In the beginning...

[lawman56]

So after I got home last night I find that my aftermarket arrived for my D.V! Yay! Eager to start, I made a quick cleaning of my bench to line everything up. Of course my camera was dead, so I'll have to post pics at a later time.

I carefully opened all the packages and inspected each piece, wondering why, exactly, I am going to strain my eyes putting in those tiny spark plugs!

Then I got my glue and paint ready, put it all in a big bag and shook it up as I rubbed my magic genie lamp.

Worthless genie. 

 

In reality, I'm really looking forward to this.

I also aquired a set of Eduard control horns, any advice in where or how they should or should not be used? I plan to use them, but only if they will add to, and not detract from, the aircraft.

 

[michael]

i for one will be watching closely cheering you on from the sidelines Joe 

michael

[mgunns]

I also aquired a set of Eduard control horns, any advice in where or how they should or should not be used? I plan to use them, but only if they will add to, and not detract from, the aircraft.

 

I assume you are referring to the WNW Albatros.  If so, I don't know that the Eduard Control horns would be worth the effort unless you are going to be building a model for a contest and really want to trick it out.  Sometimes that stuff can be more fiddly and frustrating than what the overall effect is.

Good Luck

Mark

[Pete Nottingham]

I'll be watching this build with interest, good luck.

Cheers

Pete.

[lawman56]

Started on the WnW Albatros D.V this morning. Thanks to mmguns for giving me a heads up on the Eduard control horns. After looking at everything in depth, I realized the Eduard set, at least on the WnW D.V, more hassle than it's worth. No worries, though, as I'm sure they will come in handy for a future build.

Quick rundown on what I have:

WnW Albatros D.V (obviously)
Taurus spark plugs and timing gear set
Old Propeller seat, exhaust and intake manifold
HGW detail set
Master Models spandaus

I decided to start with the engine and all it's tiny bits, so as my sanity disappears, the build gets easier, (I hope!)
Here's all the Old Propeller stuff. Very crisp detail and minor clean-up needed.

[lawman56]

Here's the Taurus "patience testers". Highly detailed, no flash and did I mention they're tiny?

[lawman56]

In the amount of time I had before I left for work, (approx 3 hours), I've managed to clean the flash off the Old Prop stuff, assemble the oil pan and cylinders of the engine and install 6 valve springs. This is gonna take awhile, but I'm looking forward to every minute! 

On a side note, you'll notice two things I habitually do when working on tiny parts. One is to lay down a clean, white paper towel. This allows major color contrast to the grey and green pieces as well as act as a buffer to prevent launching tiny bits into oblivion. Secondly, I keep an empty zip type baggie to put anything tiny and ready for assembly in so I know it's been cleaned and, again, to prevent loss.

Hopefully by tomorrow morning, my eyeballs will be back to normal  and I can install the last six springs and start on the rocker arms.

Once I get the springs all on, I'll post another picture, provided I haven't gone bonkers!

[michael]

Great start Joe 

Iknow what you mean about the old eyes, mine need a good spell off every now and then 

Is the after market seat much of a improvement over the kit part Joe?

cheers
michael

[rhallinger]

Thanks for the tips on the white paper towel and baggie Joe!  Even we grizzled veterans can still learn new things!   With such a measured and steady approach, I am sure your build will progress extremely well. 

Regards,

Bob

[lawman56]

Great start Joe 

Iknow what you mean about the old eyes, mine need a good spell off every now and then 

Is the after market seat much of a improvement over the kit part Joe?

cheers
michael

Thanks Michael,

In my opinion, the aftermarket seat itself is not much different, with the exception that it appears to be more in scale with what a cushioned seat would look like. The seat cushion itself is a vast improvement, as the kit doesn't have one. That being said, I've seen some pretty remarkable seat cushions formed from putty or other materials. I took this picture so others could compare for themselves. The kit seat is on the left while the Old Propeller seat and cushion is on the right.

[lawman56]

After installing all the springs, I laid the cam down to test fit it. One thing immediately clear was that you can't install the Taurus valve springs in the same place as the molded springs. I had centered the springs at the outside edge of each cylinder, basically in line with the intake and exhaust ports. Once I laid the cam in place, I noticed that by doing so, the springs ended up centered on each rocker cover. This is incorrect, (btw, thanks for the merc DIII pics you posted Jamo), as the rocker arms are atached to the front of each cover. The nice thing is that the Taurus parts are made of soft polystyrene, so a light, quick twist of tweezers and they pop off cleanly. No damage. My suggestion would be to install the kit water pump/magneto assembly on the rear of the engine first, then the Taurus cam, followed by air pump. Then you can line the valve springs, rocker arms and push rods properly.

My poor eyeballs. 

[lawman56]

Funny how when I needed parts for my D.V, I had time. Now I have the parts, yet very little time. C'est la vie! Since I last posted, I've recieved the correct parts from Taurus for my Mercedes engine. I even found a little time to install a few. 


You'll notice the cam, valve springs, intake nuts and spark plugs. Next comes the rocker arms, and an aspirin from eye strain.

[pepperman42]

Cant notice anything since the pic was removed but Im looking forward to the progress report!!

Steve

[lawman56]

Now that's odd. It was there after I posted it. Evil gremlins. 

[Des]

Try loading the photo again Joe, we would love to see what you have done so far.

Des.