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Peter, I always enjoy your updates and creativity. Simply put, seeing all these skills come together is something special. Wonderful work. Paul

Hello, I thought this topic would have been posted by now but I'll kick it off. WNW has now released their AEG G IV in both early and late versions. I've ordered the early version, mainly because I can't help myself when it comes to WNW products. Cheaper than other forms of addiction I guess. Does anyone else have the same affliction? What are the general thoughts out there? Cheers Paul

Is it just me or is it, given Ronny Bar does the WNW boxart, that there may be a big hint posted above? Paul

Hi Derek, I love detail. I love all those little parts that come with a kit such as this and that go towards recreating your chosen subject in miniature. Hence, although expensive, I think this kit is definitely worth the outlay. If the cutaway version is like this, then I'd be inclined to say yes. A super-detail builder could go mad. The possibilities are endless. I guess it really comes down to what you value in a kit. I seem to remember that there is a review on either this or the LSP forums. Someone may be able to provide a link or you could do a web search. When I'm not sure about a kit I try to find out as much as possible before I buy. Hope this helps Paul

Hi Derek, I just re-read your post and realised your were referring to James Hatch. Now, there is someone who builds beautiful models! I too would love to see James work his magic with this kit. Paul

Hi Derek, Thanks for your post. I haven't bought the cut away kit yet but it's definitely on my mind. In the meantime WNW has just released their Hansa Bradenberg (early) and are about to release the Felixstowe flying boats, not to mention the AEG Jan/Feb next year. All of which I'll acquire, probably after I've sold some of my children. (WNW is my drug of choice - I can't help myself.) And of course HK models is due to release their 1/32 Mosquito and Lancaster next year too. You can possibly see my dilemma. With respect to building my Catilina it's been a very quiet year. Not long after I started this thread I changed roles in my work which required some rather intensive training. Further to that it's only just recently that I've installed a purpose built work area in my workshop. So finally I can quickly and easily do some modelling when I get a spare moment. Right now I'm building the Revell MkII Spitfire with all the AM kit. I haven't started a build thread as I'm a bit ashamed of not having made more progress with this build. I'll take photos as I go and post the results once it's complete. Cheers Paul

Wow, fantastic news - doesn't get too much better than that. Is there a projected release date yet?

Hi Everyone, Seems a shame to miss out on the voting: 1. Handley Page O/400 - "A bloody great paralyzer of a machine!!" 2. Sopwith Dolphin 3. BE2 - they made a significant contribution to German Ace tallies. I love the WNW kits and as far as I'm concerned they can do no wrong!! Paul

Hi Remco, What a fantastic project. I look forward to following along and seeing how you overcome the challenges involved. Paul

Hi all, This is possibly old news but it looks like the DFW is now on sale in both mid and late production. Just bought both kits - not sure how I'm going to explain that home. Oh well, you only live once!! Cheers Paul

I can't help myself - very unusual - I must get one!!! Paul

Hi James, Thanks for the encouragement. I've followed your builds and they are quite inspirational. There is so much fantastic detail in this kit that it seems a shame to close it all up. A cut-away version would look fantastic!! (HPH have recently released their cut-away He-111 conversion kit which is definitely on my radar.) I'm very much learning as I go, particularly when it comes to painting and finishing, so I'll be asking questions as things progress. As this is such a big build I'm looking to build some smaller kits in parallel. I've just bought the Silverwings Bristol Bulldog and Hawker Hart that I'd like to try some new techniques with, namely finishing in aluminium foil. The Alley Cat Henschel HS-123 is also something that is in my stash that is begging to be built. Paul

Hi All, Welcome back to another small update of the unbelievably slow Catalina build. The photo below shows the how the cylinder heads are presented. Each one needs some time spent cleaning up but I love the cast detail right down to the individual cooling fins. For each cylinder head there is, of course, the cylinder itself. Again, each requires removal from the cast and individual sanding. Only light though as it's easy to go too far and ruin the part. - Don't ask me how I know. Fortunately, there are more cylinders and heads supplied than actually required. It's hard to see in the picture but the cooling fins have been replicated on the cylinder bodys too. And below, it's starting to look like an engine. Bear in mind there are 28 cylinders and cylinder heads to assemble, not to mention the associated pushrods, manifolds, and ignition systems and cooling baffles to assemble. I'm treating this whole project as a series of smaller projects - something along the lines of "eat the elephant one bite at a time". I'd also like to highlight, for anyone doing this build, that the cylinder heads come in two sets. One for the forward cylinders and one set for the rear cylinders. Although not immediately obvious each set is different and must be assembled correctly to facilitate fitting the pushrods and manifolds. Hopefully I can better illustrate this as assembly progresses. With respect to glues, I've found Araldite 5 min epoxy used in very small amounts to work well in this situation as the parts are small with no structural loads during assembly. Cheers (And now to my other job looking after two very lively under fives - I think a park with lots of running around is the order of the day!!) Paul

Lovely build and quite inspirational. I too have a good sized WNW stash and have questioned whether they will all be built in my lifetime. Has anyone else experienced the time available for model building to decrease inversely relative to stash increase? Paul

One may wonder where Germans get their reputation for precision engineering... brauche ich mehr zu sagen? Sehr schone, Bertl. Paul

Hi Dave, I've been keeping a look out for the start of your build. What epoxy are you using? I'm using Araldite 5 min epoxy in very small lots - mixing it up when I have several parts needing glueing. It seems to work quite well. As I said earlier, there is quite a lot of prep work involved in getting each cylinder assembled. They are beautifully cast with a lot of detail but each one takes time to get to a point where I'm happy with it. It's also very easy to sand too much on the mating surfaces and end up having to discard the piece. (I'm learning as I go.) Cheers Paul

Hi jep1210, It's funny you should post at a point when I'm due for an update. I've started to assemble the engines in spare moments. There's quite a bit of work involved in preparing each part. For example, each cylinder needs to be removed from the casting flashing and gently sanded as does each cylinder head. I'll try and post some pictures later today. Cheers Paul

Lovely, lovely work. That is the level I aspire to with my own WNW kits. Paul

Hi Dave, What a week!! Sorry for the delay getting back to you. The weather in your part of the country has provided quite some entertainment in the course of my work this week. All character building stuff really. With respect to glues I've decided to use epoxy for the larger parts such as the fuselage formers and CA for the smaller parts. Initially I used 24 hr epoxy but I'd be inclined to use half hour to achieve a sensible set time with some ability to work with the parts. One thing I found was that you don't need very much epoxy at all as it tends to squeeze out between parts if even a little too much is applied. Hope this helps Paul

Hi Dave, Nice to hear from you. I'm really keen to see what magic you work on the Cat. It really is a fantastic kit. Not long after I started my thread life went into overdrive so time at the bench has been non existant. My next objective is to fit the frames temporarily and then fit the stringers. I'm still in two minds about an RNZAF Cat as there is quite some rework required in the landing gear bays. (I stand to be corrected on that.) I'm really interested to see what your approach will be. Cheers Paul

Hello, I meant to do a small update last night but ended up repairing my four year daughter's drawing that had been torn up by her two year old brother - the things you do as a parent. First I'd like to say thank you for the previous posts that have been made with respect to glues. It's this discussion that makes this site so great. My intention is to make notes and observations about the construction process of this kit as I progress, so I hope I'm not overstating the obvious at times. I've managed to achieve a small amount in the last few days. Here is the first of the assembled doors. There is a total of six in all and the hinges appear to be handed so one needs to be sure about where the door is being positioned and how before assembly. You'll also notice from the photo below that the door is from pressed aluminium (my assumption), so the challenge is to replicate that with the door above....not a five minute job I'm guessing. I'm treating this project like many small projects and "eating the elephant one bite at a time" so to speak. (The photo below is from the Seawings site and is of the cut away Catalina in the Pensacola Naval Museum. I don't know what the protocol is with photos from other sites but I hope it's OK to demonstrate a point.) As you can see below I've made a start on the bulkhead halves that weren't supplied in the kit. (Just to reiterate, I haven't contacted HPH about this discrepancy but I'm sure that they would rectify it. I just want to try my hand at some scratch building.) I've also included a picture of the bulkhead in the actual aircraft. (Picture from Seawings - USN Pensacola Cutaway Catalina.) You'll notice that there is no split down the centreline of the fuselage unlike the bulkhead supplied in the kit. I think the intention of splitting the bulkhead was to allow each half to be mounted in it's respective fuselage half with it's landing gear wheel well interior. Of course this means each bulkhead half must be very accurately mounted so that when the fuselage halves are joined the bulkheads meet in the centre. There is also the issue of a split down the centre when, as you can see below, it is very much a single heavy structure. If one is making the PBY-5 flying boat I'm sure the bulkhead could be assembled as one unit and installed as per the other bulkheads. Ultimately, I guess it comes down to what the builder is comfortable with. I do enjoy these challenges as it gets me thinking. Until the next update. Paul

Hello, No pictures today unfortunately. Rich and Doogs - thank you for your suggestions. You've raised some good points. In the end I opted for slow cure epoxy. Given that I spend an hour every other day at my work bench it doesn't slow me down to have to wait for the epoxy to cure. And there's plenty of other parts preparation to be carried on with at the same time. It also means I've got plenty of time to correctly position the parts before clamping. I found a very thin coat of epoxy on one surface worked really well. Once again I've got work commitments over the next couple of days but all going well I'll get some more done after that and be able to post some more pictures. Paul

Hello, Time for an update. Though life has been busy over the past few days I've managed some time at my work bench. The first job is to start assembling the bulkheads, which eventually leads to fitting the stringers in the fuselage. As you can see each bulkhead comes in it's moulding as cast (Top left hand of picture - bulkhead with bulkhead doors and door handles below.) and needs to be cleaned up before being glued back to back with it's facing member. You can see some cleaned up bulkheads ready to be glued in the middle of the photo. I'm probably being pedantic but I think it's well worth while taking time and care during this procedure as it should aid fitting further down the track. I've also sanded the faces to be glued with 600 grit sand paper. Not only does it clean the part but it should provide a nice keying surface for the glue. With respect to glue I'm leaning towards CA, however, this has the disadvantage that the part must be positioned right first time.....and we know how often that happens!! I'm also considering 30 min epoxy to give me a good working time, though I'm open to suggestions. On checking the parts I've found one of the bulkhead pairs to be missing. I need to finish checking off the parts list before I contact HPH but I can't see it being a major issue. (Fortunately it's a duplicate bulkhead and I'm thinking of trying my hand at scratch building.) Another topic of consideration relates to the wheel wells. (Top right hand of picture) From what I've read so far the flying boat version did not have these fitted (makes sense really) but it does mean remodelling the former wheel well area. Mike, Paul and Cees thanks for dropping by. Nice to have you on board. Paul

Hello, I had plans to spend some time on the Cat this evening but, as fate would have it, I've been called into work. The best layed plans... Grant - I agree, the Cat is an odd but impressive machine. Years ago I remember watching the New Zealand based aircraft carry out touch and goes off tga water on Lake Taupo. I occasionally see it out now flying (lumbering) round south Auckland. Hi Efrick - I'm looking forward to getting into this kit too. Hi Doogs - I've also gotten hold of the Walrus and I can say that the Cat is definitely up there. theseeker - My intention is to post pictures of the sub-assemblies as I go so hopefully that will give you an idea of what the kit consists of. At some stage I've got to decide whether or not I model a machine from the RNZAF. If I do that will mean no landing gear as I beleve our airforce operated only the flying boat version. Hopefully I'll get some workshop time tomorrow. Paul

Hi all, Thank you very much for the welcome. I only hope I can do this kit justice. Dave J - thank you for the links and your pm. I'm looking forward to what you think when your kit arrives. Doogs - you're right, the wings are really big. I have no idea how I'm going to display this once complete. My first impressions though, are that despite the overall size there is a wealth of micro projects with loads of detail. Rick - thank you, I just hope you have a lot of cold beers available for my glacial building pace. On another note, I really liked your Rufe build/conversion. You did a fantastic job!! Rich - thank you for the link. I'll follow up on that. Yes, this kit has a huge amount of detail but I've been following your B17 and that is insane!! Talk about attention to detail...and you've scratch built it all. I've watched all of you with various builds on this and other forums and have been inspired by you skill and artistry. I have a lot to learn. Paul