Airfix 1:72 Hannover CL.IIIa

[Ernie]

Great work, Ian, the tail cross being a minor thing.  Looking at the whole,
it is really good.  Excellent job of the rib tapes and the propeller is gorgeous!

Cheers,
Ernie

[Nigel Jackson]

Ernie is spot-on with his comments, Ian. I never got around to actually making the Airfix Hannover and there is so much to admire in what you have already achieved.

Best wishes
Nigel

[IanB]

Thanks guys, much appreciated!
 A small update - I've done most of the extra detailing needed before fitting the top wing. Windshield, radiator shutter (and relief valve on the upper side), flare rack (flares still to be added) and the cutouts under the rear for lifting the tail (which I should have done right at the start but didn't notice ) have all been added.
 Next up: the struts, top wing, rigging, and landing gear....am I really getting that close to finally finishing this one? 





Thanks for following!

Ian

[Squiffy]

Ive been watching this for a while now, Ian. It's looking rather good! I think I'll have to get another one myself.

[radio]

I am watching your treat and your build looks better and better.
Martin

[Alexis]

Really shaping up wonderfully Ian 




Terri

[RAGIII]

This is coming together beautifully! I am looking forward to your next step!
RAGIII

[lone modeller]

I do have one (or more) of these in the roof and although I am not particularly enthusiastic about kits you are making me think again. This is a really interesting and informative build.

[IanB]

Hi folks,
 I didn't like the flare rack I'd made, so I removed it and made another one, a little smaller. I'm much happier with this one now! I also replaced the Spandau with one from my MAC Pfalz D.III kit as it's a lot better than the Airfix original (surprise).
 The upper tail is now on, as are the cabanes. I had a little problem with them, in that everything seemed to measure up ok, but it didn't look square - and wasn't! I had already relocated the rearmost fuselage mounting points and very carefully bent the strut assemblies to fit the new mounting holes, but after remeasuring everything, and all coming out equal, I decided just by the look that the left front cabane mounting point was a fraction too low (I had used the kit moulded front mounting points) After raising it less than 1mm it all looks square and I'm happy with it. One of the problems of working in this scale - it's not always possible to measure things accurately, and very small differances do show. MK1 human eyeball to the rescue!
 The original mounting hole has been filled with a small dab of Mr Liquid Putty and will be painted tomorrow. I also hope to start fitting the rigging wires and wing struts very soon....



Ian

[Des]

She is taking shape really nicely now Ian, the improved flare rack looks a lot better, not far from the finish line now.

Des.

[lone modeller]

A very impressive build. I know what you mean about accurate measurement in 1/72 scale - very difficult and can/does sometimes lead to problems. However as you point out, eyeball analysis and measurement generally comes to the rescue and sorts things out.

[Alexis]

She is starting to really come together now Ian , nice job on the redo of the flare rack 





Terri

[mgunns]

Looking good Ian:  Flare rack looks the business.  The thing with measuring in 1/72nd is that the model might not be exactly 1/72nd and is in actuallity......model scale.  Details are sacrifices for fitment of the parts.  I am looking forward to seeing your next updates and seeing you work it through to completion.

Best

Mark

[RAGIII]

Ian,
As the others said the flare rack is excellent! Your work on the struts despite your difficulty is also looking great!
RAGIII

[IanB]

Thanks all!
 This first shot shows just how small the mounting error was...



 I'm trying a new method for aligning the struts on this one. I cut a piece of old packing material to match the shape of the wing tips, pilot's cutout, and leading edge, then laid it over the wing, marked the strut holes with a fine marker, and drilled them. I used that to align the cabanes. Now they're dry, I simply fitted the outer struts in the lower wing, popped the strut pins into the holes in the see-through "dummy" wing, and aligned it with the cabanes....simple!...I hope it works out! It looks from the pics as though the holes aren't aligned, but the dummy doesn't have the dihedral of the actual wing, so it's sitting a little high in the middle.





Ian