Knights of the Sky WWI GB The End

Ok guys I haven't been here for awhile

Frank: glad it worked. Seemed like a big problem.

Stephen: Great interior there.

Scott: thats incredible! Those builds look hard Great job.

Thanks Mike, I appreciate that!

Stephen,

I am hoping to play with the lil' Fokker this weekend, and hopefully an idea will pop into my head.

Frank, hang in there buddy! I know you'll get that fit issue solved so well that it'll look as if there were no fit problems at all!

MrDrummy wrote:

I bought a whole boatload of paint this weekend, so I should be able to start on the Camel in the next few weeks--

Good to see you again, Justin! You're in for a real treat with that kit!

Justin, Stephen-

Thanks guys!

Stephen, the problem I am having is the longerons I added.  I thought I had enough clearance between the rear cockpit bulkhead and fuse sides for them to pass thru, but I must have mis-calculated.  I am afraid to sand or file the longerons for fear of breaking them loose, and I am not sure if grinding out the fuse sides will work.  I'll try to get some pics in the next day or two to show the problem.  Thanks again for the help!

Daywalker wrote:

Stephen,  Yep, I edited page one but didn't post any thing at the end of the thread.  I pulled out the DVIII this weekend, but am having some difficulty with her.  The extra detail I added in the cockpit is prohibiting closing the fuse up.  Still trying to figure how to fix it!

 Ok I get it. . .slaps forehead.  Try grinding out the inner face of the upper deck since you have the halves together. 

Frank-- Good luck with that DVIII!  I'm ready to see some progress.  I know how it can be building an a/c that fights you the whole way, though!

I bought a whole boatload of paint this weekend, so I should be able to start on the Camel in the next few weeks--as soon as I finish up this Fw-190!

Hope everyone's doing well!

Stephen,

Yep, I edited page one but didn't post any thing at the end of the thread.  I pulled out the DVIII this weekend, but am having some difficulty with her.  The extra detail I added in the cockpit is prohibiting closing the fuse up.  Still trying to figure how to fix it!

Stephen,

 There are times that I will stick with a plactic or resin part to get a more three dimensional look on an item, but I fell in love with PE parts from the first time that I saw them for the interior of a 1/48 Monogram F-14 kit back around 1990.  The level of detail was astounding, and it took kits to a whole new level.  I have not been able to resist the nearly all PE WWI planes from Eduard (as one can see) as they just look so unique.

I know there are people that don'tcare much for PE.  The thing I like is that when you understand the nature of the stuff it really makes everything look better.  PE is just a facade and often you have to add some thickness with sheet plastic to get a 3 - D look.  Take for instance the SE 5a interior.   The fabric and plywood side walls are not the scale thickness of the original.  But all you have to do is add .020 thou to the back of the PE and it raises the detail level.  Otherwise you would have to thin down the kit side wall interiors then add the detail at a larger thickness.  Illusion is as much apart of what we do as glue, paint and plastic.

Also if there is someone out there that hates their WWI PE set please send em my way.

Stephen,

That was too easy.   The effect is great as the photo made the rigging look three dimensional.  Like they say, "work smarter not harder".

More Power Scotty wrote:

Stephen, That plane is really coming along nicely. I have a couple of questions regarding your build: 1) What are you using for the rigging lines on the frame? 2) What did you do to build up the areas near the tie-offs on those lines?

Here is a bit of fun from Part of Poland.  I picked mine up from MisterkitUSA.

http://www.misterkitusa.com/850f13c2-edd3-464a-8b11-d7f779fe2431-9.html

Stephen,

That plane is really coming along nicely.

I have a couple of questions regarding your build:

1) What are you using for the rigging lines on the frame?

2) What did you do to build up the areas near the tie-offs on those lines?

Since I am using the Part of Poland  set for this kit I will present my build with the brass and Aeroscale member   "RAGIII" has provided some shots of his previous build with the kit parts only.

Daywalker,

Thank-you very much!  I will not promise anything too quickly with my hours at work being quite long right now, but I will see about a completed photo with a coin included.  I forgot to include the name placard (another PE piece from the kit) when I took the photos the other night, so I was thinking about adding one more shot anyway.

Scott- OUTSTANDING WORK!!!  Unbelievable, do you have any photos with something like a coin near it for a size reference?  That would set off it's dimunitive size.  Thanks for the pics, I updated page one for you!

Steven- Great WIP pics!  Looking forward to seeing how this one comes along.

mkhoot,

Thanks for the kind words!

Ruddratt,

Thanks for your compliment as well.   

The Fokker E. III was the first Strip down kit that Eduard released.  I picked up mine directly from an Eduard rep at the 1996 IPMS Nationals in Virginia Beach.  I thought that it was such a unique idea that I had to have one.  It really was not that bad of a build, even though I was fairly new to working with PE when I built it.  The Fokker D. VIII was the next one that I built, and it was also fairly tame.  Aside from the four that I have built, I know that there is a Fiesler Storch, and I think there might be a Piper Cub, but I have not purchased either of them.  They do make for a unique build, and always draw attention when displayed.  As I have mentioned during my build, you must watch out for just how soft the PE brass is.  A mere sneeze can spell disaster when building one of these fine kits.

Stephen, that is a great looking power plant. Spot-on with the weathering!

Scotty, one very impressive and unusual collection you have there. I have the E.III kit. Someday soon I may be yanking it out of the stockpile and having a go at it. The Camel looks sweet in spite of the issues you had with the upper wing. I didn't even know that there was a strip-down version of that bird. Nice work!

Stephen,

Nice looking engine! 

All,

Here are the completed photos that I spoke of.  Tonight was my night off so I had some time to set up the photo booth and download everything after the family went to bed.  Once again, I would appreciate any and all feedback.

A view of the left side, note that I left off the piece on the forward part of the fuselage to allow a better view inside.

On the right side you will notice the omitted part that I spoke of above.

Looking from the top, back to front.

My collection of Eduard Strip down kits (I passed on the Fiesler Storch).  As you will notice, the upper wing did not align well at all on the Sopwith Camel.  This kept me from attempting the Dr. I for quite some time with the fear of how challenging the wing alignment could be.  Fortunately for me, this was a relatively easy part of the build, it just required time and patience.

StephenLawson wrote:

The instructions begin with assembling parts for Roden's  200 - 220hp  Wolseley W.4a "Viper". Note the parts map shows  parts for the 200hp Hispano- Suiza engine are on the same tree.  But in truth they were gated out.  To explain,  molds have small gates that allow for certain parts to not be filled with styrene when poured.

I will replace the oil pipe on the pilot's right rear that travels from the scavaging pump to the crank case.  Its the only one I am not happy with.  The aluminum is too bright so I'll tone that down too. Touch up the black around the twin magnetos and add the spark plug wires.  For this engine I was going for a worn look. The gloss black has been toned down to look as if heat has deteriorated it.

Stephen, Mike, Raptordriver, and Frank,

Thanks for the comments on my in-progress photos.  When I do get a chance to take my completed project photos I will see about adding one with my other Strip down kits.  In the past, I built these kits leaving the brass unpainted, but I wanted to do something different this time.  The kit directions talk about using gray, aluminum, wood, linen, and black paints, but I chose to do things my way.  I really liked the look of the plated brass on this kit when I bought it, but the sections that I painted brown and red really do make it more unique.

 Although it really is 1/72 scale, there were times that the pieces felt more like 1/144!  I launched and lost a record number of parts building this little beauty; perhaps a sign that I need to build the other kit that I have sooner rather than later (I got a really good deal and purchased a second one of these), and start working on kits with slightly bigger parts. 

Thanks everyone! Really nice there Scott