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Is it a bird, is it a plane or is it a camel?


DonH

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I have recently finished reading "Winged Victory" by VM Yeates. I highly recommend it and it has inspired me to break out my WNW kits.

 

I was so inspired that I have started all three - an Albatross DV, a Fokker DVII (OAW) and a Camel BR1.

 

I thought I could move these along together but am finding them so difficult that they will follow one after the other. I am concentrating on the Albatros for now.

 

As these are my first WNW, I have a few observations. Anyone who builds these kits and produces a great result is a genius as far as I am concerned.

 

The fitting of the parts is so tight that a coat of paint makes it difficult to slot parts together. I think that is actually quite poor. Surely, it is easy enough to allow a few extra microns to cope with paint? I am sure this has been covered before in this forum, but it is bugging the hell out of me.

 

The quality of moulding is simply amazing. A great deal of research has obviously gone into getting the kits as accurate as possible. Lots of small parts mean that the carpet monster is being fed well and my Albatros cockpit will be minus a few essentials. Obviously, these were stripped out on the real aircraft to save on weight. Honest...

 

The instructions are beautifully produced. It would be nice if they actually showed how things went together. WNW says to read them at least three times. Yeah right. Again, this is bugging me. A decent rigging diagram would be good that actually showed where the attachment points were and that clearly showed where each cable ended. Maybe this will become clearer when I start rigging. Finally, there are errors in the instructions for the Albatros. The compass decal is incorrectly called out and I only spotted it after I have put it on. Fortunately, I could correct it.

 

I decided to try acrylics for the wood grain and I was pleasantly surprised at how well this worked. For a first attempt, I am happy with it and may get better as the Fokker and the Camel come into play. I managed to get all the wood done and varnished inside a day, which is lightning for me.

 

Overall, this build is a bit of a trial for now. I am looking forward to progressing and finding the enjoyment that is surely there.

 

Anyway, enough of me, pics to follow at the weekend.

 

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Earlier WNW releases like the Albatros have extremely tight tolerances and you do need to remove paint on areas to be glued. More recent releases going back at least as far as the DFW kits have better tolerances designed in so that you don't need to remove scrape paint. I don't recall having any issues with the D.VII and expect none with the Camel when I start my three...

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Don,

  I'm looking forward to following your builds to see just how a 1st timer gets through one of these builds. For one thing I think I'm just about the last LSP member who hasn't bought at least one WNW kit, yet alone built one, or at least attempted to build one. Just ask my brother Peter that I've come up with every excuse one could imagine plus a few new ones to boot. While my area of interest is WW11 Allied aircraft, a change of era every once in a while is a good idea. 

 

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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So, some pictures at last!

 

Different views of wood grain. I achieved this with a base of Tamiya XF-59 Desert Yellow and some Acrylic paint I picked up from a local stationer. Nothing special.

vYfH1U8.jpg

 

 

Basically, I slapped the Burnt Umber on top of the Desert Yellow and removed it with a dry brush. A final gloss coat of X-22 with a dash of clear Orange finished the job. All done in a few hours. I am happy for a first attempt and also considering that you can't see much when the fuselage is closed up (I hope).

 

BdUzpxT.jpg

 

 

7IiB99q.jpg

 

 

kgj1iv5.jpg

 

58An3Qb.jpg

 

 

I have also installed the engine and covered it in black paint. I will have the engine cowls closed so, again, not much to see. I have added some ignition wires and plumbing with lead wire and I need to paint some highlights here and there. 

 

Just to prove that there is at least two planes on the go, the next shot is the camel engine. Not doing much with this, the cowl will hide a multitude of neglect.

 

cuNisFL.jpg

 

The Fokker has some wood grain on some parts but you must be tired of seeing woodgrain photos by now :-)

 

More in time, until then, enjoy.

 

Cheers

Don

Edited by DonH
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Lookin' good Don! The Albatross was the first WNWs kit I bought but still hasn't been started. The Camel is currently on the bench but progress has been painfully slow. The weather has turned summer like and there's been too much other stuff come in between. I've been playing around with figuring out how best to use RB Productions flat rigging wire and Gas Patch RAF flat rigging wire terminal ends for the Camel before I get too far in to the construction of the kit. That way I can make the necessary modifications early.

 

Looks like you're doing the Br.1 Camel as well. What scheme are you going with?

 

Cheers,

Wolf

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Hi Wolf,

 

I am enjoying your Camel build and will use it as a reference for mine.

 

I am going for a generic scheme, which is likely to be close to AR Brown's mount, simply because it has a bit of colour. I know there is a blue/white striped option but my ability to paint blue and white stripes accurately is surpassed by my ability to paint one solid block of red!

 

Cheers

Don

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  • 5 months later...

I am getting close to completion of the Albatros DV.

 

Frankly, it has fought me all the way and my respect for those who can produce great results from WNW kits has gone up and up.

How on this earth do you get the top wing on effectively? I cried with frustration getting it somewhere near.

 

Anyway, I will be glad to finish it, I will post pics later and I am actually happy with the result from two feet.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Latest WIP pictures, taken on my iPhone.

 

Yes, it is still WIP because I have still to add the anemometer, flare rack and rear view mirror. Also, I regularly check which rigging lines have come adrift and re-attach them.

 

This kit has brought me to tears on a number of occasions, but I see light at the end of the tunnel. 

 

qYK65C4.jpg

 

EvE9308.jpg

 

2th6ysL.jpg

 

 


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