WnW Albatross D.V.a

[jknaus]

Looking good. I'd try the orange myself. But best way would be to make a test piece and try both. I'm too late to mention this I guess seeing as your engine is done, but Barracudacast makes a nice manifold

James

 

[paddy]

I finished the basic oil paint application for the wood panels so they need to dry for a week before i do any more to them. Leaning towards clear Orange.....and some pastel shading on the panel lines. the tail area i have left will be Black so no real need to grain it.

Lots of spare time now to mess about with the engine. I put some spark plugs in this side today and some leads from the magneto to see if it would look OK. I used a piece of brass tube for the wire carrier but i would be easy to drill the plastic part in the kit as well. leads are painted fishing line. someone cleverer than me could use copper wire i suppose.

 

[moon puppy]

did you really drill holes in the side of that pipe and thread the wire through??

 

[paddy]

No......I drilled holes in the pipe and put the bunch of wires in the end and separate wires out of the drilled holes but having said that it may have been easier to do what you said. End result would look the same though...

 

[phantom II]

Hey Padddy . That's looking pretty clever

Cheers, Christian B)

 

[paddy]

Bit of a set back today. I had cleaned a brush with isopropanol a minute or so before picking up the fuselage and while my fingers where dry a far as i was concerned they just melted straight through the oils on the side. Nothing to do but mask and strip both panels back to plastic and give them another base coat. Once dry tomorrow i will re do the oils. I hate doing things twice but these oils are not my cup of tea to be honest !! They don't ever seem to really stabilise.
What i did find however is that after 3-4 days you can buff them with a lint free cloth to a satin shine and then they dont need that clear orange coat which is just as well as it will just activate the oil again. I have studied loads of pictures of DV.a 's and they all seem to have a mat finish and no real viable grain and i think while a coat of orange might look woody in reality i suspect these were a much more pale flat weather beaten finish a bit like waxed marine ply.

 

[paddy]

Damaged panels repaired. I suppose the repaired panel add a touch of realism to this as they were probably repaired quite often in the field....... :laugh:

 

[moon puppy]

Fine work Paddy, really like that.

 

[jknaus]

Looking really spectacular. Nice work.
James

 

[paddy]

thanks guys

 

[paddy]

Engine installed and woodwork finished. Quite pleased for a first attempt at woodwork in larger area's, I didnt go with a Orange or yellow clear coat in the end just a gloss clear..clear coat for the decals at this stage..

i will finish off the guns and screen/sight etc next as once the wings are on they will be unreachable.

Thanks :v

 

[phantom II]

That looks very nice Paddy. Great detail

Cheers, Christian B)

 

[jknaus]

Really coming together Paddy. Lovely work
James

 

[moon puppy]

Engine installed and woodwork finished. Quite pleased for a first attempt at woodwork in larger area's, I didnt go with a Orange or yellow clear coat in the end just a gloss clear..clear coat for the decals at this stage..

i will finish off the guns and screen/sight etc next as once the wings are on they will be unreachable.

Thanks :v

Looking good Paddy

Just how much rigging will be on this bird? That's really the one turn off I have with these kits. Probably because I don't use the right materials, the ol' fishing string just doesn't cut it for me.

 

[paddy]

Whats wrong with fishing line :laugh:

Not much rigging on the albatross, at least the Germans didn't use double wires on everything.

 

[moon puppy]

Nothing if you know what you're doing!

Mine look like crap on the Pup. I'd get one line tight and another would slacken. just couldn't get them balanced.

 

[paddy]

Ah well you heat them up when you finished and they tighten themselves up. I just wave a soldering iron under them and they go like a guitar string.

 

[chukw]

Awesome sauce, Paddy! :drinks

 

[paddy]

Following a false starty where i got the lozenge pattern running the wrong way...... I have now finished putting all that right and am now half way through putting on the wing tapes

I don't think i will be doing another lozenge pattern for quite some time

 

[Sharkmouth]

I don't think i will be doing another lozenge pattern for quite some time

No one would ever know about that false start, it looks fine so you can approach the next one with experience (so says the person who did not apply another lozenge pattern after the first...).

Regards,