Nice Albatros, looking very good!
Joachim
Cheers Joachim
A nice one, indeed. Was there something wrong with the kit struts, that made you replace them?
I have a double combo set, too, waiting for the space at the workbench.
Nothing wrong with the kit items Prez (although the Roden ones have more finess)
Where possible I always replace the plastic struts on 1/72 models with filed or shaped brass because I can get a thinner profile which looks better IMO and still be able to handle the model (On my 'Floh' I actually dropped the model onto a wingtip after rigging it and managed to extract the bent struts without disturbing the rigging to straighten them. A lick of paint and they were put back in place and then the whole wing cell pushed back into position which re-tensioned the rigging lines and a drop of glue meant no one is any the wiser, till now)
Excellent looking D.V.... what can I say that others already have?... So I'm going to act like no one has said anything and I'm the first to comment.
First the color scheme, I'm glad you built it this way rather than after the pilots upgrades... like seeing the tail in camo. And the colors look great. I just purchased the AK WWI acrylic set and I'm hoping the green and mauve look as good together as the combination you've used. But what really stands out for me is the natural wood fuselage, you really got that nailed (and I'm also a sucker for the D.V's w/headrest). The grain is visible but subtle... and the colors look just right. I guess the best way to put it is if this was my build I'd want the wood to turn out just as yours has. Additional details you've also added do enhance the final product.
I'd also be interested to know the reason for replacing the outer struts? Unless they are inaccurate I thought the kits looked pretty good.
Anyway, great looking Albatros.
Take care
Scott...
Hi Scott. Thanks for the comments, glad you like the Albie
I originally painted the wings in the AK dark green and mauve, but when I cam back to it I felt them came out too dark so I added some off white and dirty linen colour to the mauve till I felt it looked 'right'. For the green I tested a few greens until I got one that seemed to balance it better and ended up using AK 11875 Field Green. Bear in mind though that I weather with oil paints after varnishing so I can tweak the shades and get a fade in some areas (I usually have yellow ochre, white, paynes grey, and the usual burnt and raw Umber set out on a pallet and add dashes here and then then scrub them in the air-stream direction)
On an aside I really like the AK colours which seem to spray nicely using just distilled water to thin and don't settle to the bottom of the container as much as Vallejo do. (less shaking needed)
Struts in the kit are fine, although would benefit from some sanding - I'm just a bit heavy handed and find that when they are thin enough I just break them which is harder to do with the brass ones
Really amazing work in a scale that scares me
Cheers AJ. Nothing to be scared of here
Easier in some ways than the bigger scales where every last rivet and wrinkle is needed to get the same effect
Paul
