Matt B's wireless wonder ***FINISHED*** (at last!)

[mattbacon]

Well, this will be a change! Many thanks to my SS for finding the one and only WW1 aircraft that combines lozenge camo with NO RIGGING! None!



It's been an Eduard kind of Christmas on the modelling front -- my only plastic pressies were this little gem and a bigger one, the 1/48 Spitfire IXc (early).

I've found a couple of build reviews which suggest that this should be a great kit to put together, so I'll be getting started as soon as the bench has cleared and the shed has defrosted!

Thanks once again, SS, whoever you are!

bestest,
M.

[Chris]

Looks like those wheels have bracing...

[ShaunW]

I am very jealous, this should be a great kit to build and one that I would have been well chuffed to receive myself.

[Narayan]

Nice Secret Santa gift!

_________________
Narayan

Last night, Darth Vader came down from planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn't take Lorraine out that he'd melt my brain.

A:B 2013 39:11 2012 20:05 2011 11:10 2010 44:12 2009 19:16 2008 16:03 Overall 232:62

[mattbacon]

And here we go...



As you can see, a thoroughly comprehensive package. Two trees of finely moulded plastic (including some very teeny-tiny pieces indeed), etch, masks and four decal options (plus of course all the lozenge camo). I shall be doing mine in the Polish Kosciuszko squadron markings, since I already have its heirs in the form of Urbanowicz's Battle of Britain Hurricane and several of Jan Zumbach's RF-D Spitfires! One of the sprues is slightly "wavy," which has affected a few of the finest parts, but I think it'll all come out in the wash.


Lots of small, fragile or very very small parts go together to make the cockpit (actually, I think this is the most complex assembly on the whole model. When it's built there's just a two part fuselage to fit in into, then the cowling, and one piece wings and tail surfaces and you're done!). There's no instrument panel as such -- gauges seem to be attached all over the airframe, in the cockpit, on the floor and outside... The seat sits on a three-part frame attached to a "fabric" panel -- first use of the lozenge decal, which seems fairly tractable...


The engine is two parts and a bit of etch. I like it...

Another couple of hours on the cockpit and it might be in one piece!

bestest,
M.

[ShaunW]

Great start. Eduard certainly make some lovely kits.

[PaulBradley]

Nice start, Matt.

[bluesteel]

Instruments all over the place? That's very un-German of them. I always thought it was just us Brits who liked to shove instruments and controls wherever a space could be found for them....

[Dazzled]

Instruments all over the place? That's very un-German of them. I always thought it was just us Brits who liked to shove instruments and controls wherever a space could be found for them....

You should look at a SPAD cockpit. It's like your aunties mantelpiece

[mattbacon]

That's the cockpit unit, finally. I don't know if it's right -- the instructions show the seat mounted on the bulkhead square to the floor, but the nubbins inside the fuselage halves suggest that it should lean back. The upper frame rods that attach to the seat bulkhead are indeed longer than the two on the floor, but, sadly, they weren't the SAME length. I decided to build it as the instructions show, and trimmed the frame to fit the seat "square"...


This is where it goes, with lozenge decal and panels painted with streaky Tamiya clear orange to represent the wood effect.


And here it is in position.


Then, of course, with the lid on (just test-fitted here), you can see darn-all of that fine detail, photo-etch, pain, misery and fragile hard work!


The cowl showing the worst effects of the wavy sprue. I'm hoping that hot water and strong glue will tame it!

bestest,
M.

[PaulBradley]

Yikes!

Nice work on the cockpit though, Matt - shame you won't see any of it.

[Chris]

That is some serious detail on that interior Matt, very cool.

[Ian]

That's a really nice start, Matt. I got some PE with my SS kit. You've made it look easy to use! I've struggled with mine.

[mattbacon]

Thanks, chaps... this is where you say "What the **** is Matt playing at?"




Well... apparently there has been much research relatively recently on how these things were painted. Unlike earlier Fokkers, with their famous "Streaky green" camouflage caused by doping fabric with a brush until it ran out of dope before redipping, the E.V had a plywood wing. As the Germans in 1918 were short of everything, these were simply painted with wood furniture stain in green and brown for the top and blue and purple for the bottom, and then varnished. The plywood didn't absorb the stain evenly, and this is my best effort at the result. There are two wings, because one features a _very slight_ ripple surface effect where the plywood sagged a little between formers, supposedly. I think it's invisible, so I'll just choose the wing on which I prefer the paint effect.

The lozenge decals go on very well...

bestest,
M.

[Ian]

What the **** is Matt playing at?