WnW 1:32 AMC DH.2

[FarEast]

 

So after completing the Wingnut Wings Fokker E.I (LF70) project - still not finished as I am currently sculpting the pilot from the original 1916 photo, I decided that I would continue the theme of heavily rigged aircraft and move over to the Entente. Now what with the group build I considered building the FE.2b but I felt not so sure about the skill levels I possessed and opted for what my heart desired and that was the AMC (Airco) DH.2.

 

I wanted to build if for sometime now and actually own the Wingnut Wings Duelist set containing both the Fokker E.I and DH.2 but as both kits sold separately and in stock I decided to indulge and buy both kits separately and horde the Duelist set.

 

One of the other factors that played into the build was that I really wanted to give the Aviattic RFC Linen a try, I see many people using the Lozenge but nobody has posted a build using the linen. I used it extensively on the fuselage, underside of the wings and the tailplane of the Eindecker with great results and I wanted to see how a DH.2 would look that was predominantly covered in linen.

 

 

One last thing I learned from the Eindecker is that the rigging really makes the plane and the more detailed and accurate you can make those features the better it looks as the eye is naturally drawn to it. With this in mind I went about looking at the actual kit and identified some parts that would require a little more work to make them stand out some more (Similar to the carbane on the Eindecker where I replaced the turnbuckles with Gaspatch products) This time I turned to HGW Models and ordered the Super Detail set for the DH.2 along with the required turnbuckles from Gaspatch.

 

 

Now I really wanted to try out the Aviattic linens so jumped straight to the wings. The process I followed was this:

 

• Flat white base coat
• Masking off of ribs and internal supports
• Pre-shading using Tamiya Smoke heavily thinned 1:3 and 1:5
• Removal of masking tape
• Several thin layers of Flat white to soften in the Pre-Shading
• Pre-Weathering (under the Linen to simulate heavy staining and to add depth)
• Added solid (White backed) Linen Rib Tape
• Made templates of flight surfaces for linen
• Cut Decals and applied.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JeroenPeters]

Supercool!

Didn't you already sprayed Japanese Klear / Future over these?

[Fran]

Really fantastic!!! Uyp, I think he did Jeroen!! Where did I saw that?  

[Grimm]

Very nice! Really like the look of those decals, will be watching with interest.

[FarEast]

Yes gents I did

 

Supercool!

Didn't you already sprayed Japanese Klear / Future over these?

 

 

Really fantastic!!! Uyp, I think he did Jeroen!! Where did I saw that?

 

Yes Gentlemen I did, although the product is a domestic one and not Johnson's and regardless of what it says on the bottle there is ZERO wax in it!

 

This is 100% pure acrylic resin and is not perfumed! You have to be very quick when applying it undiluted and very nice to work with when thinned using Vallejo thinner. Airbrushing again is a dream and actually has the same consistency as Vallejo finisher although MUCH MUCH stronger.

 

I've also used it undiluted on windshields but it does pool up so I think I will try it again diluted at 1:3 ratio with Vallejo thinner again. 

[FarEast]

I got a very heavy session on the workbench on Saturday about 10 + hours - although I lost 2 hours hunting for the dog whom had decided to take himself for a walk after the wife left the garden gate unlocked (He knows how to flip the catch!) Although I have to admit it was nice to get out of the house and take a walk through the woods looking for him.

 

So more work on the wings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JonathanReed]

That is SOOO COOL!  

[FarEast]

It's a little too shiny for my liking right now Johnathan, so once I have completed the ailerons (they just need post shading now) I will give it all a very fine coat of Vallejo mat gloss and then give the ribs and intermediate ribs a fine coat of gloss where the fabric is stretched and shiny.

[FarEast]

My goal for the weekend;
 

• Finish the post shading on the upper and lower wings
• Complete the cockpit internals

With the wings masked already it was just a simple case of spraying the wings with a very thin coat of Tamiya smoke and leaving them in the dry box until I'm ready to go back to them.

Actually I want to try blend matte, satin and high gloss effects over the ribs of the wing to simulate the effect that the stressed linen had and that will require some experimentation.

 

 

All the small holes drilled out - It looks so much better than just leaving it as standard, although non of it will be seen once its all closed up as usual!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FarEast]

Sadly I ran out of time, I still have the pilots chair and micro fabric seat belts to go in along with the instrument panels, which I managed to get the wood effect finished on before cleaning everything up - so that's a job that can be done over the week.

[FarEast]

I couldn't resist it, before heading out to work this morning I took a few photos of the fuselage dry fitted to the lower wing with the phones camera.

 

 

 

[youngtiger1]

Very nice wir on this project. It's interesting to se your step-by-step painting process on the wings. It's simply amazing!

 

Mike

[FarEast]

Thank you Mike.

[Guest DannyVM]

James, i allready seen this on facebook, and still i can't help it but i keep looking at this wunderfull build log of you'rs.

 

The work you put into the DH.2 is simply said stunning

 

I like you're work allot my friend.

 

Greetz

 

Danny

[FarEast]

So on Friday the Taurus Models Gnome Monosoupape 100hp British rotary engine arrived along with some additional goodies for other builds in the stash.

 

But first I need to get the cockpit detail finished up.

 

 

 

The fabric seat belts by HGW are just simplicity when it comes to installing them and I will soak them with water mixed with pva glue to weigh them down and then manipulate them in to the desired position - they will then dry in that position

 

 

I also took the time to start on the pre-shading and weathering done I laid the base colours down in preparation for the Aviattic decals.

 

 

So with that done it was time to work on the Engine.

 

 

The parts are incredible and ridiculously small, this really pushed me to the limits and I honestly felt that I was out of my depth.

 

 

 

Half way there!

 

[Verbeek]

Dear sir, I see your building quality and that make me desist not to start building WnW anymore. From now on I only going to collect them. I will never, ever, get that point of building!

Just joking, not your building quality, but not going to work on myn WnW.

Just my way, to say, you are good!

And you are also a insperation for a lot of us.

Also my compliments of the great picture's you put by your builds.

 

Greets

 

Cor

[FarEast]

Dear sir, I see your building quality and that make me desist not to start building WnW anymore. From now on I only going to collect them. I will never, ever, get that point of building!

Just joking, not your building quality, but not going to work on myn WnW.

Just my way, to say, you are good!

And you are also a insperation for a lot of us.

Also my compliments of the great picture's you put by your builds.

 

Greets

 

Cor

 

Cor,

 

Many thanks my friend!

 

I build dirty worn aircraft as I have found its easier to hide my many mistakes

 

The photos are all taken with my mobile phone believe it or not, then I just add the graphics via photoshop!

[FarEast]

So last night I took a deep breath and finished up the Taurus Models; Gnome Monosoupape 100hp British rotary engine. It required some very fiddly work wrapping 0.2mm wire around an old drill bit to create a coil and then attached to the spark plugs at one end and then the electrical board, After two failed attempts on Tuesday and Wednesday I felt certain I had the technique.

 

Hard to see in this image as it was taken with the macro lens in a hurry - but the coils are very fiddly and delicate.

 

 

After about 30 minutes of work it was time to put it down and go eat.

 

 

[FarEast]

It's been a while since I last posted but things are moving along nicely - albeit a little slower due to parental duties (taxi services and one man soccer fan club)

 

The first order was getting the fuselage halves and corresponding parts together, after a few dry fittings and subsequent cleaning of parts she slotted together beautifully.

 

It took a few runs to get rid of the seam line that runs down the center of the nose cone but Mr. Surfacer and finisher are great and really airbrush on well, as you can see from the image I also removed all the appropriate detailing ready for the HGW ultra detail PE parts.

 

 

 

Again more cleaning and dry fitting and finally time to mount the fuselage to the lower wing and fix the engine in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FarEast]

Next up was the 'Emergency 5 gallon Gravity Fed Petrol Tank', I really didn't like the plastic breath tube and it didn't really respond well to having the end drilled or carved out. So in the end I decided to just replace it with a piece of brass tubing, well it was brass tubing so it was a 100% accurate modification

 

 

A drill hole and a single bend later and the 'Breath Tube' is done.

 

 

 

The whole thing was given a coat of Mr. Surfacer and then Mr. Finisher and painted up. The fuel gauge was painted with a thinned MIG AMMO Weathering Effect Fuel Stain and when the light catches it the effect is perfect.

[FarEast]

So the final job of the weekend was to start putting in the anchor points and turn buckles - having inspected numerous images of the only flying DH.2 replica (That happens to be in the same scheme I'm building) as well as some excellent photos courtesy of James Fahey, I realized I was going to need about 84 open ended buckles to complete the wings, I had exactly half that number so even before I started an order for 150 open end turnbuckles was sent to Gaspatch models with priority tracked shipping in the hope that they would reach me by the following weekend.

 

 

With those in place and no time to start other parts it was time to call it a day.

 

 

[FarEast]

So I've spent the last two days rigging, yesterday I got all the wing struts and braces done.

 

 

I also took a better photo of the finished emergency fuel line with cut off valve, this detail is actually missing from the Wingnut Wings DH.2 option A,B,C and D. Option E has the detail in low detail and no valve, so using 0.5, 0.3mm tubing and some nuts that fitted the scale I made my own.

 

Next up was all the fuselage bracing wires and after pouring over as many photos of the aircraft both vintage and modern replica I came to the decision that the kit is missing an addition mounting point on the lower wings for the bracing wires. 

 

Fortunately it was in a place that was accessible with my small pin vice drill and an additional turnbuckle was added.

 

 

 

Next up was the wheels and struts, again more bracing wires both on the fuselage and struts and I attached these before mounting them.

 

The final job was to assemble and paint the tail boom, this is currently dry fitted to the aircraft to retain its shape, I will attach the majority of the bracing wires before attaching it however my next job is to make a more detailed control line splitter rather than using the PE parts supplied with the kit.

 

[JonathanReed]

This is looking VERY good!  Love the texture and weathering!  

[FarEast]

Thanks Jonathan.

 

For those interest the emergency fuel tank line can follow several different routes depending on the location of the tank.

 

I especially like the version that follows the bracing wires on the early 1916 builds and may use this in my next DH.2 kit, for this one however I used the 'Alternative fuel line routing" for the simple fact its more interesting.

 

[Fran]

     

 

....... Fantastic James!