Speaking of which - with the top wing now on I was faced with a very tricky bit of rigging. Trying to get four lines into the top wing for the aileron control cables which exit the fuselage in front of the wind screen. I ended up using some 2lb fishing line filament, just cut long enough to disappear into the fuselage, and crazy-glued into the holes in the panel under the upper wing. This is the down-side of the D.V vs. the D.Va (which had cables in the lower wing).
(https://i.imgur.com/TtNunvi.jpg)
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Those cowling springs...why don't we have a *brain explosion* emoji? WOW!
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Those little details are awesome Gary , weathering sets them off beautifully
Alexis
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Regarding the aviattic lozenge, I am sometimes using a bright grey oil filter (Abteilung faded white) to give them a more bleached appearance.
Best,
Tim
Hi Tim - thanks for that suggestion. Would you brush paint that onto the decalled surface, thinned with mineral spirits??
Cheers,
Gary
Hi Gary,
Yes, exactly. I sealed the decal before with some varnish as I wasn't sure how well it would go with the thinner.
Great work otherwise, love the different sheen between cowling and wooden panels on the last picture.
Best,
Tim
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Excellent detailing Gary! I was Not Successful on any of My DV builds with those four wires. I ended up just running sprue through the four holes and down into the fuselage area. Well done on yours!
RAGIII
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Excellent detailing Gary! I was Not Successful on any of My DV builds with those four wires. I ended up just running sprue through the four holes and down into the fuselage area. Well done on yours!
RAGIII
Thanks Rick, to me this one piece of rigging on a D.V makes it a tough build. Even my attempt at placing in the small pieces of filament had to be repeated until they all secured properly in their holes...and all the time I was handling the model...breaking off the wind screen etc. (which is only held in place with Future). So I'm very much looking forward to building a D.Va soon!
The rigging was completed with EZ-Line, and now I'm done. As much as I tried to align that engine in the fuselage, this kit makes it mandatory that it is perfectly centered ...or the micro-gap between the spinner and cowlings will look misaligned. As a result (and you don't know until the cowlings are all in glued in place) I was out by a fraction of a millimeter...and therefore had to shamefully glue my propeller into the front of the engine. I ended up quite liking the scheme as it turned out, and decided not to try and weather it down after all, but just airbrushed a bit of dust here and there...and also added some subtle streaks of Tamiya X-19 smoke.
I'll later add a few "finished" photos to the "Completed" category in the Forum.
Cheers, and thanks to all who followed along!
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/WbPnPha.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VPmWzIF.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/02CZdem.jpg)
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Really Gorgeous !!!
Ed
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Magic work!
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Oh, that looks superb, Gary. The chipping and weathering on the cowling looks fantastic.
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Very nicely done Gary, great detailing, lovely finish and I enjoyed following your masterful process as she "morphed" from a bunch of plastic bits into a beautiful model. Looking forward to seeing the Completed section photos.
Cheers,
Lance
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Thanks to all for the kind words!
Very nicely done Gary, great detailing, lovely finish and I enjoyed following your masterful process as she "morphed" from a bunch of plastic bits into a beautiful model. Looking forward to seeing the Completed section photos.
Cheers,
Lance
Thanks for that, Lance. When I first cracked the kit open I worried that I was "spoiling" a very valuable item from it's high-price on Ebay, but then again as you say, they are all just a cardboard box full of styrene bits which we can make into something enjoyable and interesting to look at. I've just started another - a D.Va - because I enjoyed building this one so much. I felt no remorse cracking open my Green Tail Trilogy "kitset" ;)
Cheers,
Gary
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Snot running down my nose!! Wow ,just wow!!!! (A Jethro Tull reference for the unfamiliar. I dont actually have etc etc)
Steve
(Is the Strat American or Mexican?)
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Snot running down my nose!! Wow ,just wow!!!! (A Jethro Tull reference for the unfamiliar. I dont actually have etc etc)
Steve
(Is the Strat American or Mexican?)
Thanks Steve - sorry the photo is not of best resolution. It's an American Strat - my son's actually. He's got MS and can't play anymore...so I "borrowed" it and play it for him when we pop in to visit.
Cheers,
Gary
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Great model, great guitars, great dad.
Steve
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Nice detailing work, Gary. The ones on my Albie were made from a wound guitar string.
Am I dreaming, or have you done the exhaust gaskets the right colour? Absolutely incredible model and detail!
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Absolutely beautiful work! And congratulations on being the cover story in the October Military Illustrated Modeller!
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Wow, that is an absolute cracker!
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Lovely finish to a great build Gary!
RAGIII