WnW 1/32 Jeannin Stahltaube (1914)

[Tim Mixon]

Looking forward to this build Gary. Very nice work on the engine and interior.  Thanks for the detailed posts. I’ll definitely reference this for a future 1/72 build.

Tim

[gedmundson]

Looking forward to this build Gary. Very nice work on the engine and interior.  Thanks for the detailed posts. I’ll definitely reference this for a future 1/72 build.

Tim

Thanks for that, Tim - I can't imagine how much work this subject would be at that scale!

I had a nice mail delivery from the Czech Republic yesterday, and was able to piece together my seatbelts for the model. I decided to improve the spring detail by making new ones from copper wire. This is a in-progress photo before they get painted up, since adding a dark wash enhances the printed detail/stitching which is almost invisible without it. Since using these HGW belts I have trouble settling for the thin appearance of etched metal type provided in the kits.
Cheers,
Gary

[pepperman42]

Amazing work. Oil or acrylic wash? Just wondering if turps would affect the belt material.

Steve

[gedmundson]

Amazing work. Oil or acrylic wash? Just wondering if turps would affect the belt material.

Steve

Thanks Steve - the instructions that come with the belts suggest using a highly diluted oil paint. I find that after applying cyano glue to fix these parts, the oil paint will not colour the areas where the glue has oozed out...so touch ups with acrylic will be needed there. I'm yet to get to that stage on these.
Cheers,
Gary

[gedmundson]

The wings of this aircraft were determined to be a CDL, so I debated on how to finish them. CDL Aviattic decals would work nicely, but with control horns for the "aileron" areas to be added along with all of the other rigging attachments it would be probably to much faff. Those decals are subject to possible silvering (my clumsy methods to blame) and do not react well to paint touch-ups or when I spill liquid cement on them. So I felt painting was the best way to go.


After spraying lines of dark brown to represent the framework on both sides of the two wings, I applied thin strips of masking tape.

 
After a mist of XF-55 Deck Tan combined with XF-57 Buff, the tape was removed, and the Tamiya acrylic oversprayed onto the wings until a hint of the frame was visible - leaving more of the frame evident on the lower side.


The main parts of the wings were masked off, and a mist of straight XF-55 Deck Tan was airbrushed onto the thinner "Aileron" section of the wings, still leaving the frame evident.

[KiwiZac]

Fine work Gary, I quite like how you've painted the wings - a great impression of CDL without being over-the-top.

[gedmundson]

Fine work Gary, I quite like how you've painted the wings - a great impression of CDL without being over-the-top.

Thanks for that, Zac. This build is full of tricky steps, and I debated long and hard on how to manage the wings. As I fit the fuselage halves, things are not quite straightforward...so more stories to tell there 
Regards,
Gary

[Gisbod]

Yep,

The Wingnut kits do keep your brain active don’t they?

Issue with the fit on the wings though, or just planning future steps?

Guy

[pepperman42]

Nice progress.

Steve

[gedmundson]

Yep,

The Wingnut kits do keep your brain active don’t they?

Issue with the fit on the wings though, or just planning future steps?

Guy

When trying to fit the cockpit/engine assembly into the fuselage halves, the nose was not coming together properly- something was impeding the fit. Turns out the engine front corners were pushing against part of the right side, where the locating pin hole was formed. I’ll try and get a photo or two to better illustrate this. Maybe my engine was just a “blonde one” too far forward, but everything else fit fine, so??
Cheers,
Gary

[Rafael Berlin]

Hi Gary,

That Stahltaube looks really nice so far. Love especially the engine and the tubes/valve details from behind the front seat.

Living in Berlin I have a lot of pictures from the last original Stahltaube (Museum für Verkehr und Technik). I also have pictures of the inside, which the museum sent me. But I'm not allowed to post them officially in the internet. So, if you are interested, simply PN me.

I found the landing gear set from Scale Aircraft Conversions quite helpful. Provides a lot of stability. It also includes more stable levers for the above side of the wings and other helpful parts.
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/scale-aircraft-conversions-32127-jeannin-stahltaube-landing-gear-and-wire-supports--1121702

Best Regards
Rafael

[gedmundson]

Hi Gary,

That Stahltaube looks really nice so far. Love especially the engine and the tubes/valve details from behind the front seat.

Living in Berlin I have a lot of pictures from the last original Stahltaube (Museum für Verkehr und Technik). I also have pictures of the inside, which the museum sent me. But I'm not allowed to post them officially in the internet. So, if you are interested, simply PN me.

I found the landing gear set from Scale Aircraft Conversions quite helpful. Provides a lot of stability. It also includes more stable levers for the above side of the wings and other helpful parts.
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/scale-aircraft-conversions-32127-jeannin-stahltaube-landing-gear-and-wire-supports--1121702

Best Regards
Rafael

Thanks for the kind words, Rafael. And the offer of photos from the museum example. I'll certainly consider getting those pics from you, although I've just had to glue together my fuselage halves after having a near disaster whilst test-fitting the cockpit/engine assembly.

I did see photos of your model on Scalemates - wow, you did a superb job!! I'll see how much luck I have with the kit parts for now...
Cheers,
Gary

[gedmundson]

As a follow-up to my comment previously about trouble with the fit of the engine (impeding the nose halves from coming together), I'm noting the point at which I had to trim a bit of the styrene away so as not to interfere with the engine. It's circled in red.

[KiwiZac]

If you need someone to assist with prop swinging, Gary, just let me know - she looks about ready to fire up!

[RichieW]

Beautiful engine and wing translucency Gary.The care you have taken over identifying the area obstructing a good fit is a lesson in itself.

Speaking of lessons, I got a copy of your book on painting and finishing models today. This is something I really need to improve on and the advice and demonstrations are superb.

Richie