AEG G.IV - Creature of the Night by DocRob - Wingnut Wings - 1/32

[DocRob]

I have to admit, I was less than thrilled with the Twins-GB over on LargeScaleModeler initially, when I read about it on my Berlin vacancy. Back home, I decided to browse through my stash for inspirations, still unsure about my participation.

Lots of twins to choose, but one immediately rang a bell, the monstrous (for it´s time) night bomber version of the AEG G.IV by Wingnut Wings. I have a soft spot for quirky designs and since I bought the kits years ago, it was sometimes on my schedule, but was dropped, because of sheer size and complexity.

Well, now with the GB, there is another possibility to tackle this lozenged monster. I´m absolutely not sure, if I can finish the AEG until July, but will try.


 

This is the kit and this will be the chosen scheme, but with the shark-? mouth only in white.
The entire airframe will be decaled with the kit supplied night lozenge and I have to experiment a bit with the underlying color for contrast and accentuation.
 

 

I will use some AM, like HGW Seat belts, Gaspatch MG´s and HGW masks. The figure of the boy will play a role along with a mechanic, which is still to choose.
I think about adding Rexx metal exhausts and skipped the thought about adding Taurus timing gear for the engines. I watched at many pictures and decided, the gear is hidden under the wing in a tube metal cage, so not a lot can be seen and I will enhance the kit parts with some detailing.
 

 

Rigging will be a nightmare and I´m not finally decided about the rigging material. I liked fishing line and Bob´s buckles a lot with other builds, but may simplify rigging a bit. A while ago I thought about a method, gluing in the thread directly into holes, pre drilled through the wing. this can be pulled taught from above, sealed with CA and cut flush, when dry. Because of the later to apply lozenge decals, the holes will remain invisible. 
Later I found a build log, where the builder used that method on his AEG build and it worked, lets hope the best.
 

I will further use Karim Bibis great PDF-book, which I acquired from KLP publishing and use it as a guideline through the complex build.
 

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

Well, it´s a bomber, why not starting with the bombs and the exhausts. In this case, it´s because the smaller 12,5 kg bombs will be filled into inboard racks and have to be painted first. I glued the parts together along with the exhausts, to evaluate the need for substituting them with AM. There are bombs from Kellerkind and the metal exhausts by Rexx. The parts look promising, but I will decide after priming.

This beast was able to carry a bomb load of up to 800 kg and a later -.b version could handle a 1000 kg bomb, a lot more than the Gotha. It seems the ground was the worst enemy of this type, as many crash landed, due to night conditions and the tendency to nose dive easily when touching down. 
Earlier types were used in daytime raids, but better fighter coverage pushed the AEG´s into night duty.
 

 

 

Cheers Rob

[Egilman]

The AEG III/IV was the first aircraft that Von Richtoften went into combat in....  He started out as a gunner/observer in that forward seat.... (claimed two enemy aircraft as well, but they weren't confirmed so they didn't count as was the custom of the day) He was eventually transferred to the Romanian front where he flew in two seaters as a gunner and pilot and then transferred to fighters after a chance meeting with Bolke....

 

I'm in for this one.... That late war scheme is going to be something special....

[davec]

I have this one on the shelf for someday - it's so big it won't fit into my display case and I'm not sure where I would put it if I finished.  I'm looking forward to seeing your build.

[DocRob]

15 hours ago, Egilman said:

The AEG III/IV was the first aircraft that Von Richtoften went into combat in....  He started out as a gunner/observer in that forward seat.... (claimed two enemy aircraft as well, but they weren't confirmed so they didn't count as was the custom of the day) He was eventually transferred to the Romanian front where he flew in two seaters as a gunner and pilot and then transferred to fighters after a chance meeting with Bolke....

 

I'm in for this one.... That late war scheme is going to be something special....

Welcome on board Egilman, it´s a three seater but it will be a bumpy ride, hopefully without a crash landing. I always liked lozenge camo pattern and built some day schemes and one naval, but never a night lozenged bird.
I´m no expert about Richthofens vita, but I think, he was a gunner in a AEG G.II, an earlier model with less engine power and payload.

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

13 hours ago, davec said:

I have this one on the shelf for someday - it's so big it won't fit into my display case and I'm not sure where I would put it if I finished.  I'm looking forward to seeing your build.

Some of your questions, I will answer later for myself Dave. It definitely is a large plane and huge project. I built some smaller WWI planes beforehand and somehow, these builds were very rewarding and motivating, but never easy. I hope it will be the same with the AEG, but generally the WNW kits are well designed and the delicate nature of these build lies in rigging and finishing. I´d like to see your effort with it.

 

Cheers Rob

[Egilman]

3 hours ago, DocRob said:

he was a gunner in a AEG G.II, an earlier model with less engine power and payload.

Yes, he was first assigned to Feldflieger Abteilung 69 at Lemberg over the Galicia front July/August 1915 where he flew in Gotha G.I's.... Then he was reassigned in late August to the BAO (Brieftauben-Abteilun Ostende) at Ostend on the Belgian coast where he flew in both the Gotha G.I and AEG G.II's and early G.III's the only differences between the G.II and G.III were the more powerful mercedes engines and the barrel shaped forward tub was armored in the G.III... WnW produced the early AEG G.IV, (which I have) it was the last of the barrel nosed versions... I will have to back date it to a G.III to produce the Richtoften aircraft.... After that he went through pilot training October/December at Dobernitz and ceased being a gunner/observer... (but he still flew bomber aircraft, the Albatross C.III, the Roland and the Rumpler)

 

In May of 1916 he joined Jasta 2 at the request of Boelke and became a fighter pilot....

Edited February 10 by Egilman

[DocRob]

I ordered the missing mechanic and Rexx exhausts for the AEG, my Albatros D.V and Fokker D.VII. The mechanic will be this fellow by Kellerkind:

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

I cleaned a zillion parts after cutting them from the sprue. With the tight tolerances, WNW kits usually have, this should be done with great attention. Before I start painting, I´ve done some test fitting, to see, how the innards of the AEG lay out and how the fit will be and which parts are visible and need painting and weathering. Test fitting was promising so far, but yeah these tolerances will call for scraping away paint and use the fiber pencil as my best friend for mating surfaces.
 

 

 

 

Cheers Rob

[Canute]

Rob, this looks like a very interesting build. This bird looks quite the beast with the shark mouth motif. Hope you get minimum hassles from this ungainly bird.

[DocRob]

27 minutes ago, Canute said:

Rob, this looks like a very interesting build. This bird looks quite the beast with the shark mouth motif. Hope you get minimum hassles from this ungainly bird.

Thank you Ken, usually the WNW kits are very good, but you need to be careful, not to break the delicate parts. In case of the AEG, I re-bag the sprues, because of the very fragile parts. I don´t do that normally.
Yes, there is the rigging, but I found out lately, that rigging a sailing boat is much more demanding.
The build will be a challenge for sure, but I expect no unsolvable obstacles, other what I might produce with my clumsy hands.

 

Cheers Rob

[Javlin]

Nice Choice Rob for here and I am sure the GB @ LSM I am still working the Tiger so the Sally waits.

[Landlubber Mike]

Man that fit looks perfect.  Love the mechanic, so much character!

[davec]

You mentioned using a fiber pencil for mating surfaces. I haven't heard of this before.  What are you using??

 

thanks!!

[DocRob]

11 hours ago, Javlin said:

Nice Choice Rob for here and I am sure the GB @ LSM I am still working the Tiger so the Sally waits.

Cant´t wait for Sally, Kevin and yes the night monster is my contribution to the LSM Twins GB.

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

8 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Man that fit looks perfect.  Love the mechanic, so much character!

Thank you Mike, it is a fascinating plane, indeed. What´s mor with these old crates, there are so many different materials to replicate, wood, metal cloth, rope, ..., right down my alley.

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

15 minutes ago, davec said:

You mentioned using a fiber pencil for mating surfaces. I haven't heard of this before.  What are you using??

I´m using a similar model like this one here, Dave. The white tip is a bundle of glass fibers. These glass fiber pencils are very useful, to remove paint on mating surfaces or oxidation from electronic parts. If you use them, you should wear a respirator or at leas a dust mask. There are very fine particles of the fibers in the air, while using it. 

 

Cheers Rob

 

[DocRob]

This is my first take on the salt technique, I chose the bombs for testing, because I wanted to know, how they look in the end, and if I have to replace them with AM. Normally, I build my planes without ordonnance, but in this case, I chose them for contrast and for learning the salt technique. If I´m satisfied, I will use the method for the inside of the cockpit as well, which is primed and salted and waiting for some paint.

First they were primed with Mr. Surfacer 1500 in black
 

Then the bombs were brushed with water with an added drop of detergent for better distribution and then salted with irregular salt grains from a mill.
 

 

After drying, I shot a layer of AK Real color RLM 76 overall and now let them dry until tomorrow, before removing the salt. The contrast will be too harsh by far, but that´s ok, because I want to overspray again with color in translucent layers until I reach the desired effect.
First, I wanted to use Tamiya XF-23 but opted for the slightly more bluish tint of the AK color.
 

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

I continued with the bombs, removing the salt entirely, which left me with this:
 

 

Later, I over sprayed everything with translucent layers of RLM 76 and got what I was looking for. Next will be a panel wash and the brass detonator caps.
 

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

I also started with the interior painting. As Opposed to other planes of the time, most of the interior was painted and not left in wood. Again, I used the salt technique, which was a bit of a challenge with a humidity around 90%. The salted parts soaked humidity out of the air and stayed very wet. I had to repeat the salting, using less water and let dry for only some minutes and then use the airbrush for further drying, directly before airbrushing. I used Tamiya XF 76 (IJN light grey green).

I sprayed a thin layer over the salt with the interior side parts loosely inserted into the fuselage, to have shadows, where the tubes are. The salt was removed then and again, the XF 76 was misted on in pronouncing patterns, until I was satisfied for now. The effect is a bit hard to capture on photos, but it´s more or less the same rendition and intensity all around.
 

 

 

 

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

The last step for today, was applying some wooden texture onto the cockpit floor. This is very crude and only made with a PE template, first spraying desert yellow, followed by red brown. I decided against the much more refined oil technique, because only a bit of this will be visible. Next, I apply some chipping fluid and then spray Nato black on top, which will then be scratched away with different tools.
 

 

Cheers Rob

[Toolmaker]

On 2/11/2024 at 12:10 PM, DocRob said:

I´m using a similar model like this one here, Dave. The white tip is a bundle of glass fibers. These glass fiber pencils are very useful, to remove paint on mating surfaces or oxidation from electronic parts. If you use them, you should wear a respirator or at leas a dust mask. There are very fine particles of the fibers in the air, while using it. 

 

Cheers Rob

 

A few seconds with one of these is great preparation prior to soft soldering brass photo etch. Refillable regarding the fibre glass brissles. Your right though Rob, thinking about it I do now wonder about the safe usage, albeit a bit late having used them for years.

[DocRob]

Well, I finished the cockpit flooring and start with the detail painting of the cockpit area now. 
The wood finished cockpit floor was covered with two layers of chipping fluid, which I used for the firs time. I cannot see, where it performs better than hairspray, which I used successful multiple times, beside the smell.
After drying, I spray Nato black onto the floor, slightly mottled and as much, that the woodgrain was barely visible.
 

 

Next was the abrasion of Nato black with different tools, a stiff pointed brush, a fiber eraser, a toothpick and tweezers after dampening the area. I emphasized the wear, where boots might have scratched the color off, around the seats and close to the sliding tunnel for the crew.
That is where I am right now, but I guess, the apparently heavy used look will be a bit more restrained through adding lots of painted details and decals and seat belts.
 

 

 

Cheers Rob

[Tim Moore]

Genius work Rob! Your salting technique has really worked to give that interior an authentic grubby look.

[DocRob]

Thank you Tim, it´s a bit stark now, but I think with all the details added, it will come out good. Hard to imagine that these planes had a long lifespan, given the conditions they were flown in, but that was the look, I wanted to achieve from the beginning.

Cheers Rob

[RGL]

I have this on my shelf as well for the future. Look forward to following you. 

[davec]

I'm really impressed by the weathering - I usually build mine so they look like they just came out of the factory.  I ordered the fiber pen and an looking forward to trying it - should arrive early this week.

 

Dave

[DocRob]

On 2/17/2024 at 5:28 AM, RGL said:

I have this on my shelf as well for the future. Look forward to following you.

Good to have you around, Greg. The AEG was sitting on my shelf as well for a while, until the twins group build over on LargeScaleModeler started and I decided, now is the time, no more hesitation about size or a complicated build.
 

18 hours ago, davec said:

I'm really impressed by the weathering - I usually build mine so they look like they just came out of the factory.  I ordered the fiber pen and an looking forward to trying it - should arrive early this week.

Thank you Dave, when I start a new project, I have a very detailed image shaped up in my head, about how the finished kit should look. I also pre think about the techniques, I´m willing to learn and to use through the build. Some of my builds look also factory fresh, but others not.
With the AEG, it was an easy choice, these open topped, oil spilling monsters are an invitation for weathering and wear through usage.

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

Among many other things, I finished the bombs, using a brown oil color wash and a light grey weathering pencil to highlight the rivets. The fuses were painted with Ak´s true metal wax brass.
 

 

The instrument panel got basically painted and after taking the pictures received a coat of gloss as preparation for decaling. 
 

 

The backside will be barely visible, so only a crude detail painting was applied.
 

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

The instrument panel and other decal receiving parts were gloss coated with Tamiya LP clear gloss and I applied a black panel wash. The decals went on very good, it´s Cartograph quality, but I found, they needed an unusual long soaking time. I shattered one dial, because I started to apply it too early, but could recover the parts.
The fit and design of the decals is perfect, which can be seen with the switchboard on the IP, which is one large decal. It lay down perfectly after some applications of Tamiya decal adhesive softener type and pushing the decals down with a soft brush after heating them with a hairdryer.
The IP was matte coated at last
I decided against gloss for the bezels, which would be too shiny for my wanted appearance.
 

 

 

Cheers Rob