Fantastic work Mikael. Your build is progressing wonderfully!

Mark

Thank You so much Terri, nice that I've inspired one of my inspirer..u...e.rs uummmmm (is that a word in english?)

It would be great to see you tackle the Blue Max kit of the DH2

Oh – and the pinning, Well I am making my second atempt as we speak – some stiff 0.8 brass pins, epoxy glue and a lot of fingers crossed. It'l be dry tomorrow morning – then we'll see

Mikael

Mark – Thank You for your kind comments

Mikael

Hi All

Well before the fun can really start for me in the 2011 GB, I need to finish this build (I mostly try to finish current projects before starting anything new). This build is also a lot of fun though – so I don't feel too preasured to force this one throgh.

Some progress since last time I posted here. Largest problem was getting the lower wings in position. Second atempt, using long 0.8 mm brass pins, proved successful – and I felt very releived

After this some touching up, and a lot of detailing on the outside together with decaling took place, and I'm now at the point where its more or less a question of final assembly and rigging. This will probably prove a lot more, rather than less though...

Enough talk – here are some pics:




Upperwing and tail section – revealing the serial 6011 of 24 Sqn. I'm keeping the PC10 surfaces pretty clean, as in my "storyline" the plane is freshly doped on the top surfaces, while some maintenace is done. This places the time to – I think between mid/late June and 11 July 1916 just in time for the battle of the Somme...


Struts and bits showing the marking of the outer struts of 24 Sqn. C flight DH2 6011 – flown by 2 Lt . Kerr. It was shot down on 11 July 1916 – suffering some damage. Its pilot was taken prisoner.






From Stephen excellent buildthread, I gather that the layout of the instrument panel here may not be entierly correct for this Mk of DH2?


The dogtooth pattern was cut from film and stuck onto a prepainted white bottom – the result was pretty good from the start, only needing some touchups.

Thats it for now – I guess next time I post on this build It'll be the finished item – thogh how quick and easy that'll be I most unsure, it has been an easier build than I had first thought upto this point...

Any and all comments are as usual most welcome.

Mikael

This is going to be a shining gem of a build. One you can be proud of.

Keith.

Hi Mikael:

Outstanding work my friend. I really like the preshading on the roundels on the wings and the tail assembly. Nice touch!
Looking forward to seeing it finished and your comments on the rigging.

Best
Mark

Hi Mikael,

I will be repetitive but it was already said a few times: most impressive build. It's a real pleasure to follow your progress. I can spend countless hours just watching your pictures (instead of building my own kit! )

Could you please reveal what kind of paints you used for PC-10? If it's your own cooking, could you pass the receipt (colours and ratios)? If possible of course.

Best regards,
Tomasz

Hi Mikael

She is a beauty and no mistake! Ah, but the time for rigging is fast approaching. I am anxious to see how you do it.

Very , very well done so far Mikael ! Glad to see that you found a way to pin the wings which worked out for you ! Your very close to the final stage of assembly . Looking forward to seeing how you rig the tail booms .

Hi All, and Thank You so very much for your kind and encouraging words, they really mean a lot to me




Hello Tomasz – Glad you like my build – I use Tamiya paints – and my recipie (which is similar to what I think Terri and others here use) is XF62 (Olive Drab), and then some XF10 (Flat Brown) mixed into this. The amount of brown depends on what you're after... The more brown the more choclate hue in the PC10. For this build I onle poured a small amount in – but I preshaded using XF10, soo....

Hope this helps.





Thank You very much Dennis – I'm feeling a bit anxious too




Terri  – thank You so very very much I'm a bit undecided on how to tackle the tailbooms – one thing I'm sure of is that I woun't drill into them too much though...

However wings are the first item on the agenda and I'm now busy tying all the strands to the lower wing, using "Bobs buckles"... There are quite a few of them and it is starting to look a bit confusing. I keep telling myself that its not more difficult than any other rigging job, only – more...

Best Regards

Mikael

Hi Mikael,

Thanks for the tip on paints and colours you used for PC-10. It helps!

When it comes to rigging...It's only few strands more than the everage WWI project. Nothing more...Just a few strands... Anyway, I keep my fingers crossed for you.

Take care,
Tomasz

Hi All

I know I promised the final item in my last build post... But I thoght I'd share some of this stage as well before posting the finished model.

Rigging and construction has met with very few issues or surprises. I have to say that Roden certainly has done a great job engineering this kit – struts and booms are almost dead on right with very littlle to correct, Putting on the upperwing was also lot less hastle than anticipated... This has partly to do with a new jig I built the other day... (see below )

Here are som in progress pics;


I did the upperwing slowly and steadily, putting in a pair of struts at a time, letting the cure before I put in the next. My new jig – made entirely out of lego held the wing in position.

I built it using an old lego tec kit from the 80s – and its adjustable up/down and forward/backward. There are "stops" on the cogwheels that hold the arms in the correct positions, and the tolerance is good enough to do very fine adjustments...

Here's another pic of it:



With all struts in place I tied the last rigging lines to the bottom wing. Getting the wing in place was done by turning the whole thing upside down, making the locaion of the struts in the holes pretty easy. I had also pinned all struts, and the booms (something Roden had omitted on the booms – and made locating them very much simpler)


After the wing had cured in place, it was a matter of finding the righ line an locating it to rhe right point. I taped the model upside down on an old matchstick box to help me move it around.

As I write this – all lines in between the wings are in place, and the tail and booms are now in place waiting to cure. I shall rig this as well before trying to move it around for the landing gear...

So almost done now, only a few lines and bits left to do

All and any comments are most welome – as usual

Mikael

Hi Mikael

Magnificent work! I love the jig.

Your results with the rigging makes me want to take the turnbuckle plunge when I start on this kit (it will be next on the to-to list).

WOW Mikael! You've been definitely busy with your little crate I mean, that is SOME progress here...And very nicely executed!

Cheers,
Tomasz

Thumbs up! Looking good!

I also love your rig-jig. You look to be in the home stretch, and I have really learned a lot about this aircraft. I think you have done an outstanding job on this build. The extra work, and the rigging are fantastic. I am anxiously awaiting final pics.

Now thats an interesting jig!

Indeed!

Awesome Mikael !

Just hope that you give them spiders a few days off when they have finished the rigging

Mikael,
I have followed this build closely from the beginning and have to add my compliments to the others. Simply put, beautiful work.

As for Terri's comment on the rigging crew, with all respect she missed the obvious. Send those little buggars north and we'll put em to work!

Really looking forward to the photos of the completed beast; she's a real beauty.

Hi everyone and Thank You for your kind and encouraging comments on my build – they really warm my heart on a pretty cold wintersnight




Thank You Stephen, Carl and Mark – I had a brainwave, remembering the old box of lego, and recalling that I once made a forklift when I was about 13 years old – So a jig seemed like a plausible thing




Terri and Lance – Thank You, I might indeed send the little spiders away for a bit of R&R  – my next project the Hansa W.29 doesn't seem to require their services too much

Bestest and Warmest Regards to you all!

Mikael

Hi again,

Just a quick note to say that rigging is progressing, albeight a bit slower than anticipated – I keep thinking, its just a couple more and then... Well there seems to always be "just a couple more".

The booms are securly in place, together with the tail, and this is almost all rigged. Only remains the control wires, but the control horns keep coming off as a tension the lines

Well I will take it as it comes – don't rig when you're angry or frustrated...

Mikael

That is soooo true ! When I'm angry or even frustrated I will not do any rigging at all , just leads itself to unfavorible results . Looking forward to seeing how the booms turn out

Hi everyone

– well I can finally say the words – Its Done!!! (Apart from a few sagging lines that is going to need a bit of heat treatment, and the piping to the gravity tank – that I just noticed I had forgotten – Oh well )

It was a bit of a hard finish to an otherwise very pleasant, and surprisingly hasstle free build. I don't quite know what was wrong, but the final rigging strands kept tangling themselves, control horns came off and a large and ugly blob of epoxy glue got stuck where it shouldn't. All of it mainly my own faults – and nothing to do with the kit itself – which I think is a credit to Roden! I have read some griping on the quality of this kit elesewhere – but I have had a very positive experience with this build. Even though I abused the narcelle and cut it to bits, it was still possible to line everything up again and put the top wing and booms on without any problems what so ever – Great engineering Roden!

Rigging was not as hard as I'd expected – and using bobs buckles made it simpler I guess – but I think you'd need a couple of british planes under your belt before you atempt to rig this one. But as long as you plan ahead, and take your time, its not much more complex – only more!

That's about it I guess – Oh yes I almost forgot – here are some pics too





























Hope you've enjoyed looking at this build as much as I've enjoyed doing it  –next project will be the WNW Hansa Brandenburgh W.29 for the GB.

Thank You for looking in – all and any commnets are as usual most welcome.

Mikael

P.S. @ WNW – hope you'll bring on the FE2b soon  – I feel ready for it now

Stunning build Mikael! Beautiful all around!

Mark