Glencoe Oeffag Albatross D.III Finished- More new pics added on page 3

Thank you MB. To be honest, I was pretty dismayed when I first opened this up to study the kit once I decided to build it. The path to this point has not been easy. But I am quite happy with the results now. It has turned out better than I dared hope with my self imposed limit of using just what is in the box aside from some spare declas and rigging wire....

Now go get that Camel! 

That is one beautiful build!

Toshi

LOL. I would but I bought an Academy 1/72 P-40E. I looked for reviews so I know what I'm getting into, but there isn't any on FSM. I guess I'll have to review it as I go along. But I'm waiting to start til I can find out wether or not I can enter it into a GB over on Genessis.

I really want to try one of these clean builds that are making me drool over here.

But the next time I have a few spare dollars I'll pick it up if its still at Hobby Lobby. I remember that kit from when I was a kid and I did a terrible job of it.

If I remember correctly, you guys still want me to build that 1/48 Pz. IV combat crusher too lol.

M. Brindos

LOL. I would but I bought an Academy 1/72 P-40E. I looked for reviews so I know what I'm getting into, but there isn't any on FSM. I guess I'll have to review it as I go along. But I'm waiting to start til I can find out wether or not I can enter it into a GB over on Genessis.

Here's a link that may give you a few ideas about the P-40.

http://www.p40warhawk.com/Models/Builds/Builds.htm

Only one build review for the Academy 1/72nd scale model, and it is pretty basic.  Bad decals, though.

Stik,

That is a cool looking DIII and scheme.  Nice work on the bracing, which has always kept me away from WWI subjects.

Gary

Toshi and Gary, thank you for the kind words. 

Gary, the rigging went far better than I thought it would. The wire is really easy to work with when you do lots of considering, planning, measuring, and cutting ahead of time.... But I really need to find some finer gauge wire for 1/48.... And one day I will get some EZ Line to try...

That is looking relly nice Stik.

Stick, When you get time, I have a sow's ear for you to make into a silk purse for me.

Seriously, great  job on this Glencoe kit.

Question; Did you drill holes for the rigging , or just CA the wires in place ?  I tried rigging a Supermarine Racer ,which had a lot of wires ,and made a mess of it .

Thanks JJ. Between this build and the Ohka, I really have had so much fun in taking a very plain old kit and making them look very nice by today's standards. And this one is seriously close to being the proverbial "sow's ear" in the box.

I did a bit of both drilling and simple placement with CA. On the fuselage side at the base of the lower wing and at the front of the cowl, I drilled holes for the wire. On the wings themselves, the part locator holes for the struts were rather large, si I tried to place the struts where the remaining portion of the holes would act in the same manner. But that did not really work out that well. On the standard Albatross D.III kit in my stash (also a Glencoe) I will drill out locator holes where needed for those. But I am also gonna throw in a new twist there as well when I try my hand on that kit hopefully soon in 2016.

As far as rigging with wire here went it was a lot of pre p[lanning, working inner to outer, and test fitting, trimming, and test fitting more, after my OCD pre measuring, cutting, labeling, and organizing in attachment order.

And here we have it, my last completed build for 2015, and my first biplane in probably 35 years at least... Top coat of Humbrol Enamel Matt Clear airbrushed on, and some some quick photos taken with my iphone in a hasty manner...

Now who wants to fly this thing? Looks like I have a couple of volunteers...

I'll get more photos up tomorrow, using my real camera... after the hangover wears off... 

Stik,

I think you did a great job with this Glencoe kit!! Your camo is great looking and you "fixed" the slight error of the prop orientation with aplomb.

Happy New Year!!

Mike

PS: Don't hesitate to try EZ Line. I love the stuff!

You really did a great job on that one it just looks steller.

BK

Been following along after my initial post, and have to say this one turned out extremely well. 

What a difference that flat coat makes.  The rigging looks well done too.  About that, do you know a finer brand of wire?  Seems a lot of the finer stuff is on spools, which might be a problem trying to hold straight on the model kits?  When Great Models webstore was still around, they did cary some stainless steel wire at .006 size.  It was made by Sea Bird, but I've never found another shop that carries it let alone a dedicated web page.

regards,

Jack

I use music wire , namely banjo and guitar  strings, since I play the things. You can buy them in bulk and they come packaged in a plastic sheaf, straight not coiled. They have many guages to choose from. my favorite site is JustStrings.com

Stik - Really nicely done, judging by the quality of the kit and your building skills, I'd say you managed to make the proverbial "silk purse" out of it. Great job, thanks for the post.

Patrick

Thank you all for looking and commenting!

Mike, I look forward to trying EZ line one day. But I gotta tell you, the wire added some serious rigidity to the finished build. The landing rear was a bit wobbly... not any more

Jack, I definitely think I need a finer gauge wire. The stuff that I used here would be fine on a larger scale build such as 1/32 or larger.

JayJay, I need to keep my open for that stuff. Thanks for the suggestion.

Brandon & Patrick, thanks for the kind words...

As stated yesterday I took more (and better) photos today... with our better camera. 

Thanks for looking, comments and critiques are welcome...

Looks like you nailed it, Stik!  Nothing better than taking a "sow's ear" and turning it into a "silk purse".

And that is the advantage of piano wire over thread.  It adds strength and stability.  Just need to find some thin enough. 

Gary

GAF

Looks like you nailed it, Stik!  Nothing better than taking a "sow's ear" and turning it into a "silk purse".

And that is the advantage of piano wire over thread.  It adds strength and stability.  Just need to find some thin enough. 

Gary

 

Thanks Gary. This kit has truly turned out better than I had hoped for the most part. Now to find that thinner gauge wire...

I really can't add any thing-that is a great looking build-very impressive

Thank you Bob. I truly appreciate you taking the time to look and say something.

HA! I recognize that stand-in pilot lol.

I too, like it better in flat rather than gloss, of course. I wouldn't have thought that the wire you used would add to the rigidity of the upper wing structure, but what a bonus. I remember breaking those off all the time.

I will have to pick up that sopwith. The memories are strong with this one. ;)

Real nice, Stik.  I like EZ Line.  I keep hearing about wire that's fine enough but I've never found any.

Jester, Mike, and John, thanks for the kind words.

Guys, I am not sure what one thing I like more on the final build, the sponge dapple camo or the wire rigging, but this was a fun learning project all the way thru.

Mike, the Camel sounds like a great idea. I see one in my not too distant modeling future as well.

John, I do like the added strength of the wire so I am gonna seriously be looking for finer wire in the near future.

How thin do you want?

I did see some 0.012" diameter on Amazon.  Take a look under "piano" or "music" wire.

Gary

Very beautifully built, Stik! The colors really stand out. 

Gary, I am looking to find something around .010 or smaller. I think I used .015 here, which is the smallest that I have found so far.

Allan thank you. I think the contrast between the camo and the markings really is pleasing to the eye.

Stik,

I have a bunch of 28 gauge wire I bought on Amazon. It's in a roll so I don't know if that would matter to you. I'll just have to roll the pieces I cut off the spool to straighten them out whenever I happen to use it. It's here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Hillman-Group-123119-Annealed/dp/B000BQ7WFE/ref=pd_bxgy_60_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1HHTBR8B3G0FRHJ4K2AA

Diameters you can figure from this chart:

https://www.tedpella.com/company_html/wire-gauge-vs-dia.htm

Mike

Sounds like beading wire.

30 gauge = 0.010" or 0.25mm

Maybe this.

http://www.fusionbeads.com/30-Gauge-Stainless-Steel-Artistic-Wire?cagpspn={ifpla:pla}{ifpe:pe}{ifdyn:dyn}&CAWELAID=120159990000090390

(Sorry, can't seem to get this one to form a link).

Gary

That's what I was thinking... I was gonna check those sections of Hobby Lobby and Michaels in the next week or so for wire of that gauge...