DocRob

Thanks guys, it's always a great feeling to close in on the finish line with such a demanding built and I personally like like the result with the razor edge Fokker. This build gives me a very positive feeling about complicated future projects. It's a true confidence build. Cheers Rob

Thank you Gentlemen, it feels good to have mastered this important step with the Fokker. Rigging will not be overly easy, but compared to other planes of the time it's sparse. The prop was made the fast and easy way this time. I made no grain and stain details with artist pencils or further weathering. I felt, that a wooden propeller, where literally your life is depending on, was well maintained or changed rapidly with any damage noticeable. Cheers Rob

Tools, tools, toooooooools, I rewarded myself for my actual build and self promised better rigging. The tweezers will help doing that. I added a razor saw, to have something between a scalpel and my fine saw for resin and possibly future woodwork along with a mini mitre tool. Cheers Rob

The CA on the wings was cured by then and it starts to look like a razor winged Fokker D.VIII. The alignment of all the struts was not so easy and will need some extra work later. In all there were four straight struts and the two V-shaped ones, which meant adjusting 14 joints with CA at the same time, to have the possibility to wiggle all the angles correct. All of that without breaking delicate parts. It's done now luckily and it is pretty sturdy. Now everything looks complete, but isn't. The steering horns for rudder and ailerons are next, with the necessary rigging, which is prepared. Cheers Rob

While the glue on the wingstruts cured after everything got aligned, which proved harder than thought, I painted the propeller in my typical way. The propeller itself was taken from a WNW Fokker D.VII, because detail was crisper and it needed less filling. - First a coat of Buff, followed by masking type which I cut 0,5mm wide on my template. - Then a coat of red brown and away with the masking tape. Finally a coat of clear orange diluted with IPA. The hub was spryed later in steel and received some panel liner. Cheers Rob

Thank you Peter and again, good to have you back here and hopefully full recovered soon. I have to admit, that I don't know what POA means. Kits like this Fokker keep me alive modelling wise, it's demanding, tempting, fascinating with lots to learn and for sure, never boring. I start a kit out of a fascination for the real thing for different possible reasons. That means, I don''t care about, what the quality of a kit is. In this case, it's about close to perfection in terms of building fun. Cheers Rob

That pit looks gorgeous with all that etch detail. The seat appears to be very big in the tub on the last pic, but will look great, when painted. Cheers Rob

Muchas Gracias Amigos, it is indeed a challenging kit, but I've seen worse and it's a forgiving kit too, because the plastic is soft and good to work with and beside some abysmal parts, other parts are very good. For instance, the fuselage is not easy to get into the right shape, but the cloth surfaces and the stitching looks perfect out of the box, better than most other kits I have seen. With patience and good planning it's not that hard to get a decent result, where the used AM also helped a lot. The blast panels should have been painted the same colour than the top of the fuselage, but after I airbrushed them in Aluminum as a base for chipping, I decided to let them that way for better contrast. Cheers Rob

This is very interesting to follow. Your example shows, what is possible with 3D printing, if you are willing to put in the effort. I will not completely rule out to get into 3D printing in the future too, but I doubt it. When I was young and computer were the latest wow and heating a room in wintertime, while getting some 640X480 pixel pictures rendered, I made 3D animations with Lightwave for the pure fun. Like modelling, it was demanding, you needed tons of surfaces for rendering, dozens of plugins for cloth or hair rendering,... Here you have the Synthesis of two time consuming hobbies in designing and printing and modelling, what else can be the result, than pure fun. Thank you for letting us old school blokes peek into the new possibilities which lay in 3D printing. Cheers Rob

Thank you guys, seeing the pictures, there are still some areas, which need to be taken care of. Surprisingly, these glitches are visible on a photo and I haven't spotted them on the real thing, even using a magnifier sometimes. I hope you will catch up with your great P-51D soon Phil, but hey, to have a job counts for something too in these times. Modelling is just a hobby and if there is time and will, it will sneak back into your live. Cheers Rob

The weapon deck got some attention today. The Gaspatch Spandau 08/15 are a joy to work with. You have to add the barrel only. No fiddely eyesight in PE, just careful painting with well thinned colour, not to kill the fine detail. The ammo feed was borrowed from a WNW Fokker and then the 08/15's were attached. On the front side, I installed two PE blast panels from the Aviattic set, which I left painted in aluminum to add a little contrast. Cheers Rob

Thank you Jeff and you are absolutely right, there is so much to learn from our members here. LSM is a brilliant resource, fast and reliable. Cheers Rob

Wow Carl, you build faster, than I can respond to your great build . The hull looks very good with the added PE details and modulated colour. All these extra tracks must have been a burden for the undercarriage, but they sure add some drama. Cheers Rob

Snow in Texas, that's weird and with the power shut downs, I believe it's horrible situation, specially with a young one in the house. We had ice on our mountain roads last week, which is pure horror, given the steepness and was a first for me. Now we have one of our famous and feared sandstorms (Kalima), so no airbrushing today. The storm is not so bad this time, but all the dunes of the Sahara are up in our sky. That is how it looks from the garden . And this is the AQI (Air Quality Index) for today, which is normally all green and below 30. It's better to stay inside these days and close all doors and windows and try not to inhale too deep. At least it's not cold . Cheers Rob

It's good to see, that LSM is a place, where members care for each other, beside the obvious modelling stuff. Great to have you back here, after that hard time you encountered. From personal experience I know, that modelling can be helpful for recovery. It sometimes help to lift the burden of heavy thoughts, with the need to focus on a kit and getting distracted with thoughts about the right shape of a Spitfire cowling. I wish you a fast and full recovery. Cheers Rob

We need you here Harv, get well soon buddy. Cheers Rob

Good to see you progressing with the Taube and great that you have a different scheme chosen, than me for my future build. The engines are looking beautiful, but I will build the Argus, just because I have to many Daimler derivates built or in stash. It's good to hear, that your headaches are gone. Cheers Rob

Hi Gaz, I will not give my vote to one option, because it so much depends on what you want to achieve. One method is adding layers (acrylics) another is to remove layers (hairspray) and the sponge or whatever you use is only an addition to the first method. Mostly, I will use the method, which is incorporated by the original. Chipping in reality is to get rid of layers and show what is beneath. If I want to get it right, I will use hairspray, sometimes multi layer hairspray, like primer colour, hairspray, base colour hairspray, second colour (if necessary) and expose different layers, by using various tools for abrasion. Then I add weathering effects on top, if needed. Here is an example, the base layer is aluminum on the sides, wood on top, then hairspray, then semi gloss black, hairspray again and finally Nato black. The chipping was achieved after dampening the surface and use toothpicks tweezers, sanding tools and old stiff brushes. The idea was to replicate a tin like surface covered with a tar like colour, which has a different shining, where rubbed off. Finally algae and salt effects were added. You get the idea, if you want to do it right, do it as if it is right, understand the material and the coatings and the kind of usage or surrounding influences. Dabbing on with a brush or sponge is simple and fast, can be enhanced, simulating multi layer dents and abrasions and can be good enough, if well made. Here is a cheapo, not really convincing, but one of my examples for that second method. Chipping to me is a technique of imagining the real thing in it's surroundings and therefore an important part of the weathering process, to get a realistic result. There is a lot of experimenting involved, and a basic knowledge about the real thing, material wise, coating wise and an idea about the conditions. Cheers Rob

Great result Jeroen and not only with the heads. The Do is a mouthwatering beauty and makes me want to start my one seater. I used Abteilung oils for the first time on figures on my last build (two German WWI naval airmen) and loved the result. The approach is quite different, than with acrylics, but they blend so much better. If you use matte varnish, you even reduce the unrealistic shine. I was so happy about the result, that I decided to paint the figures completely in oil, which I will do more often now. Cheers Rob

Great work with the surfaces and scribing, this will ensure a smooth paintjob for sure. The approach with the landing gear covers is interesting and will be convincing. Cheers Rob

Nice work, Mike. It's always a scary moment, closing the fuselage. Good that this is sorted now. Cheers Rob

Really like your shake 'n bake approach, with all these nuts, Friuls and PE. What is left out is the Zimmerit. Do you have any plans for that? I have a started Dragon Stug IV in my stash, which will be in winter finish too, along with metal tracks, Attack Zim and some great figures, but this has to wait a little before compleation. Meanwhile I take yours as a canvas. Cheers Rob

Muchas Gracias Señhores, I'm quite pleased, how the Fokker turned out at this stage. There were a few obstacles, but it was a rewarding pleasure build until now. There will be the razor wing attached after all the work and experimenting which went in, Gaz. It is a Fokker D.VIII and not the Fokker E.V early model, which had the tendency to loose the wing midair . For this one, I have no figures planned, I have to to the little dio for my long finished Hansa Brandenburg first, where the figures are almost painted, but the scenery give me the creeps, with acrylic water, shoreline waves and beach surroundings. Cheers Rob

Thanks for the invitation, I'm quite honoured, but I have to cook for my wife now. It will be Salmon and Peto along a Salsa made from grilled cherry tomatoes which then is added with fresh Passion fruit and a little brown sugar to caramelize a little. Accompanied by some Ebly (a kind of sun wheat) which is roasted, then cooked with white wine and then get Parmesan and Estragon added. I will raise my glass to you, when finished . Cheers Rob

Thank you for your kind words Hubert. Maybe I should follow the path of a fellow member here and leave the wings off, before I mess something up . Cheers Rob