WNW Fokker D.VII (OAW) "50" - W.G. Barker Toronto to NYC Air Race

[LindsayT]

Thanks for the comments, gents!

[LindsayT]

All right, made a start. I don't have much for a workspace right now, and won't be painting in the near term. I'm occupying myself instead with some dry fitting exercises to avoid surprises down the line.

First off, the cockpit and steel tube fuselage. It looks, and is confirmed by others, that this is the critical path for the entire build. Precision is a must here. Took me much longer than I care to admit to get this:





Positive locating holes are oxygen for this kit:





Especially with the fuselage. You've gotta make sure there's something positive to seat on, no matter how small it may be.

Tried seeing how this would fit inside the skinned fuse. Turned out to be another illustration of the tight tolerances for this kit. Even a couple of strips of Tamiya tape were too much:



Took them off and tried it again. It's a bit better, but not good enough:



I think part of the problem is the locating pin at the cockpit coaming. It looked like it got bent, so like a moron I tried to bend it back with predictable results. Well, the fit is better now! 

I'd love to hear how others are approaching the fit tolerances, and any booby traps that lay ahead.

Thanks for checking in,

Lindsay

[Des]

Nice to see you making a start Lindsay and you are taking a very sensible approach by trial fitting all parts before final assembly. The tight tolerances are very well known with nearly all of the Wingnut kits but it is a fact that has to be taken into consideration when building any of their kits, even just one thickness of paint can throw the whole assembly out of whack. Good luck with your build Lindsay, I look forward to watching your progress.

Des.

[Snowy]

Great start Lindsay. Another very interesting scheme, one I was not aware of.

[FOKKERJ]

Nice choice here Lindsay! 

These are very attractive machines, these Canadian D.VIIs.

Cheers, Jay

[kornbeef]

Good approach.

As for tips on fitting the cockpit assembly.

1/ Sand all the pips details etc off the outer face of the framework everywhere back from the firewall point (you can't see it anyway and it gives toy a bit of breathing space.

2/ Sand the edges of the panel behind the seat top sides and bottom. You can be forgiven for removing a little extra at the top and especially at the bottom if you assemble like I do and give yourself a little jiggle room.

3? sand the pips that hold the ammo and spent cartridge belts containers a little and ensure there's no build up in the locating points.

Hope this helps a bit Lindsay.

Cheers Keith

[Ernie]

As I am doomed to finish this build dead last, I hope to learn from
every one's experiences with the build.  Lindsay and Keith, thank you
for the tips.  Positive start, Lindsay, my friend.

Cheers,
Ernie

[RAGIII]

Nice start. Your test fitting will certainly pay off in the end!
RAGIII

[Chris Johnson]

I'd love to hear how others are approaching the fit tolerances, and any booby traps that lay ahead.

Don't sweat it Lindsay. Your fuselage looks exactly like mine did when I started to button it up. Follow the instructions exactly when you get to that point as they say to glue the top first, and then do the bottom. By doing that, I was able to get a good fitting, strong joint on the top spine using super glue, kicker, and finger pressure. Then I moved to the bottom joint and again, following the same process, I pushed that seam together and ended up with another good joint. It does appear at first glance that the tolerances are too tight (and practically speaking they are), but you can make it work.

Cheers,

Chris

[LindsayT]

Thanks very much for the encouragement, gents. Much appreciated.

Ernie, you shouldn't be too quick to claim the caboose. I'll be there reading page three of the instructions long after you're done!

Keith and Chris, thanks very much for the insight. This is exactly why I post, even if it's really early progress. The build log is paying dividends already!

Lindsay

[Alexis]

Very interesting scheme choice . Never seen this one before , looking forward on your progress .






Terri