Knights of the Sky WWI GB The End

More Power Scotty wrote:

". . .Stephen, You must be one of the most prolific builders that I have ever seen the work of.   How on earth do you find the time to build so much so fast?  As I mentioned the Nationals, I want to thank you for your earlier reports on the Eduard "Der rote Flieger" kit, as I found a "deal" and added it to my ever-growing stash.  As if I needed one more Dr.1 to build one day.

Scotty thanks for your kind words.  Fast?   Sometimes I feel like I am standing still.  It helps being organized and having a schedule I keep to maximize my hobby time.  Honey-do projects and bills must be handled first before any modeling.  Projects started a year ago with varying degrees of detail will get to the end if I just focus on my application skills.  This helps me in my job and almost every aspect of my life.

Here is a bit of fun on most of the Fokker D.VII kits I have built. Spanning from 1992 - 2008.

Click here.

Mike, that's a great Camel. The cockpit is absolutely stunning!

JoeRugby, nice work! I always love to see some scenery. Never did one myself, but I still have some 'failed' model of a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter lying around somewhere that cries for some crash-diorama...

SirDrake

Gentlemen,

First off...WOW !  great builds!!!  I was hoping it would not be over the top to put up a "completed"  Work in Progress WW I Fokker E.III dio..."completed" Work in Progress, because I just was able to pick up the various fiddly bits to fill up the barn.

The last image is a bit gratuitous, I was playing around with my camera's settings.  Granted the barn may not be completely accurate either. But I think it looks nice.

The plane is the old Revell 1/72 Eindecker of course.  The figures are from Dark Dream/Orion, and that is supposed to be Ernst Udet standing by the barn.  The barn is scratch built using Micro Scale's roofing sheets. I also picked up some details from Attack and MIG Productions to flesh this out.

Thank you for your indulgence.

No problem, buddy! Planning well ahead is the best way (at least for me) to do rigging. For the long runs between the upper and lower wings, I use smoke-colored monofilament thread and drill a shallow hole into the upper wing and a hole all the way through the lower wing using a #80 bit. All the rigging is attached to the upper wing first, the wing is then installed and the other ends are fed through the holes. Self-clamping tweezers are used as weights to pull the lines tight from the bottom (the same wire on both left and right sides to keep the model balanced), and a small drop of thin CA is applied to the upper surface of the lower wing where the line passes through. I then trim it flush and touch it up with the appropriate color underneath. For the shorter runs, stretched sprue cut to the precise length is CA'd into holes pre-drilled about half way through. Working from the inside out also helps, as it can be quite difficult working around existing wires. Hope that helps, my friend.

Now, go grab that Albatros (or S.P.A.D., or Se.5, or Pfalz) and have a blast!

I was just catching up on what happened here the past few days as I just returned from the IPMS Nationals late last evening.  There has been some very impressive work turned in, and everyone in the group does outstanding work. 

Stephen,

You must be one of the most prolific builders that I have ever seen the work of.   How on earth do you find the time to build so much so fast?  As I mentioned the Nationals, I want to thank you for your earlier reports on the Eduard "Der rote Flieger" kit, as I found a "deal" and added it to my ever-growing stash.  As if I needed one more Dr.1 to build one day. 

My pleasure, buddy, and thank you for an awesome GB and the kind words. Coming from someone with your level of skill, they mean a LOT!

This build was a blast, and it was an honor to be a part of it!

Mike,

That is an absolutely gorgeous build my friend!  I can't stop staring at that cockpit.  Beautiful work, thank you for being here!

I updated page 1 for you!

Ya read my mind, buddy! Was about to last night when I unexpectedly lost my internet connection (arrrgh!!!), but here they are......

This is it, gentlemen, ..... my contribution to the build. I have to thank our Commander Daywalker for running a great GB with a fantastic theme. So, without further delay, I present to you my 1/48 Eduard Sopwith Camel.....

Aaron- Thanks for stopping by!  Feel free to grab a WWI kit, and stick around to build it with us!

Stephen- Thank you for that offer, I'll take another look at that figure and see if one of my paint jobs will be enough to disguise Werner!

Daywalker wrote:

Thanks Stephen.  Not sure if I can pull off a decent paintjob on a figure, so he probably won't look like Werner anyway.  I just liked the pose of the figure.  Thanks for the head's up!

 If you need it I may have a spare generic head to swap with you?  Just a thought. No worries. 

Also for anyone looking for a generic figure of a British, French or German aviator. I can recommend Copper State Models.  Also Model Cellar has another 1918 German standing pilot. To see a review;  Click here.

Daywalker wrote:

". . .I am going to build a base for this one at a later date (hence the holes in the tires) with the Model Cellar Werner Voss figure standing next to it. . ."

Unnh just a heads up. Voss died on 23 Sept. 1917.  The Fokker E.V came to the front Aug. 1918.

Thanks Stephen and Andrew!

Thank you Stephen, much appreciated!

I am going to build a base for this one at a later date (hence the holes in the tires) with the Model Cellar Werner Voss figure standing next to it. 

Andrew- the decals were fairly difficult to apply, as they wanted to crack badly if moved around.  Lots of micro set, micro sol, and Mr. softer helped snuggle them down.  Thanks for the comments!

Well its starting to look like an airplane, I'll try to get some pics tonight.

This is my first experience with a Roden kit, so far its not bad but is a little different. Its a little bit hard keeping track of which parts to use or which holes to open since the kit has so many options and I don't read Czech.

Well, I finished my Fokker this morning!  I must admit, I didn't think I would ever get her done.  The PE struts gave me fits, but in the end it came out well I think.  Here are a few photos:

My idea worked!  Looks like I am back on track with this one.

I managed to mount the sub-wing and struts, and also got the tail parts installed.  I also built a little sawhorse out of basswood and treated it with "Blacken-it" to give it an aged appearance.  One question, what do you think would be an appropriate color for the actual control cables?  I used the kit-supplied SS wire, and am trying to decide what color to paint them.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Stephen- That SE looks amazing!  My friend, you are really turning out some beautiful models.  Thank you!  I updated page 1 for you.

I had an idea to fix the Fokker, hopefully today I will be able to get back on track with it.

Here is the second completed build in the story. Frank please chalk up the Viper SE 5a as completed.  The unit markings are from 32 RAF post May 1918.  The Serial is a slight aleteration from the kit original.

Aaron- Welcome aboard!  Glad you have joined us, I added your name and kit to the roster.

Stephen- That SE is stunning!  What did you use for the subtle weathering, especially on the wheels?  I like the dirty stained canvas look about it. 

Thanks Frank;

Now this is not done yet but here it is 24 hours later. Typically with British aircraft kit of this era you have to put on the cockades first before you can finish the aileron actuation control horns and adding the cables.  The elevator and rudder control horns and  then a touch up of the rigging anchors and underwing fuel tank details and other fittings with black. Then all coloured areas need some touch up as well.  Then all the pulley inspection decals well be edged in the wing surface colours the glazed over.  Then the Lewis gun & Foster mount.