WNW Albatros D.V/Albatros D.Va Triple ... and a single 1/32 Roden Albatros D.I

[Richtrad]

This thread would be inspirational for the exhaust and expansion tank alone. What a show.

[Borsos]

Nice Job, Bertl!

[Umlaufmotor]

Thank you all for your kind comments regarding the Albatros.
The old model is now giving me a lot of pleasure with the detailing.
Originally I just wanted to finish the thing after all these years half-finished in the showcase without investing much time and effort, but my mind has changed - a few more little things will be added.
Unfortunately I don't have much time for model building at the moment, I'm very busy removing old floor tiles and wooden ceilings and wall paneling.
But even that will pass ... .

Servus
Bertl

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[Umlaufmotor]

I have reworked the canopy strut of the D.I a little and detailed it more carefully.
Basically, I rebuilt the entire strut again - I had found parts for it in the Encore Alb. D.II kit.
The screw connections for the upper wing were made with 0.5mm aluminum tubes and a bracket for a rear-view mirror was added.
The rear-view mirror is documented in the original picture of the D.450/16 by Carl Holler.
The bracket on the strut is a thin aluminum rod from a tea light.
The wire holder for the mirror itself was bent from a 0.3 mm copper wire.
The eyelets for the tension cables are made of 0.09 thick silver wire.
The right rear strut base was extended again so that it looks more like the original and does not appear "cut off".
Various paint chips were also added.
Where the upper wing is "screwed" onto the canopy strut, two brass rods have been glued in to give the fit a little more strength.












Servus
Bertl

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[Umlaufmotor]

The propeller equipment has also been completed and assembled.
The AXIAL propeller was given its wood grain with colored pencils.
It's nice that Roden thought of the correct logos for the AXIAL propeller up to the end of 1916 and included the corresponding decals with the kit.
Until the end of 1916 AXIAL used a dagger as propeller logo, later a round, white (pale gold says Wingnut Wings) logo with a big "A" on it.
Here I have used an axial propeller from Wingnut as it has a slightly more suitable contour than the Roden kit propeller.
The WNW backplate of the propeller was placed on the backplate of the spinner from the original Roden kit and glued in place.













Servus
Bertl

[Umlaufmotor]

Here the propeller is mounted on the nose of the Albatros without gluing for dry fitting.
What makes me particularly happy here is that the propeller sits almost exactly in the middle of the nose.
The air gap between the spinner and the engine cowling fits all the way around.
This required some adjustment work on the inner engine mount and the upper engine cowling at an early stage of construction.

What I like less - one of the Dolch logos turned to silvering.
I wonder if I didn't press the decal on enough or if I didn't apply enough glossy clearcoat in this area.
I don't know. Unfortunately, the propeller had to be painted with glossy paint to conceal the silvering.
Originally, the prop was only supposed to be painted in semi-gloss.







Servus
Bertl

[Umlaufmotor]

The expansion tank for the cooling water is also in place.
The cover has also been fitted to the tank.
Now it was time to lay a return line on the expansion tank.
I used 0.25 mm silver wire for this.





Servus
Bertl

[Umlaufmotor]

Oil and pressure lines on the engine were also added and routed.
I used 0.3 mm copper wire for this.

By the way, the thin white engine number on the front of the first cylinder was painted on with a brush - I looked for matching numbers which consisted of straight lines and were therefore easier to paint.
The paint was Tamiya glossy white.
I just looked at a picture of the engine, the "characteristics" under the photo say it was June 22, 2009 .... . 













Servus
Bertl

[Umlaufmotor]

Now it was time to think about the rear-view mirror.
Carl Holler had always fitted a rear-view mirror to the Albatros D.I and D.II airplanes he flew.
It was certainly used frequently back then - more frequently than some of his contemporaries do in their cars today .... .

I used a mirror from the Wingnut Wings kits here.
However, it was sanded much flatter on the back, a hole was drilled for the bracket and the edge was reworked with a scalpel so that a mirror glass could be inserted.
As a reflector for the mirror I used parts of the chrome-plated casing of an empty AAA battery that was lying around.
The glass was punched out of transparent packaging.
Reflector and glass are both 3mm in diameter.









And believe it or not, what you see in the mirror is not the shadow of the tip of the tweezers, but their reflection 



The 0.3 mm brass rod was glued in place for easier handling during painting of the mirror.
However, a short section of it remains after completion.
This was often the case with the original as well; the pilot could use this short lever to adjust the mirror slightly.



Servus
Bertl

[Umlaufmotor]

The mirror was attached to the model.
I used white wood glue to adjust it, and after adjusting it, it was secured with superglue.











That's it for now.
Servus
Bertl

[uncletony]

Excellent.

[KiwiZac]

This is utterly exquisite. I don't have the words.

[NigelR]

This was an unbelievable set of posts. After each picture I was getting ready to post something but then there was update after update my I had to dig a hole so my jaw could drop further. Bertl, this is all superb work and I have run out of words to say how impressed I am with your skills. I just enjoy your posts so much and find them so helpful and inspiring.

[PrzemoL]

Great little touches giving the whole build(s) even more feel of reality.

[Borsos]

Bertl, one thing is for sure. I will not touch my Albatros D. I again before you have finished yours. Then I will try to copy a hundredth of your improvements on mine and I will be a happy person