Completed - Wingnut Wings Roland C.II - COMPLETED!

[eclarson]

When I first delved into the fascinating world of WWI aircraft modeling it was from correspondence with Des and studying his build blogs that I learned 90% of the techniques I now employ on my WWI projects.  It is therefore an honor to participate in this Group Build in his memory.

At first I was going to go with one of the larger WNW kits in my stash (the AEG was a front-runner) but given the 6-month duration, and my limited modeling time, I chose one that has a better chance of being completed in the time allotted.  I've been fond of the chunky little Roland C.II since building the 1/72 Airfix kit when I was a kid.  The subject was tops on my WNW wish list for years so it was a pleasant surprise when the WNW C.II kits were released in 2014.  It's definitely time one made it to my bench and what better reason than this to do so!

Aftermarket extras will be limited to some Taurus engine details and HGW seat belts.







Eric

[RAGIII]

Excellent choice. I am looking forward to more.
RAGIII

[rhwinter]

Yeah! The Roland C.II was one of my boyhood-heroes, too! Looking forward to your build, Eric! Which version will it be?
Richard

[eclarson]

Yeah! The Roland C.II was one of my boyhood-heroes, too! Looking forward to your build, Eric! Which version will it be?
Richard

Hi Richard,

I'll be doing the one on the box art.  The "custom" Lewis gun mount and little fish anemometer cover are really cool.

Eric

[Monty]

A lovely choice, Eric! It will look stunning! Enjoy!
Regards,
Marc

[eclarson]

Humble beginnings.  I'm still in the process of wrapping up a small non-WWI project but the Roland is finally under way.  Nothing too exciting so far, just some cockpit parts cleanup and a few glued together.  But it's a start! 



Eric

[Juan]

One of my favorites also.  Looking forward to your progress.

[kensar]

I'll be watching this with interest!
Sometimes just getting started is the hardest part.

[gbrivio]

This is very promising, looking forward to the build.
Ciao
Giuseppe

[Monty]

Good to see this started, Eric! Have fun! Regards, Marc

[pepperman42]

Humble beginnings are beginnings all the same!! Great start

Steve

[eclarson]

Finally started painting and assembling the interior parts.  It's generally accepted that the C.II's fuselage inner surfaces and interior framework were painted a blue-grey color but there's evidence that at least on some, the floor and possibly the instrument panel were left in natural wood.  The kit's color callouts indicate dark wood as an option for the floor and in some photos found in the Windsock book, wood grain is clearly visible on the instrument panel.  Given that, I chose do the floor and IP as such if for no other reason than to add visual interest.  After all, what's a WWI aircraft build without at least some wood effect?   The wood areas were first painted with pale yellow Stynylrez primer followed by Vallejo Old Wood.  Burnt and Raw Umber oil paints provided the grain effect.  The seats were primed with black Stynylrez followed by a coat of Mig AMMO Leather Belt.  Raw Umber, Raw Sienna, and Yellow Ochre oils paints were dabbed on with a sponge or dry brushed to create the leather look.



Eric

[Borsos]

Very nice. Especially that leather effect looks great.
Andreas

[RAGIII]

Very nice. Especially that leather effect looks great.
Andreas

I agree 100% with Andreas!
RAGIII

[eclarson]

Time for a much overdue update on my Roland.  I took these pics this evening after finishing the instrument panel details.  I added selector levers, made from copper and bronze wire, to the four controls along the right side.  Adding control wires and a set of HGW seatbelts is next on the agenda before final assembly of the interior components.













Cheers,
Eric