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Roden DH-2

Rhino said:
Does the rigging lend any rigidity to the big model? A bit of weight in the nose, perhaps? Metal machine gun? :bm:
Excellent build as usual!
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I have used fishing line which when heated contracts to give tension. On the wings it gives a lot of strength, probably most of the strength but it doesn't help with the frame work fuselage as when tensioned it just pulls the frame out of shape.
TBH the rigidity is becoming less of a problem as i go on because it becoming more and more difficult to pick the model up, partly because of the rigging and also because no one part is really strong enough to support the rest. At the moment the nose is the only way to handle it but once i attach the ruder and elevator wires it will be difficult to even pick it up by the nose :)

If i built another i would replace the small plastic pins on the struts with hard piano wire and build in rigidity to the whole wing "sandwich"
 
I thought your soldered tube idea showed great merit as well, but what a tedious pain it could be.
It seems not much flying about will be done with the big Roden model. Pity, that.
 
The real problem would be the vertical struts are like the wing struts so shaped in 3 dimensions, the plus side would there are only four :)
 
Beautiful work and great attention to detail. You are transforming a' pig into a pearl'!
I love the rigging, you make it look so easy. :notworthy
 
just a teaser... I will get a flat coat on this tomorrow and take some pictures :)

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Rhino said:
Outstanding! :vgood:
I'm interested in your impressions of the Roden kit. Your thoughts?
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Well i sent myself a challenge to build this rather than spend 4x the price on a WnW version.
I have built a WnW 2 seat version back in the day so impressions are......
The Roden Decals are useless. The blue 4 on the top wing lifted with a flat coat and all of them silvered again round the edges, with the flat coat., They are pretty thick and impervious to micro sol :)
Detail on the Roden kit is there but its very soft as is the plastic used. The struts and framework need beefing up because the plastic is not hard enough so twists and bends under the weight of added parts.
The pin and hole method of location of parts again is soft, some of the pins are just small bumps in the plastic and nearly all the holes need opening up. This sort of model needs really good location points to give it rigidity
Instructions are next to useless in fact so bad i used the WnW instructions downloaded from scalemates.

BUT

That said when finished its comparable to a WNW model, the extra detail a WnW has in abundance is a joy to build but probably doesn't add a lot to the finished build because its either not seen or can be added to the Roden kit if needed anyway.
I added the rigging points and top wing, pullies etc which isn't hard, i added the frame work in the cockpit rather than use the soft impression of framework in the fuselage sides. I bought the Eduard PE set but like most PE sets, i didn't use 75% of it :)
I made all the rigging fittings rather than go for ready made like Bobs buckles, again, its not hard to make your own once you get started.
Bottom line is, don't expect a lot from the Roden kit and you wont be disappointed, i leave you to judge if you think its "shelfworthy"


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Well one thing for sure, you gave it a good whippin'! With proper decals it would have been a standout.
 
My problem was the decals didn't silver until the mat coat and that of course seals them in. I got the #4 of the top wing as that was really bad but removing the roundels once it was rigged was not going to work.
Oh well :cool:
 
Major Hawker? He isn't wearing the warm "fug boots" Hawker popularized in the RFC, is he?
I cain't speak for everyone here, but I enjoy watching your "process". It is a fact that I don't build the same sort of kit or scale you do, or manufacture the details that bring realism to the most unsophisticated kit. Such things inspire me to see more of "what could be" in my own application of Model Mojo.

The DH.2 is a keeper for sure! :good:

I wonder if there are local model shows that you might enter your completed models in? I know some guys that don't enter contests. Some of these are accomplished modelers that make stunning builds. I encourage them to attend and enter. First, you never know who else might be inspired by your work/play. Second, supporting the local club can be rewarding.

I try to decide which of your models are my favorite. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool airplane nut, and fan of all things nautical. Hmm.
It must be the Bentley Blower. It's just cool!

My 2 bits.
 
Many thanks Rhino
The UK model scene is not very pleasant.
There is a strange class system, a sort of hierarchy where each level looks down on the lower level and rising up these levels depends much more on personality and kowtowing than any ability to build a model.
This is one reason i only post on 2 websites and both are American.
For Example....There are several self proclaimed Spitfire "experts" her that troll the various model making websites . No doubt they have a few books that make them experts and between them they have decided on the definitive answers to 100% of all spitfire related questions. No if's no but's n o discussions "they " have heard it all before and are pretty derogatory to anyone even asking these questions.
The classic one is always, what colour were the undersides of early Spitfire and Hurricanes. SKY you shout, but there are many different skys and no paint manufacture has ever agreed with another on which is which,
As a 1960's child i was bought up on Airfix Duck Egg Blue ;-) and this was also the colour used by the film makers in the "The battle of Britain" just 20 years after the event so well with in living memory. Remember top fighter pilots from both sides advised on this film from Adolf Garland to Douglas Bader, James Lacey, Robert Stanford Tuck, and Dowding himself. I even found a War ministry reference of the time referring to "Duck egg blue" as a "paint used in the field" to cover over the early black and white scheme. But oh no :) I was treading on the toes of the self appointed experts and i was relegated down to lowest of low, no comments were made on my builds anymore, questions were no longer answered and i was ostracized from the sites. :)


Do you know what ? I would much rather mix with the beginners or those that try hard, get fun from the hobby, paint with thick brushes, get glue on canopies and get satisfaction from their builds anyway and don't need to be judged by these experts, most of who have not built a model in years anyway ....

Sorry for the rant

There was classic comedy sketch here in the 60's about this sort of class system that spoils the clubs here be it a motorcycle club, car club or model club.

 
Great job Paddy, I love it. Sometimes it's just fun to beat that sucker into shape! :coolio2: :geek:.
I hear you on the model club stuff......we have the same down here and I steer away these days from any clubs or special groups as they all seem the same the world over - a place where some individuals just love to rule over everyone else.

* you could use some matching flat paint to cover up the frosting around the 4. I have used this method before and it works.
 
SO FREAKIN’ NEAT!!!

When I was a kid I had a book of drawings of WW1 aircraft, mostly in combat, and this, along with the SE-5A were faves! A will be watching!
 
Paddy your story kind of follows my own for coming here to post. I tried to start a thread on Large Scale Planes and all they could do was put down my posting style in such a way that is totally ticked me off. I killed the thread and was banned. Not worth going back there. Yeah, even after all these years I have a very low opinion of a number of yoyos on that site.
 
paddy said:
There is a strange class system, a sort of hierarchy where each level looks down on the lower level and rising up these levels depends much more on personality and kowtowing than any ability to build a model.
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Not just UK sites, it is a Global thing. :(
paddy said:
For Example....There are several self proclaimed Spitfire "experts" her that troll the various model making websites . No doubt they have a few books that make them experts and between them they have decided on the definitive answers to 100% of all spitfire related questions. No if's no but's n o discussions "they " have heard it all before and are pretty derogatory to anyone even asking these questions.
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I have MANY books but will listen as I hope to learn. It is hard to trust books when many are based on second hand knowledge. Your example of the Duck Egg Blue is perfect as advisors to the film would have pointed it out.
paddy said:
Do you know what ? I would much rather mix with the beginners or those that try hard, get fun from the hobby, paint with thick brushes, get glue on canopies and get satisfaction from their builds anyway and don't need to be judged by these experts, most of who have not built a model in years anyway ....

Sorry for the rant
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Don't be sorry!

Even though some think I am an expert (I am definitely not), I prefer modelers enjoy their builds. I will gladly share references I have if they want to go into deeper dives of details but (perhaps, you've noticed?) I rarely enter into color debates other than what was officially decreed. From an official name to what was produced are routes fraught with too many variables!

I'm glad you're posting here.
 
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