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Jeremy, this is shaping up to be a fantastic-looking bird. I've really appreciated the discussion about the countershading of the wing ribs, since that's something I'll want to be tackling soon on my project. That Liberty engine, too, is a real work of art.

Here's two (fuzzy) more to show what I was talking about:

Willi--Inspiring work on your engine! Thanks for inviting us along!

Oh, poop. I "organized" my Photobucket and created an album for this project...after I'd posted. Let me repost: There they are. Tonight, I put myself to work attaching the cockpit inside the fuselage. I'm not sure how others were attaching the control cables at the other end away from the rudder bar and control stick, but I knew I wanted my cables to look nice and tight, and not have to fiddle with them too much once the cockpit's in place. So, I decided they needed to do like the real thing, and pass through the screen/bulkhead behind the pilot's seat. I took the time to drill 6 holes in that piece, then passed EZ-Line through each one and pulled it to what seemed a sufficient length to allow for connection to the controls, and then affixed each line with thin CA. I will post pix of that arrangement tomorrow when the cement has set sufficiently to allow handling! Thanks for following.

Paul, this is amazing work! I can tell this is a build I will be following avidly. :popcorn:

Thanks, WillScarlet! Tonight I worked on decaling the instrument panel and tachometer and painting the pilot harness. Since I'm waiting now for the decals to dry thoroughly before giving them Future-drop lenses, I figure this is as good a time as any to share out information I've found elsewhere on the forums and applied to this project. Prior to this project, seat harnesses for me were usually something molded into a seat pan and a seat back, to be surgically removed and all traces dry-sanded and polished away. I would then paint either masking tape or Scotch tape the right color and then slice it to approximately the right width with a new #11 blade and apply them to the seats in question. That works well enough when your subject is quite small and viewed through a cockpit canopy with the scale thickness of the armored glass you find at a bank teller's position in a bad neighborhood. These planes, though, don't suffer from that visual handicap. Everything is visible. This is why I'm so pleased with the PEB harnesses provided by WNW. They are the ACTUAL right size, with buckles and attachment points accurately depicted. The instruction booklet, as gorgeous as it is, does not give very many unobstructed views of the straps, so I went on a Google search for Albatros D.V seat harness images, and found the information I needed: that center strap on the shoulder harness is, indeed, a part of the harness webbing and not a space-holder, so don't cut it out, as I found some other unfortunate builder had! PEB is wonderful stuff for depicting these tiny details, but in order to make it look like heavy fabric webbing, it has to be convinced to become flexible. I wish I'd known about annealing when I was building a 1/700 DDG-15 USS Berkeley for my late father-in-law (it was the last ship he was deployed on). I was never satisfied by how flat the radar antennas stayed...Anyway, I learned from others that by heating the brass and allowing it to cool on its own, it becomes annealed and will do what you want without springing back to its original shape. This isn't metal the thickness of pots and pans, so a lighter is all you need. Others related that they've actually distorted or lost details from overheating the brass, so I took that to heart when I annealed the straps: as soon as I saw the metal slightly change color, I removed the heat. Oh, and another good tip: Don't hold it in your fingers! Keep an eye on the small details: the little doohickey that looks to me like a retaining pin on the shoulder strap curled right in on itself when I applied the heat. That part upon final arrangement may find itself tucked "carelessly" under the other straps...I used thick CA adhesive to attach the belts to their places, then left them alone overnight to ensure they set up properly before even looking at them crosseyed to move them into their "casually-draped" positions. Now, I don't know about other paints, but acrylics don't seem fond of covering the brass in one shot, so, again, I'm taking my time, applying one coat at a time and letting it dry completely. Two coats seems to do the trick. The Cartograf decals for the dial faces are fantastic. I read of people having mixed results trying to get Cartograf decals to conform to plastic by using decal solvents, so I kept the Micro-Sol and Micro-Set capped. I didn't bother with putting a droplet of water on the destination after about the second decal, because such a tiny work area means you're likely to float off the one you'd just set perfectly...instead, a moist brush and magnification were all I used. Oh, and patience. And slow breathing. And mellow music. That's all for tonight--thanks for following along!

Okay, some photos tonight (sorry it's been so long, Dave!): And one I took mostly to share with others who aren't familiar with the size of the model: I took these tonight between affixing the belts to the seat assembly and bending them into their final position and painting them. I am soooo glad this is not my old favorite, 1/72 scale! Approaching 47 years this summer, I am using all the assistance I can find in assembling this little beauty--clamps, vises, tweezers, magnifiers, LED spotlights... I have prowled modeling forums and checked out the reports others have made while building this and other WNW kits. The byword is PATIENCE, and dryfitting many times before committing adhesive. The Albatros has fantastic fidelity to scale. It's up to me to find out from my sources what the proper color and finish will be, and apply it and weather it. The legwork of accurate details is mostly complete straight out of the box. Anyway, tomorrow is looking like another cold, windy day in the High Desert, so I'd better sign off so I can be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the third graders tomorrow. Thanks for following my progress!

Jamme, I just found your WIP on Trumpeter's MiG-17. It's looking beautiful--I especially like how you've done the burnt metal of the jet engine, and the cockpit is a work of art. I built a 1/72 MiG-17 from Hasegawa almost 30 years ago, and I have fond memories of that little silver gem sitting on my bedroom bookcase! I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

Dave, this is truly amazing work! I can't wait to see your next project.

Slowed down for a bit--got my missing interior paint color--got that interior gray-green painted on! Worked tonight on tying together the tones of the plywood with 50/50 Tamiya clear orange and clear yellow--looks like actual varnished wood! My progress isn't speedy, but it is definitely satisfying. I will be posting pictures next time! I'm greatly enjoying seeing how others' projects are taking shape. This is a great hobby, and I think even more folks would get more out of it by tapping into the fantastic resources others have to share. Thanks for taking the time to read.

This is an amazing subject--I'm looking forward to seeing how it takes shape!

Beautiful work, Willi! Inspiring!

Thanks, Maru and Clunkmeister, for the encouragement! I took the weekend off to visit my sister in San Diego, but I will be back at work on the Albatros this week! I've been enjoying painting with my airbrush way more than with a paintbrush on this project. After the last evening I spent painting parts, it occurred to me that the 30-year-old Model 200 was unable to spray a pattern tighter than a half inch or so...then I realized that I was missing its original fine-spray head and needle. So, a little search turned up the parts I needed, and, one footrub later, I got clearance from the Boss to order them. I'll have them in a week or so, in time to do the countershading on the wing-ribs! Until then, I'll be working on things I can spray with that wide blast and detail with washes and drybrushing.

This is truly gorgeous! I built Revell's SPAD XIII along their Fokker Dr. I as part of an air show diorama kit when I was 11. It's a real treat to be able to see it rendered in a scale that actually shows the detail!

Since this is my first build in a loooong time, and I'm already learning many new techniques, I'm keeping my finish choice simple. I'll do Eduard Ritter von Schleich's Jasta 21 bird: The sharp demarcations between colors will allow me to mask and spray this plane relatively quickly, allowing me time to make sure I know what I'm doing with the rigging and the weathering! Really, there are so many different schemes to choose just in the box alone, much less independently researched and home-printed. I can easily see myself returning to this kit just to indulge a whim to see a different look.

Nice work, Matt! I like what you've done so far on the interior.

Tonight I got some more done on the Albatros:First colors on the propeller and the pilot's seat and the second step, adding the suggestion of wood-grain, for the plywood on the interior: I "practiced" on the back part of the inside of the fuselage before committing to trying it on the parts that will actually be eventually more-or-less visible. The front will eventually be the interior primer green sprayed over the plywood...local hobbystore was out of the color I needed, but it was ordered for me today. Woo-hoo! After shading with oils and spraying with transparent yellow-orange, the loud tiger-stripey effect will hopefully settle down!

Thanks, Dave--now I can post pics! This first one is just showing the base coat on interior and framing parts. The next one I took because I didn't like how the flash washed out all the texture detail...not sure which I dislike less... Anyway, I am taking my time, relearning my old skills, and regaining new ones. I can't believe I let nine years pass since my last modeling project! I'm so glad I was pointed to this page--I'm learning so much from the interaction between members on the forums! Thanks for looking! Dwight

I've gotten started prepping the interior and its framing for the faux plywood finish. I took a couple of photos tonight, and I have a kinda-dopey question to ask: how do I post the photos I'm taking? I tried linking to my Flickr, but that didn't seem to work...

My package from New Zealand arrived in the mail yesterday, and I can scarcely contain my excitement... This is my first kit in almost nine years, and the first Great War bird and first 1/32nd aircraft I’ve done since I was eleven years old. I’ve found aspects of those early aircraft quite daunting in the past, especially rigging and effectively depicting their grace and fragility. However, a friend of mine recommended Wingnut Wings, and after drooling over their offerings for a few weeks, I’ve made my selection and cleared out my workspace. I can’t wait to try out new techniques I’ve only read about, and in a scale that allows for their visibility. The fact that the finished product won’t be too much bigger than the 1/48 jets and 1/72 bombers I’ve done before is an added bonus!