Knights of the Sky WWI GB The End

Stephen- That is absolutely incredible what a difference the texturing makes.  Especially with a before and after sitting right next to each other.  Unbelievable!

Roger- By all means!  Please do post your progress here.  The GB runs until the end of next month so you have plenty of time.

Awesome! Thanks!

In all reality, I doubt that everything will be completed by the weekends end. Realistially there will will be a few things that will require longer. But there will be pictures aplenty to show what is happening

Hey guys! Here's what I got brewing here:

I'd gotten a pretty good start this afternoon after getting home from work. Mostly fuselage and lower wing assemblies. I've also got the landing gear struts set up.

I've learned through the research that it's prety difficult to get some good examples. Most of the pictures i've got in books and on the web are in black and white. Not to mention that some of the areas I need to see, I couldn't quite find. So tha being said, I may need to start looking at taking a few artistic liberties"- especially in the engine and cowling.

But, that's all the progress I've made this afternoon/evening here. But as always; comments/tips/critisisms are always welcomed and appreciated. But for now, I've gotta get some sleep. First thing tomorrow.....PAINT!

So your interested in French 5 colour camouflage? Here is a bit of fun on that subject.

Click Here.

As you can see, I've got paint! Come to find out, this isn't as easy of a build as I thought it would be. It's a 1/48 scale, but it's still pretty small (maybe about 6 inches long or so) so the finer details are a little harder to get to. Masking the exhaust pipes on the sides was no easy task. Dry brushing was a little frustrating too, since there was some bleed under the masking. Nothing a toothpick can't fix, I suppose...

One new thing for me was the wooden propeller. I saw with earlier builds in this GB how to get a woodgrained effect with 2 seperate shades of brown. So I tried that (one of the "artistic liberties" mentioned earlier). I originally did it in MM Wood (I dunno what the FS code is) but really didn't like the results. So, I redid it all in MM Sand and dry brushed a slight bit of military brown over for the grain. Not asgood as the rest of you guys, but at least I got te idea down. Unfortunately, my camera and lighting doesnt quite seem to be up to par, and I can't seem to get it on film...errr, I mean pixels." border="0" width="30" height="20" />

Another fault I'd noticed was the sand/fill job. Given the fit of the two fuselage halves, it's one of those things that just has to be fixed. But since the spars running down the fuselage are so predominant, I was a little nervous to smooth the seams out more for fear of sanding the recessed lines away. I can onlt hope that they will blend in better with the finished product.

Stephen,

You mention strange words such as "test" and "scrap sheet plastic".  For better, or in reality more likely worse, I am more of the "no guts no glory" type.  I did things a bit differently than Lars, as I base coated everything with Humbrol #64 gray, then used a dark grey on the top ssurfaces, and white on the bottom for the pre-shading.  I did not know if I would like my end results or not initially as it looked far too sloppy for my liking, but once the mile or so of masking tape came off, it did not look so bad after all.  The over coats (Gunze Sail Color (#85) and Model Master Dark Green (FS34079)) went on fine, but I probably went a little heavier than I should have.  I thinned the paints more than usual for the top coats, and not knowing whether they would darken more when dry, led me to adding perhaps a layer too much.  Is that what this "testing" stuff that you mention is for?

Anyway, progress has been good this week, and when I get my photograph downloaded, I will show you how the cockpit turned out.  I am spending a couple of days away from home for the holiday, but will show the progress soon.  Overall, the pre-shading does really make more of a difference than I thought that it would, and even for my first attempt at it, I really do like the results.  This build has grown beyond the weekend project that I had envisioned, but the results are worth the added time, and this build should still be completed well ahead of the deadline (good Lord willing, and the creek don't rise).  

Frank,

I think that this was brought up before, but as much fun as this group has been, are you considering another round starting in 2009?  Having the opportunity to see the work of others in this build has inspired me more than in any of the other groups that I have taken part in, and I have several more WWI planes in my stash waiting their turn.  Please let us know your thoughts on this, and thanks again for starting this group build.

Scott,

I am so glad to hear that you have enjoyed this GB!  Honestly, the work by the members here has made it what it is.  And the info and techniques shared by our resident WWI guru Stephen Lawson has been nothing short of astounding.  THANK YOU ALL! 

As far as a round two goes, that sounds like a wonderful idea.  I have a few other Gb's in the works, with two more starting at the end of December.  I would be happy to start up another one, any thoughts on a time frame?

Two things I noticed with this one, that I am considering changing.  FIrst, I mentioned it months before it started and I think a lot of the people who signed up for it forgot about it.  Second, the long time frame may have convinced some that they could start theirs much later and still finish on time.  Possibly they forgot about it too.

So, this time around I think I would announce it two weeks before it started, and others could jump in whenever they choose.  Also, a shorter time frame might help. 

How about this, a start up sometime in May and still ending in December of 2009.  Your thoughts?

I had originally planned to start a KOTS II GB later next year, as I have another (Bf-109: Reich Defender) currently running.  I could run two at once, if you fellas are interested.  I'll post it in the aircraft section to drum up some business.

This GB is ending in a month, just a thought for anyone wanting to finish their builds before the end. 

Daywalker wrote:

This GB is ending in a month, just a thought for anyone wanting to finish their builds before the end.

Frank,

I actually stopped by the new group first by accident, as I did not catch the II right away.  January 1 sounds great to me, and I have run and participated in multiple builds at the same time, and it really is not that bad.

 As promised, here is the in-progress photo of the Airco DH-2 interior.  Any comments and/or questions are welcomed!   By the way, the right side is not attached at the time of the photo, I just sat it there to show the instrument panel in place.  I also apologize for the clarity, as I guess I need more work on the up close and personal shots.

Greetings all;

Here is a bit of fun with one of my older builds.  The first of several I have planned that replicate airframes that were on display at Ilsington's Agricultural Hall in mid & late 1918.

Making some progress.

Stephen- That's some fine work on both accounts!  I like your little dios, very original ideas!

The Fokker D.VI is progressing nicely.  I still cannot believe how much realism is gained by that texturing technique.  It really does look like real fabric!

Frank, Thanks for the kind words.  As for the diorama general layout here are 5 airframes in the ultimate version of the display.  There were others in the general display even a Halb. CL.II and a bomber or two.

Make that 32 completed build, Marc!

Come to find out, Biplanes are not quite my forte.........yet

While it seemed to be a relatively easy build, It turned out to be a little more challenging than I thought! I know there are alot of issues I need to improve on as far as the basics go. But overall, I'm happy with the progress I'd made with some of the newer skills and techniques!

   One thing new to me was the technique of giving a sort of woodgrain to the propeller. The struts didn't exactly turn out like I really wanted. But the Propeller itself turned out pretty good for a first try. Not as good as others here, that's for sure. But I think It's certainly a good result- all things considered!

   Anyways, I submit for your approval. All critiques and critisisms welcomed! I'm always interested in suggestions or advice

Roger- Congrats on crossing the finish line!  SOunds like you had a heck of a time with your build, but a nice looking model indeed.   You should be proud of that one.  Whattcha gonna build for KOTS II?

Stephen- Those cutaway models of yours absolutely astound me.  Very, very well done.

Marc- Glad you stopped by!  Honestly, I am floored by the turnout this GB brought.  32 finished models, WOW!  There have been some GB's that didn't even have one third of that many start, let alone finish!  Thanks again to everyone here for making it what it is.  Only 4 weeks until KOTS redux kicks off!

hey gangs

sorry took me long time to post up the pictures.  boy i was too addict to the model and competely forgot to take pictures of my work process.  oopies.  so heres my picture.  The image might be dark or fizzy since i used my cellphone camera.  i will take a good one when its all done.  I might not have time to add the rigged thread to the wings.   Comments/feedback are welcome smiles.

BGuy,

I do not know if I want to own up to this or not, but I always use a tripod when photographing my models.  I also use the macro setting for the close-in work.  I am not sure what is going on as the blur comes and goes.  Anyway, thanks for the comments and suggestions, and yes, my model is the Weekend edition.

Stephen,

Once again, your work is amazing.  What scale are your "cut-aways"? 

 Daywalker,

Hey, you will have at least 33 finished planes when I complete the DH-2!   Here is where I stand at present in photographs.  As a Weekend edition kit, there is no PE fret, so the engine is pretty simple, but still nicely molded.  The photo showing the propeller is a little blurry, but you can make out the brass on the tips.  Any comments are welcome as always.

Excellent work Scott!  Like the paint work on the wings, and that propeller with the metal leading edges is excellent.  I never would have guessed that we would end up with over 30 finished models in this GB. 

Only 21 days left here!  If you are working on one right now, and don't think you'll be able to finish it by the 1st of January, I would be happy to move it over to KOTS II for you.  If you are almost done, even if it's a little past the first that's OK.  My plan is to start a thread over in "Aircraft" on the first of January showing a finished photo of all of the builds here.  Do not see very many WWI aircraft there so I think it will be very interesting! 

Daywalker wrote:

When this GB finishes up, I plan to put a post in aircraft to show everyone what has been accomplished here.  I have been saving everyone's photos as we went along, so I have copies of them all thus far.  Just wanted to be sure everyone is OK with that.