Knights of the Sky WWI GB The End

ModelNerd wrote:

HEY! I didn't know you boys were doin' a WWI group build! Can I play, too? As it turns out, I have an old Monogram Fokker D.VII on the bench as we speak. Room for one more? Please? Huh? Please?

Well Mark, I dunno.....

OK, you're in! 

I added you to the roster.  Did I assume correctly that your kit is the 1/48 kit?

HEY! I didn't know you boys were doin' a WWI group build! Can I play, too? As it turns out, I have an old Monogram Fokker D.VII on the bench as we speak. Room for one more? Please? Huh? Please?

Justin... consider the match lit and your pants are burnin'.  Now get building.

MIKE... ( do you think he heard me?)  I take it back...  I think the sheet is right.   I had glue joint popping at the corners and when I flipped 'em around no problem. (I hope he's not glue the interplanes right now cursing me out)

Marc-

Ha- I probably said something confusing in my post.  I've been known to do that, for sure!  

I'm now at the point where I have to start doing the hard stuff, so I'm bogging down a bit.  Time to get a fire lit under me and get me going!! 

Thanks Mike.

Justin I think the crosses look real good. And going back to when you where looking for ideas how to paint the stripes... WOW did I totally misread that.  When I suggested metal foil, I thought you where putting a black edge around all the tail planes.  The fuselage stripes turned out great.

wing_nut wrote:

". . .Question about your brass wire method. Do you leave the joint a hair loose so you can adjust position with the flex of the wire and go back and fill joint with CA to lock everything in place? Or is I really joint reinforcement and it all gets glued up as normal?"

I do them in sets as mentioned earlier (cabanes or interplabe struts) but as you say the brass not only adds adjustability but after application of the cyano it does reinforce the joint, especially if you use the accelerator. It tends to expand the cyano.

Just had to hop back up onto my chair, because the work Marc & Justin are showing knocked me right out of it! Awesome work, guys! I'm finding it more difficult each day to convince myself that these are your first biplane builds. Your modeling skills have really been on display here, and I'm enjoying every minute of watching your builds come together.

Marc, glad I could help you out with the info on the interplane struts.

Well, you are certainly making up for lost time!

Frank, Dave... Thanks!  5 day stomach virus... last 3 days sitting at the bench... 1st 2 days..... sitting somewhere else

Hey Mike... I think you are right.  Looks like the interplanes may be backwards on the instruction sheet. 

Mark,  looking superb as always   I'm with Frank I don't think you ever sleep, eat or work.  You just build models!

MrDrummy, looks great to me.  Tracing decals with a knife is not easy (I've tried) and like the others have said it's not likely the ensign got it right either

Stephen that's the first time I've heard of the eye needle tool for applying the CA.  I was told to use a fine wire with a loop and I don't always get the CA where it is supposed to go.  The eye needle sounds perfect and I will definitely be raiding the wife's sewing basket when I get home.  I'll have to make sure I put something on the pointy end though or I'll be sticking myself constantly .  Please keep sharing your tips with us newbs.

StephenLawson wrote:

If I seem to comment too much please be tolerant.

Stephen,

I don't think that it's even possible to comment too much, especially when trying to help and guide a bunch of newbies! 

Marc,

You never cease to amaze me... You turn out amazing work faster than anyone I have ever seen!  Do you sleep?  Do you ever eat?  How DO you do it?

Justin- I actually like the effect.  As Stephen pointed out, they often looked quite ragged in the field.  I was watching a video a few weeks back with a lot of period footage, and you could see how rough the markings looked on some of them.  Even in the rather poor quality video!

Thanks Stephen.  I figured if the cabanes are perfect, the wing has no choice but to line up.  And considering how many times I broke off one cabane or another, I am amazed that I did manage to get at least that right.  Getting the leading and trailing edges parallel was easy (ish). I was concerned about them being level.  I am about 1/2 mm out between left and right, so I am way pleased.

Question about your brass wire method. Do you leave the joint a hair loose so you can adjust position with the flex of the wire and go back and fill joint with CA to lock everything in place? Or is I really joint reinforcement and it all gets glued up as normal?

wing_nut wrote:

". . .just needs a flat coat. All (I think) rigging holes predrilled.  Any rigging that should/must be done before gluing the top wing on?  There are a lot of holes in that for the rigging so I am guessing no. What is the best way to hold the wing in place while fitting the interplane struts?  Or should I securely glue it in place and fit the interplanes afterwards?

If I can offer  a note of caution to the average onlooker.  Marc is experienced enough to know what I am going to relate.  IPMS judging can come into play here.  When building a model  with any accuaracy and if its not a wreck in a diorama, always, always check the sit of your wings as you carefully add your struts.  From the top view there should be the same exposure and travel of all the edges.  You never want one wing tip further out, forward or back than the other. This checking to see if your set up of the wings is square and plumb is just good modeling.   In the contests I have participated in as a contestant or judge I learned this will "kill" a aircraft entry quicker than anything else.

Marc, your caution and experience will guide you through this.  Because of my build practices (using brass wire to pin piece together)  you can either do the cabane struts by the cockpit first or the interplane struts first.  In your case you seem to be commited to the attachment of the cabanes first.  There is no wrong answer.   Just one further hint I don't usually use accelerator, but in this case filling the cabane strut locator holes in the wing and letting the solution dry will give you a bit of an edge before you add any cyano. 

Clip the eye end of a large  sewing needle off and use the resultant prongs to carry the cyano to the joint.  Once you have three struts lined up everything else should go well. Just work carefully.  If I seem to comment too much please be tolerant. 

Marc- that looks great!!  Going to be a good looking string bag!

Here's my attempt to fix the tail crosses:

Convincing enough?  I actually trimmed these black crosses out of extra ones on the decal sheet- they were outlined in red, and so I had to make sure to get it all off!!  I didn't do a perfect job, but I'm fairly pleased with them. 

How do y'all think they look?  They look a little rough around the edges, I know.  To the naked eye, they don't look that bad at all!!  I guess that the old decal adhesive kind of ate into the paint a little or something, and I couldn't scrub if off.  I maybe should have sanded the whole thing down.  Oh well.

And speaking of decaling...

The upper wing is just sitting on to for the pic.  So this brings up some procedural questions for the expert. You can see where I am in the build.  All the decals on & have done a little weathering (since this was taken)... just needs a flat coat. All (I think) rigging holes predrilled.

Any rigging that should/must be done before gluing the top wing on?  There are a lot of holes in that for the rigging so I am guessing no. What is the best way to hold the wing in place while fitting the interplane struts?  Or should I securely glue it in place and fit the interplanes afterwards?

Thnaks guys.  Mike, That was the 1st thing I thought to try.  I think I had the 2nd strip on, looked down the length of the wing at the rest of the ribs and said, "Mmmmmmm, no!" 

Oh Yeah I almost forgot to mention.... I broke off one of the elevators while decaling

MrDrummy wrote:

This WWI stuff is really different, eh?

It sure is, but in a good way!

Marc- Sorry to hear about your Camel woes and your O-ring troubles as well!  Glad to hear you're on the mend...

The shading/sanding job you did on the wings is incredible!  I think it adds so much dimension to an otherwise monochromatic surface.  In fact, my girlfriend is sitting here right next to me looking at it, and she can't believe how great it looks!  Well done!!!

Marc-- truth be told, I broke the little "instrument bar" off of mine after it was already put together as well.  I was able to fix it back into position using a bit of good ol' patience, and a little snip here and there.

This WWI stuff is really different, eh?

Frank some great progress, love the wood graing effect. 

Marc your just full of great ideas, that preshade idea is your best yet.  I'm sure you'll pull this build off in the end just like you always do.

EDIT:  Barker grew up in a town not too far from where I grew up.  Another WWI Ace was actually from my small home town of Stonewall (population 1,500 in the 1970's)

Lieutenant Alan Arnett McLeod, V.C. (April 20, 1899 - November 6, 1918) of Stonewall, MB was a Canadian WWI Reconnaissance pilot. In the spring of 1918, within seconds after shooting down an enemy aircraft, seven members of Barron von Richtofen's squadron attacked McLeod and his observer.

Their Armstrong Whitworth was struck by enemy fire wounding McLeod and his observer and causing the aircraft to burst into flames. Because of the fire and the fact that the cockpit floor had fallen away, McLeod had to fly the plane from a standing position on the lower wing. The enemy continued to hail bullets against the bomber until it crash-landed. Both men were thrown clear of the aircraft on impact, which undoubtedly saved them from the explosion of the heavy bombs they did not have the opportunity to release. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action on September 4, 1918; he was nineteen years old.

He was credited with five aircraft and one balloon victories. He was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973. His biography is available at Canadian Air Aces and Heroes web site. 301 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron of Stonewall, MB was named in his honour. The squadron was active from 1943 until 1948; it is presently stood down; although efforts are taking place to reinstitute the squadron in Stonewall.

Might have to look for a Whitworth some day!!!

No worries Stephen... I WILL PREVAIL!!!

If not... I will just take my final photos from a bit further away.

wing_nut wrote:

Bad news. . . This build may do me in

 Model On!

Bad news, good news, bads news....

The bad news is I have once again broken something off the model.

The good news is it is not a cabane. 

The bad news is, it is the instrument panel.

This build may do me in

Daywalker wrote:

Nicely done Frank.

wing_nut wrote:

Yup it will be one of Barker's birds.  It is the last one in the instruction book but the description of that particular scheme is entirely in Czech.  And guess what I just snapped off... again...

I usually have to drill holes in the cabane ends and insert brass wire/rod to stabilize.

Also here is a bit ont the scheme's history. Profile H. Sopwith Camel F.1 B6313 was flown by Major W.G. Barker as CO of 139 Sqdn RAF in Italy during September 1918.  It was dismantled on 2 October 1918.  This bird had a lengthy war service and was repainted several times. the red dog is supposed to be a "devil or pan figure".  If I remember correctly it was a radiator cap originally and in recent years some one from the Cross & Cockade Intl. had found one and did a short history on it there was even a photograph.

ruddratt wrote:

MrDrummy wrote: Anyone have any black crosses laying around in their stash?  Justin, I may be able to help you out with that. Shoot me a pm and let me know what size crosses you're looking for (in mm) and how many.

If he don't, I probably do.

wing_nut wrote:

The stomach virus that has attacked me has improved enough to allow me to sit at the bench (yes I know... WAY too much info)

Ouch!!  Sorry to hear you weren't feeling well--of course the little smilie made me chuckle a bit!  You always have good little smilies.

Anyway-the preshading idea worked great!!  I think that the wings in particular look really, really nice!! 

Frank- yours is looking awesome!  The wood floor and ribs on the sides look like the real thing! 

That wood floor on the P-51 should be a breeze for ya, buddy! I'm really psyched to see how this build of yours turns out.

Marc, oh no! Don't tell me it was one of the cabane struts! That'd be a major bummer. The paint looks fantastic, my friend! ...and believe it or not, it looks like we're doing the same bird! LOL! I needed a Canadian subject as this guy is going on display at the legion hall here in town once it's finished. I liked the cut-away on the upper wing....made it easier to see the 'pit.

Thanks Frank.

And the results are in...