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Quick Build - 2x WNW Pfalz D.IIIa. Photo Per Day!


seiran01

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I lost the mojo on the DH9 purely because I didn't want to rig things at the moment. While I wait for a truckload of eyelets and turnbuckles to arrive from Bobs Buckles, two WNW Pfalz D.IIIa are up. I had been planning to not post anything until they were completed but eh, I like to share.

 

These two kits were started last Sunday and after a good deal of time tonight, the time commitment so far in the quick build is 14.5 hours (That's quick?). The intent is to build them fairly clean, with little to no weathering and washes to bring out the details.

 

Pfalz #1: Option E from the kit decals, Hans Muller's red and white Jasta 18 bird. Aviattic lozenge to be used for underside of the wings.

 

Pfalz #2: Option 2 from Pheon's Pfalz D.IIIa Volume Two, Jasta 5 (red fuselage with gray wings).  Those who know me, know that I may be up to something with a series of Jasta 5 and 18 aircraft...

 

28DF9490-E7DA-464B-84F9-0FF0B51DD25A_zps

 

 

 

I've taken a photo every night this week of the build, and one or two additional this weekend.

 

Day 1: Drooling bulldog gray-green paint used, wash of AK Rust Streaks in the fuselage sides. Floors are Mr Color Tan with AK Rust Streaks

A3171201-72E5-4C4C-AB9B-71E61F8AA117_zps

 

Day 2:

Basic cockpit assembly. Already a lesson learned in slowing down - both fuel tank filler caps should face upwards not outwards. Good thing they can't be seen once everything is together.

6EDDCF9C-0CC4-44CD-941D-A5E1D986306F_zps

 

Day 3: Interiors completed excluding seats. Engine blocks painted.  Both will be built with cowls closed, and very little below the rocker arms and top of cylinders can be seen - so the rest of the engine is only receiving very basic paint.

1074FB8E-7666-4C84-9559-F0E2F58ADEBD_zps

 

 

Day 4: Seats painted, belts annealed, shaped and painted (Vallejo off white with AK Xtreme Metal aluminum hardware)

E64D51FD-715A-4B7D-8FD0-22E78EC22CE9_zps

 

 

Day 5: interiors installed, lower wings joined. cockpit padding has been roughly painted with some random Vallejo brown as the inside will be difficult to cleanly paint later on. The outer padding will be more carefully painted at the end.

9AD72ED6-08B3-4697-9004-769AB2E13684_zps

 

 

Day 6: Seam work - eliminating the seams at the rear of the lower wing insert are a PITA with the fuselage contours the way they are. J5 Pfalz has had the tail surfaces painted Drooling Bulldog Kadmium Chromoxid (= Jasta 5 green). Even without primer it seems to have very good adhesion.

04D34593-67BF-4079-9387-FCB2B394F0DB_zps

 

 

Day 7: Prime the Jasta 18 bird with Mr Surfacer White 1000. Find out that all that seam work wasn't good enough.

ED267FC9-5CE9-4409-8405-29134883DE79_zps

 

F4DA6782-6D62-4F96-95F9-BCE3E4482855_zps

 

 

Day 8: 4 hours of play time with White Mr Surfacer 1000 on #1 and finally got the lower insert faired in on #2. Wings of #2 primed with Mr Surfacer Grey 1000 and then painted with Drooling Bulldog Pfalz Asse (Pfalz metallic gray dope) and Mr Color #68 Red Madder.  The metallic sheen of the wings doesn't really show in the photos, but I really like this. Think it's going to be my go-to for silver-doped planes going forward.

 

504F3D91-84CA-4BDB-8A93-6EC0B1CA4193_zps

 

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And that brings us to right now. Bed time and a long work week ahead!

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I'm absolutely loving them so far. Very thin in the bottle but not as much Mr Paint (a plus for my painting style).  The three colors I've sprayed are all adhering very well and no hint of silver flakes came off the wings when i removed masking tape after spraying the red stripes. 

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Thanks guys. Here's tonight's progress, back on the Muller pfalz with Aviattic cookie-cutter decals for the lower surfaces of the wings. I had a snag with the center piece on the upper wing (user error compounded by dog puking on floor) and fixed it as best I could. I'll fix what's left of the center lozenge with scrap decals. Once these are on I'll clearcoat and do some very light preshading of access panels before painting the red.

 

 

21CED7B8-140F-48B7-A703-6698F03C36C9_zps

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Indeed, I like the red. If you are not happy with the GP turnbuckles, you also may want to see about using 1/48th turnbuckles. I used both on some models and found the 48th stuff looked better on control wires, and left the 32nd stuff for flying wires.

 

Its all about what you like the looks of

 

Model on!! 

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