DocRob Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 I finished the cockpit tub today. You have to be faithful, that a zillion of contact points fit, where they should into the fuselage and to the three deck parts. I test fitted a lot, checked again with the manual, but praise to WNW, the fit is excellent. The seat belts were added, after I mistreated them with pigments, washes and matte coat and the last bits and pieces went in. The inboard LMG can be added later, which I also tested. I prepared the fuselage halves with some fake rigging, made from 0,2 mm nickel rod with 0,5 mm aluminum tube glued to the ends and then Ca-ed into the fuselage. The fuselage got closed and left to dry overnight and I even didn´t forgot to snap in the trap door window for the fuselage LMG. Cheers Rob 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Phenomenal detail, Bravo! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Rob Right with Martin ... brilliant. Very much appreciated the reason for the cammo decals on the interior, as it now makes sense. I'm sure landings at night and even in the daylight, weren't an easy task, given the technology of the day and stability. Just ask Ernie who has logged a zillion hours in C-26's. All my taildragger hours were in J3 Cubs. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 23 hours ago, Martinnfb said: Phenomenal detail, Bravo! 23 hours ago, Peterpools said: Right with Martin ... brilliant. Very much appreciated the reason for the cammo decals on the interior, as it now makes sense. I'm sure landings at night and even in the daylight, weren't an easy task, given the technology of the day and stability. Just ask Ernie who has logged a zillion hours in C-26's. All my taildragger hours were in J3 Cubs. Thank you Martin and Peter, I guess flying these huge planes had it´s toll, specially during landing. The weight is up front, with engines, weapons, fuel tanks and crew, so nose diving must be hard to avoid. Cheers Rob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 Preliminary to closing the fuselage permanently, I made a last test fit of the decks and had a last peek at the interior, where the final details were added, like the folding seat for the commander. I displayed it folded and stored, which leaves a narrow tunnel for the crew to slide through to the back of the cockpit, not too easy I guess with the thick leather outfit and maybe a life jacket. Then I closed the fuselage, did a first bit of sanding on the seams. Fit was good, but not perfect, due to the very thin plastic and multiple parts intersecting. On the lower side, you can see the dark patch of the tiltable window for the fuselage gun. WNW chose to produce the stitching on the lower side as separate parts, which seal the lower fuselage side seamless, genial. There is one rectangular part fitting between the two bomb slots in front of said window, where the WNW manual calls falsely for part A45, where A44 is the correct one. I shimmed the lower nose section with a strip of evergreen, because this area is very flexible, due to the thinness of the plastic Cheers Rob 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Rob Looking so good. No question WNW kit fit is the equal to Tamiya in every way but so much is left up to the builder in managing how all the parts and assemblies come together; a job so very well done. 🏆 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 On 2/27/2024 at 7:23 PM, Peterpools said: Looking so good. No question WNW kit fit is the equal to Tamiya in every way but so much is left up to the builder in managing how all the parts and assemblies come together; a job so very well done. 🏆 Thank you Peter, but the kind of fit quality of WNW and Tamiya are not the same. Where Tamiya snaps into perfect fit with not too fragile parts, the larger sub assemblies of a WNW kit bend and flex oh so slightly, to finally wiggle into the right places somehow. The result is more or less the same, but WNW parts tend to be very thin. I´ve never seen such a huge part, like the fuselage halves being molded so thin, which of course renders them close to the real thing. Cheers Rob 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 I haven´t done as much as I wanted lately, but checked the gaps in the fuselage and sanded a bit. A tiny bit more filling and sanding is needed, before I can continue with airbrushing the base layer for the lozenge decals. What I did, was pondering about the painting and decaling sequence, identifying where the fuselage decals go. Nose, decks and parts of the wing stubs are only painted, the rest will receive decals. The next decision was about the base layer, therefore I decaled a gloss white plastic strip, which I painted with areas of gloss black and added a spare decal, to see, how much transparency the decals have. It´s almost non visible, which means, I will airbrush Tamiya XF-17 sea blue as a base, followed by a gloss coat for the decals. If I would have base coated with gloss white, I would have had the possibility of pre shading, like with Aviatic decals, but this makes no sense here. It has to be post shading then. Cheers Rob 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Rob Got ya and appreciate the subtle difference in fit between Tamiya and WNW. I never much worried about the gloss color under decals but the thinner they are, the more transparency and the final color will certainly be affected, very much like deciding the base color for airbrushing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 I started to clean up the engine parts and parts of the nacelles, because I wanted to get a grip for the fit and for the painting process. By the way, I decided to wire the engines and pre drilled the magnetos with 0,3 mm holes for the wiring and the cylinder heads with 0,5 mm holes for my brass tube spark plugs. Meanwhile the fuselage was airbrushed with Tamiya XF-17 sea blue. In case you wonder, why the AEG looks like a porcupine, I put in wood plugs into the holes for the struts, adhered with a drop of thinned PVA. If you know about WNW tolerances, you got the idea, I don´t want to clean out every hole, before assembly. For the same reason, the engine support struts were loosely mounted. As much as I like the matte look, I need a glossy surface for the lozenge decals and sprayed on Mr Hobby GX-100 clear gloss, with two thirds of leveling thinner in the mix and ruined the perfect mattedness. Cheers Rob 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanzerWomble Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Just catching up, this is superlative work Rob. Almost a shame to bury that gorgeous cockpit in the fuse. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottsGT Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 I love watching these WNW builds. Something I know I would not have the patience to attempt, but enjoy watching from the sidelines. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber_County Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Rob, just catching up, I need to retire so I can keep up with you guys……the AEG is looking amazing, great shame a lot of the cockpit is hidden. I reckon I’m going to start to forego AM cockpits if they are buried deep in fuselages. Looking forward to the wings etc… 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 I can almost hear the Batman theme song in the background. Splendid work Doc. Cheers Martin 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 6 hours ago, PanzerWomble said: Just catching up, this is superlative work Rob. Almost a shame to bury that gorgeous cockpit in the fuse. 2 hours ago, Bomber_County said: Rob, just catching up, I need to retire so I can keep up with you guys……the AEG is looking amazing, great shame a lot of the cockpit is hidden. I reckon I’m going to start to forego AM cockpits if they are buried deep in fuselages. Looking forward to the wings etc… Thank you PW and Phil. Compared with a WWII fighter, a lot will remain visible through the three openings in the deck and the one on the lower fuselage. Well, I asked myself the same question about detailing the interior, but if you built a WNW kit, you might have had the sensation, that you want to continue detailing. These kits are absolute amazing and with their great design, make it a great canvas for extra detailing. Cheers Rob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 3 hours ago, ScottsGT said: I love watching these WNW builds. Something I know I would not have the patience to attempt, but enjoy watching from the sidelines. What I´ve seen from your builds, Scott, the only thing you are short off, is actually to have a WNW kit started. There are so many modelers out there, claiming these crates are overcomplicated, but like you, accomplish absolutely stunning builds. Let me tell you, it´s not that hard. The design of the kits help a lot and if you go for German WWI fighters, even rigging is a breeze, as most don´t have a lot. My WNW builds were all demanding, but so rewarding. If I had known, how relatively easy the AEG would be to build, I would have started her some years ago. Cheers Rob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 1 hour ago, Martinnfb said: I can almost hear the Batman theme song in the background. Splendid work Doc. Thank you Martin and there is enough space for Robin as well in the Batstringbag Cheers Rob 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 Today I decaled the lower fuselage and wing stubs with lozenge camo. The provided decals are ABSOLUTELY fantastic, maybe the best I ever worked with. The fit, even for the cut outs and strut holes are perfect, which is a great relieve. I decided to work my way up, in case there are overlaps, which indeed are minimal. I used Micro Set and Sol and a hairdryer for the application along a flat brush, to push the bubbles away. One strange thing, on two of the five decal sheets, the decals need to soak for more than five minutes, where the others need only a minute. Then I changed plans for the umpteenth time in this build and build the undercarriage, which luckily is a very sturdy construction. Not visible on the pic are the eyelets, which I glued in, before painting as a preparation for rigging. Now the fuselage can rest on the undercarriage and the underside decals remain unharmed. Cheers Rob 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottsGT Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 18 minutes ago, DocRob said: What I´ve seen from your builds, Scott, the only thing you are short off, is actually to have a WNW kit started. There are so many modelers out there, claiming these crates are overcomplicated, but like you, accomplish absolutely stunning builds. Let me tell you, it´s not that hard. The design of the kits help a lot and if you go for German WWI fighters, even rigging is a breeze, as most don´t have a lot. My WNW builds were all demanding, but so rewarding. If I had known, how relatively easy the AEG would be to build, I would have started her some years ago. Cheers Rob Now you’re just trying to reel me in. Oh you….. But thanks for the compliment! 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 4 Author Share Posted March 4 The creature got it´s creature jaws. After finishing the fuselage lozenge camo, I added the shark? mouth and the fuselage markings. The serial number of my plane is not known, but the command is and so I used a fictional number for the correct unit. With the lozenge decals, I had some unexpected troubles, when I used the hairdryer carefully onto one fuselage side, it wrinkled terribly and I was next to bin the kit, but leaned back and continued with Micro Sol and trying to push the wrinkles away, with every tool come to mind. Finally it was ok-ish but not perfect. I hope for the matte finish and tinted overlayer, to look good in the end. I also started with the tail, applying lozenge camo decals. It proved to be hard to fit them around the corners, which needed several applications of Micro Sol and hairdryer treatment. I could have used a stronger decal solvent, but decided against it, after I´ve seen, how sensible the decals are with thinner. Patience is the key here, a virtue I´m a bit short of possession, unfortunately. Then it was decision time about the shark mouth or maybe better whale mouth. WNW supplies two different options, one only in white and one with bluish brushstrokes around. Further, you can decide if the inner mouth should be dark or red. The red was omitted initially and after inspecting the very good existing front section photo, I decided for the one with the blue brushstrokes around. No worries, the last wrinkles will be gone after some more Sol applications. This all looks a bit stark now, but will tuned down a bit due to the use of tinted varnish, matte coat and weathering. Cheers Rob 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belugawhaleman Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 Looking great Rob! I really like your decal choice! 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 Rob Absolutely brilliant work and some wonderful steady progress. Decals work looks amazing. Enjoying every update. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Second that. Looking at the nose art makes me wonder, what kind of animal was the artist trying to portrait, bat, cat, shark, fish, or all of the above ? 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 22 hours ago, belugawhaleman said: Looking great Rob! I really like your decal choice! 20 hours ago, Peterpools said: Absolutely brilliant work and some wonderful steady progress. Decals work looks amazing. Enjoying every update. 3 hours ago, Martinnfb said: Second that. Looking at the nose art makes me wonder, what kind of animal was the artist trying to portrait, bat, cat, shark, fish, or all of the above ? Muchas gracias amigos, the decaling stage is testing. You need a lot of patience, specially for the thin elevators, where the decals have to contour around the corners. Hot decal softeners destroy the decal, so it´s Micro Sol and Tamiya decal adhesive softener type, a hairdryer and lots of tiiiimmmmeeeeeeeeee. When I first saw the kit, when it came out, it was clear, that I would choose this scheme, if I ever build an AEG. What kind of animal the nose art represents, that may remain unsolved. Sharks would not be too typical for Germans, lets call it a monster, which it is for sure . Cheers Rob 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 Today, I received some goodies from Aviattic.com the three days after my purchase (temporarily) defunct European distributor for Aviattic.co.uk. I spare you the details, but I was lucky enough to hold these items in my hand. Three sets from the Ukrainian company Rexx, which produces galvanic grown metal exhausts for my AEG, Albatros and Fokker D.VII. The mechanic figure is casted by Martin Hille from Kellerkind miniatures, a company from my old hometown Berlin. Some detail shots from the exhausts, definitely an improvement over the kit parts and fascinating product due to the thinness of the material. Cheers Rob 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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