Knights of the Sky WWI GB The End

sirdrake wrote:

Hi all,  this group build is still going on for months, so I couldn't stand just watching and reading. Count me in for another one. I actually already started a little bit, so we can play a game What kit is it?  The winner will receive a virtual handshake. SirDrake

I would have to say a Hobby Craft 1/28 scale Fokker Dr.I  (a copy of the Revell kit).

ruddratt wrote:

Scratchbuilding props!? Now you've gone too far, Frank!!

LOL, what WAS I thinking?  If you had seen my awful attempts at painting the effect, you would prolly agree that this was my only alternative!   Thanks Mike!

Scratchbuilding props!? Now you've gone too far, Frank!!

Seriously, looks great buddy!

Nice to have you back with us, SD!

My guess is (hmmmm, how many guesses do I get? ). OK, I'm going to say a DH.2 (and that's my final answer! )

SirDrake-

Glad to see you are going to build another one here!  That is some top notch detail work there, another stunner in the works me thinks!  As for which kit that is, I can only guess so I will say:

1/48 Eduard Sopwith Camel?

A little Fokker update:

Frustrated by my rather poor attempts to paint the laminated wood look onto my plastic kit prop, I decided to try the method Stephen shared and make my own from wood.  I used 1/32 sheet basswood and mahogany, sanded to make them thin enough to get the number of laminations I needed.  I made two blanks, just in case.   It took a long time to get the pitch correct, and to make both sides even.  Here is my progress so far, right now I am making the mounting plates for it then some sealer to seal it up.  Thanks for looking!

Hi all,

this group build is still going on for months, so I couldn't stand just watching and reading. Count me in for another one. I actually already started a little bit, so we can play a game

What kit is it?

The winner will receive a virtual handshake.

SirDrake

Allright, sweet, thanks. I'll start it right away. going to add some details in the cockipit, the kit one is too simple.

It's never too late to join!  Glad you found us over here, and I am very excited to have you aboard.  Feel free to grab a GB badge on page one, and get started.  Don't forget to post pics!

I added your name to the roster on page 1, !

I hope its not too late to join, (due date isn't for another 5 months).

I just got my first WW1 aircraft from the contest.

Really looking foward to build it.  

Stephen,

 I would also like to thank you for sharing those photos of the "real things".  I would love to see some of those WWI era planes in flight one day.  I did not have an appreciation for some of the WWII planes that I had seen in local air shows until I read an article on how many flying examples remained of all the aircraft manufactured for that war.  It was amazing how few exist considering the thousands that were made.

On a separate issue, I acquired an old Revell 1/32 Fokker Dr. I this past weekend.  Although I will probably not get around to building it for a while, I need some guidance on the paint scheme of Werner Voss's original triplane, as that is what I want to build the plane as.  I have done a little research already and have found several conflicts in the sources (sometimes conflicts in the same source).  Any light that you can shed will be appreciated.

Stephen, these are wonderful pics. One time I want to fly in one of those!

 SirDrake

Stephen, those are some great pics! Thanks much for sharing 'em with us!

Frank, looks like you're making excellent progress on yours, and the quality of the work is top notch! I'm really looking forward to seeing this one completed!

A friend turned me onto this link, amazing work but the dialog is in Polish so I don't understand what they are saying.  It's a scratch-built, all PE 1/48 Nieuport 28.  You really gotta see it to belive it.  Check this out, absolutely stunning!

Click here!

I did some more work on the Fokker the last few days.  I painted the wing, tires, rudder, guns, cowl, and some of the struts.  I looked at photos of the "streaked" Fokker wings, and the solid green.  Decided I really liked the look of the all-green, so I went with that.  Slow but steady progress!

Stephen,

Thanks for sharing the photos of the scratchbuilt framing.  Can I assume that you built it yourself from plastic?  I have seen several pieces of Dan Jaynes work in person, and he was really my inspiration in building kits like the all-PE Eduard kits.  I also have the Tamiya clear kits of the Me-262 and MiG-15 as well as a couple of Hasegawa WWII Japanese planes waiting on the shelves.  I just have not managed to be ready to commit to scratchbuilding all those items on my own, especially with so many kits to build.  Anyway, thanks again, and I also appreciated the web link, and it is now in my favorites.

Andrew,

Nice job on the Nieuport!   I nearly built that kit for this build myself, but finally went with my Fokker instead.  How was the kit for ease of construction?  Any tips for when I do actually build mine?

Anytime, my friend! Glad I could help out!

Looking forward to the pics for sure!

Very nice work on the Nieuport, Andrew! Careful now....these WWI birds can be addicting!

Your Fokker is looking better every day, Frank! I am really looking forward to the finished product!

Stephen-

Thanks for the reference link, have that one bookmarked now!

On the PE struts, I noticed that when I over-bent them and started to bend them back they seemed to get a little softer.  Thanks for the tip on drilling and inserting, but I am afraid if I try to bend them straight again they might snap.  Next time though!

Daywalker wrote:

Fellas- This afternoon I finished bending up all of the PE wing and axle struts.  Very tedious, fiddly work but am rewarded with a perfectly fitting strong assembly.  I was a little concerned about how strong it would be with only PE struts holding it together.  But, these are no ordinary PE struts!  These things are steel, and once the wing and axle are in place it appears to be very strong indeed.

Hey Frank!  Try straightening the front landing gear ends and insert them into  predrilled holes.  The placement of the holes needs to be the same on each side of the fuselage center line union seam.   Normally I would  do all four landing gear legs this way.   But I am assuming that since you have already added the rear cabane struts on the fuselage that their end tabs won't allow you to drill through them.

The struts are stout no doubt (hey that ryhms).  But are basic metals coated with nickel.  They can be softened well enough by carefully using a lighter for a heat source.  ESPECIALLY the PE fretted gun jackets.  Nod nod, wink wink, nuff said.  

Short on money to buy good references?  Here is a bit of fun for neophyte looking for images to help  them put a good finish to their WWI aviation builds.  Owned and operated by Rod Filan and a free site.

http://www.earlyaviator.com/archive1.htm

Fellas-

This afternoon I finished bending up all of the PE wing and axle struts.  Very tedious, fiddly work but am rewarded with a perfectly fitting strong assembly.  I was a little concerned about how strong it would be with only PE struts holding it together.  But, these are no ordinary PE struts!  These things are steel, and once the wing and axle are in place it appears to be very strong indeed.