Ladies and Gentlemen...
I started this guy around 7:30 this morning. One of the fellows over on HS is running a 1/72nd speed build this weekend and since we are trying to get to 100 WWI planes in a year (after an official WWI GB earlier in 2015), I figured why not? No rigging (which I miss) and a cool plane I've always liked!
Last night, once I opened my big mouth and stated my intentions, I went to the nether-regions of the internet and found some not-too-nice things folks said about this kit. The biggest complaint is that the top surface of the top wing sloped down toward the wing tips and it should be straight across. Most said the kit was a rather early all-plastic debut for Eduard and the fit is difficult and fiddly. So far, I've found it to fit well and not throwing me any huge obstacles. Some of the PE isn't really a good replacement for the kit parts so I'm mixing and matching (like the control stick or the engine top). So far, so good!
Everything in the fuselage fits well...I did place the t-bar in the wrong place so my little holes won't line up....luckily, you can't see that anyway!
I quickly painted up the interior and distressed it a bit to my liking. I made a "red" cushion for the pilot and a "green" one for Emil (or was it Fritz??).
Then I looked at the dreaded wing.
It's hard to see in this out-of-focus shot, but the top surface does slope noticeably and looks funny when done.
The fix is easy! I just cut from the top with an Exacto blade making a few scoring cuts just outside the natural break in the wing. I gently bent the wings up and it looks so much better. Super easy so don't let this stop you from making this kit.
Then it was close her up time!
I have repositioned the stab to droop a little bit, primed the surfaces and now I'll work on the parabellum. This is lots of fun!
Stay tuned,
Dan
