I am about to embark on my very first WW1 aircraft - WNW Albatross Dva. I will be building "Stropp" but not sure about what version - even though I live very close to the NASM and the "Stropp" on display I am leaning towards building it in the original markings and wing colors.

I am seeking suggestions for alignment of WW1 aircraft wings. Is a jig necessary? Are retail jigs available, etc?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Roger, the D.Va was my 1st WNW kit too. i had some issues with the wings alignment. Easiest thing to do is to link you over the the page in the build thread that hows what i did, with the the help and advice from the crew here, as far as fixing the dihedral and making a jig. A little more than half way down the page.


Click Here.

To further answer your question; Yes, there are commercial jigs available, My favorite is one made from Lego blocks. Pretty cheap too. But you will find that the WNW kits go together pretty well. Like Marc says just check his or some of the other builds done here and you should have a smooth build.

Thanks Marc and Stephen!

Roger,
I invested in the Aeroclub version, wonderful tool however, as mentioned by Stephen, most of the WNW kits fit together with little or no requirement for a jig, they are just that good. I did use mine on my earlier Roden Alb. DIII, it was an absolute godsend on that occasion. Going one step further, I also like the simple home made jigs such as the lego blocks mentioned by Stephen. I just used a very simple home made "Template/Jig" on my WNW Pup to align the cabanne struts that looks as if I borrowed it from Marc's (Wingnut's) Roland version. I swear we were both cutting / drilling at the exact same time thousands of miles apart. Will post a photo or two tomorrow on my KOTs Build Thread.
Short answer, like any modeling tool, you can never have enuff IMHO. I'd still spend the $ on the complicated commercial version to have it for the one or two occasions when it's the only solution however I'd strive to use the simplest (Home made) versions where/when able.

Cheers,
Lance

Thanks Lance

Hello Roger – I built one myself out of Lego – works fine, and fun to do – here's a pic



Best Regards

Mikael