Stephen- That is absolutely incredible what a difference the texturing makes.  Especially with a before and after sitting right next to each other.  Unbelievable!

Roger- By all means!  Please do post your progress here.  The GB runs until the end of next month so you have plenty of time.

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Frank

Hey guys! Here's what I got brewing here:

I'd gotten a pretty good start this afternoon after getting home from work. Mostly fuselage and lower wing assemblies. I've also got the landing gear struts set up.

I've learned through the research that it's prety difficult to get some good examples. Most of the pictures i've got in books and on the web are in black and white. Not to mention that some of the areas I need to see, I couldn't quite find. So tha being said, I may need to start looking at taking a few artistic liberties"- especially in the engine and cowling.

But, that's all the progress I've made this afternoon/evening here. But as always; comments/tips/critisisms are always welcomed and appreciated. But for now, I've gotta get some sleep. First thing tomorrow.....PAINT!

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-Roger AKA "Spike"
"Ambition Bites the Nails of Success"-The Fly

As you can see, I've got paint! Come to find out, this isn't as easy of a build as I thought it would be. It's a 1/48 scale, but it's still pretty small (maybe about 6 inches long or so) so the finer details are a little harder to get to. Masking the exhaust pipes on the sides was no easy task. Dry brushing was a little frustrating too, since there was some bleed under the masking. Nothing a toothpick can't fix, I suppose...

One new thing for me was the wooden propeller. I saw with earlier builds in this GB how to get a woodgrained effect with 2 seperate shades of brown. So I tried that (one of the "artistic liberties" mentioned earlier). I originally did it in MM Wood (I dunno what the FS code is) but really didn't like the results. So, I redid it all in MM Sand and dry brushed a slight bit of military brown over for the grain. Not asgood as the rest of you guys, but at least I got te idea down. Unfortunately, my camera and lighting doesnt quite seem to be up to par, and I can't seem to get it on film...errr, I mean pixels." border="0" width="30" height="20" />

Another fault I'd noticed was the sand/fill job. Given the fit of the two fuselage halves, it's one of those things that just has to be fixed. But since the spars running down the fuselage are so predominant, I was a little nervous to smooth the seams out more for fear of sanding the recessed lines away. I can onlt hope that they will blend in better with the finished product.

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-Roger AKA "Spike"
"Ambition Bites the Nails of Success"-The Fly

Stephen,

You mention strange words such as "test" and "scrap sheet plastic".  For better, or in reality more likely worse, I am more of the "no guts no glory" type.  I did things a bit differently than Lars, as I base coated everything with Humbrol #64 gray, then used a dark grey on the top ssurfaces, and white on the bottom for the pre-shading.  I did not know if I would like my end results or not initially as it looked far too sloppy for my liking, but once the mile or so of masking tape came off, it did not look so bad after all.  The over coats (Gunze Sail Color (#85) and Model Master Dark Green (FS34079)) went on fine, but I probably went a little heavier than I should have.  I thinned the paints more than usual for the top coats, and not knowing whether they would darken more when dry, led me to adding perhaps a layer too much.  Is that what this "testing" stuff that you mention is for?

Anyway, progress has been good this week, and when I get my photograph downloaded, I will show you how the cockpit turned out.  I am spending a couple of days away from home for the holiday, but will show the progress soon.  Overall, the pre-shading does really make more of a difference than I thought that it would, and even for my first attempt at it, I really do like the results.  This build has grown beyond the weekend project that I had envisioned, but the results are worth the added time, and this build should still be completed well ahead of the deadline (good Lord willing, and the creek don't rise).  

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Scott

Scott,

I am so glad to hear that you have enjoyed this GB!  Honestly, the work by the members here has made it what it is.  And the info and techniques shared by our resident WWI guru Stephen Lawson has been nothing short of astounding.  THANK YOU ALL! 

As far as a round two goes, that sounds like a wonderful idea.  I have a few other Gb's in the works, with two more starting at the end of December.  I would be happy to start up another one, any thoughts on a time frame?

Two things I noticed with this one, that I am considering changing.  FIrst, I mentioned it months before it started and I think a lot of the people who signed up for it forgot about it.  Second, the long time frame may have convinced some that they could start theirs much later and still finish on time.  Possibly they forgot about it too.

So, this time around I think I would announce it two weeks before it started, and others could jump in whenever they choose.  Also, a shorter time frame might help. 

How about this, a start up sometime in May and still ending in December of 2009.  Your thoughts?

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Frank

I had originally planned to start a KOTS II GB later next year, as I have another (Bf-109: Reich Defender) currently running.  I could run two at once, if you fellas are interested.  I'll post it in the aircraft section to drum up some business.

This GB is ending in a month, just a thought for anyone wanting to finish their builds before the end. 

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Frank

Frank,

I actually stopped by the new group first by accident, as I did not catch the II right away.  January 1 sounds great to me, and I have run and participated in multiple builds at the same time, and it really is not that bad.

 As promised, here is the in-progress photo of the Airco DH-2 interior.  Any comments and/or questions are welcomed!   By the way, the right side is not attached at the time of the photo, I just sat it there to show the instrument panel in place.  I also apologize for the clarity, as I guess I need more work on the up close and personal shots.

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Scott

Greetings all;

Here is a bit of fun with one of my older builds.  The first of several I have planned that replicate airframes that were on display at Ilsington's Agricultural Hall in mid & late 1918.

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It is a hard world Stachel...unconfirmed by Armee means unconfirmed!!!!
http://www.wwi-n-plastic.com WWI aviation kit reviews
http://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/ see Early Aviation forum.
http://theaerodrome.com See Models and Aircraft forums.

Stephen- That's some fine work on both accounts!  I like your little dios, very original ideas!

The Fokker D.VI is progressing nicely.  I still cannot believe how much realism is gained by that texturing technique.  It really does look like real fabric!

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Frank