Diego,

Thank you very much for your interest and questions. The cups of the anemometer were glued in place using the GatorsGlue. I considered gluing it with CA glue, but I knew from experience that it is almost impossible in this miniature build - the blobs of glue would be simply too big and noticeable (which I wanted to avoid). GatorsGlue I find indispensable; it is an acrylic based glue which can be diluted with water in various thicknesses. When the mast and the cups were ready, I carefully moist the mast with diluted glue. Patience is the trick behind it - do not rush! Simply wait until the coat on each of the masts dries and becomes sticky. Then place the cups and seal with another light coat of glue. The bond is almost as tight as CA glue, but much easier to work with.

As it comes to the mast, this was more difficult. I didn't have any leftover PE control wheels at hand, so I had to improvise - remember, improvisation is mother of invention! First I made the "X" section by carefully gluing two pieces of very thin, almost hairlike streched sprue. The liquid glue tends to melt the plastic, so you have to be extra patient. I find MrHobby's "Mr.CementS" liquid glue best suited for such intricate and delicate work. You need just a tiny drop to join the parts together. The section was then cut to size and glued onto a small punched out thin styrene disc using the same method. Why still soft and pliable, I lightly pressed the center with appropriate Swiss beading tool. It was left to dry thoroughly, and then I drilled the center and connected it to the brass tube using the GatorsGlue. Now when I read it through, it sounds more difficult than it really is. No doubt there are more simpler ways of doing it, but I did it my way (Sinatra).

All the best,
Entoni

Disasters simply happen. They are integral part of our hobby, and with years and some experience they become apparently more predictable, yet inevitable. In this hobby one must simply learn to take advantage of disasters, and it all boils down to what you make out of it; it’s also a matter of approach and how you deal with it.

Mine was rather simple and very stupid – the Albie was sitting at the top of my table while I accidentally spilled the bottle of Methylene Chloride (aka MEK) all over it. We know it is indispensable as liquid glue, but it also tends to eat plastic fast, ruining not only your beautiful paintjob but also your kit. Thanks to my swift reaction I escaped the latter, but I had to wash everything off. It is a major decline for this build, and I may simply call it off – but I don’t break that easily. Hey, isn’t it the chance to get the things better than the first time? Luckily enough, most of the interior and engine details are still intact and the plastic is saved... I may be racing against the clock now, but I will give my best to finish it by the deadline. It is going to be hard, but let’s see what I am made of. I still have the anemometer and the propeller... the rest will be a piece of cake!

All the best,
Entoni

Entoni,
So very sorry to hear of your accident, today must be a bad day internationally as I too had a, by comparison to yours, minor setback. Seems my new rigging technique wasn't a great idea, I spent hours on it and, when almost finished, remeoved it all and started over. Took a lot of time to clean things up and get back to where I started but all is now well. Hope your recovery works out well also, don't give up as it's a very beautiful piece of work.
Cheers,
Lance

If anyone could fix it, it is you. Model On!

Ooppsss...!!!

What a "Unlucky Strike"...!!!!

Any way, I likes your point of view about the second chances...

Thanks You Very Very Much for your tips & tools...!!!

THANKS

Diego

Oh no – all that beautiful mottle – quite the disaster Entoni. I'm so very sorry!

Fingers crossed you can make the deadline anyway (I'm pretty sure you can repair the damage with even more brilliant results!)

Mikael

Oh dear, that's so very frustrating. At the very least it was only the paintwork and not the plastic so your model isn't unrepairable. And if all else fails there's still the Hangar Queen campaign as a backup

Have some Virtual hugs to get your morale restored.

Hi everybody,

I am so much grateful for your support... The accident marked a major setback, but it proved to be even more engaging... I came up with tons of improvements today, and I cannot wait to post some photos... I think you will be surprised in what the changes are. I don't have time to edit the photos at the moment because I am still catching the deadline, but I will do that asap. Once again, I am very grateful for your support and encouragement!

All the best,
Entoni

After I worked my fingers to the bones in a sort of gorilla engineering, I am ready for a quick update. I will not turn back in anger, but will keep informing you about the future... having in mind the possibility of not being able to finish it by the deadline.
After I had to scrub off the paintwork, the solvents started to eat some of the bonds, so that the parts started falling off the plane. At first I was frustrated, but then I gave it a pause and started thinking about changing the strategy. I invested so much time and my tailbone is killing me after building all that interior details, engine bay, as well as getting over the small mistakes made along the way. And the moment of revelation struck me: let’s reveal the engine! I had to rework the entire front area – but the chance was already created by the old formers falling off. I painstakingly cleaned and removed every detail... I sawed off the engine cover and started to add structural details. It looks a bit crude at the moment, but I am now a day and a half ahead of this photo update, so it turned out quite nice. The fuel tank is trapped inside... but it will not pose major obstacle to the overhauling that is taking place. I also opened two of the access panel doors on the starboard and the port sides, which will be handy when I (hopefully) put it in a diorama setting.

This was also an opportunity to rework the entire first former area, which is now much nicer, and corrected by observing the photos of the original ones. It will look cool when everything is removed and painted. I also worked hard on the fuselage and corrected numerous smaller mistakes I made during the first build. I removed all excess detail and reproduced my own replacements (photos will come). This is particularly related to the upper wing strut anchors, which are more elaborate and (I believe) more accurate. I also predrilled the lower wing locator pins, undercarriage locator holes, rigging anchors (which will receive new hooks), corrected the streamline appearance of the fuselage, added some PE stabilizer control cable opening... Everything is corrected to my best knowledge and ability, and now I am nearing the point of priming the parts that are sorted out during subassemblies. I simply started to adore this Albatros and its beautiful fuselage. Now it may look like a beheaded and stranded swordfish, but it resurrected from the dead... What else do you need!

Thank you very much for your words of support, it is much appreciated!!!









All the best,
Entoni

Excellent!

Hi everybody,

First a disclaimer: this post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This material is being made available to the members of this forum for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.

This build was full of twist and turns, and it is getting even more interesting. I started to rethink my options after the accident, only to realize that I could paint the model to represent the first Navratil's machine with his personal insignia, i.e. 253.06, which is rarely seen in this scale. As it was referred to earlier, it is hard to distinguish between the two due to lack of the photographic evidence. Nevertheless, there are few photos available that appear to show two main differences: the upper wing-mounted gun and the non-standard cross on the rudder, which were not present on the 253.116.

Reproducing the cross will pose no challenge, but the gun is a bit different story. As I studied the photos more closely, I started to wonder whether the gun identification was correct. Even Dalibor Feuereisl mentions that it could be the automatic Mauser pistol, but upon closer study of the photo I am compelled to believe that this is not correct. I have strong reason to believe that the gun mounted atop of the 253.06 was actually the "Dapag" M-1894 Flare Pistol, aka Hebel gun, which was WW1 German Luftststreitkraefte Signal Pistol of the Imperial Fliegertruppen. It was utilized by German pilots as a sort of anti-aircraft weapon that could be used to fire flares/projectiles at the British observation baloons and other aircraft. I am no expert for guns, but it does look like a Dapag to me, and this is what I will make out of it.

I find it very, very interesting... Unless the glue accident happened, I would still believe it was a Mauser



More images soon to come...

All the best,
Entoni

Hi everybody,

The past few days were quite busy at work. I didn't get all the time I wanted and needed in order to complete the build by the deadline. The accident didn't have to happen, but that's how the accidents are... you cannot influence it.

Now I am definitely sure that I won't be able to complete this campaign, though it was a very pleasant and enjoyable time. I wanted to thank you all for your interest, help and support that helped me to prevail. As far as this build is concerned, I did major overhauling and need just a week or several more days to get it finished.

I also started to work on a feature that will (hopefully) be published on the front page, so it is not completely lost. If it is deemed to become yet another hangar queen, let it be nice and worthy of that status!

My sincere congratulation to all of you who have successfully completed the campaign. I will most definitely come back looking for another KoTS campaign! Sooner the better!

All the best,
Entoni

The GB cutoff is now extended to Sept.14, 2012. Model On!

And how neat is that! I will be out of Sarajevo for weekend, but I will get on with it asap!!!

All the best,
Entoni

Entoni,
I'm going to really give it all I have to finish by the new deadline, hope you do too. Would be a true shame if your Albie wasn't completed after all you've had happen, and it's a truly great looking project that should be included.
Cheers,
Lance

Hi everybody,

The extension of deadline cheered me up. Some of you may be eager to find out what's going on, so I will use this opportunity to write few words. I will also post some of the images later, because I didn't manage to make them. I was away for the weekend, but I managed to make some progress with the Albie. I also made careful to-do plan, but it doesn't leave much room for error... I must be very careful.

I also write an extensive feature in which I will clarify the reasons behind my decision to switch to 253.06 rather than 253.116. Apart from historical evidence, I was forced into the decision by accident as well. One of the cleanup outcome was loosening of the joints which resulted in parts randomly falling off the airplane. This particularly refers to the cockpit area. I had to extensively refurbish and rearrange the cockpit in order to liken it to the earlier 253 types and in accordance with the available historical evidence. I had to remove and clean the cockpit tub and gradually add missing details. It was tedious and exhaustive work, but now it is almost complete and I hope to prime it and seal everything tonight. Of course, this will bring up new details such as new instruments and fully exposed and visible Schwarzlose guns buried in the fuselage (the access panels are removed). I also reworked the entire engine bay, and also fixed the fuselage (I slightly changed the fuselage trailing edge, which appeared too accentuated on the original kit). But it is very hard for me to go in details now; I will try to post some images tonight so you can see the change.

All the best,
Entoni

Hi everybody,

Just a quick update. I am a bit behind the planned schedule, because I wanted to enclose the cockpit today... but I will leave it for tomorrow because some details are still drying. So far, so good... It's definitely no competition winner, but it is getting together nicely. Still more work ahead, but I am on a steady pace...















All the best,
Entoni

Hi everybody,

A lot of things are going behind the scenes... The build is proceeding as planned, and I managed to seal the cockpit and work more on the fuselage. However, the engine has suffered the greatest toll after the accident. Many part have simply fallen off the engine, so I needed more courage in order to do it again from the scratch.

I just wanted to show you how I did the exhaust pipes. It is not the simplest possible procedure, but it yields nice results (I think). What you need is a piece of thicker foil (I use whatever heavy foil tube I can find, but it usually comes from the tube of the muscle relief cream that I use after heavy cycling or hiking). Then I cut identical pieces and roll it against #1 punch from the Waldron set. It takes some time to practice, but it is really easy when you get used to it. It simply looks nice on that engine. So here are the photos:





All the best,
Entoni

Hi everybody,

She's very near to the primer... Today I made final adjustments to the fuselage, made new wing anchors, and reconstructed many of the lost details. It is hard to work in hurry; also, I am not very happy with the engine bay, but it will have to sit there. I will give her a nice bath tonight and get it ready for the primer. Tell me what you think...











All the best,
Entoni

Entoni,
Those wing anchor fittings are incredible; how did you construct them? Many times when I view your work I think of Terri's (The Girl) crew of little spiders that she claims to use for rigging in the smaller scales; I am amazed by your work and results on so small a part.
Coming along beautifully.
Cheers,
Lance

Entoni, she is a beauty in the making, your details are superb!

Mikael

Hi everybody,

@Lance: thank you very much for your comments! No, I'm not growing spiders, but my eyes suffer. The wing anchors were not that hard to reproduce, but it did require some patience and a steady hand (now I see that I have to re-position the detail behind the first pair). The wing anchors are made from beer can (which I find very accessible and useful material). I used my 1,5 mm riveter to make two parallel rivet lines. I punched the center with #1 Waldron punch. I used some brass tubing for anchor fittings; I sanded off the top to get the angle right, cut it out and secured it with a drop of CA (normally I would solder the pieces together, but I damaged the welding needle, and I am running low on time for the build). The pieces were then cut out to shape with scissors, folded and secured in place with CA. Hope they will take the weight of the upper deck. I lost many surface details on the fuselage due to some light plastic warping and melting, so I needed to sand everything off and find a solution. It seemed like a good opportunity to practice my skills. At some point I was loosing my temper, but now I settled down and make fewer mistakes.

@Mikael: Thank you very much for your comments! To be honest, one of your builds also served as both inspiration and reference. The details are as good as I can make them under the time pressure. Just one (maybe ignorant) question: I don't really know what was the position of the oil tank? I suppose the Austro-Daimler had to be oiled as well, but I just couldn't be sure whether it was positioned the same as on the German Albatros? Can anyone help?

All the best,
Entoni

Thanks for the detailed reply Entoni. Fantastic idea, and definitely using readily available material! Your parts (and others you've presented) are fine and very impressive results of the "Scratch Builders" art. I have seen a few examples both directly and in print of metal parts done by Dr. Tom Morgan (published in Windsock and often referenced in Lance Krieg's "Modelling Master Class" articles). He uses disposable aluminum pie and cake plates to good effect; I far prefer your source as in this house, beer cans are far more likely to be at hand!
Great ideas and your rescue of this model is coming along very well!
Cheers,
Lance

Hi everybody,

It is time for final line-up before primer. I added some details as well. Not particularly happy with the engine, but this is the best I could do having in mind the deadline (new engine can be added at any time later). I managed to lose some parts on the way, so I had to scratch what's missing (the white pins will secure the exhaust pipes and strengthen the joint). I also made several corrections to the front hub as well (that grilles were killing me!). However, it will not be attached to the airplane but will sit aside. I also did the foothold on the fuselage from 0,20mm wire; the hole was drilled, the part installed with a drop of CA, and then smoothed with the sanding stick to conform to the fuselage. I also removed the access panels beneath the Vee-struts, because the Austrians were simply covering this part with fabric. The nice sounds of Van Morrison tamed the beast within, so I am proceeding to the next phase. Keep your fingers crossed!













All the best,
Entoni

Could you tell me please what's this white triangle for on the fuselage port side? I assume it is putty or plastic sheet cut to shape but what was wrong with the fuselage shape in this section?