Author Topic: 1/48 Mercedes  (Read 3971 times)

Offline davecww1

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1/48 Mercedes
« on: April 18, 2015, 11:00:17 AM »
Hi Bo,
First, let me say great work with your 3D cad printed parts, these are a nice addition for the 1/32 scale Wingnut engines.  but when I read that you are basing your 1/48 scale parts to fit the Eduard engine I believe that is not a wise choice, as the Eduard engines in the Albatros series and the Roland C.II are way undersized to fit the fuselages.  The Roden engine is much more to scale, and if the Eduard engine bearers need to be widened and the cowl panels modified a little to have the correct sized engine fit then it is worth the extra effort I think.  So I would say it would be better to make your excellent aftermarket details the correct size rather than make them smaller than 1/50 scale to fit the puny Eduard engine.  Here is a photo that I found on the web, not one of mine but I wish to share it to show you just how far off the Eduard engine is.  and I'm sure that I have a Roden engine that I can send you in the spares box if you need one...
Dave

Bo,
comes any in 1:48 scale?
Martin

Yes sure, I plan on doing Mercedes parts in 1:48, Scott is sending me an Eduard engine for sizing purposes. I guess the Karaya engine is really nice but is based on the Roden block and does not bit fit Eduard kits (?)

What else do you need/want in 1:48?

edit: fixed typo
« Last Edit: April 19, 2015, 02:30:11 AM by davecww1 »

Offline uncletony

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2015, 11:10:23 AM »
Dave, thanks very much... I freely admit I know nothing about the intricacies of the 1/48 universe , but from what I think I have been told, Karaya already makes a very nice, true-to-scale 1:48 resin Mercedes? If this is true, then there is no point attempting to compete, well done resin will beat what I can offer on price and surface quality every time...

Offline uncletony

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2015, 09:05:17 PM »
I guess there is a Vector resin Mercedes as well. So I am left a bit confused as to the actual need here...

Offline davecww1

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2015, 02:55:02 AM »
Hi Bo,
The Vector engine looks very nice. 
http://www.neomega-resin.com/mercedes-diiidiiia-517-p.asp#
As far as the Karaya one, I looked on their website but they do not show a Mercedes as available any longer.  I had one of their engines in the Halberstadt CL.IV kit that they did a few years ago. 
I wonder what you had thought of doing for the Eduard engine, if you were just going to scale down the parts from your 1/32 scale ones they would be too large for that engine. 
But something that would be useful for 1/48 scale would be a set of details that can be added to the Roden engine like the breather tubes, air pump, and various other small details that are not included with the kit engine.  Not sure how fine the detail on the 3D printing would be but I would find this to be a useful set of parts.
Thanks
Dave

Offline dtomko

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2015, 07:25:33 AM »
I agree with Dave, Bo.  The Karaya engine is beautiful, but doesn't come with breather tubes.  And the Vector engine is pricey.  The Karaya was also the 160 hp version with the rocker arm boxes centered over the cylinders.  Details like Taurus makes for 1/32 would be great.  Perhaps 160 and 180 hp version rocker arm boxes attached With arms and even coil springs? The Eduard engines are puny and the Roden ones are beautiful as far as they go but need more detail.  And yes fuel tanks that fit the Eduard kits, I would say in versions for the D. III and V/Va.  Really you can only see the top part with the caps.

Drew

Offline Berman

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2015, 12:03:56 PM »
 BEAM who has the nice 1/48 Fokker D.VII photoetch sheets will soon be introducing  highly accurate detailed complete resin 1/48th scale Mercedes D.III and D.IIIa engines. These will be the correct scale size so some slight modification to the engine bays of Eduard kits will be required.

Offline davecww1

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2015, 12:12:37 PM »
Cool berman I would love to try one of those out, hopefully yours will be a better bargain than the Vector ones. 

Offline ALBATROS1234

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2015, 03:28:24 PM »
i suggested an eduard sized engine as there is the vector and pavla to replace roden sized engines. the vast majority or 1/48 kits require either an eduard sized engine or major surgery an/or trimming of pieces/parts off the vector engine to make it fit. the roden block is nicer in and of itself which is why vector et al used this as there basis. if it was just a simple thing like thinning a cowl that would be one thing but the length/width and height just dont work if you want to put a roden type engine in any kit other than rodens. which is basically the fokker d.vii series. eduard makes albatros d.iii, albatros d.v,that pfalz d.iii.d.iia,roland c.ii,fokker d.vii series,the old albatros c.iii,special hobby has the pfalz d.xii early and late the new albatros c.iii etc,hi tech has the roland d.ii which had a smaller engine,the old dml kits have a smaller eduard size engine, the karaya cl.iv would need the smaller eduard engine, and does any/all copper state kits which used an eduard copy. this list goes on and on.it personally think it would be amazing to have an engine that would be the right size to drop into 95% of all 1/48 kits requireing a mercedes d.iii series engine rather than having yet another one to fit into the roden fokker d.vii kits. this is just my opinion but it is also been something that many 1/48 modellers have lamented over for years. yes the eduard engine is slightly under scale but wouldnt it be nice if you didnt have to spend hours chopping up vitually every 1/48 kit to get the larger nice vector engine to fit in it? to me an eduard sized accurate engine series would be a godsend because you can use it without modification in every kit including the roden d.vii.

perhaps a cylinder array 1 for 160hp and one for 180/200hp with accurate rocker covers/spring detail which could be stuck on top the eduard sized kit blocks?

Offline dtomko

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2015, 11:02:48 PM »
Those are excellent points.  I have gotten the larger engines in Eduard Albatros kits by cutting away the engine holder to allow them to sit lower. You do have to enlarge the prop shaft opening and redo the prop/spinner attachment, but it's a lot easier then reshaping the top cowling.  It winds up sitting higher than the Eduard so it looks much better.  I suppose there is no easy solution.

Drew 

Offline radio

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2015, 01:51:00 AM »
What is about the starter for BMW and Mercedes engines?
Martin

Offline uncletony

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #10 on: April 21, 2015, 01:56:20 AM »
Hi Martin, do you mean the starting magneto ?


Offline ALBATROS1234

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2015, 04:33:20 AM »

Offline radio

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #12 on: April 21, 2015, 08:06:20 AM »
Both were exellent, but I mean the Generator.
Martin

Offline ALBATROS1234

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #13 on: April 21, 2015, 08:24:36 PM »
generator? not the magneto or starter switch?

guitarlute101

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Re: 1/48 Mercedes
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2015, 09:11:43 PM »


I'd like to have the option having a replacement of just the cylinders up. That way the engine block or bay wouldn't need modification and the replacement cylinders could be glued to the top of the engine block. That is usually all you would see any how (unless you were leaving off any cowlings).

Mark