Yes a bit curious but- that is what this GB is for: to layout any and all concerns to help builders who are following along.

Nice work Des!

I completed the painting of the four pulley inspection panels which are within both wings. The background is CDL, the pulleys are aluminium, the brackets are black and the wood frame is Humbrol light tan. I used a very sharp (sharpened on a piece of fine wet and dry paper) propelling pencil and carefully applied it to the moulded cable in the inspection panel. Next will be a coat of matt clear.

Des.

Great work Des – the Pup is really coming together. I'm still waiting for the postman to bring me this one – perhaps today?

Mikael

P.S. Great website of yours, I'm picking up tons of tips.

Hi again

The Navy Pup just arrived at Castle Aeroscale! It does look gorgeous!

All the best

Rowan

Thanks guys for your kind comments, you will not be disappointed when you open your Pup kits.

Here are two more photos of my progress, not a lot but all time consuming work. The decals went on extremely well, settled down beautifully even over the fuselage stitching. I always spray a coat of Humbrol Gloss No. 35 before decals, then once the decals are dry I give two coats of Humbrol Matt Cote (their spelling not mine)
Visible here is the result of my fuselage pre-shading, as subtle as it is it turned out exactly as I wanted it to, just noticeable. The struts have been wood grained with the result being a light wood colour, as instructed by Wingnuts. The bottom of the top wing has all the eyelets added and the wing struts and prop have been wood grained.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Hi Des

Great stuff!

Looking ahead - what will you use for the rigging? I'm keen to see how to tackle passing the wires through the lower wings at the roots - I wonder if the holes line-up straight.

All the best

Rowan

Thanks Rowan.

I will be using mono for the rigging with eyelets in the wings and brass sleeve to hold the rigging together at the eyelets, same as I did on my Bristol. The wing strut bracing wires actually fit to the top and bottom of each strut, not into the wing so very small holes (0.2mm) have to be drilled at each end of each strut, the cabanes as well. I am not overly keen on the RAF streamlined wires available at present, just doesn't sit right with me, but, that's just my opinion.
The double flying wires where they exit the bottom of the lower wing and connect to the undercarriage do not line up with the holes in the top of the lower wing, these wires will have to be attached seperately.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Cheers Des

I've got some RB Productions RAF wires that I'm tempted to try on my Pup, but I've never used etched rigging and the idea of trying to thread them through the lower wing has set alarm bells ringing for me...

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan.

Where the double flying wires terminate at the wing root they fit into a small recessed section set within the wing itself, the exit point on the underside of the wing is the same, a recessed section, I don't know how the flat RAF wires would fit.
The difference between the entry point on top of the wing compared to the exit point under the wing is about 4mm with the underside point being further inboard.
There is not a lot of thickness to the wing at that point so drilling a hole at an angle sufficient enough to meet both top and bottom points would be difficult to say the least.
The length of wire from the underside of the wing exit point to the undercarriage is only about 3.5mm, so I'm still contemplating on what I will do.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Every time I have a look your build just gets better and better !

Excellent job done Des I look forward to the mounting of the top wing and the rigging .

Hi Des:

I have the RB wires and the Attachment points as well. I had planned on using them for the SE.5a build, but it seemed too fiddly for me. I am sure in the hands of a more capable modeler than me, they look great and add a bit of realism heretofore unseen in the modeling community. I like your countershading, subtle but effective. Looking forward to more.

Best
Mark

Thank you all for your wonderful comments.

Fitment of the bottom wing to the fuselage was not a simple task. I needed to sand the bottom of the cockpit floor to nearly half it's thickness before the wing/fuselage join was even close. I then had to reshape the wing leading edge cutout in the fuselage to allow the wing to sit higher, also had to file the cutout in the engine firewall to allow the assembly to sit higher. Once all this was done it was just a simple matter of doing some fine adjustments with a file and sand paper then the wing fitted near perfect. It was a little annoying considering that the rest of the model to this point has gone together so well. Anyway, it was not what you would call a major catastrophe, just a little hiccup along the way. The wing struts will be fitted next.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

By the outcome, it would appear as if all went smoothly. Thanks for the heads up on that area.
It is coming along nicely.

Best
Mark

Thanks Mark. The repair was not difficult, just annoying. and it was accomplished without any damage to the paint work. The main reason I have mentioned it here is to allow other modellers building the same kit to test fit the wing to the fuselage before painting to see if they encounter the same problem.

Here are some more photos of the progress so far. I have the struts near completed, decals are fitted so now I can give the struts a coat of satin clear. Tail fin has it's decals fitted, the rudder has also had the decals applied, both items need a matt coat. Once I have completed the above all parts will be fixed to the aircraft. Engine cowl is in the drying box so it too will be matt coated tomorrow. All the decals adhered beautifully and conformed to all irregular surfaces, I have to admit, apart from producing a brilliant kit, WNW certainly supply good decals.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Hi Des!
beautiful work indeed!

I find that british planes are more interesting and pose more challanges in terms of general modelling (more complex struds structure and rigging) but are a little dull in terms of painting schemes.... what do you think?

ciao
Edo

Thanks Edo.

You are correct in saying that the British colour schemes were dull, the PC10 seems to be their favorite colour. As far as the rest of the aircraft, I find them very interesting and challenging. I love the double rigging, makes the model appear more complicated and complex. The Bristol I built was wonderful, it not only had double flying wires but double rigging cables as well, I really enjoyed doing it. I know a lot of people turn away from WW1 aircraft because of the rigging but to me that is the best part of the model. All the wood work on these old aircraft is also eye catching, that's another reason I like British aircraft, they used a lot of wood (sorry, I should say timber).

Des

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Beautifully done so far Des

Even though I will not be getting this kit , in 48 scale yes . You have done one exceptional job on the finish . The lower wing fitting will be a great aid to those who will be building this kit .

Looking forward to more of your progress

I'll second that!

Hi Des!
I completely agree with you! The ideal bird should have the body of an Albatross (wood grain and / or colorful scheme), the wings of a B2F and the rigging of a DH2!

That wold be fun!
We could think of a "what if" campaing based on that!!

Ciao
Edo

Thanks Terri, Stephen and Edo for your comments, much appreciated.

Edo - the concept you suggest would certainly make for a very interesting looking aeroplane, but I agree, all the best parts of all the best planes molded into one, like you said - "what if".

I have completed most of the tail end rigging, still have the rudder to do. I used 0.12 mm mono and the brass bits are 0.4mm drill out to 0.3mm, it's all held together with CA. Note that the elevator control horns have two cables running through the same hole, one heading forward and one aft, a bit tight a fit but not so bad. The underside photo shows the timber frame work inside the rear of the fuselage plus the bracing wires. Just visible is the stitching at the rear of the fuselage.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

One of my favorite parts of any build , the rigging . This stage of the build really starts to tie the whole build together bring life to these string baggers .

I agree with you Terri, I love doing the rigging, it may be fiddly and time consuming but it is very rewarding.

Here are some photos of the completed wing rigging, it went together very easily, there is plenty of room to work between the two wings, the double flying wires caused no problems at all. The undercarriage will be next.

Des

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Sorry about the quality of these photos but we have been having some nasty weather so natural light is hard to find.

Beautiful, Its all coming together just great

Keith

Very nice Des ! The rigging turned out super Looking forward on the landing gear being done now .

It is really looking good. Seems like it is a straightforward build. Did you use the wire for the double flying wire, or some other product?