Phonix D.I, J.4 of the K.u.K. Kriegsmarine

[Des]

Very impressive Bud, once assembled she is going to be a very attractive bird indeed, well done.

Des.

[Ernie]

Wonderful work, Bud.  I think it will look stunning without the camoflage, but then
I've never been too much of a "purist".  I'm looking forward to more photos, and
your thoughts after using the Gaspatch turnbuckles.

Cheers,
Ernie

[coyotemagic]

Thank you, Rick, Des and Ernie!  Test fitting the turnbuckles and they look great.  I just hope the stay put when I apply a little tension.
Cheers,
Bud

[Jacek]

Very nicely see the details of the wing structure.  Well done!

Jacek

[David]

Thanks so much, guys!  I really appreciate the encouragement, not that I need encouragement with this one.  It's such a fun and easy build, it's just taken on a life of it's own.  I only break to post while something's drying and things dry fast in this heat.
For comparison purposes, here's a shot of the Special Hobby engine.


I think I made the right choice.
I usually draw my prop laminations with pencils, but I masked and painted this one.


Thanks to the heat, I've gotten a lot of cockpit work done.  My water based oils are drying in a matter of hours, instead of days.  I fabricated the pilot's seat cushion from Citidel Green Stuff.


Then painted it Tamiya light sand, followed by a coat of Tamiya red-brown.  I then lightly sanded it until enough tan came through to give it a worn look.  I followed that with a wash of brown and black water colors.


Added triggers and cables to the control column while waiting for the cockpit sides to dry.


My bride still isn't back from work, so I'll forge on and hopefully have more photos tomorrow.
Cheers,
Bud

Hi Bud,

The propeller looks very realistic!  The colours are very convincing and it looks absolutely fantastic masked and painted.  I tend to build in much larger scales, and use real timber, but producing such a realistic propeller from a painted plastic propeller in a relatively small scale is a very commendable effort.

Regards,

David.

[coyotemagic]

Very nicely see the details of the wing structure.  Well done!

Jacek

Thank you, Jacek.  I've been working on this technique for a while and, although I'm not fully satisfied, it's getting better. 
Cheers,
Bud

[coyotemagic]

Hi Bud,

The propeller looks very realistic!  The colours are very convincing and it looks absolutely fantastic masked and painted.  I tend to build in much larger scales, and use real timber, but producing such a realistic propeller from a painted plastic propeller in a relatively small scale is a very commendable effort.

Regards,

David.

Thanks, David!  I think that in 1/48 scale and smaller, a well painted prop looks more to scale than a hand carved wooden prop.  I have a couple Marty Digmayer props, and although they are very nice, they don't seem quite true to scale, at least to my eye.  I believe that getting the right veneer thickness and an extremely fine grain in the smaller scales is really difficult.  I love the look of a real wooden prop and I hope Doug Craner or some other miniature prop artist will someday produce a 1/48 scale prop as convincing and beautiful as Doug's 1/32 scale gems.
Cheers,
Bud

[David]

You're very welcome Bud!

You are probably right.  Even at 1:8 scale the grain was a major consideration when I built the replica Axial propeller.  I was very happy with the Mahogany but I substituted European Ash for Australian Ash, since the grain in European or American Ash would have been far too large in any scale.

You have achieved a very convincing result!  I have thought about building 1:32 scale propellers, but now that I know that Doug, and probably others build them in the smaller scales I will leave them to it.  Hopefully someone will make propellers in 1:48th scale, but it's probably the small size that is the reason it has not been done.  I would consider having a go at 1:48th scale, but I would only do it if no one else was willing to do it.  The larger scales are difficult enough.

You are absolutely right.  Apart from the grain it is very important to get the lamination thickness correct.  Such relatively minor details can make the difference between a realistic replica propeller and one which is not as convincing.

Regards,

David.

[Epeeman]

Very impressive work, Bud -

Rib shading on the wings looks the part.   I agree with others regarding painting the fuselage - wood effect looks far to good to be painted over!

Regards

Dave

[Zabu]

Gorgeous!

I enjoy the weathering and the rib shading very much.

Cheers

[coyotemagic]

You're very welcome Bud!

You are probably right.  Even at 1:8 scale the grain was a major consideration when I built the replica Axial propeller.  I was very happy with the Mahogany but I substituted European Ash for Australian Ash, since the grain in European or American Ash would have been far too large in any scale.

You have achieved a very convincing result!  I have thought about building 1:32 scale propellers, but now that I know that Doug, and probably others build them in the smaller scales I will leave them to it.  Hopefully someone will make propellers in 1:48th scale, but it's probably the small size that is the reason it has not been done.  I would consider having a go at 1:48th scale, but I would only do it if no one else was willing to do it.  The larger scales are difficult enough.

You are absolutely right.  Apart from the grain it is very important to get the lamination thickness correct.  Such relatively minor details can make the difference between a realistic replica propeller and one which is not as convincing.

Regards,

David.

Well, David, if you ever feel like taking a shot at 1/48 scale, let me know.  I'll be your first customer!
Cheers,
Bud

[coyotemagic]

Very impressive work, Bud -

Rib shading on the wings looks the part.   I agree with others regarding painting the fuselage - wood effect looks far to good to be painted over!

Regards

Dave

Thanks, Dave!  I kinda like the looks of it, myself.
Cheers,
Bud

[coyotemagic]

Gorgeous!

I enjoy the weathering and the rib shading very much.

Cheers

Thanks, Paulo!  I'm very pleased that you like it.
Cheers,
Bud

[ALBATROS1234]

man bud shes looking sweet, your airforce is getting pretty big.

[coyotemagic]

Thanks, Scott!  Yeah, this one will make 28.  My Central Powers flight is finally catching up to Allies.

Got her rigged and I'm pretty excited.  It's been 9 months since I was this far along on a build.  I used the Gaspatch turnbuckles for the first time and, although I screwed the pooch this time around, next time I'll know how to line them up properly.

Cheers,
Bud