"Captured!" WNW Albatros DV in RFC Livery

[uncletony]

Nice work Gary!

  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.

For anyone following along -- here's a broken record that I've been playing for a long time now as it doesn't seem to be catching on:

It's not necessary (or desirable, imo) to put anything ahead of former #5 into the fuselage before closing it up.

Former #5 is the one the fuel tank attached.

Formers 1-4 pop neatly and snugly into place with the fuselage all buttoned up, and they can be removed easily without damage too. It makes the problem of properly aligning the engine mounts a simple one, as you can jiggle them around ever so slightly until everything lines up perfectly. You don't need to put the fuel tank in, the spent cartridge chute, the engine(!), oil tank or anything. All that can wait until after the fuselage is painted and it's time for final assembly.

[Trackpad]

Thanks, Bo.

The reason that I was a bit concerned about this step is the way in which it is described in Stage 5 of the WNW instruction booklet, Page 11. The impression I got was that the entire engine/former assembly had to be put together outside of, and before it was fitted into, the fuselage. Essentially, I used the right side of the fuselage as a jig to get the formers and engine platform lined up and oriented (all dry-fitted), then closed the fuselage to ensure that the formers matched up with the left side of the fuselage, and then glued the assembly into place. It worked, but not as easily as it would have done had I known what you know.

Wish I'd heard that record of yours earlier. Thanks for your comments! 

[RAGIII]

Excellent update. I like the wood effect in the engine compartment. I have ignored Bos' advice on my build simply because of HABBIT! If I ever build another I will force myself to follow direction from the Master of Albatros production  . Looking forward to the next update.
RAGIII

[bobs_buckles]

Splendid work, Gary 
Keep up the good work.

Von B

[Trackpad]

RAGIII and Bob,

Thanks for dropping by and commenting very kindly on the build. RAG, yes, I'm afraid that I'm too mired in the '80's (or earlier!) to look at a build like a WNW offering and work out solutions applicable to the XXI Century. Bo's the guy for that. Never fear: I'll get to the end with some success using my ancient tools and outdated techniques! 

[Trackpad]

Just a small update this week. I had hoped to get paint in place by now, but no such luck: too much goin' on here! I've got just about all of the PE in place with the notable exception of the louvres. I just could not get the little beasties to conform. Here's where we stand:

Everything except a coupole of frame clips are in place here. The louvres are made from very soft dental x-ray lead, shaped over the kit louvres and then cut out with a new scalpel blade. Not the neatest job in the world but it'll have to do.



Two more clips to fit on this side as well as the next two louvres.



I hope to get the rest of the PE in place today or tomorrow, then a priming coat, then the paint. I added a bit more blue to the forward fuselage light blue, and it now looks just about right. The original was a tad pale.

Not a big update but progress is happening. Thanks for visiting and have a grand weekend! 

[Umlaufmotor]

Nice and good work so far, Gary.
You should make a small correction: The two maintenance flaps on the underside must be mounted with the hinge forward towards the propeller.

Servus
Bertl

[lcarroll]

Gary,
    Really nice job on the louvres, once filled and sanded they'll be perfect. I used brass sheet shaped over the Kit ones, the dental lead sounds like an even more workable material. This is coming together very nicely, another winner from the Barling Bench methinks!
Cheers,
Lance

[Trackpad]

Nice and good work so far, Gary.
You should make a small correction: The two maintenance flaps on the underside must be mounted with the hinge forward towards the propeller.
Servus
Bertl

Ah, the advantages of belonging to this Forum. Thank you, Bertl! I have no idea why I mounted them as I did, but you can be sure that they will be remounted immediately, if not sooner. Danke sehr! 

[Trackpad]

Thanks, Lance. There are a lot of moving parts to this one, especially with the various aftermarket items in play. I can hardly wait until I get to the rigging...!     

[RAGIII]

Looks great with the added / replaced details! I really like what you are doing on this one!
RAGIII

[gbrivio]

PE is a great addition, I dare not to wipe out plastic to such details but it pays for sure with realism.
Ciao
Giuseppe

[Trackpad]

Looks great with the added / replaced details! I really like what you are doing on this one!
RAGIII

Thanks, RAG. This is the first of two phases. My intent is to get the forward fuselage PE on and then prime and paint the light blue. Then do the reverse on the rear fuselage: paint, apply woodgrain decals and only then apply the required PE (but there is not too much of that). My learning curve is getting steeper with this build! 

[Trackpad]

PE is a great addition, I dare not to wipe out plastic to such details but it pays for sure with realism.
Ciao
Giuseppe

Buongiorno, Guiseppe! Bo mentioned an idea that I'm using now. Before removing a plastic detail, drill a small hold to mark its location on the model. Then remove the detail. The small hole remains so that you can place the PE detail part in the correct location. You can see the small holes in the middle of some of my PE items. Then, before painting, just fill the holes with a small amount of white glue. The hole disappears, the PE is in place, and the construction continues. Caio! 

[Trackpad]

"You should make a small correction: The two maintenance flaps on the underside must be mounted with the hinge forward towards the propeller."

Hi, Bertl. The correction is done. Thanks again for your quick observation. My mistake for sure, now fixed!