And now, for something completely different...

It may be a completely different type of aircraft for you but I'm sure the quality of the finished product will be the same... awesome.

completely different but the same quality. you are a true artist pix.

joe

Differant in subject, same in skill. Thanks for the peek pix.

Looking good Pix. Looking forward to seeing the finished model. Can't help you on the jig for the wing. I build a Bipe now and then, but just attach the upper wing with eyeball and prayer. There have been articles in a few of the mags over the years on making a jig, but reference escapes me.

Thanks, AJACKETSFAN, fightinjoe, cassibill, & Rick !

The attachment pins, holes, & struts are small. I'm going to try & attach the struts to the bottom wing only, using the top wing for alignment. Once these are dry, I'm going to rig it, then attach the top wing. I'm hoping that someone here has had experience using a jig in this small scale. I have three more weeks to finish it, so I'm already planning on a few errors at this step.

Thanks again !

Looks good so far Pix! I will be looking forward to seeing the finished plane. I remember reading on this forum a while back about using combs as an alignment jig.

Pix,
I finished my first biplane a while ago (Dragon 1/48 Fokker DR1). I had good luck using styrofoam packing slabs to build a jig. I cut a base and attached the vertical pieces using a Scotch glue stick. Lay your model components across the vertical members and mark the width of the piece to be supported. Cut the foam slightly smaller than your piece. The foam has enough "give" to hold your piece securely, but not damage paint. The whole thing can be rotated, picked up, and moved. The glue sticks provide a strong enough bond to hold the jig components, but if you are nervous (Like I am) use some insect pins or shirt pins (I always save the ones from a new shirt) to reinforce your attachment points.
Another advantage of the styrofoam jig is you can add to the jig as you go. In the case of your Jenny, the lower wing and fuselage would be locked in. You can add verticals over your lower wing, adjusting the height and angle with a couple of dry fit struts. Once it looks right mark the spots for the upper wing and cut the mounting locations. Foam has enough "give so you can slip struts in and adjust length and angle before gluing without screwing the whole thing up.

Here is the post Pix. http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3319 I hope this helps.

Pix
I've built a few Bi-planes and by inverting the aircraft and the upper wing, it was easier to support the fuselage at the correct attitude, install the braces, and get a straight assembly. You can use a pin through the propeller hub and support the elevator/horizontal stablizer at the same time.

Hey Woody,

I was just thinking about that jig. Thanks for posting the link.

Pix,

Please keep us updated. For some strange reason, I love the Jenny. I'm planning on picking up one of the Olimp kits as soon as my current stash diminishes somewhat.

Regards,

Ah yes, Monty Python have at it! Lookinn' good.

Richard

Looks good can't wait to see final pics

Thanks, Woody, snakedriver, chasblake99, Lufbery, RSaddlemire, & BSquires, for your comments and suggestions. I feel less daunted by the prospect of getting this wing attached and aligned. I'll let you know how it goes.

Lufbery - the kit is nicely molded, with the struts and control horns in scale size & thickness. It matches a three-view profile I found on the web "to a T."

RSaddlemire - if this had been a tripe, I could have finished my intro with ...a plane with three wings!

Thanks again, everyone !

Lovin it!!! You're braver than I am, my friend!!

Ah, the jenny! Beauty of an airplane (or would the more appropreate term be "flying machine")! I was about to suggest the Comb wing jig too, but Woody and Drew beat me to it!

Keep us updated, and how about a shot of the cockpit/engine area?

Pix

Looking forward to the finished project.

I'd like to see some shots of the cockpit and engines, too.

I started an Eduard Pro-Fi kit of a DH-2 last fall. Man, those things are tiny. i admire your precision with such a small scale, but then, what else would we expect?

Keep us updated

Stinger

For what it's worth, here's a link to a page describing a rigging method that's very popular with WWI kit builders:

http://priswell.com/uggie/Uggie2.htm

Regards,

Hi Pix,

I've never worked a 1/72 Jenny, but I attempted what you described about attaching the wing struts on the lower wing on a 1/48 version using the upper wing as a guide, removed the upper wing, rigged it using 1lb test Fly Fishing line, then attach the upper wing, but in my case, it was the process of tightening the rigging that misaligned the strut tops with the holes on the bottom of the upper wing.

I resolved it by removing the fishing line, attaching the upper wing, placed two foam blocks off each wingtip and pressing them slightly into the foam. Then I used stretched spru sections installed with needle nose tweezers and tightened using the blown match technique, but that wouldn't work on a 1/72, I don't think, without getting into some of the other rigging. Hmmmm.... you have raised an interesting question, and will follow this thread to see possible solutions.

Thanks... and BEAUTIFUL build!! (as is normal with you)

Take care,
Frank

Thanks, kik36, shrikes, stinger, Lufbery, & Frank !

Thanks for the rigging link, Lufbery, and thanks for the rigging tip, Frank !

The plastic is soft, so I'm going to have to figure a way to keep the struts straight while I tighten the rigging.


Here's the cockpit & engine, shrikes. I still have to do a lot of work on the engine. I painted it steel, then gave it a coat of Future & a wash. I'll be going over parts of it with different metallics to get rid of the oversized-appearing "flakes." The plastic is white, so I didn't notice the seam lines 'till I painted it. They will be cleaned up later. The instruments are (out-of-register) decals. Its very accurate, compared to pics I found on the web, only missing some sidewall detail. But , since this build is for a review, I don't want to add anything that didn't come in the box.

Thanks again, for your comments, links, & suggestions ! I really appreciate it !

awesome. is the engine just a two piece or is it more detailed than that?

joe

pix as ever great work...my only wonder is how do you work with stuff so small?![:0]
regards,
nick

Thanks, fightinjoe & Nick !

Magnification is the key, for me. I have to hold the model at arm's length just to get it in focus ! One of the "pleasurable little surprises" of getting older. Plus, my old builds don't look half-bad without my reading glasses !

SWEET!!!!! You make models look good. Good job!

Hey Pix, exellent work man, i wish my builds were half as good as yours. i built a 1/48th jenny years ago an finished it as the one from the waldo peper film. i made wing jigs from plastic card and mounted the aircraft in a diving position so that both leading edges were at the same distance from the work bench. the wing struts i made from streched sprue filed to an aerofoil shape before stretching then shaped at the ends. i think the kit was by SMER but i ain't too sure on that.
thanks for sharing.
Greg

Thanks, J-Man & gregers ! I kinda wish this kit was 1/48...it would be a lot easier to finish. But, you work with what you got, right? Thanks again !

Looks really nice, Pix. Nice to see some struts and strings in here!

Looking good, Pix!
Keep us posted on the progress!

Hey Pix,

This is going to sound odd, but I think the fact that the instrument panel decals are off register actually makes them look somewhat 3D. At least in your photo.

Serendipity at work.

Regards,

Thanks, dj, Brian, & Lufbery ! The instruments may look a little 3-D from this side, but they sure look out of register from the other side! The panel is just a flat slab, so I can't add a drop of Future over the instruments !