Cliff - great pics! Nothing like a good look at those birds to get the creative juices flowing!

John - sorry about that buddy. Didn't mean to cause you any anxious moments. I'm so used to the mags being mounted to the rear of the engine - forgot you're building the OEFFAG.

Freem: thank Marc, he's the one who posted the comics and got me thinking about Snoopy!  

It's getting real now! Next Friday, we fly!

My son has been inspecting the box art and claimed it as his own. He has also requested that the finished model be added to his "collection." As you all know, he has titled himself "Dark Power," so, I really see no way of refusing the request lest he unleash some sort of cosmic evil that will make my bathroom unusable. Fearful of the answer, I have not ventured to ask what comprises his "collection." Obviously, by July, it will include a D.VII.

With just a week to go, I decided to take a few minutes from my secret bunker in an undisclosed location where I've been squirreled away working on, among other things, a Hasegawa 1/48 scale Mustang, a Tamiya 1/35 scale Abrams, a Trumpeter 1/48 scale F9F, and the big new Enterprise, to get the lay of the land. Looks like we've got a great crew lined up and I can't wait to see the results.

Inspite of Tim's best attempts to derail me, I've spent the last couple of nights perusing the instructions for my D.VII. I had no idea Fokker was a two-seater with British roundels and a pusher ... wait, hang on a sec [stomps down hallway and shakes fist at Tim].

That's OK Tim. It's a sign of your modeling insecurity that you need to resort to tricks. BTW, I just drove my car over that Airwolf kit you were so keen to build. I can't decide if it was business or pleasure...

Aaron Skinner

I had no idea Fokker was a two-seater with British roundels and a pusher ...

Aaron, sounds like Tim has finally unearthed the only known Fokker Fe.2 thought to exist ..... looks like we can finally put that rumor to rest.

.....and we now have 16 entries!!! Man, whooda thunk it! This is going to be epic!!

Aaron Skinner

That's OK Tim. It's a sign of your modeling insecurity that you need to resort to tricks. BTW, I just drove my car over that Airwolf kit you were so keen to build. I can't decide if it was business or pleasure...

I'm totally secure in my insecurity. 

NO! STRINGFELLOW! NOOOOOO!

Airwolf Aaron!?! Next are you going to set his B.A. Baracus A-Team van on fire???

Is nothing sacred to you sir!?!

I know. Totally uncalled for. And that new Aoshima Airwolf kit was trig! How will we ever find St. John now? HOW?!

Jeaton01, I want my firing pins back! Pleeeeeeeeeze?

Gamera

Airwolf Aaron!?! Next are you going to set his B.A. Baracus A-Team van on fire???

Is nothing sacred to you sir!?!

Not Airwolf, that's for sure. If we were talking Blue Thunder, that's another thing entirely.

Cheers, Aaron

It is obvious to me that the release of firing pins would be wholly inappropriate, inadvisable, and certainly premature!  Nothing more than bare fists allowed, gentlemen!  Besides, you would burn your pinkies hand holding a Vickers or Spandau.  No firing pins until your models are finished!  I leave it up to popular vote as to whether that is whoever finishes first, or until all are finished.

Aaron Skinner

Gamera

Airwolf Aaron!?! Next are you going to set his B.A. Baracus A-Team van on fire???

Is nothing sacred to you sir!?!

Not Airwolf, that's for sure. If we were talking Blue Thunder, that's another thing entirely.

Cheers, Aaron

Ok Blue Thunder is acceptable - otherwise I'll have to visit the FSM offices in my white suit and eyepatch...

This is the last weekend before the build begins!

The mention of Snoopy is interesting. I had a diecast toy of Snoopy flying a yellow Sopwith Camel with red wings and a red prop. I think its still around somewhere, but the prop blades are broken off if I remember right.

Don't worry Gamera ... I mean, Archangel ... the box Aaron ran over was a decoy with the parts from his Wingnut Wings Pfalz. Airwolf is in a safe place with T.C.'s chopper.

And of course, jeaton01 makes me laugh til my sides hurt, again.

Hey, I had that Snoopy diecast too, I wonder where it is....

Tim- permission requested to swap subjects. I pulled out my 1/72 Roden Felixstowe F.2A and lo and behold the box was bursting with brass Lewis guns ( no firing pins), PE frets and a Windsock data book.

I had completely forgotten that I had assembled all of that.

I'll do the DR1 too if need be, but I would like to build the flying boat.

GMorrison: Permission granted. That will be spectacular. Show us pic of the kit with all the goodies alongside!

Counting today, we're at five days to go!

Photos follow

The one only Felixstowe that was operational with a top gun position. Photos show a single Lewis gun above the wing, plus a single in the front. Total of one nose plus one upper wing plus a double rearward behind the engines plus a single each side equals six total.

But Roden has a double in the nose, a double on the wing, a double backwards and one each to the side for a total of eight.

I will go with the first as that's what the photos I can find show.

I'm giving some thought to a build log of my Sopwith Pup. My as well go for broke on new things for me!

Phil

Gentlemen, counting today, we have five days until we are go!

GMorrison - That is truly awe inspiring! The paint scheme is killer. Thanks for the look inside the kit.

Phil - Are you thinking of keeping it online or in a notebook?

An announcement: We're closing admission to the GB at 4 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, Feb. 28. So, if you want in, let us know before then.

Hmm, let's see: five days to locate a proper set of instructions, find all of the parts Tim has hidden, and then make a plan of attack for the D.VII.

The good news, from my perspective of course, is that I was prepared for Tim's Airwolf kit gambit and had previously replaced the parts in his kit with exact copies cast in wax. Looks good now but in six months, when the weather finally warms up, he'll be confronted with a multicolored block in the shape of the box. (It'll be very festive during the holiday season with a wick in it.) Congratulations Tim, you fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is "Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line." This is the slightly less well-known: "Never mess with a Skinner when he's facing a deadline." 

Back to the workbench.

Cheers, Aaron

Tim

Online I think. It will be my first WW1 aircraft, first build log but hope some people could find it useful from a novice in those areas. Thinking of showing it warts and all as I can say there will be some mistakes in there, even down to building turnbuckles.

Making myself a glutten for punishment

Phil

Correction: 4 days. I'm sure Aaron will read something nefarious into a very innocent mistake.

Darn Skinners. The family motto is "versutus et suspicax," wily and suspicious. Then again, mine is "caedo infirmus, edo mortuus," kill the weak, eat the dead. Doesn't inspire trust, does it?

P mitch

Online I think. It will be my first WW1 aircraft, first build log but hope some people could find it useful from a novice in those areas. Thinking of showing it warts and all as I can say there will be some mistakes in there, even down to building turnbuckles.

I was going to suggest online, but wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable with that. I think it's a great idea. If you decide to do another WWI plane, it could be helpful. It's always interesting to go back and see what you would have done differently, too.

Well, folks - against my better judgement (and possibly my health, based on some of these posts - yikes!), I'm going to tag along for this group build.  I plan to do the Encore boxing of the Dr.I in 1/32 that my family graciously gave me for Christmas.  That way I can legitimately put the F-8 that they got me last year on hold and not offend them!

Go easy on me...not my first WW1, but my first group/online build.  It should be a blast!

Chuck, you're in!

Welcome!

P mitch

Tim

Online I think. It will be my first WW1 aircraft, first build log but hope some people could find it useful from a novice in those areas. Thinking of showing it warts and all as I can say there will be some mistakes in there, even down to building turnbuckles.

Making myself a glutten for punishment

Phil

Make sure you take notes as you build to use as captions for your photos.  It's amazing how much you can forget between the doing and the posting, and the words really add a lot to the photos on your online log.

Chuck Davis

Well, folks - against my better judgement (and possibly my health, based on some of these posts - yikes!), I'm going to tag along for this group build.  I plan to do the Encore boxing of the Dr.I in 1/32 that my family graciously gave me for Christmas.  That way I can legitimately put the F-8 that they got me last year on hold and not offend them!

Go easy on me...not my first WW1, but my first group/online build.  It should be a blast!

Welcome aboard Chuck! Looking forward to seeing that F.1 - one of my favorite birds! I'm curious as to which scheme you plan on doing.

John

First let me say had a look at your logs and you have some great looking builds there.

Second I was thinking about doing it on here as a day by day thing. Whenever I finish something get the shots on here right away so I can show my progress and give people some ideas on how not to do things!!

Phil