Knights of the Sky WWI GB The End

I got stuff today, too.  I ordered a ton of paint from Roll Models, and it all came in today.

Looks like that Camel will be starting pretty soon!!!

Mike, can't wait to see what you're going to do!!

ruddratt wrote:

"OK guys, I just received my Roden 1/48 S.E.5a (Wolseley Viper) in the mail, and my first impression is simply WOW!!!! This is going to be a fun build. My first Roden kit and surely not my last! I was able to hunt down a nice rigging diagram as this issue did not include one (but it's needed....there's a LOT of rigging on this bird!). The markings for Billy Bishop's mount look sweet, so that's the one I'm doing. Now, I've been doing a little research on this kit, and there seem to be issues with the decals (stubbord & brittle) on early releases with the lower price tag. Mine is seemingly a later release (per the higher price tag) and supposedly has better quality markings, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they respond to my stash of setting solutions.

Greetings Ruddratt,  Here is a bit of fun on the 1/48 Roden SE 5a with the Wolseley Viper facades.

Click Here.

Great link as usual, Stephen, and very informative. Gives me a pretty good idea of what I need to look out for (as well as how much rigging I need to do! 42!? Good Lord, what have I gotten myself into? ).

I noticed where you mention a corrected lower wing as one way of discerning the early releases of this kit from the later releases. Where do I find this extra rib?

Also, I found this rigging info. I know it's for the Hispano-Suiza, but would it also apply to the Wolseley Viper?

ruddratt wrote:

". . .I noticed where you mention a corrected lower wing as one way of discerning the early releases of this kit from the later releases. Where do I find this extra rib?

In all current issues they have fixed the lower wing and added the fifth rib.  The area was around both wing roots.  Where there is now 5 there only used to be 4 ribs in the first issue. Concerning the rigging it should be the same for either the Viper or the Hisso.

I took a break from the big SE 5a to work on a set of PE from a fellow in Poland. Wojtek Fajga's PE. Not finished yet of course but the build process was a little challenging without the written instructions.  More later.
 

Very cool stuff Stephen!

Here is a link to a Polish forum where someone is building a PE Nieuport 28.  The text is in Polish so I couldn't understand what they are actually saying.  But, the accompanying photos are incredible!  Check it out:

Nieuport 28

Daywalker wrote:

Very cool stuff Stephen!  Here is a link to a Polish forum where someone is building a PE Nieuport 28.  The text is in Polish so I couldn't understand what they are actually saying.  But, the accompanying photos are incredible!  Check it out: Nieuport 28

Thats the man, The same  series of images is at the Aerodrome in a current thread. He uses Coreldraw to do his templates.

Click here.

Stephen,

Thanks for the additional comments.  As they say, "history is written by the victors", I guess that accuracy does not always come into play though.  Fortunately, I have more Dr.I's to build, and at least one of them will be geting a streaked paint job.

What scale is that PE that you are working with?  It looks to be biger than 1/72.

Daywalker,

Thanks for the comment.   Here are my done, done photos, two of which include a quarter for size reference. 

This guy is an amazingly talented modeler.  I can't even imagine building at that level.

Scott- I put you up on that pedestal as well, absolutely fantastic!  And I thought a few PE cockpit details was difficult, your stuff blows me away!

    Great looking build Scott! As a beginner to PE i couldn't imagine doing something like that.  Simply amazing!

http://www.yankeeairmuseum.org/airshow/aircraft.htm

Check out the entries near the bottom of the list.  This will be cool, I've never seen a WWI airplane up close and personal, (save for the Smithsonian, but I was just a kid)

Daywalker and Dougums,

Thank-you very much for the kind words.  I am not sure about a pedestal, but I am pleased with the end results myself, and I guess that is what matters the most.  Looking at the done, done photos I realized that you actually can see the hypodermic needles that I used to replace the gun barrels.  In this scale, I do not care about them missing the flared ends as I think that they look better when they look like gun barrels.

Other than requiring A LOT of patience, the Eduard Strip-down series of nearly all PE planes really are not that bad to build.  I was glad to have my Etch-mate for this one as it did make some of the bends easier than using flat pliers as I have done in the past.  As long as you can take your time, and not lose your cool, the end results will really grab the attention of others.

Scotty;  a testament to my mild  case of AMS.

can't wait

ps1scw wrote:

can't wait

Me neither!

Daywalker wrote:

Me neither!

Then Here is a bit of fun.

Click Here.

Dougums wrote:

I am going to have to add that to my wish list!

At least one, maybe two!

K guys, I finished my Eduard nueiport. Its been done for a while but our camera was wasn't working I got it fixed though. Here it is.

It flies!

I thought that was the plane from that movie!  Well done Andrew, thanks again!

Stephen- This morning I went through all of the pages of this GB and added the pics pages to a couple of your builds that I had missed before. 

Daywalker wrote:

". . .Stephen- This morning I went through all of the pages of this GB and added the pics pages to a couple of your builds that I had missed before."

Cool!

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.

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

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.  

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!