Aviatik 30.40, 1/48, update 22.11.21 Finish

[FAf]

Marvelous, but it won't be able to fly with that fake tank...
/Fredrik

[kensar]

Very fine work there, Frank.

[RichieW]

Thank you Graham, Stephen, Rick, Richie and PrzemoL! Your comments are highly appreciated!

I don't really know what AMS is but if it helps me build like this I hope I catch it soon!

Richie, AMS stands for Advanced Modelling Syndrome, so I always have to improve the kits and add my own parts.
Staying here in the forum exposes you to an extreme risk of infection!

The fuselage is closed now, but due to the exhibition in Austria there will be no progress this weekend.

Cheers,
Frank

I clearly need to hang around the forum more in the hope of AMS infection!

Have fun at the model show.

Richie

[Bughunter]

Thank you my friends!

Wooden undersurface


Today just a small update - as some of the users here have already seen it at the exhibition in Ried last weekend.

The lower surface of the fuselage was plated with 4 panels of wood veneer.



After a lot of sanding and wood primer I drilled the holes for the (already prepared) undercarriage.



So that is the look, with cowling hold by UHU Tac.



Finally the wood was painted and toned down. Sorry, my cam don't like it, it is not that red in real.



I think that was a good training to do it one day on wings and fuselage of a Lloyd

Cheers,
Frank

[RAGIII]

That is Beautiful woodwork Frank!
RAGIII

[Bughunter]

Thank you Rick!

Today I have some questions!

Does anyone know Mike Franklin from Bellingham? The mail could not be delivered
Years ago he offered in ARC Forum, Aerodrome and WWI-models.org some TrueType fonts for WWI serials.
(see his posting here: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/169267-four-ww-1-aeroplane-fonts-available-here/)
It would be a big help to have that fonts for cutting masks.

- Is he still active? New mail?
- Did anyone get the fonts back then and can still make them available to me?

Is there another font available which matches the "30.40" in this picture?


Thank you very much for your help!

Cheers,
Frank

[Radarman]

Frank,
Sorry to say, but Mike Franklin passed away in 2012. I had received some decals from him and was advised by his wife back then.

                                                                                                                                Kevin in Port Orchard, WA.

[Bughunter]

Thank you Kevin!

Bad news, but his work is not lost.
I found with Google a link to our lovely forum, where the user Zabu (last active 2019) offered the fonts as Zip file in a posting from 2013:
https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=2022.0

Unpack and installed them additionally as personal fonts (I'm using Linux), and after restart of Inkscape I can use them

Problem solved!

Cheers,
Frank

[ColonelKrypton]

I did a very quick search earlier on after I had seen your first post but didn't find the link to this forum as you had.  I did find a number of his postings on a couple of other forums however - he was an interesting person with many interests including teaching music and stringed instruments.

I have the noted file and will install. I can see that these fonts will be very useful.  I don't yet have a cutter to cut masks but I will be able to use them to make decals.

cheers, Graham

[Bughunter]

Great Graham, that the fonts are also useful for you! The fonts in the zip file seems to be an improved version.

I don't yet have a cutter to cut masks but I will be able to use them to make decals.

This depends on the size. If the size is very small it is not possible to cut masks, so decals are the better option in this case.

Now I need to select two out of 50 shades of grey

Cheers,
Frank

[Bughunter]

Grey


During research in Austria it was detected, that Aviatik used two grey shades. The paints are known in the RAL numbering.
I have this drawing as original print, it is darker and not that blue tint as in this scan.

Source: rcuniverse.com

But:

• I don't have those RAL greys (they are available in Germany from a railway modeling company)
• it was a bit to dark. On the drawing the black serial is very hard to read on the fuselage, on the pictures of the 30.40 the serial is better readable also on the dark painted part.

So I had to select two other tones of my available (not 50) greys.
At the beginning I used some Alclad Canadian grey as brighter grey, but after painting the model I do not like the shade. I removed it with alcohol and start a more detailed research.



Then I tried selected candidates in the airbrush and painted on styrene - don't like some candidates.

Finally I decided to go with Gunze H337 and H333. At first the bright grey and after a day drying time I applied self cat masks (electronic plotter) and airbrushed the dark grey.



That is the result. Sorry, it is hard to show the real grey. I like it now. Both colour tones seems to harmonise somehow.



The fuselage was at the same state, but during removing the first try the primer was no more ok. So had to prime it again, sand and applied only the bright grey until now.
As so often, two steps forward, one step back.

Cheers,
Frank

[Bughunter]

Fuselage


To protect the wood it was masked, also the cockpit. Then primer, sanding, primer, brighter grey.



After 24 hours I masked the fuselage and airbrushed the dark grey. Nice contrast after unmasking.



Again:



At least the real wood looks like the drawing, the linen is ok and the grey tones was discussed already.



For the struts I squeezed brass tubes, soldered pins into them and created the N-struts in wood.



The N-struts are really filigree on drawings and photos, I guess the resin ones have to be that thick to be able to hold the wing. The soldered connections are cleaned and polished further.



The N-struts and the undercarriage are primed and also painted in the dark grey.
Only the outer struts are not yet done, but I need to get the size on the real model later. The N-struts alone are able to hold the wing.



I also applied the self cut masks for the crosses and painted black using MRP NATO Black, which is a broken black.



And why masks? The decals are old, had already a bad experience with that printer, the white border was to small according to the photos and - the main reason - the decal crosses are too small!



The wing. I used MRP Insignia White, which is a broken white. But it covers not very good, next time I will start with a thin layer white and add Insignia White on top.



And as final picture the fuselage and the wing together, forgot the painted tailplane (other update) on the picture.



EDIT:
I could not resist to plug all temporarily together, for two teaser pictures





So far so good - but still a lot of work in front of me!

Cheers,
Frank

[ColonelKrypton]

Frank,

As always, very nicely done. That is a very interesting colour scheme, the greys and the ragged edges; very well executed.

Colour and the way we see it is interesting.  Our eyes have rods and cones, the rods detect colours (my attempt at a very simplified description). See here for a good intro on the subject: https://www.pantone.com/articles/color-fundamentals/how-do-we-see-color )

Over the years I have worked at a number of airports and their towers and have spent many (many) hours happily observing aeroplanes arrive and depart. Something I noted very early on was that no matter what pretty colour an aeroplane was close up, it faded into little more than a grey spot when observed at a distance.

Nature hates straight lines and regular shapes. Anything that disrupts what we see, be it changes in shape or colour will work to camouflage.

 cheers, Graham

[RAGIII]

Awesome updates Frank. The camo is really impressive as are the painted markings and the struts!
RAGIII

[lone modeller]

More superb work Frank. Your painting skills are an equal to your soldering/woodworking/turning/super-detailing skills . An all round master-modeller.

Stephen.