WNW Pfalz D.III Komplete 23/Mai/19

[Gazzas]

HI everyone!

    I started my WnW sojourn a last year.  This is my second WnW kit to start, and none of the schemes are really appealing.  So, I decided to do the best looking "Pfalz" I've ever seen.

 

I haven't worked out all of the particulars, yet...  I just wanna have fun and build a cool looking model.  I've got lots of WnW lozenge, so working it around the fuselage could get wasteful.  I'm not even sure I can do it cleanly.   Hopefully I won't have to resort to painting.

 

I started a couple weeks ago, and here I am today:

I decided to only detail as much of the engine as necessary.  So, after lagging the carburetor inlets and adding some plug wires, I weathered it with washes and dry brushing.

 

I also gave the exhaust a "heat treatment"

 

And the office.  I replace the PE belts with HGW belts.  Those things are awesome.

 

I also got the fuselage closed up later...but I'll save those pics for the next update.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Gaz

Edited May 23, 2019 by Gazzas

[Out2gtcha]

Great seat Gaz!

I like that lozenge scheme a lot. Very attractive!

[Gazzas]

Thank you, Fellas!

[DeanKB]

This is exactly the type of plane the wife would want me to make. Small, but as colourful as a flying peacock. 

 

Looks like fun, great choice!

 

If anybody tells you you are historically inaccurate, laugh at them heartily, whilst pointing at them. Then slowly shake your head, then say "bloody idiots" to yourself, just loud enough to be heard. Then add some extra lozenge decals to the prop, tailfin, engine cowlings, the engine cylinder head, the spinner & both machine guns. Then paint the wheel rims florescent pink.

[Gazzas]

Dean,

     That's some great advice...   I decided not too long ago, for this hobby to be fun, you have to do what you want to do...  not what somebody expects.  If I take this one to a show, I'll just call it a fantasy build, out of the box.

 

I had a good day and a half of on-and-off building, and have gotten a bit done.

This three-sided joint at the back of the lower wing does require a bit of loving.  A couple of hours of loving...

 

For the first time ever I decided to seal up the fuselage entirely with CA.  I would close an area, hit it with Tamiya CA Accelerator, then clean the joint while it was still a little soft. 

Behind the cockpit is a tapering gap.  You can only see it because it's been sealed with CA.  Thankfully once painted it disappeared.  For a while while dry fitting, I had thought the gap my fault for not getting the inner parts done correctly.  But then I dry fitted the fuselage halves and showed that the gap was there irregardless.

 

Sealed up with the areas not to be covered by the lozenge in their base colors.  The black nose was lightened with a bit of white.  I didn't have any NATO black in the stash.

 

I dipped all of the locator pins of the struts and landing gear into blue liquid micro mask.  The corresponding holes in the fuselage have also been filled with micromask.

 

There are access holes in the wheel covers.  There is also some small detail spokes and valve stems.   I remembered that my grandpa had some tractor inner tubes with brass valve stems.  So, I painted them appropriately.

 

Started with the decals, too.  You can just make out the pink rib tape used to neaten the seam between upper and lower decals.

 

The lower lozenge is strangely pinkish. 

 

Began to decal the upper wing, too.  Not easy, and definitely putting a strain on the learning curve.   These are the WnW lozenge.  I have a lot, so I won't jump at Aviatik just yet.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Gaz

 

 

[DeanKB]

It'll be a lot cheaper using WNW lozenge instead of Aviattic's.

 

Good start, it does look like fun.

[Gazzas]

56 minutes ago, DeanKB said:

It'll be a lot cheaper using WNW lozenge instead of Aviattic's.

 

Good start, it does look like fun.

Thanks Dean!  I am having a good time.

[Gazzas]

Thank you Maru!

[Gazzas]

HI everyone,

    A lot of lozenge work on the fuselage today.  I had to do a lot of minute cutting to avoid overlaps and a little touch-up with paints afterwards.   The WnW lozenge is very delicate stuff.

I started near the engines with templates.  I had to work in small sections because nothing can follow the Pfalz curves.

 

Down to the wing roots.  It would have been nice to have form-fit decals, but I have to use materials cut for the wings...  unless I went totally mad and tried to paint it.

 

I'm not sure which side I prefer:  This port side...

 

Or the starboard side.  I'm thinking I might use a wash to blend everything a little bit, eventually.

 

Got a bit more done on the upper wing, too.

 

I'm thinking about a pilot's marking on the side of the plane to break it up.  Not sure what, yet.  It would have to be in decal form as masking over decals is something I'd rather avoid.

 

Gaz

 

[DonH]

Wow, that's a lot of decals and you are doing a great job with them. 

[themongoose]

You’re really pulling off that Sweet scheme Gazzas!

[DeanKB]

Looking good.

 

Great practice for decalling curves as well!

[Gazzas]

Thank you for the kind comments, fellas!

 

I hemmed as hawed about how I would treat the mid-lower wing area of the fuselage.  Eventually decided that it would be better to treat the fuselage as a separate entity.

The wraparound corners and wing roots took a bit of time.  I'm hoping it looks better after weathering and a matte coat.

 

The upper and lower stabilizer and elevator.

 

Smaller pieces:

Since this is all fictional, I've been a bit liberal in the use of decals.  Had I followed the most common patterns, the wheel covers would have been black like the struts and nose.

 

I borrowed from another kit to give the pilot a simple personal device.  To break up all of that lozenge...  Love the Pfalz's flamboyant rudder!

 

 

I was afraid that the pink rib tapes I had chosen might dominate the wings too much.  I was relieved to find that they didn't put them on the ailerons.  Trying to get tbhem perfectly straight...  haven't figured that out yet.  As soon as you touch them they wiggle away from where you want em.

 

It's easy to touch one while working on the other.  The jig helps.   Patience helps more...lol

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Gaz

 

 

[Fvdm]

Love all the decalling. I never applied lozenge but this looks great!

[Gisbod]

Lovely Gaz,

 

That’s a challenge to take on the Lozenge!

 

Guy