Danstream

I didn't comment this build before, but I am catching up now. This is a great representation of a Fokker DVII, very carefully assembled as usual and which hardly gives away its paper-made nature. I love how you molded the louvres of the cowlings. I made a WnW model several years ago and I got to love this plane. Congratulations, Dan

Could you address me to where? I don't remember a build of yours with these schemes.

Well, I have not yet decided which version will I choose, but surely a very colorful one. Thanks for dropping by, Dan

Nicely done. Great, spotless black finish. Congrats, Dan

Hi, thanks for your comments and 'like's. Indeed, the metallic paints are a bit fragile, but they deliver nice results if treated with care. Here it is the green anti-glare spine freshly painted (dark green XF-61): Then, the SBS cylinders were dry fitted: I didn't use any glue for them, because I wanted to leave them some play to allow some adjustments for when the gas collector ring is mounted. Finally, the Bristol Jupiter is complete, the gas collector ring is glued on and it is keeping the cylinders in place (I hope): Also in this case, all the parts were finished with different shades of Vallejo Metal paints. In particular, the collector was first sprayed with 'steel', then the shine was a bit muted with a matt brown diluted mist and finally, some 'dark aluminum' dry brushing was applied on selected areas. I tried to keep everything rather dark, as seen on pictures of the real aircraft. My Bulldog is slowly taking shape, but some difficult steps have still to come. After some initial hesitations, I can say that I appreciate very much this kit. Best regards, Dan

@Javlin, thanks for your comment, which I didn't see before. Sorry for reacting so late, you comments were always appreciated. Best regards, Dan

Brilliant! from the upper side, although it seems you have some reservations, I couldn't notice big blemishes. Now rereading your text, perhaps you mean that the edge of the fillet panel doesn't run side-by-side with the edge of the black anti-slip strip. But that is hardly noticeable for one that doesn't know all the fine details of the build. So, I can say it is a good save. Dan

Good luck with the modification. The work so far is very nice. Best regards, Dan

Dear all, progress is now very slow because from now on additional parts need to be completely finished first and then glued on without damaging the metallic finished parts. I coated the painted assembly with Tamiya X-22 which didn't dull too much the reflective paint and then I glued in place the short struts that brace the junction between the fuselage and the lower wing and the power generators as well. I already managed to scratch the chrome finish once and I had to reapply the metallic paint and the clear varnish. From now on, I must remember to protect the metallic paints with a piece of low tack tape close to the area where I am working. The other side had the same treatment: Next, I will paint the anti glare matt green on the spine of the fuselage. In parallel, I started to work on the engine. This is surely a focal point of the Bulldog fuselage and needs some care. I bought the nice replacements 3D printed by SBS that represent the cylinder heads without the rocker covers as seen in period pictures. The SBS parts are very accurate and they come with a gas collector ring which is slightly more detailed than the kit part. Actually, the replacement of these parts is absolutely not necessary, nevertheless, I was pleased with the purchase. As I said, not much progress to show, but just few small steps. Best regards, Dan

Hi all, thanks for following and for the likes! Back to my Bulldog, I sprayed its fabric covered parts with a Vallejo Metal color 'white aluminum' following a careful wet sanding with ultra fine grits: Before proceeding with the masking, I waited two days for the paint to fully cure and then I coated it with a Tamiya gloss clear (X-22) for providing additional protection. When I was really sure that everything was cured, I masked off the fabric surfaces and sprayed the uncovered cowl panels with a Tamiya gloss black (X-1) in preparation for the required shinier metallic parts: For these latter parts, I used a Vallejo Metal 'chrome' obtaining a nice metallic reflective finish: I tried to keep all the applied paint layers as thin as possible so not to obliterate the nice surface details. Now the build is getting more and more difficult because there is the risk of scratching or marring the metallic finished while adding the remaining numerous details. I will let the chrome paint to cure for at least a day and then I will protect it with a layer of X-22 which I hope will not mute dramatically the reflectivity of the finish. That's all for now, Best regards, Dan

Hi all, thanks for your feedback! @Diver, indeed, I also read that about D. Bader. I went on and after some little repairs and a wet sanding session, I put back the tail feathers on the plane. The elevators were positioned slightly drooped and also the rudder was slightly off neutral to add some movement. Probably the rudder cables, which are made of stretched sprue, are a bit out of scale, but I couldn't handle thinner ones. Another light coat of Mr. Surfacer 1500 followed to reveal remaining blemishes. Next, a silver dope paint will follow for the fabric covered parts before putting on additional small accessories. To the next installment, best regards, Dan

Dear all, after long time spent in my home country, I back home and I am again here for posting a WIP about a new Airfix kit, i.e. their recent Bristol Bulldog in 1:48 scale. The subject is a classic British biplane which was produced and flew during the inter-war period. This is a little kit which is quite known by now and this is its box with its rather nice box art: You might find reviews on the web concluding that this is a nice kit and indeed the level of surface details is very nice: However, in my opinion, one drawback is the quality of the plastic which is a bit rubber-like, hence difficult to cut and sand cleanly. I started with the cockpit which renders the internal truss structure and few other details rather nicely. I replaced the seat with an Eduard resin, not because the one of the kit is not good, but because I wanted to buy their p.e. harness which came with a resin seat. The cockpit assembly had to be painted black and once included in the closed fuselage, very little can be seen from the cockpit opening. I also painted the inner sidewalls of the fuselage with two colors to represent the metallic panels and the fabric covered part: I replaced the instrument panel of the kit with a Yahu one which is quite nice: Finally, the complete assembled cockpit is placed inside the fuselage. From the dimension of my fingers you can see that this is really a tiny model: Once the fuselage was closed, the distinctive fairings of the cylinder heads were also glued on. Several points on the junctions had to be addressed on the upper and on the lower side. As said, the plastic gets crazed when sliced or sanded and this makes for me difficult to judge when a seam is finally ok. Several applications of Mr. Surfacer were necessary to fill small gaps. I also separated the elevators from the tailplanes before gluing them on the fuselage. The trailing edge of the wings are too thick for this scale and some extending sanding is necessary. Finally, the lower wing is sanded and glued in place. Now everything is ready for a preliminary coat of Mr. Surfacer 1500 that will allow to check the work done so far. The result is not bad, with only few blemishes requiring further work. I am going also to wet sand everything with a very fine grit to insure a smooth surface in view of the silver finish. That's all for now, best regards, Dan

@ccoyle, @AJohnson, @GrandpaPhil, @FriedClams, thank you very much for all your nice feedback input! I am glad that you liked my result. @gsdpic and @DocRob in particular, commented the weathering which indeed was for me one of the theme of this build. It is great to know that you found it pleasing and not obvious. Thanks also to those that followed the build and hit the 'like' (even 'wow') buttons here and in the post of my build log. At present, I am halting my modeling activity because I will be traveling to Italy, my home country. I will stay away quite long time, but I will keep an eye on the forum, although I expect I will not be very responsive. See you when I am back, until then stay healthy and enjoy your hobbies, warmest greetings, Dan

Very neatly done and finished! A real beauty. Dan

You have a fantastic model there. It is full of details and finely built. Congrats, Dan