Torbogdan

I have decided to take a break from model ship building and build an aircraft. As it is not a ship I won´t put the log in the ship section. I hope it is ok to put it here as this is the "general topic" section as I understand it. I also understand that people visit this website to view modelships and not aircraft but maybe someone might find this of interest. It makes more sense, to me, to post here than to become a new member of some other site. 
 
I hope it it ok but if it is not admin can just move the log to a more correct place or remove it altogether.
 
Anyway. The model I´m building is Model Airways 1:16 Fokker Dr 1 triplane. the aircraft flown by the red baron Von Richthofen.
 
I have started to construct the main spar of the upper wing. Instructions are so far good but sometimes a bit unclear. For example the spar is made up by four parts glued together to form a beam. As I understand it the two parts making up the "thickness" of the beam is to be glued on top of the lower part. But it could be glued to the front and back also thus making the spar slightly longer and thinner instead of slightly shorter and thicker. Looking at the pictures  gives some indication but I would have preferred one extra sentence explaining this.
 

 

My little building corner. I wish it was much bigger, it kind of limits ( I think) the size of ships that can practically be built)
 
Some pictures of the drawings

 

 

 
 
 

Firewall in place and dry fitting engine. I have more pictures but have trouble uploading them. Anyway the engine is done with all washing and drybrushing and "aging". Turned out nice. In this picture it is not done, I finished it after dry fitting it here. I have also started to paint all the little instruments that goes into the cockpit area. I do deviate a bit from the instructions but I´m waiting for the book I´ve ordered. The instructions are ok in the kit but I sometimes a bit fuzzy so to speak. I hope the book will give some nice pictures or drawings where all the wires go and how all the "little things and instruments" are mounted and where. So while waiting I´m doing all the small stuff.
 
I hade to improvise the cables running from the engine, it was not enough wire in the kit so I used some scrounged up copper wire, it will be painted of course. I´ll do that towards the end when it is in its correct position. 
 
I have also started on the propeller. I have sanded it to its general shape so to speak. But same here, waiting for the book and hope for some nice pictures on its final shape. I feel it is much easier to remove wood from the prop than replacing it, so I´m careful and only want to do the final sanding when I´m sure about its shape.
 

 

I´m continuing building small parts for the model. Working on the ammo cans and spent cartridges can. Compass and tachymeter is done. they turned out very nice. Now I just need photo bucket to cooperate so I can post the pictures of all the "small parts".

It came with the kit. The kit was well supplied with jigs that made building the model (so far) easier, very good by the manufacturer. 

Firewall in place and dry fitting engine. I have more pictures but have trouble uploading them. Anyway the engine is done with all washing and drybrushing and "aging". Turned out nice. In this picture it is not done, I finished it after dry fitting it here. I have also started to paint all the little instruments that goes into the cockpit area. I do deviate a bit from the instructions but I´m waiting for the book I´ve ordered. The instructions are ok in the kit but I sometimes a bit fuzzy so to speak. I hope the book will give some nice pictures or drawings where all the wires go and how all the "little things and instruments" are mounted and where. So while waiting I´m doing all the small stuff.
 
I hade to improvise the cables running from the engine, it was not enough wire in the kit so I used some scrounged up copper wire, it will be painted of course. I´ll do that towards the end when it is in its correct position. 
 
I have also started on the propeller. I have sanded it to its general shape so to speak. But same here, waiting for the book and hope for some nice pictures on its final shape. I feel it is much easier to remove wood from the prop than replacing it, so I´m careful and only want to do the final sanding when I´m sure about its shape.
 

 

Landing gear and engine. The brass rod at the rear of the "wing" will be repainted. The paint was scrubbed loose as the fit between the rod and the hole was too tight. The wheels have a small access hatch on them. I outlined it in black but it did not turn out particularly well. I will repaint that as well.
 
As for the engine it says that the push rod for the valves should be 1.6mm thick brass rod. 1.6mm in 1/16 scale seems awfully thick. Checking with pictures on the net they are nowhere that thick. I will use much thinner brass rod instead. Probably .8mm. That looks much nicer. The 1,6 mm looks very massive.

It came with the kit. The kit was well supplied with jigs that made building the model (so far) easier, very good by the manufacturer. 

I´m continuing building small parts for the model. Working on the ammo cans and spent cartridges can. Compass and tachymeter is done. they turned out very nice. Now I just need photo bucket to cooperate so I can post the pictures of all the "small parts".

It came with the kit. The kit was well supplied with jigs that made building the model (so far) easier, very good by the manufacturer. 

All the subassemblies so far! I have gotten to the moment when I realize "this one is going to get finished!". Even though it is still quite a lot of work there is no doubt it will get finished. Some time as I work on parts and put them away when it is finished and start on the next subassembly it can feel a bit hopeless. But when I put all the subassemblies together... I get the feeling that all I need to do is glue them together and it will be finished, it is a very nice feeling. I start to see a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not the headlamp of a train it is sunshine

Does he live in Sweden? Cause I also have a friend who did that... My friend glued the pieces wrong (right) broke them lose. Had to scratch built new pieces and glued them in place, incorrectly again... But being stubborn made yet another pair of landing gear struts and added them correctly but  the left piece where the right should have been and vice versa... After that the model (I mean his model) went into the closet until the local exorcist can cleanse it... My friend finished by saying, "and we shall never speak of it again"...

Landing gear and engine. The brass rod at the rear of the "wing" will be repainted. The paint was scrubbed loose as the fit between the rod and the hole was too tight. The wheels have a small access hatch on them. I outlined it in black but it did not turn out particularly well. I will repaint that as well.
 
As for the engine it says that the push rod for the valves should be 1.6mm thick brass rod. 1.6mm in 1/16 scale seems awfully thick. Checking with pictures on the net they are nowhere that thick. I will use much thinner brass rod instead. Probably .8mm. That looks much nicer. The 1,6 mm looks very massive.

Engine so far. It has taken a lot of grinding and sanding to get the extra flash of the parts. There are some mould marks on the cylinders that I would like to get rid of. It is probably the two halves for the mould that was not perfectly aligned and tight enough together. 
 
I can´t finish the landing gear until I get my silver spray paint can back from a friend that borrowed it. Going to him tomorrow to reclaim what is rightfully mine! Unless he finished it... There are a few parts that needs to be silver instead of brass, thats where the spray paint comes in.
 

A quick photo and as I noticed now slightly out of focus. The problem with taking pictures with one´s phone is that on the small touch screen on the phone the photo looks sharp, but on this page with a much larger picture you notice that it is slightly blurry.
 
Anyway, here are the wheels and the color. It is red, very red. It works, I would have preferred a slightly darker red but this will do. It will not be easy to find a darker hue of red in a spray can. 

Firewall in place and dry fitting engine. I have more pictures but have trouble uploading them. Anyway the engine is done with all washing and drybrushing and "aging". Turned out nice. In this picture it is not done, I finished it after dry fitting it here. I have also started to paint all the little instruments that goes into the cockpit area. I do deviate a bit from the instructions but I´m waiting for the book I´ve ordered. The instructions are ok in the kit but I sometimes a bit fuzzy so to speak. I hope the book will give some nice pictures or drawings where all the wires go and how all the "little things and instruments" are mounted and where. So while waiting I´m doing all the small stuff.
 
I hade to improvise the cables running from the engine, it was not enough wire in the kit so I used some scrounged up copper wire, it will be painted of course. I´ll do that towards the end when it is in its correct position. 
 
I have also started on the propeller. I have sanded it to its general shape so to speak. But same here, waiting for the book and hope for some nice pictures on its final shape. I feel it is much easier to remove wood from the prop than replacing it, so I´m careful and only want to do the final sanding when I´m sure about its shape.
 

 

Firewall in place and dry fitting engine. I have more pictures but have trouble uploading them. Anyway the engine is done with all washing and drybrushing and "aging". Turned out nice. In this picture it is not done, I finished it after dry fitting it here. I have also started to paint all the little instruments that goes into the cockpit area. I do deviate a bit from the instructions but I´m waiting for the book I´ve ordered. The instructions are ok in the kit but I sometimes a bit fuzzy so to speak. I hope the book will give some nice pictures or drawings where all the wires go and how all the "little things and instruments" are mounted and where. So while waiting I´m doing all the small stuff.
 
I hade to improvise the cables running from the engine, it was not enough wire in the kit so I used some scrounged up copper wire, it will be painted of course. I´ll do that towards the end when it is in its correct position. 
 
I have also started on the propeller. I have sanded it to its general shape so to speak. But same here, waiting for the book and hope for some nice pictures on its final shape. I feel it is much easier to remove wood from the prop than replacing it, so I´m careful and only want to do the final sanding when I´m sure about its shape.
 

 

All the subassemblies so far! I have gotten to the moment when I realize "this one is going to get finished!". Even though it is still quite a lot of work there is no doubt it will get finished. Some time as I work on parts and put them away when it is finished and start on the next subassembly it can feel a bit hopeless. But when I put all the subassemblies together... I get the feeling that all I need to do is glue them together and it will be finished, it is a very nice feeling. I start to see a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not the headlamp of a train it is sunshine

The parts for the propeller. Important to glue them in the correct order and correct according to the other pieces. It would be difficult to scratch build if I mess this up

Engine. Assembled and primed black. I always use Games Workshop black primer. Very good primer. Gives a thin smooth layer to which paint adheres very well. It is expensive compared to other black primers but I would not use anything else. I especially like that it dries "very thin". Some primes coat details and "smothers" small details, this primer does not. Of course you still have to apply it correctly but doing that it will give excellent coverage and showing details.
 
Now I will start painting the details. I will also, dry brush and wash the engine to make it look much more realistic. 

 

Firewall in place and dry fitting engine. I have more pictures but have trouble uploading them. Anyway the engine is done with all washing and drybrushing and "aging". Turned out nice. In this picture it is not done, I finished it after dry fitting it here. I have also started to paint all the little instruments that goes into the cockpit area. I do deviate a bit from the instructions but I´m waiting for the book I´ve ordered. The instructions are ok in the kit but I sometimes a bit fuzzy so to speak. I hope the book will give some nice pictures or drawings where all the wires go and how all the "little things and instruments" are mounted and where. So while waiting I´m doing all the small stuff.
 
I hade to improvise the cables running from the engine, it was not enough wire in the kit so I used some scrounged up copper wire, it will be painted of course. I´ll do that towards the end when it is in its correct position. 
 
I have also started on the propeller. I have sanded it to its general shape so to speak. But same here, waiting for the book and hope for some nice pictures on its final shape. I feel it is much easier to remove wood from the prop than replacing it, so I´m careful and only want to do the final sanding when I´m sure about its shape.
 

 

Firewall in place and dry fitting engine. I have more pictures but have trouble uploading them. Anyway the engine is done with all washing and drybrushing and "aging". Turned out nice. In this picture it is not done, I finished it after dry fitting it here. I have also started to paint all the little instruments that goes into the cockpit area. I do deviate a bit from the instructions but I´m waiting for the book I´ve ordered. The instructions are ok in the kit but I sometimes a bit fuzzy so to speak. I hope the book will give some nice pictures or drawings where all the wires go and how all the "little things and instruments" are mounted and where. So while waiting I´m doing all the small stuff.
 
I hade to improvise the cables running from the engine, it was not enough wire in the kit so I used some scrounged up copper wire, it will be painted of course. I´ll do that towards the end when it is in its correct position. 
 
I have also started on the propeller. I have sanded it to its general shape so to speak. But same here, waiting for the book and hope for some nice pictures on its final shape. I feel it is much easier to remove wood from the prop than replacing it, so I´m careful and only want to do the final sanding when I´m sure about its shape.
 

 

Firewall in place and dry fitting engine. I have more pictures but have trouble uploading them. Anyway the engine is done with all washing and drybrushing and "aging". Turned out nice. In this picture it is not done, I finished it after dry fitting it here. I have also started to paint all the little instruments that goes into the cockpit area. I do deviate a bit from the instructions but I´m waiting for the book I´ve ordered. The instructions are ok in the kit but I sometimes a bit fuzzy so to speak. I hope the book will give some nice pictures or drawings where all the wires go and how all the "little things and instruments" are mounted and where. So while waiting I´m doing all the small stuff.
 
I hade to improvise the cables running from the engine, it was not enough wire in the kit so I used some scrounged up copper wire, it will be painted of course. I´ll do that towards the end when it is in its correct position. 
 
I have also started on the propeller. I have sanded it to its general shape so to speak. But same here, waiting for the book and hope for some nice pictures on its final shape. I feel it is much easier to remove wood from the prop than replacing it, so I´m careful and only want to do the final sanding when I´m sure about its shape.
 

 

Firewall in place and dry fitting engine. I have more pictures but have trouble uploading them. Anyway the engine is done with all washing and drybrushing and "aging". Turned out nice. In this picture it is not done, I finished it after dry fitting it here. I have also started to paint all the little instruments that goes into the cockpit area. I do deviate a bit from the instructions but I´m waiting for the book I´ve ordered. The instructions are ok in the kit but I sometimes a bit fuzzy so to speak. I hope the book will give some nice pictures or drawings where all the wires go and how all the "little things and instruments" are mounted and where. So while waiting I´m doing all the small stuff.
 
I hade to improvise the cables running from the engine, it was not enough wire in the kit so I used some scrounged up copper wire, it will be painted of course. I´ll do that towards the end when it is in its correct position. 
 
I have also started on the propeller. I have sanded it to its general shape so to speak. But same here, waiting for the book and hope for some nice pictures on its final shape. I feel it is much easier to remove wood from the prop than replacing it, so I´m careful and only want to do the final sanding when I´m sure about its shape.
 

 

Firewall in place and dry fitting engine. I have more pictures but have trouble uploading them. Anyway the engine is done with all washing and drybrushing and "aging". Turned out nice. In this picture it is not done, I finished it after dry fitting it here. I have also started to paint all the little instruments that goes into the cockpit area. I do deviate a bit from the instructions but I´m waiting for the book I´ve ordered. The instructions are ok in the kit but I sometimes a bit fuzzy so to speak. I hope the book will give some nice pictures or drawings where all the wires go and how all the "little things and instruments" are mounted and where. So while waiting I´m doing all the small stuff.
 
I hade to improvise the cables running from the engine, it was not enough wire in the kit so I used some scrounged up copper wire, it will be painted of course. I´ll do that towards the end when it is in its correct position. 
 
I have also started on the propeller. I have sanded it to its general shape so to speak. But same here, waiting for the book and hope for some nice pictures on its final shape. I feel it is much easier to remove wood from the prop than replacing it, so I´m careful and only want to do the final sanding when I´m sure about its shape.
 

 

All the subassemblies so far! I have gotten to the moment when I realize "this one is going to get finished!". Even though it is still quite a lot of work there is no doubt it will get finished. Some time as I work on parts and put them away when it is finished and start on the next subassembly it can feel a bit hopeless. But when I put all the subassemblies together... I get the feeling that all I need to do is glue them together and it will be finished, it is a very nice feeling. I start to see a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not the headlamp of a train it is sunshine

The parts for the propeller. Important to glue them in the correct order and correct according to the other pieces. It would be difficult to scratch build if I mess this up

Engine. Assembled and primed black. I always use Games Workshop black primer. Very good primer. Gives a thin smooth layer to which paint adheres very well. It is expensive compared to other black primers but I would not use anything else. I especially like that it dries "very thin". Some primes coat details and "smothers" small details, this primer does not. Of course you still have to apply it correctly but doing that it will give excellent coverage and showing details.
 
Now I will start painting the details. I will also, dry brush and wash the engine to make it look much more realistic.