Hello guys,

I'm following all the progress closely and with great pleasure :) I think most of use are advancing with quite nice speed and some even already finished. This unfortunately is not valid for Tim and especially Aaron :-P C'mon guys, stop lagging behind!

As of me, I am happy to report some progress. I finished with attaching the lower wing, the undercarriage, the tail skid and the tail. Finishe dthe rigging of the tail and prepared the wings for the rigging - so at the moment she looks like a spaghetti cup! All the elements are painted and nmost of the are decalled. I still have to finish the exhaust. Th struts are there just for trying them out, but soon they will be tightly glued and the most dreaded moment of putting the top wing will come. Mnay people think that the hardest task for a biplane build is the rigging, but for me it is the top wing! Also Eduard, unlike WnW didn't make it aesy so this moment will define if this will become a nice model or just the next buld for the trash bin. 

Here are some pics, Thanks for viewing.

Jack, you are only satisfies for the most part?  You need to rearrange those words.  I think those parts are most satisfying.

Sash, that is really something to look at.  Visually stunning.  Looks great.

Jack & Ssash: WOW! Those look great guys!

Ssasho -  Lovely!  Can't wait to see her finished.  I agree with you, by the way - my most stressful day is "upper wing night."

Jack - A very clever use of technology, sir - lovely work.  I think I might have to try homemade decals if I ever attempt another "Fokker streak."

BTW Tim - you look good in a suit...

Sash - that is coming along really great.  I can't imagine your finished build going anywhere else but directly to  the trophy case.

Mike, Marc, Gamera, and Chuck - thanks for those kind comments.

Yes, Fokker streaking is another great candidate for home made decals, even though such a product is already available on the market.  A few years ago I had begun tinkering with this idea but was put aside due to other matters.  

One thing I have learned and will do differently next go around is to leave protruding parts (and PE details) off till after the decal stage.  I had thought getting a good clean bond for the struts was more important, but in the end they just snapped off or were purposely removed for better access.

regards,

Jack

Ssasho0

I'm following all the progress closely and with great pleasure :) I think most of use are advancing with quite nice speed and some even already finished. This unfortunately is not valid for Tim and especially Aaron :-P C'mon guys, stop lagging behind!

OUCH! And I thought I was coming along pretty well!

Well, I've got some Tamiya white on the fueslage. No pics yet, but I'm getting there. 

Sasho, your aeroplane is coming along wonderfully. I'm envious of the turnbuckles and rigging. Quite nice.

Chuck, thanks; I had a meeting that day and needed to dress up a little. Don't worry, I'm as casual as ever.

sasho - I have to agree with Jack - your only option is the display case. That paint job is mind-blowing and the way you weathered it looks, well, pretty darn like the real thing. Awesome work man!

....and excellent use of the secret theme ingredient there Tim, or should I say  Iron Chef Kidwell. 

So when this group build is done,  we are all invited to Tim's for a barbecue?!?

FSM cook-out! Awesome!

Please fax me a burger!

Tim Kidwell

Tim, that definitely fits our "fearless leader" image of you better than the tie---though I'll admit you rock that look as well.

(I was tempted to ask what you're wearing under the kilt...but, being of Scots extraction, I'm afraid I already know....)

Superb work, Ssasho, definitely a keeper, and one of the most striking Brisfit schemes ever. Already commented on Jack's and Bish's great work, and Marc's Albatros may be the most awesome of all. Great work, everybody.

Calling my Sopwith Baby done. (Base is Eduard 1/48 Wood Planking base. Scratchbuilt the trolley and trestle, since that's how these birds appear in most photos.

A neat bit of trivia: the Baby was the longest-lived Sopwith model ever. First delivery Sept. 1915, and some were still in service with the Norwegian Navy into the 1930s. Not bad for an aircraft whose production numbers fell short of 300.

There's a lot wrong with it, but I'm fond of the little beast. And this GB has been one of the best ever, IMHO.

Greg - Wow, man...excellent job!  I didn't realize you were this close to the finish line.  Beautiful work...not sure where you think the things "wrong" are...it sure plays well in the photo.

What did you use for wheels on the dolly?  They look cool.

Congrats!

Greg,

the baby looks gorgeous, I like her very much!

Best regards,

Sasho

Greg!

AWESOME!

From the stitching you added to the weathering to the very clean rigging, that is definitely a Baby to be proud of. Congratulations on your completed build! Make sure to get your ribbon, and here's to the fourth aeroplane off the airstrip.

Tim

--

Greg, I am with Chuck. Not sure what you think is wrong with it, but this is a real beauty. I really like what you have done with the stitching and the wreathing looks great.

Brilliant build all round.

Thanks for the love, guys, I appreciate it. The "wrong" stuff was all self-inflicted, mostly nit-picky stuff, but the good news is I'm still lucid enough to learn from my mistakes. In fact the build was great fun, and no doubt would still be sitting in the box if not for this most excellent GB.

Chuck, the trolley wheels came from the beaching dolly from a Nichimo 1/50 Jake. I was originally going to use a pair from an old Eduard 1/48 Camel, which is the style most often shown in real-life photos; but when push came to shove, I couldn't bear to amputate the Camel. After a little reflection I remembered these were in the "battered old kits" box, and they seemed appropriately antique-looking, almost railroady. The sort of thing that might well have been scavenged by resourceful RNAS fitters. Very serendipitous.

WOWSER!  Greg that is just stunning.  A base with it in water tied to a dock would look sweet.  nudge nudge wink wink

Unbelievable job there Greg. I can hear the pilot yelling contact now.

Still plugging away on the Gotha.I can now appreciate the troubles that Bish had with his 0/400. Had a complete disaster with the lozgenze decals so decided to paint a colour from a pic I seen.

Another well done Vlog Tim and Aaron. HHHHHMMMMMM suit or casual. Tim why not put the apron over the suit and be the most suffistacated back yard bar-b-quer on your street. Just a thought.

Hey Greg, she's gorgeous! Love everything about her!!!

Shiv: Looks cool, I like the blue!

I put a coat of Alclad on the Nieport the other day and found garbage all in the paint and sanded it off and repainted her tonight, we'll see how she comes out. Gee, I hate NM finishes on anything....

Greg - she's a beaut, a babe indeed!

My favourite shot is the 3/4 view from behind, really shows off the gunsites, and rigging of both the aircraft and bomb assembly.  Very nice weathering too, quite realistic I'd say.

Shiv - interesting choice of blue, reminds a lot of the azure shade.

regards,

Jack

Just gorgeous all the way around, Greg.  The overall effect gives the illusion of realism when you just let it "flood the eye".

Greg - man oh man, that is one heck of a build! Great finish, and the attention to detail, just exceptional work!! Two thumbs way up for that one!

shiv - that blue is eye-popping! Even in 1/72, that thing looks like a beast!

Cliff - pics, man! We need some pics!

Thanks Mike but she looked like a small French plane covered in silver lint-balls....

Hopefully after this coat she'll look better and I'll get some photos up! 

Gamera

Thanks Mike but she looked like a small French plane covered in silver lint-balls....

That would be worth a photo in itself...but I sympathize. Hope it's easy to fix.

I'm curious, Gamera, never having used Alclad--do you use it "plain" to represent fabric surfaces, or is there something extra done to it to make it look like silver dope? I keep reading how wonderful the stuff is, figure I'll get around to using it one of these days, but it never would have occured to me to use it for a Nieup, though I have several in the stash.

Shiv, I love the blue on the Gotha. Were they kit or aftermarket decals that went south?

Thanks again to all for the nice comments on the Baby. It never fails: looking at the pictures again, I noticed that one of the elevator control lines had popped loose. Naturally I didn't see it on the real thing....

Shiv... I really dig that blue.

Oh man do I need a break.  Bench time is measured in minutes these days.  I am taking Father’s Day w/e off so MAYBE bench/forum time. 

Lots of pics but not as big of an update as I would have liked it to be.

Mike, I finally figured out the answer to your "Watcha gonna do to the fuselage"  question

The pics below… After apply some fading filters I decided to tried some AK streaking grime on the fuselage.  Not unhappy with the results.  Some engine oil seeping in at the plywood seams.  I wanted to darken the fly tying thread I use for the rigging so I notched gray marker and pull the thread though the notch.  Dark but not black and the silvery base gives it a little bit of a metallic sheen.  LET THE RIGGING BEGIN… WOOHOO.

Marc, every time you post an update, I'm more convinced I should give up modeling and take up something like, oh, crocheting.

Seriously, it gets more dazzling with every photo. Keep 'em coming. (And Happy Fathers' Day!)

gregbale

Marc, every time you post an update, I'm more convinced I should give up modeling and take up something like, oh, crocheting. 

Yeah, I've felt the same way for years Greg. BTW, you should see the sweater I'm working on.

Marc, amazing stuff! I knew you'd come up with something that would knock us off our seats. Nicest weathering on a wood finish I've ever seen by far.

Lots of life in the way of modeling

Put the tail controls together.

OBTW the Hansa Brandenburg is in. it's the 1/72 Toko kit. Not very faithful to the lines of the seaplane, but we will get it done by the deadline as an adversary.

Challenge: model or not- what was the primary foe of your subject?

I sprung to 13 euros for a big old 1/72 Parabellum gun on the floater. Only big flaw of the kit is that there are not enough Navy lozenge decals for the floats.but that's a detail.

Felix is ready for the dreaded top wing fit.

I am enjoying the control wire exersise.

GMorrison: Wow, that rigging is insane!!! Love it!!!

Marc: That just looks incredible!!!

Greg: Alclad is great stuff, the most nearly foolproof NM I've ever used. The big thing with it is like any other NM finish anything and I mean anything on the base coat will stick out like a sore thumb. The only place I have to spray is the basement, and it's full of dust and krap- I've tried reducing it, spraying outside and different stuff but nothing seems to help much except crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. It may be a little too shiny for silver dope, I used the plain aluminum over a matte grey undercoat which does reduce the shine though. You can use polished aluminum or chrome over gloss black for a really shiny look.