WNW FE2b Late

[Ian from Doncaster]

Thanks folks   The detailing is a bit "loose" IMHO but will be better next time....

Here's the other side, just needs the throttle linkage cabling then it can go into the nascelle.

[Dal Gavan]

That's very nice, Ian.  You just need to get the erks to give it a bit of a clean, mate- obviously the crew chief's not doing his job.

Dal

[Ian from Doncaster]

Here's the engine installed, with the extra pipework.  The detailing is not as sharp as I would have liked it to be, and the lighting has obscured the engine casing weathering.  The reflections off the different weathered surfaces on the copper pipes suggest the paint is less smooth than it is in reality.

[Chris Johnson]

Looks to me like you could almost turn 'er over Ian.  Nice work!

Cheers,

Chris

[Ian from Doncaster]

Here's another pic of the engine installed, not a great pic but in natural light which I think shows the copper piping better.

Since that pic was taken I have re-done the external nascelle paint now it won't be handled as much.  I will try and get another pic later.

Before finishing the bottom wings I decided to do some of the peripherals.  Made the 230lb bomb easy enough, but masking the red band on the conical nose was a nightmare, this was the 4th attempt.  The green band was easy!  Dry brushed the bomb with steel colour to show a bit of wear and tear, and also dry brushed over the decals and the painted bands with the base yellow to simulate warn stencils.  This bomb must have been carried for quite a few sorties and manhandled on and off into storage many times!

[Whiteknuckles]

Lovely work Ian, the bomb is excellent and the engine is superb. This bird is coming together very nicely indeed

Andrew

[Ian from Doncaster]

Thanks Andrew

It's attached now, and whilst not perfect, I am happy with the bomb.  It is now fitted to the carrier, and I have also made the 8 smaller bombs and their carriers to fit under the wings, but these are yet to be painted.

[GAJouette]

   Ian,
She's looking awfully good my old friend. That bomb mount does look fragile though. I'm certain I'd manage to break it off several times while finishing the rest of the build. Outstanding thread and I'm looking forward to more.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

[Ian from Doncaster]

Thanks Gregory - it is a little fragile but the rigging helps.  I added this now to avoid damaging other parts by adding it later.  Gets another job out of the way for later...

[Ian from Doncaster]

I thought about filing an indent into the axle fairing for this bomb but the structure is too fragile now.

Painted the small bombs and fitted them to their carriers for assembly to the wings later.  The instructions are confusing as to which release levers to fit and where to attach the cables to the bomb carriers.

[Des]

The bomb painting and mounting is very well done Ian, like Gregory said, the mount looks very fragile but I can see where the rigging would be doing it's job. I am very impressed with your engine, you did a super job with the colors. Watching your build is giving me more incentive to buy one of these kits, it is a nice looking model.

Des.

[lcarroll]

Ian,
   Fascinating to watch, you really are producing some "top drawer" results here. I'm still not sure I'm ready to tackle this little devil, the amount of forethought and sequence planning must be significant however you are certainly handling it. Looking forward to more updates, well done!
Cheers,
Lance
BTW, just got a used copy of "One Spring in Picardy" so the "FEE" bug may well get me regardless....................

[Ian from Doncaster]

Thanks Des, Lance...  I am sure you would both do justice to this superb kit - I still rank myself as an amateur in WWI modelling.  The modular nature of the kit allows for sub assemblies to be done out of sequence, so I've prepped and painted, decalled and rib shaded the wings and added rigging eyelets, done the propeller, bombs etc waiting for attachment.  Some jobs only take an evening or two, so when I am short of time I pick up on a stage that comes later in the instructions and set it aside for assembly later.  I've drawn the line at turnbuckles on this one, that would be too much for me on this occasion.


Apart from lozenge decals, this kit provides for a great variety of WWI modelling techniques.  There's rigging, woodgrain, rib shading, rigging, painting of different surfaces including metals, rigging, opportunities for extra detailing and scratching especially on the exposed engine, rigging, weathering, rigging, guns & bombs, and did I mention some rigging?

The kit looks very complicated, but if you've done a little rigging before, and have patience to build lots of individual components then this kit is very do-able for anyone in my situation, and much easier for the more experienced guys on here.  Just be prepared for a long build - unless you're retired and have lots of time on your hands!!!

[Ian from Doncaster]

Now that the nascelle is all done bar the bomb release levers and elevator controls and the gun, I am moving on to getting the lower wings attached.  Painted the black surfaces then used a combination of micromesh polishing, klear coating and pastel powdering between the ribs to get the effect I want.  Pics aren't great due to artificial light and camera flash.  I weathered the top wing decals to hide a tear...  :-"

[Ian from Doncaster]

Lower wings attached, rigging lines attached and struts fitted.  There is just enough "give" to allow the struts to align to the top wing later.  Struts are painted a contrasting nearly black colour for a bit of variety.  I'll do the booms in the same way later.