Knights of the Sky WWI GB The End

NP Scott, I changed your entry to the -DR.I.

Dostacos- I usually find Future at the local grocery store.  Most of the large chain retail stores carry it too.

dostacos wrote:

ok, I have been looking for future floor polish and cannot find it. Where do you guys buy the stuff?

Yep- the local grocery store has always been my source!

A little further down the road.  Wash applied to the fuselage with Payne's Grey oils.  I didn't want to use my normal black on this light of a scheme!  I'll come back later with some brown to add a little bit of dirt.  I know the thing is supposed to be really clean (thanks, Stephen) but I'd like to make it at least a bit weathered. 

I attached the wings today as well, using a small piece of brass rod to strengthen the join.  Seems to have worked out so far.  I'll go back and do a little tidying up around the wing join later on. 

A close up of the guns- used some guns that I had in my Dragon DrI kit.  I couldn't use the ugly plastic guns that were included in the Eduard kit! 

Shouldn't be too much longer til I'm rigging this thing, and finishing up!!!

Now, about that prop....

Justin, that looks outstanding! If I didn't know better, I'd say you've got a few more of these types of planes under your belt than you're telling us. The wash highlights the panels nicely, and I applaud your ambitious approach to the guns. The PE jackets always look nicer. (Got some PART one's I'll be using on my Camel's Vickers guns.) I didn't see too many pre-drilled holes for your rigging. Just curious as to how you plan on attaching the lines, as well as what material(s) you intend to use.

Hey Mike!

Thanks for the compliments-- this really IS my first one!  And yeah, those plastic hunks weren't going to work!!

All the rigging holes that I need are there-two on the fuselage, right above the wing, one near the nose (for two wires,) and then three on the outer portion of the wing.  See 'em?  There just aren't that many holes, as the ones that are there are used for multiple strands and the struts together.  I'm just using regular ol' invisible thread for the rigging, and using the technique that Stephen recommends. 

Frank!  Thanks, man!  Looking forward to some more pictures of your stuff!  Cold up there yet?  The South Plains is down to 45 with a pretty stiff wind!

Yep, I took a closer look this time Justin. Can't believe I missed some of 'em! Doh! Looks like you've got them all ready to go.

That really is a sharp-looking build! I also meant to comment on the preshading. Yours is an excellent example of how to do it effectively without overdoing it. Hope the job I do on my Camel turns out half as good.

Daywalker wrote:

Hey, Stephen!  How about Fokker DVIII props?  Do you have a period photo or another reference for those?

Do i have references on the Fokker D.VII props?  Is that what you said?  Oh my this is going to be fun. 

here is a bit of fun.

Slowly I turned step by step.

In the Eduard kit there are four propellers of two types offered by the kit. Axial (PP B 16 ) and Heine (PP B 17) and note that Eduard has not referenced the right application to the profile provide in the kit decals. The problem is that the Heine propellers (PP B 17) are far too short for inline six cylinder engines and should be closer in length to the Axial (PP B 16) types provided. Two of the four kit propellers with the cones on the bosses are quick release items seen on some BMW engine variants only. It is the pitch and length of a propeller that determines the engine application. The paddle profile was the company hallmark.

Now if you want references concerning the vaunted Fokker D.VII here are some of the ones I use.

Albatros D.Va German Fighter of World War I by R. Mikesh, Smithsonian Inst. Press, Pp. 48-53, 1980.(great engine details.)
Combat Colours #14 The Fokker D.VII by P. Cooksley, Airfix Magazine. Date unknown.
Details & Colours Windsock Intl. Vol.3 #3 Summer 1987.
Fliegertruppen #2 by A.Ferko, Privately Published, Salem Ohio, 1987. (photocopies may be obtained by contacting the University of Texas at Dallas through the special aviation collection.)
Flight Report Cross & Cockade Great Britain, Vol. 2 # 4.
Fokker D.VII pt. I DML - Grooming a Thoroughbred' Model Aircraft Monthly Jan. 2003.
Fokker D.VII pt. II Jager, A Horse of a Different Colour' Model Aircraft Monthly Nov. 2003.
Fokker D.VII by Egon Kreuger, Profile Pub. Ltd. 1962.
Fokker D.VII by P. Grosz, Albatros Pub. Ltd, Datafile #9. 1989, 1993, & 1994.
Fokker D. VII Aces of WWI, pt. I by Franks & Van Wyngarden. Osprey pub. 2003.
Fokker D. VII Aces of WWI, pt. II by Franks & Van Wyngarden. Osprey pub. 2004.
Fokker D.VII Anthology 1 by R.Rimell, Albatros Pub. Ltd. 1997.
Fokker D.VII Anthology 2 by R.Rimell, Albatros Pub. Ltd. 2000.
Fokker D.VII Anthology 3 by R.Rimell, Albatros Pub. Ltd. 2002.
Fokker D.VII Kit Survey by R.Rimell, Albatros Ltd. Windsock Vol 13, #4 1997.
Fokker D.VII Covering Practices by Dan-San Abbott, WWI Aero #102, Pp.22-33. 1984.
Fokker D.VII Detail Marking and Finish of Fokker-built D.VII Aircraft by Dan San Abbott, WWI Aero #107, 1985.
Fokker Fighters of WWI by A. Imrie, Osprey, Vintage Warbirds #6 Pp.41-64 1986.
Fokker's Last Deadly Scourge by M. O'Leary, Air Combat, Pp. 18-26. 1975.
Forgotten Fokker by P Cooksley, Cross & Cockade GB Vol.4, #2,Pp.84-86. 1973.
German Army Air Service in WWI by R.Rimell, Osprey, Vintage Warbirds #2, Photos 42-44, 1985.
Germany's Last Knight of the Air by C. Degelow, William Kimber Pub. London, 1979.
Jagdgeschwader Nr. I by Greg VanWyngarden, Osprey,Aviation Elite Units 18. 2004.
Jagdgeschwader Nr. II by Greg VanWyngarden, Osprey,Aviation Elite Units 19. 2005.
That Fokker's an Albatros! By Wally Tripp, WWI Aero, #102 , Pp.14-21. 1984.
Udet's Fokker D.VII Fighters by Dan-San Abbott, Windsock Vol.4, Spring 1989.
Wings of War by R. Stark, Arms & Armour Press. 1973.

Now if your doing the Roden kit it only comes with a Heine prop but needs to be carved down a bit at the tips.

One of my Roden builds

Mike-

Thanks for the comments on the preshading.  This is my first go at preshading, as I usually do postshading instead.  I figured it would be a lot easier to get a shade effect on this one by doing it first, especially between all the ribs in the wings!  

Now to figure out what order to assemble the rest of the aircraft in, and how to apply the decals!  This is a learning experience for sure!! 

MrDrummy wrote:

This is a learning experience for sure!!

Justin, that's exactly how I felt as I embarked on my first bipe a few years ago. While there were the basics, there were also so many things to learn that apply almost soley to WWI aircraft. Fun, ain't it!

Stephen, thanks for the info on the D.VII props (I know I'll find them useful), but I believe Frank was asking about the D.VIII. Would some of the same info still apply, both being Fokkers?

StephenLawson wrote:

Now if your doing the Roden kit it only comes with a Henie prop but needs to be carved down a bit at the tips. One of my Roden builds

Dan 

ruddratt wrote:

". . .Stephen, thanks for the info on the D.VII props (I know I'll find them useful), but I believe Frank was asking about the D.VIII. Would some of the same info still apply, both being Fokkers?"

See that what I get for doing this when I have been up for 24hours. . .definately same issues for the D.VIII and the D.VII.  Though the paddles were about 2 inches shorter on each length on the D.VIII. Now I am going back to bed.  Work , work , work. . .   ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

So I am sanding the filler piece to fill the gap (my fault) behind the cockpit and I was looking at the coaming.  An idea popped into my head how to add some detail.  This is the first time I am doing an a/c with coaming, and I am sure someone will say, “Uh bud…. been done before…”  I am sure it probably has but I really honestly and truly thought of this on my own. But I won’t be surprised if it has been done since if I thought it, the really clever folks sure have.

Anyway, I wrapped the edge with lead foil.  After it was burnished down, the creases in the corners looks like folds in the leather. In the one in a gazillion chance this really is an original idea  (hoping beyond hope ) I have a few in progress pics.

jeaton01 wrote:

Marc, that's a good idea.  But, since half of my grandparents came fromRussia I am going to claim I thought of it first!  Now I gotta find some foil....

  And the cold war heats up again.

I think that I picked up my technique from Jeaton--

I made sure that I had something that was the right diameter (luckily the Dragon kit that I had included a bit of plastic with the correct dimensions,) and then grabbed the jackets with some tweezers (with a gloved hand to avoid burns,) and used a candle flame to get the metal red-hot.  Then I dropped it into some water to cool it quickly.  I repeated the steps a few times, and the metal rolled so much easier!  I just pinned one side down, and rolled the other around to meet it.

Some who know a lot more than I do may caution you that this technique can cause thin PE to get overly brittle- I just never had that problem.

I think that they turned out ok for my first go at rolling PE! 

jeaton01 wrote:

Decals tend to come loose from bare plastic, so at least a coat of Future, or gloss paint.  Future is by far the easier and quicker.

Not at Ralphs, Albertons, Vons SavOn Drugs, Target....

found it at a local hardware store {ace is the place }

Dan 

dostacos wrote:

". . .when doing the lozenge decals, do you paint the part, primer it, future it, or just clean the part and apply? Dan

In all cases of decals I paint first.

wing_nut wrote:

". . .Anyway, I wrapped the edge with lead foil.  After it was burnished down, the creases in the corners looks like folds in the leather. In the one in a gazillion chance this really is an original idea  (hoping beyond hope ) I have a few in progress pics.

Nicely done. 

wing_nut wrote:

I picked up a couple of set of PE guns.  One is all PE and the other has resin to.  I have only folded PE never had to roll it.  Is there a technique to roll a nice tube?

If the PE is nickel coated metal their techniques are good.  But if its thin brass only a small amount of heat will be needed.  If it is silver nickel then no heat at all will be needed.  Acrylic rod can be used or DML's PE roller tool came in all their kits.  Roll the jacket onto the rod on a ceramic tile or glass pane.

Thanks for your help on the prop, Stephen! 

Justin- nice job on the guns, looks great from where I'm sitting.

Marc- cool technique!  I am definately gonna try that one on my DVIII.

StephenLawson wrote:

MrDrummy wrote: "Another question, Stephen-How do you get such nice looking grass for your bases?  Is that stuff you purchase?  It looks so nice and plush!" Greetings Mr. Drummy, I use several different methods depending on the desired result.  Sometimes I use sheets of pre applied static grass from Germany.   Sometimes I go for a winter, fall or spring look using Woodland Scenics items. I get all of these from a local rail road hobby shop but can probably be picked up from Walthers.

The sheets of static grass that I normally use have a manufacturer's tage. (Imagine that.)

Busch GmbH

68519 Viernheim

Germany

Mini-Gelände- Teppich #7291 & Mini - Wildgras- Teppich #7292.

This is a product I found surfing the web one day. I have not used them but they look interesting.

Scenic Express 

Some progress pics.  Did not like the way the control surfaces attached or looked when they were attached.  Gaps are too big.  Filled in a bit with some plastic card and added "hinges".  I toned down the laminations on the prop too.