Thanks Bob. If you ever have any questions for me, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be glad to help any way I can. I hope to see you building and posting something soon.

Mark

Mark,

Man did you nail this one! What a beauty. Top shelf in every category. It's gonna be hard to top this one ... but I know you got it in you! Can't wait to see what the next piece of eye candy will be. Just a beautiful job. Thanks for sharing.

Dwayne

Mark she is a fine build! Everything came together so well it seems. Tell us your opinion of the the kit and what were its strengths and weakness'. I smell a Feature.

Thanks Dwayne! That means a lot coming from you. Boy do I have some surprises in store.

Mark

Mr. Mark, that's just AWESOME!!


Cheers Nick

Thanks Stephen! Over all the kit is really among the best kits I've ever built. Piotr really deserves a lot of credit for it's production. (I really hope he has many more WW1 subjects in mind for production.) The kit parts are well measured and finely detailed. I used a razor saw to remove the smaller finer parts from the sprue because sprue cutters have a tendency to "pinch" the kit parts. Some of the sprue attachment points are in delicate areas so I used a new blade in my Exacto knife to remove any excess after I had removed the part from the sprue. Some of the straight parts like in the undercarriage, struts and engine plumbing can be replaced by metal parts if desired.
As for the build, I would consider it more of an intermediate to advanced skill level. I'm not a strict "by the instructions" builder and the kit doesn't have many locator marks for the parts and needs a lot of dry fitting and testing to make the parts line up and be square. (I do this with all my other kits too.) I always test fit parts with a little Elmer's Glue because it makes the part easy to remove. Here's a list of things I did during the build that might help other's building the kit that aren't in the build thread:
- when closing the fuselage, pay close attention to the gunner's seat support. I installed the wooden control cable guard on the right side floor then closed the fuselage against it using the pointed tip of a paintbrush to push the guard into place inside the fuselage. I then used a little Future to hold it in place. (I often use Future to "glue" some smaller things in place - if a part is to tight to get into or if I don't want to marr the painted surface.)
- test fit the cowlings and thin the edges around the opening for the engine - add any shims along the edges where you feel are appropriate, also thin the wall of the cowling next to the machine gun
- the kit engine is very nice and very detailed, I used a Vector engine because I have quite a few of them and am testing them out in several builds
- don't glue the front cabane struts to the fuselage until you set the top wing, use a little Future to hold them in place while you fit the cowling
- all wings and tail surfaces are drilled and pinned with brass rod
- I cut the windshield from the acetate and held it under hot water from the kitchen sink for about 5 - 10 seconds and then bent it around a paintbrush handle to give it a "curve" so it would conform to the fuselage

I think that was about it. If any one has questions, just ask.

Mark

P.S. I used a small drill bit to push the the firing lever on the control stick but the machine gun didn't fire so I obviously didn't get the linkages right. Might be jammed.

Hi Mark

A belated congratulations on finishing this fantastic build – This has really turned into a beautiful and stunning model.

Still hoping someone will release this in 1:32



Very Impressed Regards

Mikael

Mark,
Absolutely beautiful.Very impressive construction,details,decalling and paint the total package.I do have a question for you though concerning the green used for the interior.What green did you use? My Halberstadt CL.Iv arrived today and hopefully the CL.II will arrive soon both call for the green interior.Thanks in advance my friend.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

Gregory,

I used Vallejo paint with the colors called for in the instructions, including Vallejo Red for the front of the fuselage. It was my first time using Vallejo paint. I really liked them. They brush on nicely.

Mark

Polish Model maker Mirage Hobby has put pictures of my WWI Halberstadt CL.II on their website.

http://www.mirage-hobby.pl/MarkHamrick/

Mark

Excellent Mark!