Jump to content

The Aussies and the AEG


Recommended Posts

Greetings, all,

 

I had a great weekend of work on the AEG!

 

The starboard engine is pretty much done. I had hoped to add every single bit of detail seen on the original, but, as there is already so much going on in this diorama, and as I need to keep the energy going in a forward direction, I decided to leave it at adding wiring and detail parts from Taurus.

 

I made spark plug leads by inserting a Bob's Buckles 1/32 eyelet into the end of a Bob's Buckles tube, then a piece of copper wire into the other end, add a bit of CA, then squish with pliers. Bob Booth claims I stole this idea from him but I assured him that Necessity is the Mother of Invention and that he's a mother, himself.

 

N63DXP.jpg   DtwuXN.jpg

 

The Taurus parts are exquisite, but, as Karim said, they can be a real challenge to get off the casting block without breaking. And, once in the tweezers, the next challenge is not launching them into orbit. You need to remove the cast on lifting springs from the WnW engine and replace them with the Taurus springs. And, note, the Taurus parts are so exact that they come as extended and compressed, along with a drawing showing which springs go on which cylinders! I decided to resize this little drawing and attach it to the top of the cylinders to use as a guide for drilling the holes for the springs. I chose the drill bit size by matching it to the nipple at the bottom of the spring. Even once in place, these parts are amazingly fragile and several will need to be replaced.

 

QLdSzC.jpg  ERbQkF.jpg

 

nAb8u5.jpg  f3lWIV.jpg

 

 

The next challenge is getting the engine framing off the sprue without breaking any of it. These are definitely the most delicate pieces I have ever seen in a styrene kit and provide a real challenge in keeping whole. 

 

enop1D.jpg

 

As you can see in the above photo, the fasteners on the tabs are represented simply as little lumps of plastic.  I had planned to remove all of them and replace them with bits of PE from Brengun. But, once I had the fragile framework in hand, it was clear that undertaking this process was inviting disaster. Besides, I think there will be plenty of detail on the diorama so, one less episode of AMS/OCD is fine with me.

 

At this point, the engine is pretty much weathered to my liking and secure in the framework, but the framework still needs attention, as it has not been weathered. Right now, it's all about getting the engine placed in its awkward, post crash landing attitude, and deciding on how I will display, and create, the broken struts. Interestingly, as you can see in the picture, or not see, the forward nacelle struts are missing. But I intend to add them, as I believe they will add a lot of visual interest. 

 

ylzRx3.png

 

So, on to strut fabrication!

 

Cheers from NYC, where we're about to get Nor'Easter number four in as many weeks. I am tired of shoveling snow!

 

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazing update Michael!!!

The Taurus resin is really fiddly but sure does add to the overall look of the engine!

I love what you did with printing and resizing the guide for the drilling of the valves. The idea never crossed my mind so thanks for the pointer! There's so much to learn from talented builders like you on this forum!!

I am looking forward to how you will tackle the struts on the kit...

This is EPIC!

Karim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazing update Michael!!!

The Taurus resin is really fiddly but sure does add to the overall look of the engine!

I love what you did with printing and resizing the guide for the drilling of the valves. The idea never crossed my mind so thanks for the pointer! There's so much to learn from talented builders like you on this forum!!

I am looking forward to how you will tackle the struts on the kit...

This is EPIC!

Karim

 

"There's so much to learn from talented builders like you on this forum!!"...right back at'cha, Karim. I feel that my information level has gone through the roof since I came back to LSP just a couple of months ago....not to mention the inspiration level. And, I'll say again, your book is on my iPad and by my side on the bench at all times. 

 

 

Wow, that is amazing stuff!  This kit is definitely out of my league.

 

Gaz

 

 

Gaz, considering what I've seen of your work on the Albatros, not to mention your determination, I have no doubt that you could handle the AEG after you have a few more WWI builds under your belt. All of the procedures and techniques are the same, there are just lots more of them on a twin engine, multi engine beast like the AEG. Same techniques, just repeated. If you're interested in continuing with WWI, and I hope you are, consider the Wingnuts Sopwith Pup. It is so well engineered that there are no problems inherent in the kit. Like the Albatros, it is single bay, meaning there's only one set of struts per wing to deal with. It was the first 1/32 WWI build I did and it was a revelation. But, at that time, I could no more imagine building an AEG than flying to the Moon! You just need to practice and, in so doing, your confidence will grow. 

 

OK....back to the struts! 

 

Cheers from NYC, where it's snowing AGAIN.

 

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, gang.....

 

More work done over the weekend...lots of it is still rough and even viewing the pix to post them here, I see things I want to adjust.

 

As the AEG came down into the hands of the Aussies, a race whose land was founded because of its peoples respect for the property of others, I think the AEG in the photo had been gone over for any and all available "souvenirs". So, parts of the bomb sight and the landing lights are no where to be seen. I also fabricated the bit of tubing that is projecting out of the fuselage side just forward of the bomb sight. I'm not sure what this represents. If it's what my dad and his WWII aviator buddies referred to as a "relief tube", I wouldn't want to be standing in the slip stream. Just looking at the

photo here, I am bummed that I did no better at replicating the dimensions of the bomb sight. More work to do.

 

PGuX5X.png gpepVY.jpg

 

HGW makes a set of PE bomb racks for the Gotha that would work well on the AEG. I, of course, found this out just after having mounted those from the kit on my build. No worries....they are really well and crisply cast. I did decide, however, to add some of the strapping that hangs down in the picture. I tried a number of different materials and ended up using brass tubing from Albion with GasPatch anchor points glued into the ends. I then flattened the tubing. This detail is still very much a work in progress.

 

 

ZKAErv.png  uP8qws.jpg

 

I'm with Karin regarding the Artificial Horizon...there is a gaping hole at the rear and no indication in the instructions of what is supposed to go into it. So, I borrowed Karim's idea of covering the hole with screen.  (Yet another example of how his AEG book is so useful!) Possibly the most useful tool I have in my drawers (so to speak) is a Japanese Hole Punch, suggested to me by my good buddy and amazing model builder, George Taylor. It's like a big brother to the Waldron set and will create perfect holes up to 5mm. I found mine at a bookbinder. https://www.hollanders.com/index.php/bookbinding-supplies/small-tools/hole-punches/japanese-hole-punch.html  In this case I used it to cut out a little circle of screen to cover the hole at the back of the artificial horizon. Again, lots of work still to do on this piece.

 

iWEo5J.jpg

 

OK....I think the end is in sight....at least as for the AEG portion of the diorama. 

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Cheers from NYC,

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...