My Tribute Build to Des-WNW Albatros D.Va

[lcarroll]

Ken, Frank, Gary,
    Thanks for checking it out and for your comments. I just returned from a 4 day absence on a Family visit, so I guess the Build will continue tomorrow.
Cheers,
Lance

[Edo]

hey lance!
what you are acheiving here is great!
what stands out in my opinion are the wings: they are really beautiful!
ciao
edo

[lcarroll]

Edo,
   Thank you! They took a longer time to complete then I thought they would. I still need to apply some touch ups and I think then I'll be happy with them.
Cheers,
Lance

[Gisbod]

Lovely work Lance!

I so love Aviattic’s faded lozenge!

Guy

[lcarroll]

Lovely work Lance!

I so love Aviattic’s faded lozenge!

Guy

Thanks Guy, it is lovely stuff alright!
Cheers,
Lance

[lcarroll]

    I'm well overdue for an update on this Build so here's progress up until today. I carved the prop after laminating alternating strips of Alaskan Cedar and Pear veneers. It's stained and ready for several coats of varnish however I'm contemplating a second one with thinner veneer, this one has 5 laminations but they are a bit thick to my eye.





    Next I completed the wood effect on the fuselage changing the "streak" color for the panels slightly to attempt some contrast, it worked out very nicely and I'm happy with the effect. The decals were added after a few coats of Future. I used the Pheon Set and the colors are really striking. I did have some challenges fitting them and had to leave a gap, to be touched up with paint later on the underside. As usual I also cut the bands into sections for ease of handling.







   Next came the engine and it's still work in progress and very much in the rough stage. The Taurus intake manifold nuts and overhead valve assembly was added as well and the priming cups will be the next addition.







    For this one I chose to try scratched spark plugs to make the connection of the ignition wires easier and cleaner. I used two"slide fit" tube sizes and am happy with the results, here's a shot of some of the tiny bits that weren't gobbled up by the floor monster, I think I made two dozen of both pieces to get the 12 plugs I needed!



    Next comes more engine work and then things should really start to come together.

Cheers,
Lance

[Bughunter]

Lance, I would also say that 5 lamination are not enough.
I counted the layers on many original pictures and I often have seen 7 or more.
Do you have original pictures of that airscrew? Very often, but not always, there was the dark mahogany layers outside. The reason for this multi-wood layering was a embargo, so they tried to create more propellers with less mahogany and used german hard wood for the other layers. But I think the hard mahogany was outside for a robust mounting.

Beside that the Alaskan Cedar do not show much grain and looks like a nice option. Waht do you think about that wood?

Cheers,
Frank

[lcarroll]

Frank,
     We are agreed on that. I have dozens of good photos and thinning the strips would provide more lams, and I hadn't caught on to the darker mahogany outer thing so thanks for that little tidbit! I like both of the woods however the cedar is quite soft compared to the pear so careful carving is a requirement. I guess a second carving session is in my future!
Cheers,
Lance

[lone modeller]

Lance,

Your fuselage looks absolutely wonderful in those markings: the wood effect is very convincing in my eyes. Don't you just love the ping sound as yet another delicate part that you have almost finished with great labour, (and probably some unrepeatable language), takes off on its unique and singular flight to oblivion? Only to be found later when it is no longer needed because you have moved on to another stage....!  The engine is well up to your usual very high standard: Des would be very pleased indeed to see this WIP.

Stephen.

[lcarroll]

 Stephen,
    Thank you for your comment. Yes, you've captured the phenomenon of what I term the "tweezerpult" very well. I've mentioned before that I've located such errant missiles everywhere from on my dog's head to the adjacent room, and usually as you say when it's no longer required! Just a part of the model making madness we all indulge in I guess!
Cheers,
Lance

[Dave W]

Lance

Outstanding work on your Albatros! I wish I had the ability to do such finely detailed work and your laminated prop is superb! I have never been able to master a laminated finish. This is a great tribute build for Des.

Cheers

Dave W
Gold Coast
Australia

[gbrivio]

I totally agree with the above comments: your finished fuselage is wonderful, as the remaining details of engine and propeller. I'm also gathering a lot of useful tips from your build and now I know I'm not alone in being plagued by "tweazapult", you made exactly the idea in a single word... 
Ciao
Giuseppe

[Gisbod]

Sooo nice Lance!

I’m always amazed at the distance away I find some of these tweezerpaultings (at a later date)..

Cracking colour scheme.

Guy

[lcarroll]

Dave, Giuseppe, and Guy....... Thank you all. The color scheme is certainly a "shiner", It's the reason I chose this Pheon Set (32051) some time ago. There's actually a few more included that are nearly as attractive. As for the ever present and in this house inevitable likelihood of launching small parts into oblivion I deem myself an expert; I could probably construct a whole new model with all the small bits hiding here if I could just find half of them! The prop is in line for a second attempt with more laminations the more I consider it. I have it in full view as I work away on the engine and it's much on my mind.
Cheers,
Lance

[lone modeller]

Lance,

With reference to the propellor: I know that they were laminated and why, but I have some doubts about the colour contrasts on some models. I am currently building a British machine which had a laminated propellor and I have studied carefully coloured photos of the machine which I wish to depict. I studued it carefully in the museum at Hendon too. I have also been looking carefully at photos and real propellors of other British machines and what strikes me is that the laminations on the museum machine and others are barely visible, even in good light and close to. If the light strikes at certain angles the laminations do become clearer, but they remain relatively subdued.

I am aware that German propellors were made from different woods to those used in Britain, as Frank has pointed out, but were the contrasts in lamination colours really as marked as with your propellor? I do not wish to set off an argument nor do I wish to appear to be critical - I am only asking a question. I am sure that propellors from the time exist in museums etc, but do we know what the effects layers of varnish have had? English propellors were certainly heavily varnished and I suspect (but cannot prove), that these coatings also dulled the contrast in the colouration of the layers.

I suspect that this could start a discussion and lead you thread astray - again not my intention - and I also suspect that there will probably be as many opinions as there are modellers!! (Shades of PC10?)

In any event I agree that more laminations are needed to make the propellor more realistic - but you are more than capable of dealing with that minor issue.

Stephen.