PAnderson

Hello everybody! Well, work progresses on my Fokker DVII and here are the current results. I still can't get over how awesome these kits are. These WNW kits are the best on the market and that is saying something after comparing them to the old standby market leaders like Tamiya and now, it seems, ZM and HK. So, here she is, as completed so far. This is the fuse, finished on the inside. The cockpit, finish rigged an ready to close off. Another closeup of the CP. The fuse, ready to be closed up around the cockpit. And finally, the fuse, painted and decalled, along with the wings, painted and decalled. The advice about toning down the lozenge decals worked like a charm. I used Tamiya Deck Tan thinned with 90% alcahol. I hope I didn't over do it. You can't see it go on until it is already dried. That's it for now. Next, the lower wing goes on, the engine goes in. I hope to God i didn't make a mistake by putting the tailplane and rudder on now. It is very delicate, with a lot handling yet to do. Live and learn I guess. Most of the other parts are painted and ready to go on except for the guns. This has been a fun build and i can't wait for the year long group build coming up. I hope you all like it. I thank everyone here that watches, gives advice and silently encourages me to go on. These are fast becoming really fun builds. Paul

Awesome build. Looks like some great detail in those ZM kits. Paul

What an awesome build Darren. You should be proud. what museum is it going to? Seriously, this one needs needs exposure. What a fine job. Paul

Squadron has Tamiya's 1/48 Mosquito and service vehicle for $35. I am tempted. What do people think of this kit? Paul

Dave, I don't think you can cut and paste pics on LSM. I think you have to use a third party hosting site like Photobucket or Picassa. It's a security thing I think the admins will tell you. I am interested in seeing you RE8 though. Paul

It was in one of the side notes in the instruction book. Aren't these books awesome?

Ahhhh, that was it. I am doing an Alb. Black Fokkers, Carl Degelow's bird. It also calls for decals on the wing tips that simulate a unit marking. I guess back then some aircraft had Uridium laced wing tip paint that made the wing tips glow in the dark for night flight recognition. I actually bought a small bottle of glow in the dark acrylic paint. I am going to do her up right, LOL. Thanks for this. Paul

George, I am doing this same kit. Yet my instruction still call for adding rib tape detail to the wings. I will have to look at the instructions again. I thought the large decals had rib tape integral to the decal but I am just adding the rib tape decals anyway. I wonder if this is correct. Maybe some aircraft have different rib tape? Paul

+2 Welcome to the forum. I have this kit and have been eying it passionately lately. What a gangly looking aircraft. Paul

Thanks George. I agree with George. These decals are beautiful and went on very well with the hair dryer method. I was shocked, really. For large area decals, this is the way to go. When it came time for the rib tapes, I used decal solution though. I tried the hair dryer for about 2 seconds when the small decals started to peel up and fly away, LOL. I didn't lose any though.I didn't think of slitting the end edges and had a little problem with wrinkles, not bad though. There is a decal that goes on the very end of each upper wing. I will rub the wrinkles down and apply these decals. Overall I am extremely happy with the way these decals went on. As usual, my fears were unfounded. I am glad I asked the question though. Questions unasked go unanswered. Paul

OOOOH! Matt broke down and bought a Widow. Let us know how it looks Matt, please. An in box review is in order, Paul

One thin I noticed too is that the WNW Fokker DVII calls for a rib tape on the trailing edge of the upper wing also. paul

Thanks Dave, your a kind soul. Do you always tease your friends like this? Paul

No, not really that stiff. Although I might try that, LOL. Just one stiff enough to leave light streaks in the oil paint to let the base color show through. Practice, it takes a really long time for oils to even start to dry. that gives you plenty of time to work it until you see what satisfies your eye. Also, if you let your dab of oil paint sit on a paper towel for 5 minutes, it soaks up some of the oil and your drying time is less. Paul

That is a superb example of our hobby, or is it a profession in this instance? I love the weathering and the "oldness". Great job Jeroen! Paul

See what I started? LOL. Don't ever let me out of the house.

Thanks Guys, I knew I could count on you all for an answer. Can acrylics be thinned with lacquer thinner? What about an oil glaze? I think Uschi uses something like that to do the same thing. Paul

Thanks Paul, for your compliment. The wood grain is done by first spraying or brushing with a tan base color like deck tan or desert yellow depending on the type of wood you are after. Then, with oil paint that has sat on a paper towel for a few minutes to soak up some of the oil, I used a stiff brush to apply the paint. Keep brushing then wiping the brush on a paper towel to remove excess paint. The idea is to not glob on the oil paint but to leave a thin layer, letting the stiff brush leave behind the grain appearance. To be honest, it was easier than I thought it would be. And, not to take all the credit, I learned this technique from other members here and doing some other basic research. Easier than it looks. Paul

I am placing the lozenge decals on my Fokker's wings today. What do you guys use to weather or tone down the lozenge decals when it comes time? Paul

I understand and do agree Cees. The kit instructions called for "Rust" paint. WW! had not yet seen the advances in material technology. Stainless steel had just started being used in large quantities and I doubt if exhaust manifolds were stainless because welding technology had not caught up yet. That being said, I felt comfortable doing this to this aircraft since these were just welded steel tube, not even cast iron yet. Cast iron does rust but in a very even, smooth fashion, almost painted. I found that Hull Red mixed with some Tamiya Flat Base makes for a good cast rust finish. Grant, I agree this stuff has potential for so many things. I initially saw this on another modellers work. Here is a web address for the company that makes it. I don't think they sell direct to the public. I got mine from Amazon. But they have a few other products you might be interested in. Yes the finish can be adjusted by multiple coats of the oxidizer. My example was 4 coats about an hour or so apart until the finish builds up. http://www.modernoptions.com/ Paul

Here is a little experiment I did after finding this rust antiquing kit while checking out another modellers armor build. I plan on using this a lot now for certain things. This is a two part set. The first is a grey primer that has iron particles suspended in it. The second is an oxidizing solution that actually creates the rust texture. Some of you may know about this already. but I am not sure how popular it is. So, for your info, here are some pics. The kit as taken from it's box. This is a pic I tried out on an old model that needed some enhancement. I plan on doing the whole model at a later date to add some more realism. Here is an old exhaust part from my DH9 that I wanted to experiment on. This will be used to do the exhaust on my Fokker DVII that I am currently building. This has also been sprayed with a clear flat varnish so I know it is safe to use. I hope some of you find a use for this. Paul

OK, now for the good stuff. An update, since I had last week off, I had a lot of bench time. Here are some new pics. First, a few of the finished engine. And then the semi finished cockpit. And finally, the wings, ready for the lozenge decals. This has to be the sweetest kit I have ever done. I learned a lot from all you folks here, my undying thanks to every one that gave me inspiration.

Sorry Will, I didn't mean to ignore your post. For some reason I did not see it. I believe I ordered that book from the link in the review on SP&R. Paul

OMG! That is a seriously gorgeous wood finish. Awesome work. Paul

Thanks all. Yes, they are WNW decals for my Fokker DII. Dave? Thanks. Any tips on what color? If the decals are opaque, does it matter? Future? Tamiya clear acrylic?