"Captured!" WNW Albatros DV in RFC Livery

[GazzaS]

That engine looks fabulous!

Gaz

[Trackpad]

That engine looks fabulous!

Gaz

Thanks for visiting, Gaz, and additional thanks for your very kind comment. 

[pepperman42]

Great work!! Remember to check the fluid levels before you start it...

Steve

[Trackpad]

Great work!! Remember to check the fluid levels before you start it...

Steve

Geez, why didn't I think of that before now??   Thanks for the reminder!! 

[uncletony]

Nice work on the motor, Gary.

FWIW, I find epoxy is usually the best bet for tiny resin parts (like the valve train springs and rockers) or anything that sits up & requires careful alignment. The great thing about epoxy is that even the "5 minute" variety really takes much longer than that to fully cure, meaning that you have a full five minutes or so to get the bit into position -- at which point, as it sets up, you can gently nudge the part with tweezers or a toothpick or whatever until it's perfectly aligned just as the stuff starts to really set up.

As for it being "too thick" -- I find this really isn't an issue -- usually all you need is a tiny dot of the stuff which I apply with a toothpick. (I dunk one toothpick into the sauce, and from that small dab take an even smaller dab on another toothpick. I use this second toothpick to dot the part...)

For larger parts I drill a shallow divot (or two) to give the excess some place to go besides squishing out the sides.

I have learned the hard way to only try to do one part at a time per batch of epoxy, wasteful, to be sure, but in the end, what do you really care about?

[Trackpad]

Bo, Thanks for visiting and for your very kind comment on the engine. It certainly raises the morale marker, coming from you! 

I appreciate your information on epoxy usage. This will make future aftermarket usage, both PE and resin, more comfortable for me. Thanks for the instruction. Evidently I've been using too much, so the two key points I'll take from your post are:

   a. dial back significantly on the amount used; and

   b. use the shallow divot technique for bigger PE parts.

Your Albatros build is full of ideas that I'm shamelessly using for my build, at least those that I can actually employ. I'll have to give you part credit when I get the build finished. Thanks again for your visit and comments. 

[mgunns]

Your engine looks the business alright Gary.  The plug wires, rocker assembly and valve springs will add some interest to the front as they are very visible.  It' very well done Gary, the work is clean and the weathering seems to be just the right amount.  A hearty Bravo Zulu my friend.

[Trackpad]

Hi, Mark,

Thanks for visiting and for your comments. I wasn't sure of just how to address all the engine aftermarket items, but they seem to have fallen into place satisfactorily. I  have another set of engine AM items packed away in my WNW Fokker E1 kit, so the experience here will be well-used there when the time comes.

Thanks again! 

[uncletony]

Bo, Thanks for visiting and for your very kind comment on the engine. It certainly raises the morale marker, coming from you! 

I appreciate your information on epoxy usage. This will make future aftermarket usage, both PE and resin, more comfortable for me. Thanks for the instruction. Evidently I've been using too much, so the two key points I'll take from your post are:

   a. dial back significantly on the amount used; and

   b. use the shallow divot technique for bigger PE parts.

Your Albatros build is full of ideas that I'm shamelessly using for my build, at least those that I can actually employ. I'll have to give you part credit when I get the build finished. Thanks again for your visit and comments. 

Lol, no need to credit me for anything.

There's a third point on epoxy usage I want you to take away-- at least this was a breakthrough for me:
The critical moment arrives about 5-8 minutes after you place the part on the model. Obvious enough when you say it, but at least when I was starting out (and I know you are not a beginner by any means) I would try to exactly position the part from the get-go and then struggle for 5 minutes holding it precisely in place, inevitably watching it fall off ten times, usually jelly side down making a big mess and more frustration. Once it finally dawned on that those first 5 minutes don't matter, all you have to do is get the glue in the right place, things got exponentially easier.

[RAGIII]

Sorry I am abit late but had no computer access yesterday. Your engine is sublime! Outstanding results from your additions!
RAGIII

[GAJouette]

 Gary,
Just found this thread this morning. This an excellent way to honor Des my old friend. Outstanding skill and craftsmanship shine here. Love those little details you've incorporated. I'm looking forward to following along with your awesome build. Keep up the highest standards of Excellence my old friend.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

PS: I have no doubts that Des is smiling down on this fine tribute from above.

[coyotemagic]

Outstanding work on the innards, Gary, and that engine is truly superb!
Cheers,
Bud

[gbrivio]

Great work on cockpit and the engine.
Ciao
Giuseppe

[Trackpad]

Bo, good points for sure. I have a method of mixing very small amounts of the two epoxy components, but I tended to use too much, as noted above. This, plus your more recent guidance, will pretty much ensure that I don't make a hash of it in future. Thx again!

RAG, thx for your visit and comments. Don't worry about being late, as you can never be late for something you didn't know about. 

Greg, wonderful words for which I thank you very much. I hope and trust that all is well with you and yours. It's always a pleasure to see you on the Forum! 

Bud and Giuseppe, thanks very much for visiting and for your kind and encouraging messages.

Thank you all for your wonderful support. It means a great deal to me!   

[Trackpad]

  In my last update I said something along the lines of "I'll take a bit of a break and do some light painting of various bits and bobs before the next major phase: joining the fuselage halves..." Well, sort of. There I was, merrily painting away at various items when I started to fiddle around with the engine compartment bulkheads and puzzling out just how this was going to get done without a major catastrophe happening. Well, one thing led to another, fitting bulkheads to fuselage grooves and slipping engine mounting boards into place, when all of a sudden the job came clear, the glue was applied, and the engine compartment was complete (at least as far as the support units were concerned) and the fuselage halves were together. Here she be:



Which is not to say that the painting mentioned was not done. I decided on a pale blue colour (the other option is light/pale grey. Take your pick: it's one or the other and no one can say for sure just which is correct) for the forward fuselage and various panels, struts, the spinner  and the wheel covers and backing (a mix of Tamiya Matt White XF-2 and Gloss Blue X-4). The rudder got its red - white - blue repaint using Citadel Paints "Evil Sunz Scarlet" and "Kantor Blue" (don't blame me for the names, but these colours are a dead match for the red and blue that Rowan uses for his RFC/RAF roundels and stripes). You can see just how pale the light blue is by comparing the spinner colour with the white on the rudder. The oil tank is a dirtied-up copper with brass cap and steel strapping:



Finally, feeling as if things were moving along nicely, I started in to the white gloss application needed for the Aviattic five-colour lozenge decals. Just the smaller parts were sprayed as I am still working through what has to be done to the main planes before they are painted gloss white. Rigging holes have to be drilled out, some panels are to be removed, and the meaning of several small "dimples" must be clarified. In one case, two dimples on the bottom of the fuselage indicated where two holes had to be drilled, but nothing in the instructions indicated that. I found this out by revisiting Bo's Albatros build. Lots of good details in that thread!



I also ordered the Windsock Special on the Albatros, just for the sheer, unadulterated heck of it.  I can resist everything...except temptation! 

So that's where we stand at the end of this week. Many thanks for visiting, have a superlative weekend, and I'll post the next update next week.