Albatros D2 Boelcke D386

[DMPopa]

Next project is an Albatros D2 as flown by Oswald Boelcke.

See my precious Fokker DVII posts for instructions as to how to download the airplane graphics.   This is this is the graphics that forms part of the basis for this build:



I am a big sucker for a bare wood fuselage on any build, but especially the Albatros.

The structure is based upon the Answer W4 float plane.   Based upon my research, the W4 fuselage is basically the same as the D2, the wings are longer and the top wind is positioned higher than the D2.  And there is no wheels or tail dragger.   Elsewhere on this forum there is a very good build log of the Answer W4.   

To get the proportions correct, I am using Albatros D2 profiles downloaded from the web.   

This profile i downloaded from drawingdatabase.com



and



I edited my source material to allow dropping in the graphics to the profiles to get the scale correct.

Other sources of aircraft profiles I found in outerzone.co.uk, a source for flying model plans and aerofred.com where I found a Wylam drawing of the Albatros D2.

The Answer Albatros W2 really appealed to me as the model has the fuselage graphics as a fore to aft strip, similar to the graphics at the beginning of this post.   I have not mastered repainting models when the fuselage is a series of rings.   And the Answer
W4 structure should ensure that the fuselage stays straight.

This build will be my first repaint with a round fuselage, the Fokker DVIIs were flat and square.   Wish me luck.

[Richtrad]

Luck!  This is pretty interesting. Also, thanks for posting the profiles sites.

[NigelR]

Best of luck! That fuselage does look challenging......

[DMPopa]

The cockpit is basically per the kit.    I am sticking with the kit bulkheads with the cross members, which is not near to the actual Albatross but will serve some structural purposes I am sure and they will hide from view fuselage structure stuff.     The bulkhead sides have the stringers glued in and I have painted these sides rather than stick with the printed wood; painted because the stringer exposed too much bare paper.   

The seat is added at this point.   The kit has a cardboard strip that the seat rests on and is glued to each bulkhead side, but decided to place the seat on a block to better position the seat in the center of the cockpit and with the seat attached to the cockpit floor and relative the rear bulkhead, I can add the seat belts.  In my previous builds I consistently had problems getting the seat in exactly the right position and this method solves this problem.   In the next build step this cross member will be added in somehow (the wood block is in the way) so I do not loose any rigidity.   

The seat belts are made of thin aluminum from a beer can and cut with a photographic paper cutter.     They are painted brown but the paint does not stick very well.   At the ends the paint can be removed to approximate buckles. 



This is a side view showing the seat up on a wooden block.



The instrument panel and control stick is nothing fancy.     Under the single instrument is a bar made of Plastruct and spray painted green primer color.    The instrument is a larger piece of Plastruct rod with an instrument printed on photo paper glued on.  The control stick is a bendable wire bent to approximate the Albatross control stick and painted.

[Brad Cancian]

Wonderful work in a challenging medium! You should consider adding this into the "Aces Mounts" group build!

Cheers,

Brad C

[NigelR]

Good start on this one, always interesting to see how you approach these builds.

[DMPopa]

Building up the structure per the kit.    The bulkheads are glued to the left side "wall".   Many pieces....

The "open side", the side where the right side wall is to be glued is sanded flat, removing any high spots.   



When dry, the right side wall is glued in place and temporarily held with these small hair rubber bands. 

[DMPopa]

I placed cardboard pieces in the open areas in the fuselage structure.



I smoothed out the fuselage with MH Ready Patch, similar to my previous builds.   This involved MH Ready Patch, sanding, MH Ready Patch, on and on until I was satisfied with the smoothness and then I painted in light grey primer from a rattle can.   After more MH Ready Patch, sanding and primer, this is the result:

[NigelR]

Good work, the fuselage is looking good. Best of luck with the covering....

[Richtrad]

You are probably aware of this, but I just wanted to mention that the profile you downloaded from drawingdatabase shows an Albatros with the Windhoff radiator. Boelcke's D.II was a prototype using the soon to be standard Teves and Braun wing radiator, so no header tank over the engine, nor the side radiator boxes.

Warren Q

[DMPopa]

Warren:

Thanks for this valuable insight.  No, I was not aware of this fact.    But since I have committed to using my available Boelcke, or what is called Boelcke, I will continue on with these graphics despite the error.

[DMPopa]

Sometimes, rework is necessary.

I test fit the fuselage graphics and mission accomplished, the graphics will not fill the space on the structure.   Sanding down the structure to match the graphics is not realistic in this case because of the amount of MH Ready Patch applied.   SO back to GIMP to change the graphics.



At this time the engine is being made.  The engine has to be available so it can be placed in the fuselage structure prior to adding the close fitting cowl graphics skin. 

My first shot at the engine is to assemble the cylinders using the kit graphics which comprised three (3) layers of paper strips that simulate the cylinders increasing in diameter from base to valve gear.   And I painted them gloss black from the rattle can.  They looked terrible my first try.  It is tricky to get the small piece of cardstock at the top of the cylinders where the valve gear to go to look smooth.  Rather than trying again with cardstock, I decided to try making the cylinders using wooden rod of appropriate diameter.  Wood an not plastic because I had the wood rod handy and no plastic rod of the right diameter was handy.   I cut the individual rods to approximate length and filed angles at the valve gear side to approximate the real geometry.



I razer sawed a groove where the camshaft will go.   Cylinders are glued to paper, not cardstock to allow "give" when I glue in the camshaft, which I will use a piece of 3/64 dia. brass rod.   



I test fit the cylinders into the engine bay.   What I am looking for here is how long can the engine be.   Based upon this picture, I will be unable to add any accessories to the downstream side of the valve gear as the real engine would have.



Here we are with the camshaft glued/epoxyed in placed.    Notice that the cylinders are not the same length.  If I do this again I would use my digital caliper to get the cylinder heights exactly correct.   The paper base provides enough give to allow the camshaft and cylinder heat tops to be more or less perfectly straight.  That is what is critical here, that the camshaft be straight and the cylinder heads be perfectly aligned.   In the next step, a thicker cardstock piece is glued to the cylinder base. 

[DMPopa]

I am reconsidering my response to Warren and I will make the Albatros with the radiator in the upper wing.   I can use the existing graphics and will only need to create the necessary wing radiator graphics.   

I found references to how this radiator configure looks. Very similar to a D3.    Apparently someone made a flying replica of the Boelcke Albatros and there is also a model kit available.

I found this on the internet:

Art: Aviation art featuring Boelcke's D.II is also available on Lonnie Ortega Aviation Art.

 

https://www.aviationfilm.com/articles/boelcke/index.shtml#:~:text=As%20seen%20from%20above%20the,died%20of%20a%20fractured%20skull.

 

Operational History: Boelcke flew the Albatros D.II during late 1916, where he scored 13 of his 40 aerial victories. He was killed in this aircraft on October 28, 1916, following a mid-air collision with a colleague, Erwin Bohme.

[KiwiZac]

Forum member Jamo has a comprehensive photo gallery of the flying reproduction here. Hopefully his photos are of use to you with your build!

[DMPopa]

Thank you for the link, it will prove to be very useful.

Progress has been made on the engine.   

The valve springs are Bead Treasures, Miyuki 11/0 Delica Matte Metallic Silver Grey.   Same as my other builds.   The valve covers are made from a bamboo coffee stirrer.  I liked the smooth surface that is slightly rounded and the desired thickness.   I spray painted silver a strip cut to length and cut to into squares.   Now, cutting bamboo length wise is easy and I get a straight line.  But cross cutting the grain splintered the bamboo.  I solved this problem by coating the back with crazy glue gel which held things together.  The valve arms are also bamboo, thin slivers spray painted black.   I used crazy glue gel to to a long piece, and after the glue dried, cut the extra off at the valve spring.



The intake manifold is Evergreen Polystyrene 1/6" Rod, no. 222.   Bent and heated to shape, Gel Crazy glued together.



Not too bad, but I see room for improvement.