Knights of the Sky WWI GB The End

Stephen,

 If you look at your link on page 5 my issue is with the trailing edge on pieces PE 30 and 31.  I did trim PP (Plastic Part) C3 as described, and as you surmised, it is to make the parts fit correctly.  The instructions do not show just how long those trailing edge pieces are, but they each extend about halfway through the fuselage.  I do have a couple of reference books that show a bit of a cutaway, and I do not see a support that goes through the bottom of the fuselage as these would, I only see the heavy wooden wing spar (PP C3 in the kit). 

 I am probably going to go ahead an cut off the excess trailing edge of those pieces (PE 30 & 31) so that the wings fit flush against the fuselage.  I have painted the other two wings wooden sections as I have completed them.  On the bottom wing I have only installed PE 30 as I had not decided how to tackle the trailing edge issue.  The other issue that had me stumped even if I installed the wing from the side as PP C3 and PE 30 then added PE 31 with that in place, was how I would add the cockpit floor as it mounts on top of PP C3.  As the directions show, the wing needs to be installed from the bottom, not from the side. 

Thanks for your help so far on my issues with this build, and I will try to get a photo or two in the not too distant future.

Greetings all;

Just a report of sorts on some progress.  Several projects on the bench at this time.  Top wings being added to a couple of 1/48 Roden SE 5a kits.  Viper for 1/32 Roden SE 5a kit going together nicely.  Altering the fuselage to a 1/32 Roden Fokker D.VI in the works as well.  And a another kit (Revell) Spirit of St. Louis for a GB over on Aeroscale.  The dogs ate the fuselage and I had to crack open my other kit to finish the build More later.

Regards

Stephen 

More Power Scotty wrote:

All,  I am still making slow progress on the Fokker Dr.I.  As mentioned above, I painted the appropriate items red this past weekend, and did some additional work on the wings.  I am stumbling a bit right now as A. I wanted to build the wings and paint them a wood brown prior to assembly, B. but after I built the left side of the bottom wing I discovered that there is a piece extending out that can slide into the framework of the fuselage.  C. The directions only show setting the part in place from the bottom, fully assembled of course.  For that to work, the ends will have to be removed.  D. I am probably just overthinking this like a typical nuke, but I am a bit vapor locked on how to proceed.

Ok, think I have it now.  Check your instructions on step 5.  At the bottom there should be a note that the "piece extending out can slide into the frame work" is a wing spar identified as  PP C3 (plastic part?) should be cut off at both ends.  This should be cut down so that the portion extending from the position for the interplane strut to the end or tip is 3.5mm on both sides.   Or to be simpler - flush with the last outer wing rib.  The kit lower wing is ok - its the spar they sit on that needs to be altered.  To see image go to the url below and click on the instruction sheet. Then go to page 5;

http://www.eduard.cz/products/card.php?id_product=1674&name=Fokker+Dr.I&catalogue_nb=&type=&pgroup=1&scale=2&product_month=&product_year=&page_start=5

jeaton,

Thanks for the information.  It sounds like some clear line I purchased from a Hobby Lobby shop a year or so ago that is meant for making jewelry.  The stuff I have is .5mm in diameter, so a little heavy for most 1/48 work, but may look right on a 1/32 build.

Stephen,

A.  This is the strip-down kit by Eduard (a full plastic kit in 1/72 from which you take some of the parts, and three frets of photoetched brass that consist of parts for the wings, fuselage, tail, cockpit, and so on) so the wings are a "wooden" spar with all of the supports showing.  The only "linen" piece on the kit is a part about 1/2 inch square behind the seat that is essentially the back wall of the cockpit.

B.  I am building this as Richtoffen's all red plane.  The parts that are going to be red are the kit's plastic engine shroud, center piece for the middle wing, and the photoetch "fabric" at the leading edge of all three wings, side panels (outside), and top of the cockpit (again only the outside).  I will see about getting some photos soon to better illustrate what I am talking about.

C.  The trouble parts could be described as the union bridge as they would fit between supports on the bottom of the fuselage.  I do not mean the wing tips that would be the furthest away from the fuselage.

D.  I am glad that I am not alone.

John,

Thanks for the tip on the EZ line, may have to order myself some!

Scott, Thanks!  

EZ Line looks like monofilament, but it is much more stretchy.  It comes in different colors, I got a smoke color as I thought it would not need any coloring, and that seems to be true.  It is a little smaller than 2 pound fishing line, and must get even smaller if it is stretched.  It seems to go to twice its unstretched length with little increase in tension which makes it very easy to install.  Seems easier to use than the fishing line in that way, you can put enough stretch in the line to keep it tight without stressing the structure.

I got it from a place called Bobe's, the packaging gives a web site address of www.berkshirejunction.com, it is in Massachussetts.

Sound like a salesman, don't I

More Power Scotty wrote:

Stephen,  I did mix up some red paint for my triplane this weekend using your recipe.  I must say that the Insignia Red and Flat Brown (Testors 1166) does mix into a very nice shade of red indeed.

Excellent glad its working well. Don't be too concerned with shade variations as this machine was painted with in a relatively short period and then had the crosses altered as well. 

More Power Scotty wrote:

All,  I am still making slow progress on the Fokker Dr.I.  As mentioned above, I painted the appropriate items red this past weekend, and did some additional work on the wings.  I am stumbling a bit right now as A. I wanted to build the wings and paint them a wood brown prior to assembly, B. but after I built the left side of the bottom wing I discovered that there is a piece extending out that can slide into the framework of the fuselage.  C. The directions only show setting the part in place from the bottom, fully assembled of course.  For that to work, the ends will have to be removed.  D. I am probably just overthinking this like a typical nuke, but I am a bit vapor locked on how to proceed.

A. Wood brown? for linen?

B. Refresh my memory which Dr.I it are you building again?

C. Ends = Wing tips or union bridge?

D. Been there done that.

Stephen,

I did mix up some red paint for my triplane this weekend using your recipe.  I must say that the Insignia Red and Flat Brown (Testors 1166) does mix into a very nice shade of red indeed. 

All,

I am still making slow progress on the Fokker Dr.1.  As mentioned above, I painted the appropriate items red this past weekend, and did some additional work on the wings.  I am stumbling a bit right now as I wanted to build the wings and paint them a wood brown prior to assembly, but after I built the left side of the bottom wing I discovered that there is a piece extending out that can slide into the framework of the fuselage.  The directions only show setting the part in place from the bottom, fully assembled of course.  For that to work, the ends will have to be removed.  I am probably just overthinking this like a typical nuke, but I am a bit vapor locked on how to proceed.

John,

I just wanted to jump in and give you another on your build!  What exactly is E-Z Line?  I have used some smoke colored thread for radio lines in the past, and I am wondering if it is the same thing.  So far, the WWI planes that I have built were DML kits that included stainless steel wire for the rigging, making that job fairly easy.  For the Eduard 1/72 scale Strip-down kits that I have built (like the one I am building for this group), I did not attempt to rig as the PE brass is fragile enough that I would quickly lose my patience if I did attempt to rig them.

jeaton01 wrote:

". . .I would be interested to know if the colors of the top lozenge are reasonable for 5 color cloth, being of poor color vision and given the pastel quality of the colors I pretty much had to depend on my computer's ability to process them.  For reference I used Stephen's Lozenge 101 and also this web site."

For the "very dark" 5 colour lozenge upper type (and trusting my monitor to reproduce well) I would say it looks good!  I almost have to see the example in person to verify all colours, but for the lack of that it does well here.

Well, I'd have to say that all the comments are more than appreciated about my SSD.IIIa, but once again, the airplane has many warts.  I guess for us as builders they all do, we escalate our standards every time we improve our skills.  As my Volgadeutsch grandmother would say about overdressed young ladies, oba ooiey, unter phooey!

I would be interested to know if the colors of the top lozenge are reasonable for 5 color cloth, being of poor color vision and given the pastel quality of the colors I pretty much had to depend on my computer's ability to process them.  For reference I used Stephens Lozenge 101 and also this web site:

http://www.wwi-models.org/misc/Colors/German/loz2/index.html

ps1scw wrote:

"Very Cool!  The Yankee Air Museum is working on a Spad.  I'll have to run down there some day and try to get some shot of it."

We have a modern Spad XIII fuselage that we recently purchased. It may be completed in 2-3 years.

StephenLawson wrote:

Daywalker wrote: Thanks Stephen.  A full scale flying E.V?  DO you have any WIP photos of the build?  I would love to see those! Here is a bit of fun by request. Here it is in June of 2004  when we purchased the framing   This is her taken today March 1, 2008       It is based on this painting.

Very Cool!  The Yankee Air Museum is working on a Spad.  I'll have to run down there some day and try to get some shot of it.

http://yankeeairmuseum.org/projects/spad.shtml

That looks awesome!  Great job on that!

Also, kudos to the patience.  It would have been hard not to catapult the entire kit into File 13 for me!!!  The carpet monster is strong in my apartment.

Daywalker wrote:

Thanks Stephen.  A full scale flying E.V?  DO you have any WIP photos of the build?  I would love to see those!

Here is a bit of fun by request. Here it is in June of 2004  when we purchased the framing
 

This is her taken today March 1, 2008
 

It is based on this painting.

The maiden flight is scheduled "Officially"  for May 17 2008.

I have come to that point where I can (sort of) gracefully say I have reached a "draw" with my Eduard Siemens-Schuckert D.IIIa.  Not all of the PE parts are there, though I still can locate most of them.  I lost one of the interplane struts when the entire kit box got catapulted across the room, Contrail strut stock was used to make new ones for both sides.  The upper lozenge is my third go, Stephen was kind enough to tell me I had abused the pooch buy putting on a 4 color scheme on my second go, the first died whern the kit decals broke up.  I hope they are OK now.  Look OK to me, but I am sure that is NOT an expert opinion.  SOB  (Darn! I had so hoped I wouldn't start whining again!)

It is not perfect, but it is the best darn SSD. IIIa I've built so far. OOOOrahhhh!

Thanks to everyone, especially Stephen Lawson, for the help.