For those of you who have been kind enough to follow along, I've finished the pair of Airfix 1/72 SPAD VIIs I was working on. They can be seen here.

Love what all you guys have been doing with your birds so far. I'm anxious to get on to the Sopwith Baby!

So things are chugging along I see. My Kingtiger is done but need to do the figs and base and I will get into this full tilt. While some stuff was drying the other day I did get the wood prop blank ready at least.

I'll start with a basic boxed kit photo with the microscopic turnbuckles and the Master Spandau upgrade set.

The prop starts with 1/32 sheets of bass wood and mahogany. which are stacked, glued and clamped.

There are 4 propss in the box but this is the easiest to make.  It had the simplest profile and the length of it lays flat on the back edge.  Less curves to worry about. 

The prop boss was sanded off the kit part for the next steps.  Holding the prop firmly trace the outside shape.  Take a circle template to mark the hub.  Mark the center of the hub and draw in a guide for the airfoil shape at the hub.

Greg - beautiful SPAD sir...nicely done.  How is it rigged?

Marc - a true crafstman at work I see.  I'll be watching this part of the build.  I envy those with skills sharp enough to carve their own props.  I plan to "cheat" on mine and use the photo etched laminate prop mask from RB Productions.  I used it on my D.VII and it worked well...although I need more practice.

Things are a-happinin' in the Group.  That's great!  I had hoped to post a couple of pictures this weekend, but I have to take a couple days off from the bench.  Keep up the good work, folks!

Nice Spads, Greg, lots of detail for 1/72.

Marc, I've been carving props for  rubber powered airplanes lately, maybe I should try laminating some of those just for the look.  I have seen photos of full scale wood props being built and my thought is that they cut the profiles first.  Then the offsets they use when stacking the wood determines the pitch.  Must make it hard to get even gluing pressure, though.  Need to go back and look at some old books I have on the subject.

wing_nut

The prop starts with 1/32 sheets of bass wood and mahogany. which are stacked, glued and clamped.

gregbale

For those of you who have been kind enough to follow along ...

Kind? No, no. It was our pleasure! Good stuff, sir. Can't wait to see the Baby come together.

Hi All,

i'm following you closely and when I finish my current project (hopefully this weekend) - a SPAD XIII, I will dive into this build head on. I'm waiting to see where this wooden propeller idea is going on :)

Best regards,

Sasho

Hi folks - I managed to squeeze in a bit of time to post some pics.

I had read that my F.1 has a minor accuracy issue with the stub wing between  the gear struts - the pictures show a quick trim-fill-fix sequnce to remove the clips and replace them with jack pads used to change wheels in the field.  That'll be the extent of updates for a few days - enjoy your weekend evereyone!

Thanks to all for the encouraging words on the SPADs

Chuck Davis

Greg - beautiful SPAD sir...nicely done.  How is it rigged?

Stretched sprue and white glue. Not elegant, but fast and forgiving---and for 1/72, surprisingly strong. Though, looking again at the photos, it's clear a few lines weren't quite as taut as they first appeared. Ah, well....

Happy Friday, you guys!

Chuck - Some excellent progress. I admire how clean your improvements are.

Sasho - Good to see you! I'm with you: I think we're all waiting with bated breath to see how Marc's prop turns out.

Freem - I think the easiest way to do maybe to email them to yourself, unless you have an Instagram account or something similar.

Here's the second installment of Tim and Aaron's WWI Aeroplane Group Build vlog.

A little history on this video: It was at one point much longer, showing me putting paint on those wings and detailing some challenges. However, we (too late) discovered the audio was unusable. We had to reshoot a shorter version. So, I thought I'd impart a couple of things here in text.

I used Plastic Prep on the wings before painting to get rid of any residue or release agent that may have still been on them. Although I blew them off, I noticed that the cotton pad left little fuzzies on the the wings that were captured beneath the paint.

I went back with 2000-grit sand paper and removed those and then hit the wings with another solid coat of Tamiya gloss black. Something I learned from Aaron is that a good finish is all about the prep. And while the wings will be covered with a lozenge decal, it's best to go back and make sure that your gloss finish is as smooth as you can get it. Don't be afraid to put down some paint, go back with high-grit sand paper to clean things up and then paint again. It'll be worth it in the end.

I'm aiming at getting the cockpit together this weekend. We'll see how close I get.

Good work everyone! I think Falconmod is now allowed out of the gate. And those of you who haven't clocked in yet, there's still plenty of time.

Have a great weekend!

Looks like this is off to a great start. Nice work on the props Marc. My 0/400 is next on the bench after the Fw 190, been doing a bit of checking around for build reviews of the kit for some outside help. Think i am going to need it.

Well, I've had some little progress this weekend. 

I applied burnt umber artist's oils to the cockpit floor and streaked it with a firm-bristled brush to get wood texture. It's a little dark because I used Vallejo New Wood, but I like the overall appearance. I painted the pedals and control stick and put the subassembly together. (Just realized the pic is dark. Grrr...)

I glued together the magazine and belt box and  airbrushed them with Model Master Acryl aluminum. I hit the fuel tank with Tamiya dark green and glued everything together. Not too shabby, methinks.

And last, I painted the seat. I airbrushed the exterior with Model Master aluminum and hand-painted the leather with an initial mix of Reaper ruddy leather and oiled leather, making each successive application a bit lighter. The final application was of oiled leather, focuses on the places that would see the most wear.

That's it for now. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! 

Looks good, Tim.  Is that the tank you had the issue with?  It must be because it sounds like Aaron still hasn't found his kit yet.  Not sure I believe that business about having a P-51 to build.  

I have a couple R/C airplane projects I'm winding up and then I will get on my DH 9.

Got some painting done on my E IV--engine internal metal parts, struts, and cdl'd the inside of the fuselage. Hope to get some pics up soon.

Hey jeaton I fly RC too.  What's on the bench?

Marc, I cannot wait to see how that prop turns out. Gotta throw in another "Heck Yeah!" on that one!

Chuck - nice progress man! I remember having to make the same mod on my Eduard DR.1. Kind of odd how no manufacturer has picked up on that little detail yet.

Tim, the D.VII is coming along nicely! Do you plan on adding any rigging or control cables to the 'pit?

I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing more WIP pics from those who are just getting started too. Let's see 'em guys!

Been moving along on the E.III. Got the engine finished this weekend. I think it turned out OK in spite of my little glue mishap. Did it completely OOB except for the ignition wiring. A coat of MM primer was followed with a coat of Tamiya gloss black and Alclad II dark aluminum. A few fittings were painted Pollyscale brass and then it was weathered with a combination of Tamiya black panel line accent and Citadel Devlin Mud washes.

 Next, it's on to the cockpit.

Chuck, Tim, Mike: Nice work guys!!!

Jeaton01 - Thank you, sir. Yep, that's the one. The photo blows it up to about three times its actual size, but when I'm looking at it in my hand, the crud doesn't look as bad. I can live with what I have.

Ruddratt - Thanks! I am planning to add the control cables to the cockpit. I've talked to a couple of people about how I should go about doing that. I'm still mulling over whether or not I should run the cables through the fuselage and out to the wings, or end them at the fuse, creating the illusion. I'll tie off the rudder cables just behind the seat.

Gamera - Thanks for the praise.

Now, we'll see how much of this bad boy comes together over the course of the week.

And a postscript for P mitch: Don't forget to drop by with some updates and links to the Sopwith Pup WIP! You're off to a great start!

Well I did get some work done on the albatros.  I got the fuselage together,  that cover over the cylinders does not fit very well, needed a lot of thinning with a dremel tool, also pre shaded the flying surfaces and trial fitting the top wing to the struts.

Thanks for any advice

John

Perfect, MIke!

Good progress there, John.  I am surprised the top wing can be fitted this early in the build.

Ruddratt, GREAT work on the radial engine. I'm impressed by the Devlin mud wash. Hooray for gaming acrylics!

[Edit: changed pressed to impressed. Stupid typos.]

Great work everyone!  Hope to get back to the bench soon.

Ruddratt - nice engine!  I may have to look up some of that wash.

Tim (and anyone else doing a WnW D.VII...ahem...Aaron) - since some of you are getting close, consider assembling the entire interior framework before painting - even the tiny corner pieces.  Less hassle than assembling after paint.

See ya - have fun everyone

Chuck Davis

... consider assembling the entire interior framework before painting - even the tiny corner pieces.  Less hassle than assembling after paint.

So, just making sure I follow you: You suggest to assemble the rear cockpit wall, fire wall, side walls, and seat frames into the skeleton of the cockpit. Paint the frame and firewall, decal the rear wall, and then add the floor, seat, magazine, and fuel tank?

Update to earlier post: Just snipped the frame and test-fit the parts together. Seems like a solid plan. Gonna clean'em up and go that route. Thanks, Chuck!

TIM - Actually, I left the firewall out because it was a different color - the rest of the frame I did assemble prior to paint, including the seat frame.

Thanks fellas! A co-worker of mine is a big-time gamer and he turned me on to that Citadel wash. I've never used anything that replicates engine grime better. Highly recommended!

John, the Albatros is looking real nice. I bet it feels good to get it back on the bench!

Here's my first update. It's nothing major, but I'm trying to get Kidwell off my back about not having made a start yet. So here's what I did last night:

Cockpit and engine frames

Fuel tank and ammo boxes

Engine

Wings

Cheers, Aaron

Good progress there, John.  I am surprised the top wing can be fitted this early in the build.

It's actually not glued on, I'm just letting it dry at the right angle so the wings will go right on it the correct place

Well it would appear that my Gotha is the victim of a surprise cat attack and both engines have gone MIA and presumed to be chew toys. Gonna see if the hobby shop has another kit like mine to replace the engines. If not will have to pick up something different. Hopefully another bomber.

Sorry for the late post: I was editing video and in meetings and putting together D.VII subassemblies all day.

Aaron Skinner

... I'm trying to get Kidwell off my back about not having made a start yet. 

Look at it this way: At least you found all the pieces to your kit. All kidding aside, good stuff Aaron.

Shivinigh - That sucks! Hopefully, you can find some replacement parts.

Falconmod - Great to see you out of the gates. It looks like you have the cowling under control. Is there a specific area that's troubling you?

Bish - We're ready when you are!