WillScarlet Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 47???? ................................. wait till you get to 68!! ............................................... It's STILL enjoyable! whiskytngofxtrt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytngofxtrt Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 (edited) 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! Edited April 20, 2013 by whiskytngofxtrt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillScarlet Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Aaaaaw ....................... we wanna see pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytngofxtrt Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytngofxtrt Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 Here's two (fuzzy) more to show what I was talking about: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytngofxtrt Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 (edited) Thanks, MARU! I'm feeling more and more pleased with it, the further I go...the more I do, the more it looks like it's approaching the quality I always admired in others' work. It is such a rush, working with high-quality materials and great advice from the fine people on the forum. From Squito's DH-9 Ninak thread, I now have guidance toward the look I want on my fabric wings--I am looking forward to liberating some Post-Its and putting them to service! Edited April 23, 2013 by whiskytngofxtrt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytngofxtrt Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Tonight's progress: I have control cables linked to the control stick, but the rudder cables are still floating free. Debating which would be less painful: attaching the rudder bar assembly to the cockpit first and attaching rudder cables, or following the directions and attaching it to the forward fuselage former with the ammo boxes and gas tanks...either way, it's going to be fiddly trying to attach the rudder cables, then slot the end of the aileron control axle into its socket...it's feeling like bedtime, and I have to get up and run early in the morning with my youngest daughter! Back at this tomorrow. Thanks for following. Qvarre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytngofxtrt Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Just to let everyone know I'm still alive and working on it! Now, I'm tackling the engine...pix when paint is dry! Thanks for following! Tomek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 (edited) Nice and busy in the cockpit now W.T.F Dwight. It looks like you got your rudder control cables all attached. Keep up the good work. Edited April 28, 2013 by geedubelyer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytngofxtrt Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 Okay, so it's been nearly a month since I've posted... I haven't given up! No worries there--I'm knee-deep in detailing the engine. I got the Taurus spark plugs--holy cow, those are tiny! I've read on other threads of a mystical device called a "catch-bib." I must research this, as trying to hoist the li'l dealies with my cheap tweezers resulted in three of them going "tch-PWINNGGG!!!" to parts unknown. I learned that the plugs on the Mercedes D. III engine do, indeed, point in a different direction on the exhaust side than the intake side. This was causing me no end of consternation, as most photos of the D. III and D. IIIa were showing the intake side, where the plugs enter straight on, and I was beginning my work on the exhaust side, where they enter at an angle...several hours of poring over dozens of sources later, and then turning the engine to the other side, revealed this hidden truth to me...For future reference: definitely have the precision tweezers on hand (I do now!), and acquire a catch bib! I've also begun the painting of the wings. I'm waiting on my back-ordered Tamiya Smoke paint to add the shadowing between the ribs, then I can drill the holes for the lovely eyelets I just got from Bob's Buckles. And I thought the spark plugs were small... parts on the tree... cut free, taped down to keep from being sprayed away... undersides sprayed... topside colors roughed-in... tightening the green areas... mauve areas tightened... sealed with Future... markings added... starting with the spark plugs...exhaust side... ...and the intake side... More to come soon! Thanks for following. Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mammut08 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Lookin' good Dwight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Buddee Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Lookin' good Dwight. The Taurus sparkplugs are indeed tiny but amazingly detailed. Unfortunately when they leave your tweezers at high velocity a "catch bib" usually doesn't help any. Good thing that Taurus usually give you a couple of extra plugs. For a catch bib I use a large BBQ apron with it's lower hem attached to the underside edge of my work bench. If anything falls it USUALLY falls within the apron saving lots of time searching. Tweezer launches tend to end with wailing and knashing of teeth. What paint and colours did you use for the green and mauve upper surface camouflage? Cheers, Wolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytngofxtrt Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Thanks for the affirmations, Dave and Maru and Wolf! Wolf, I'm using Tamiya acrylics, mixed according to the proportions recommended on WnW's instructions: XF-71 Cockpit Green is the Medium Grey Green Gloss X16 Purple (x1) plus XF52 Flat Earth makes the Mauve Gloss color. One good thing about having my granddaughter living in my house is I get to liberate old baby food jars to store the paint, and a medicine dropper for accurate measurements... I got some Tamiya Smoke at the hobby store today, so I'll be trying the rib shading this weekend if all goes according to plan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Good work Dwight. Coming along really well! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytngofxtrt Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 Quick update! I've had a busy summer, with lots of traveling and not much time for modeling. I joined a local IPMS group and started going to meetings in between my trips across the state and the nation this summer, and I had time to share with them what I've shared with you. The Wingnut Wings kits are nothing short of amazing, and seeing one opened and under construction can convince a lot of skeptics. The intricacy, the delicacy of the details seems to call out for trying finishes one has only read about, or adding details that seemed ridiculous before. Tonight, I've started buttoning up the fuselage in preparation for applying the finish to it: The key is patience, lining everything up, and, of course, touching up and weathering as I go! Here's hoping I have more time at the bench now that I'm no longer on "vacation!" Thanks for reading, and keep posting--I learn so much from everyone's progress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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