The group build to end all group builds - THE GREAT WAR

Dang, Ernie!! I bow to you, sir. That is outright amazing!! Can't wait to see it tracks & all this weekend. Your work is phenominal - I may have to spend more time on the Armor forums to keep track of your projects! (although I am still looking forward to seeing that Pfalz)  

Wow another one Mike!!  Way to go!  Can't wait to see this one all built up! 

OK, I know I work at a 's pace but I'm aiming to finish the Whippet this weekend guys.  To dust it up a little I sprayed some Tamiya Flat Earth with a little Buff on the lower areas...just enough to dirty it up a bit.   Then a coat of future all over and let that dry a couple of days and then went to work on an oil wash, followed by a darker pin wash.   I applied the washes heavier on the sponsons and especially on the mud chutes.  Darn front angle irons broke off AGAIN for the umpteenth time , so I left them off until the tracks are installed and the build is nearly complete.

Oops!!  Almost forgot about the exhausts!  Done mostly with Mig Pigments and a dark oil wash.

I need to find some suitable thread to wrap around the mufflers to represent the thermal wrap often seen on Whippet exhausts.

Tomorrow I'll give the model a flat finish, work on the Hotchkiss MGs and finalize the weathering....finish by Sunday????

OK fellas, finally got some WIP pics of the HD.1 (unfortunately none of the 'pit though). The first ones show a dry-fit of the upper wing and the last one shows the main fuselage & lower wing with the base coat of Testors desert tan. I am really liking the color scheme on this guy - quite different from the lozenge, silver doped, and PC-10 finishes I'm used to doing. The tubing at the rear of the fuselage was my attempt at showing how this exposed section actually appeared on most service aircraft.

Way to go Marc!!   What an awesome way to showcase the great work this GB has produced!

Nice page on the GB.  Much easier to see all the finsihed builds, thanks for the extra effort.

Marc, that is one great website you have!  I love everything about it!  It's very thoughtful and cool that you have a special page for this group build!  I didn't realize how many great builds have been completed and now I really want to finish my Whippet so it can humbly join the others!  Thanks for sharing the site with us!

Hi ya gang..........

Check out the page on my website...

http://wingnutmodels.com/WWI_GB.html

Oooops. Sorry fellas - guilty as charged. Them cockpit openings on those birds are usually very tiny - kind of a shame, because the 'pits cry out for extra detailing and I like to detail the snot out of 'em. Same with the engines, but the radial ones are very hard to show exposed. Good news though, the engines on my two upcoming WnW kits are inline versions, and with the removable panel features of the kits, will display nicely.

Rob, the parasol wing was not very common in WWI aircraft, but can be seen in a lot of post-war designs.

MIKE - VERY NICELY DONE  All looks great but really like the technique used on the wing.  Was not familiar with the "Parasol Wing", that was not common for fighters was it?

ERNEST - The decals look great.  Cant tell at all you had any problems with them.  Does not sound like fun when you were putting them on but I'm glad you pushed through and now have such a beautiful build to show for it  The tracks are top notch also.  Once again persistence pays off.

Yeah Mike, all that lovely cockpit and engine detailing and the (darn good looking) plane covers it all up!!   At least we saw it and you can always take a peek inside later on!!  Maybe that's why I don't bother with the interiors of tanks.  Once done, noone will see it except me.

I have to say it, but did you have to cover up that just gorgeous engine you built with that plane?

I'm loving your whippet!

Dang, Ernest. That's a lot of steps! ....and the results, man, if steps 1-4 look that good, I can't wait to see 'em completed after 5-8 ! Just flat-out amazing work there buddy!

WOW Ernest... just WOW.

Mike - parasol wing...never heard that before!  I learned something new today!  Thanks!

Marc - what the??  Cigars and margaritas in warm climes while we're hard a work chopping plastic and breathing enamel fumes?  hehe!!  JK!! Hope you had a great time in Florida!

Weekend update fellas:  Not much done.  Had to work Saturday and then watched "Red Tails" today followed by the 49ers/Giants game.  Strangely, I'm NOT a 49ers fan, but I enjoyed the game nonetheless.  It was a close one!

Got the decals on:

Whooo Nelly those decals were a pain!  At first things went pretty smoothly.  I trimmed away some of the excess carrier film for the decals on the right side and had no problems.  On the left side, things didn't go so smoothly.  I tried to trim the film even closer and for some reason all the decals started to curl really badly once the paper backing was removed.  I ripped off the "/" on the B/6 decal and promptly lost it somewhere, but was able to make a new one from the remaining kit decals.  The "IX" curled so badly I couldn't get it to lay flat.  I almost gave up from shear frustration (and a little ), but calmed down and used very warm water to "reconstitute" them and then I was able to finish them off.  WHEW......  Not only are they thick, but they're also qutie a bit oversized.  In the end I guess they look OK. 

And completed the tracks (for now)

After some serious thought and studying the pics from the previous track experiment, I decided that the test tracks were way too dark for a vehicle that spent most of its time on dirt, mud and sod.  I don't believe there were that many paved roads in the French countryside in 1917-1918.  The tracks just looked too new and clean in my previous attempt, so I tossed that method out the window and tried a different one.

1. Painted them a dark chocolate brown with Tamiya acrylics.
2. Stippled black paint (Vallejo) on them using a piece of packing foam
3. Stippled Tamiya Flat Earth on them
4. Mixed a slurry of MIG Pigments Dark Mud and Russian Earth (80/20) with water and applied using a medium brush.
5. Dabbed away the excess pigments using a moisted soft cloth around my fingertip
6. Drybrushed Vallejo Black/Brown on all the highpoints
7. Drybrushed Humbrol Metal Cote Polished Steel (not Gunmetal) on the highpoints (let dry overnight)
8. Buffed the Metal Cote with a soft cloth

Sorry, didn't take any pics for steps 5-8.  The finished product.:

I'll add some final weathering after they're installed.

I am back home now  That was Friday night in Clearwater Fl.

The ear's good, Marc. Still feels a little weird at times, but I guess exposure to temps of -45C can do that. Lesson learned, though.

...and speaking of temps, where the heck are you right now. Those people in that pic are WAY underdressed for winter!

Mike, simply beautiful.  I would have respnded sooner but I was busy taking this picture...

The good news was I missed the snow here in NJ.  Bad news was I had to put down my cigar and Margarita to take the shot   How's that ear BTW?

Thanks fellas !

Jack, I did not use a flash, but I'm thinking I probably should have. Experimented with a few different camera settings, but I'm still not totally happy with the pics. Believe me, it looks a lot better in person. Thinking I may shoot a few more today and see what happens.

Ernest, as this was a shelf sitter near completion, there was not a whole lot left to do, and that it is what is referred to as a parasol wing and had minimal rigging, that kind of sped up the completion process. The Hanriot will be rigged to the max, and from what I've read in kit reviews about the kit markings, I may be painting some of my own, so it will be taking much longer to finish that guy.

Mike, very nice Fokker you've completed!  I didn't expect it to be done so soon, its a pleasant surprise!!  Is there s special name for a biplane with only an upper wing??

Mike, grats on the completion, looks very clean.  Difficult to see the camou streak, were the photos taken in harsh lighting or a flash used?

regards,

Jack

OK fellas, I'm calling this Fokker E.V. done. A neat little kit with excellent detail and decals, and no real fit issues to speak of. Marc, if you want to add it to page one, even though it was not an official entry here, I wouldn't mind.    Next it's on to the 1/48 Hanriot HD.1.

Enjoy the pics !

Jack, thanks for the info!  I never heard the term "recognition flash" until now. That's a great photo you posted.... I find it fascinating that they were still used almost unchanged decades later! 

Rob, thanks for the stencil tip!  I was going to give it a try; even spent a couple of hours on the computer trying to find matching fonts and when I tried to print them I found out I have NO ink in my printer!!   I don't want to lose time just to get ink, so I'll just go with the decals and live with any issues they present.  I'll file your technique away in case I want to give it another go (with ink! )

Rob, yep, they do look pretty cool, don't they. Can be a bit labor intensive depending on how much of the aircraft's surface is covered with 'em, both inside and out (yep, you can find 'em INSIDE the 'pit as well).

Jack, sounds like an interesting technique. I've seen factory printed decals to replicate the streaked camo, but I'm eagerly anticipating to see what you come up with. Should be awesome! Be sure to post pics.

ERNEST - The recognition flash looks great!  Your decals don't look bad at all and as Mike has said, you may be able to cover any areas your not happy with.  They defiantly look better then the decals for my MK IV.  Was not pleased with them, found them also to be to thick, so did not use them.  Instead had printed out numbers in the style and size wanted, taped to the work mat, laid wax paper over the top and taped the edges, then put Tamiya tape over the numbers on top of the wax paper and then used a #11 blade to cut out the numbers using the numbers that could be seen through as a template.  After all of that, carefully lifted the tape which is now a stencil and placed on the model and sprayed some paint.

MIKE - Thanks for both explanations but Yes was referring to the lozenge.  Really like how that stuff looks

bufflehead

BTW, does anyone know the reason for the stripes?  Combat ID?  Battalion, division, regiment ID?

It doesn't mean "AIM HERE"?

Ruddratt - Fokker streaks looks really good.  I remember reading theories on the Aerodrome forum about how the look was achieved and what colours where used on the real deal - all from a b/w photo that had a number of paint buckets on the floor, sizing up the width of the brush, etc.

When I return to my 1/72 DR.I I plan to do the streaking on a computer paint program and print out on clear decals.

Ernest - Whippet is really eye catching now.  Regarding your question about the stripes - these were known as a recognition flash used by armoured units to quickly discern friend from foe.  They were still seen in use early in WW2 and sometimes the colours were inverted, such as the Canadian Churchills during the Dieppe raid.

Here is photo of a Valentine in the desert sporting them:

regards,

Jack

Ernest, that masking job looks darn good for a first attempt, and really adds a nice burst of color and contrast that is not often seen on AFVs, although I'm not too sure what their purpose actually was (hopefully someone with more know-how on the subject has the answer). Took a close look at the decal on the fuel cover, and really had to look hard to see the film. Had you not mentioned it, it would have slipped right past me. Perhaps a mist coat using a lighter shade of the main color would tone it down, as well as weather the markings themselves? Just a thought.

Rob, I totally misunderstood your question on the fuselage pattern. Sorry buddy. You were referring to the lozenge camo and not the streaking. The lozenge is all done with decals that are included with the kit. The Eduard decals are among the nicest I've ever worked with, and the sections are each outlined precisely for the builder depending on their location on the model (rudder, lower fuselage, etc.), so little trimming is needed.

Rob, Mike, waikong, and Marc, thanks for taking the time to comment on the Whippet.  I'm enjoying the build quite a bit because; 1) its very different from all the WWII tanks I've built so far, and 2) despite all the work I've put into it, its actually moving along much quicker than normal for me!!

I was able to paint the red & white stripes by carefully masking with Tamiya tape and then AB'ing Tamiya Flat Red and Flat White. I need to touch up a couple of areas, but overall it came out quite nice for the first attempt!

BTW, does anyone know the reason for the stripes?  Combat ID?  Battalion, division, regiment ID?

I'm having some trepidation with the kit supplied decals.  They look opaque and a little on the thick side.  I really want to use the "Firefly" markings as its the most colorful choice.  I have no other decals or transfers that might work and I can't find any aftermarket sets for the Whippet.  Looks like I'm stuck using them so I spent the evening testing a couple out on the kits fuel tank lower plate that I didn't use.  After spraying on the base color and coating with Future, I used Micro-Set for both, but on one decal I used Micro-Sol and on the other I used Walther's Solvaset.  The Solvaset proved too strong for as they wrinkled the decal terribly and never flattened out completely (formed quite nicely over rivets though!)  The decal with Micro-Sol however came out much better and after protecting with another coat of Future and spraying on a flat coat it turned out OK, but the thickness of the decals is visible in the photo:

For some reason I couldn't get it to stand out in the photos I took, but If you look closely you can see a slightly darker rectangle around the decal.  I'll have to trim the carrier film very close to the markings to reduce that effect.