I like your build a lot - regarding the spent cases tubes, I noticed, but I am very lazy so since nobody will be able to see it with the wing on, I decided to skip it ....

Hope to see more on this fine build soon!

Cheers/Jan

Cheers Jan, if she turns out anywhere near as good as yours I'll be well hapy.

If the weather holds tomorrow I'll post pics so far.

Ive just sat on a completed maxim, must have brushed it off the bench with my sleeve as I rushed off to watch Pacific!....oh well I have more etch

Keith

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!

Aarghhh.

Erm. That's terribly bad luck Keith

Richard

Yesterday was one of those *step away from the modelling bench* days, I should have heeded sense. Today is much better, time to repair and sort some of the faux pas so to speak.

Anyhow I promised pics so I shot a few before it rains in something of a rush so please forgive the dust and debris.


First up the upper wing crosses, the WNW profile hints at these being overpainted so this is my attempt ant representing poor brushwork and thin paint. I'm not sure how well it works but its sealed in so I'm stuck with it.. You might also just be able to make out the feint wing structure highlighted with pastels which looked really nice till i fixed it with varnish and it vanished almost at least for the camera.


Upper wing with the rad in place. not really clear is how I reworked the area around the radiator slightly, I'm going to fit a mirror, whether this plane had one or not I dont know but from what Stephen said theres no pic of her with wings and so I'm using modellers licence.


Tail section, the nailwork, is mixed some nice and subtle others a little too heavy, I thought O may try filling them with a little paint or varnish to lessen the depth but its a minor issue really. I added the tube leading down from the rudder into the fuselage, seems only right as it was missing.
Filled and reworked the eyelets where the control cables exit the fuselage using Eduards DIII ones I had spare. cables are invisible thread with blobs of PVA and run over with a silver sharpie. A little tidying detailing to do I think I need to blob the blobs a little more (one of my FPs from yesterday was dropping the tail on the bench and snapping off both lower control horns). the tail surfaces are a slightly different shade and sheen to the fuselage, in an attempt to differentiate between the two.




A couple of shots of the nose as she stands right now, rather tatty after me struggling with it to acheive a reasonable fit. I can only assume something in the internal structure isnt sitting fully home or something, no one else seems to have had the issues I mentioned with the cowls. you can see the strip of plasticard in the nose to make things align once I got the rear close to how it should be. also note I added the ridge around the upper lip of the cowls, seen in most pictures I would have thought WNW would have put it in, still it was an interesting challenge to sand back and glue strip around the lip and sand it back.
I have to remake the step..somewhere down the line it went bye bye and add details like the TWO retaining straps as per the TVAL nose and not one as supplied by WNW in etch.

I did notice as i prepared these pics how awful my painting around the coamings was, I really shouldnt paint after dark...laughs. the stripped back bit in the centr is for the etched cover plate with thankfully hides one of the non connecting belt chutes from view.

I have the P of P etched sets for the DI and DIII, these come with etched turnbuckles, I'm pondering whether or not to use them at the moment or just push on correct whats missing and finish.

And to end A nose shot, minor damage and dings to the reprofiled spinner (rounded out the point some) to give a little character to an old bird



Keith

Looking great Keith! I like the wing crosses. Very convincing.

Mark

Looking good Keith: It sounds as if you have had your share of mishaps, but managed to recover nicely. I too like your wing crosses, very convincing and evocative of an field expedient modification done by young Privates anxious to get the job done. With all the Albatri being done on this forum, it is interesting to see them progress and how they look to assist with the decision making process as to what markings I want to use when I tackle the self same kit.
Thanks for sharing your work.
Best

Mark

Coming along very nicely Keith, I think you are capturing the look of an Albatros thats been painted and canged a couple of times in the field really well. The effect on the crosses looks excellent!

Best Regards

Mikael

P.S. I did the same "mistake" with pastels and varnish myself a couple of times... really annoying

thanks guys, I'm relieved the crosses passed muster
I painted them stippling and scrubing with an almost dry brush using stencils copied from the Decals for Stropp. I made them very patchy, let them dry and washed scrubbed them, still not getting the look I wanted I came up with the idea of overpainting with thin white which worked well.

Mikael, yes I think she is going to end up quite wel used looking by the time I'm close to finishing.

Cheers for the pos comments guy, much appreciated.

Keith

Keith , your build is coming along very nicely . I like the effect of the national markings on the top wing . Mark is right , very convincing . Looking forward to the simple rigging job on her

Terri thanks and believe it or not I'm actually looking forwards to the rigging...unbelievable for me, but I picked a few tips up from many sourrces here and although it was slow and the attrition rate high I enjoyed making the turnbuckles...

(BTW A tip for the frugal and ingenious, my wire used for turnbuckles and rigging points is........ drumroll........ Stainless steel flexible hose braiding! thin, strong and twists nice and tightly)

Maxims and the offending belt chute are the order of the day today I hope.

Keith

TOP WING IS ON....WOOT!

Congrats

weeeeee waaaant pictures

Hi agin....Varmints!

Wings on and I started the deteriation work..as if my building hasnt made her tatty enough...LOL
I just wanted to age the fabric and loose the uniform feel to it, so 1st stage is in thinned oils

She seems a little lopsided and the undercarriage is wobbly but hopefully the rigging will pull it tighter. I added the cowl straps and catches and began the general touch ups as I weather her. I have to add the front coolant pipe, its drying, flare rack and a few bits her and there but tomorrow I might start trying the rigging, I'm stretching smoke mending thread overnight to try to ease the coil out of it. I want to scratch a mirror and add something to the cockpit to give it character, but not sure yet what and am contemplating a trestle and steps if I dont get distracted away working on the Mongrel Rowan/WNW DIII OAW


Underside still not over weathered YET










in this shot you get a clearer look at the catch and straps and the lip added to the cowls...those sloppy painters dabbed the brushes on the engine...Wait till the CO gets hold of them.

Anyhow...Pics...any comments advice will be gratefully accepted, especially if its something wrong I can correct now.

Keith,
Excellent progress my friend.I love your paint scheme,nice and bright.I haven't used the Citadel paint as of yet,but they sure seem to brush well.How do they do with an airbrush?Hopefully there's a source for Citadel Paints stateside.Keep up the progress and keep us posted.
Regards,
Gregory Jouette

Hi Citadel spray wonderfully, thinned with distiled water or I've used Tamiya X-20A thinners They are part of the Games Workshop range, Warhammer, I imagine they are stocked stateside in their own shops just like here, or over the web, there must be a US reseller.

Their metallics are very good and they do a range of flesh colours.

TY for the comments...lets see if I can't at least start rigging by the weekends over

Keith:

I think it is really looking good. The rigging will support the landing gear. I am working on the DII., and rigged the gear as it was just too wobbly without it. I wasn't attracted to this scheme in the directions, but seeing your photo's has changed my mind on the scheme. I like it, and you have done it justice.
Best
Mark

Kornbeef is goggle eyed from rigging, and is letting it set overnight before trimming the excess. Kornbeef is reasonably happy with the result so far, only because of the various tips picked up here on Aeroscale.
Thanks guys and girls.

K

Kornbeef has - once again - failed to post pictures for the admiring horde .....

Rigging - have I leared - is a job best done under sedation ...

Otherwise, I like your paintjob!

Cheers/Jan

Any particular sedative you'd recommend to reach the proper zen state for the rigging?

Looking very nice Kornbeef!

/Hans

Keith,
Really coming along nicely! I love the Paint Work! Looking forward to the finished model,
RAGIII

It all depends on the user - personally i prefer a nice single malt

But I think WNW have gode a good job on the locationholes for the rigging, but I find the instructions on the Albatros somewhat confusing when it comes to the exact location of the different wires.

Cheers/Jan

Hi guys. Rigging finished and dispite on or two mishaps went better than I hoped once I got my head around the concept and ignored fat finger and failing eyesight syndrome

So heres a few shots, She almost there I have a few details to pick up, tailskid details, the odd paint scrape or splotch to correct and more wear and tear. I know the muddy tyres look dreadful...last night 12:30 it seemed like a good idea...WRONG! thankfully its water colour and will wash of easy.

Will this be Kornbeefs first ever groupbuild finished this week...drumroll















Now a cold chilly morning in early 1918, a light mist hangs in the air as in the background engines cough into life.


K

Now there is a decent looking build. Nicely Done.

Love that picture taken from below. Somehow the reduced depth of field and unusual camera angle add to the realism.

The B&W image, I've been playing with some of those and rarely get them right. I think it is to do with the contrast, where the old pictures are more "extreme". Black is very black, white is very white, greys are more nearly black or white. My attempts produce a nice gradation from black to white which just doesn't look "right".

Not far to go now K, keep it up!

Richard

Congratulations on a very nice result, the whole work are very nice, but the overpainted markings really ads carracter to your build.

Cheers/Jan