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Early Aviation
Discuss World War I and the early years of aviation thru 1934.
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WNW DH.9a Birthday Build
Merlin
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Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 04:11 AM UTC
Hi all

OK - so I'm doing things back to front (for me, anyway) and starting a Blog ahead of my Review. The reason? Well - March 17th is my birthday and it seems a pretty good way to draw a line in the sand and declare that I intend to have this beauty finished by this time next year! Please - hold me to this - I need the encouragement - OK, call it a kick up the arse!

So... to get things started - the inevitable pack-shot:



I've taken sprue-shots - but, as I say, this will be back to front for me. I might make a start tomorrow, but the weather's looking fine, so it could be a good day to get out for a country walk and plan the build - after all, I've got a year to go! No pressure, then - actually.. HUGE pressure, with my recent output!

All the best

Rowan
AussieReg
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Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 04:15 AM UTC
Best wishes from the antipodes for today Rowan, here's to many more!🍻🍻

Good luck with the build as well, I will be following along closely as I am considering picking this kit up as my first foray into the world of WNW.

Cheers, D

Edit: note to self, it is my wife's birthday today as well. Buy flowers on the way home from work!
phantom_phanatic309
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Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 05:05 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Best wishes from the antipodes for today Rowan, here's to many more!🍻🍻

Good luck with the build as well, I will be following along closely as I am considering picking this kit up as my first foray into the world of WNW.

Cheers, D

Edit: note to self, it is my wife's birthday today as well. Buy flowers on the way home from work!


Do it! You know you want to. Buy the kit that is, although flowers never fail to keep us in our ladies good books!
I got my first WNW recently and I don't know why I put off buying one for so long. Well worth the investment. I cannot wait to start mine once I've got the man-cave sorted out.

Rowan, Happy Birthday and I'll be following your build and hoping to get some hints and tips along the way.

KelticKnot
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Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 02:52 PM UTC
Happy birthday Rowan
I'll follow your blog with a great deal of interest as these wood and string affairs are a mystery to me.
Merlin
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Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 03:07 PM UTC
Cheers guys

@ Damian - I hope your wife had a great birthday!

For once, the weather forecast has proved correct and it's a beautiful sunny day here on the Isle of Wight, so I'll walk out to a country pub and plan my attack on the Ninak. Tomorrow's looking like it may be wet - a perfect day to stay home and start cutting plastic.

All the best

Rowan
AussieReg
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Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 06:02 PM UTC

Quoted Text


@ Damian - I hope your wife had a great birthday!


Thanks Rowan, she got spoiled rotten by myself and assorted offspring. She was even happier to hear that you are planning to build your Ninak using the RAAF scheme and livery

I hope the atmosphere and beverages at the pub were conducive to your planning!

Cheers, D
Merlin
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Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 11:06 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks Rowan, she got spoiled rotten by myself and assorted offspring. She was even happier to hear that you are planning to build your Ninak using the RAAF scheme and livery

Cheers, D


Hi Damian

I might have to break her heart on that one. Although the leading edge slats are tempting on the RAAF option, I'm more likely to go for scheme on the boxtop. It's a Westland-built airframe - and, having worked for them to earn the money to go to college, I have a sense of distant connection.

All the best

Rowan
StukaJr
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Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 11:18 PM UTC
Happy Birthday! Enjoy the Cake Build.
BlackWidow
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Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 11:54 PM UTC
Happy birthday, Rowan! Enjoy the day and the party.

Torsten
Merlin
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Posted: Thursday, March 17, 2016 - 09:19 PM UTC
Cheers Ivan and Torsten!

Well, I've got underway as promised. I found one little glitch, where one of the side-frames had been crushed and distorted in transit. I've straightened it out as much as I dare without snapping the already weakened areas:



Sometimes things look worse in photos than to the naked eye - but this is the opposite and the damage hasn't really photographed clearly. I contemplated replacing the bent parts with styrene stock, but I've found that it should all straighten up if I'm careful how I fit the assembled cockpit into the fuselage. It'll take a little bit of extra fiddling, but should work fine.

I'll start spraying basic colours ahead of having some fun wood-graining.

All the best

Rowan
phantom_phanatic309
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Posted: Thursday, March 17, 2016 - 10:54 PM UTC
Hopefully you can fix it.
I had a broken tail strut on my Rumpler. I can fix it but it does take a little away from the kit given the high price. I think the boxes are not deep enough for the amount of sprues that are crammed in!
Merlin
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Posted: Friday, March 18, 2016 - 03:12 PM UTC
Hi Stephen

I'm not sure it's the depth of the box, so much as the weight in this case. The parts weren't packed overly tightly (not too loose either), but I did notice just how heavy the DH.9a is - so the inevitable hefty bumps and bounces in the "gentle" hands of the various shipping people on its journey are going to put pressure on the sprues. Even Postie dropped the package and apologised as he delivered it...

All the best

Rowan
phantom_phanatic309
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Posted: Friday, March 18, 2016 - 03:56 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Stephen

I'm not sure it's the depth of the box, so much as the weight in this case. The parts weren't packed overly tightly (not too loose either), but I did notice just how heavy the DH.9a is - so the inevitable hefty bumps and bounces in the "gentle" hands of the various shipping people on its journey are going to put pressure on the sprues. Even Postie dropped the package and apologised as he delivered it...

All the best

Rowan


Whoops! Why is it always something expensive that gets abused in the post?
Merlin
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Posted: Saturday, March 19, 2016 - 04:02 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Whoops! Why is it always something expensive that gets abused in the post?


Hi Stephen

I think there's an unwritten rule about it somewhere!

I made a proper start on the Ninak yesterday, continuing preparing the cockpit parts for painting and partly assembling the engine:



I'll start throwing the basic colours on this morning so, hopefully, there'll be a bit more progress to show later.

All the best

Rowan
AussieReg
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Posted: Saturday, March 19, 2016 - 05:05 PM UTC
Love the detail on these kits every time I follow a build log, and this is no exception! Great start Rowan. Did you use the end-mills to open the ends of the exhausts?

I feel myself being drawn inevitably and inexorably towards the WNW website.

Cheers, D
Merlin
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Posted: Saturday, March 19, 2016 - 10:06 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Did you use the end-mills to open the ends of the exhausts?

Cheers, D


Hi Damian

That's right - I never knew the name of them, but they're really useful for opening up exhausts (or intakes in this case).

I've started doing some of the minor surgery needed for the version I'm building. It has different stitching on the fuselage sides, which WNW supply as etched strips. The trouble is, the "late-style" rear fuselage inserts have neatly moulded-on wrinkles that will be awkward to sit the etch over, so I've decided instead to use the spare "early-style" sides. These need slightly more stitching removing (and you need to protect the detail at the tail), but the area where the new etch will go is smooth:



The second modification will be to open up a storage bin behind the gunner's position. This isn't marked on the parts, but WNW provide an etched frame to surround it. The easiest thing is to dry-fit the frame to establish where to cut the hole:



All the best

Rowan
Merlin
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Posted: Sunday, March 20, 2016 - 05:48 PM UTC
Hi again

Just a quick update before I start blocking out the basic interior colours.

The storage bin is opened up:



and the engine is fresh from its first coats of paint:



Don't worry - it won't be looking this clean and shiny for long!

All the best

Rowan
CaptnTommy
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Posted: Sunday, March 20, 2016 - 11:14 PM UTC
1. I never knew they were 'end mills' either I called them 'bits'.

2. On the lacing ... That had a reinforcing backing but it was leather and would flex over any wrinkle as on the wrinkled panel.
Though I too would use the unwrinkled panel.

Nice engine... And a picture. the guy in back actually is wearing a RAF Flyer's Sun Helmet.



I am still staring at my Hannover.

Enjoy
Captn Tommy




Merlin
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Posted: Monday, March 21, 2016 - 03:28 AM UTC

Quoted Text

...On the lacing ... That had a reinforcing backing but it was leather and would flex over any wrinkle as on the wrinkled panel.
Though I too would use the unwrinkled panel...

Enjoy
Captn Tommy


Hi Tom

That's my concern - although I'm sure it can be done, I'm not that confident I can convince the etched strips to sit convincingly over the moulded-on wrinkles. It's a shame, because the wrinkles are really neatly rendered. I was tempted to replace the photo-etch with some aluminium tape, but I want to stay as close to OOB as I can for the sake of a review-build.

Anyway, I've gone for the smooth side panels and cemented them on. I'll probably leave attaching the stitching until I've got more of the basic work done.

Work had it's usual nasty habit of intruding into what was supposed to be time off, so I only finally sprayed some basic wood colours on the interior parts this afternoon. I've left them to "cook" in my paint-dryer (OK - a seed-propagator from a DIY/garden centre, but it does the trick nicely ), so I'll see where I'm at in the morning.

All the best

Rowan
Merlin
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Posted: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 - 02:22 AM UTC
Hi again

After cooking overnight, the fuselage interior was ready for the fabric panels to be painted. This gave me a chance to finally try something I've been wanting to give an outing ever since Karl J. Christensen (Heatnzl) very kindly sent me a roll a while ago - Press'n Seal. Without a distributor in the UK, it's hideously expensive over here, so I'm deeply indebted to Karl for enabling me to try it:


Strange stuff - intended as kitchen sandwich-wrap etc., it's also a great low-tack masking film:


You can cut it with a really sharp edge, but I found it was a bit too low-tack for safety on the matt Humbrol enamel I'd sprayed as a base-coat. Therefore, I edged the panel with kabuki tape and used the Press'n Seal as fill-in, and it adhered perfectly to the kabuki tape:



So - things are moving on. I'll try to maintain my progress, but I'm back at work now after my first break in far too long.

Looking ahead to a future build - and Tom's cartoon was scarily accurate as a premonition! - a stunning new arrival landed today, courtesy of Richard and Dave at Wingnut Wings!:




The perfect partner for the DH.9a - I'd better lay in an extra stock of silver dope!

All the best

Rowan
phantom_phanatic309
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Posted: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 - 03:15 AM UTC

Quoted Text

1. I never knew they were 'end mills' either I called them 'bits'.

2. On the lacing ... That had a reinforcing backing but it was leather and would flex over any wrinkle as on the wrinkled panel.
Though I too would use the unwrinkled panel.

Nice engine... And a picture. the guy in back actually is wearing a RAF Flyer's Sun Helmet.



I am still staring at my Hannover.

Enjoy
Captn Tommy






Love it! I used to draw a lot of cartoon WW1 planes years ago. They're just great subjects to play with. I might just have to try doing one. The Albatros and Fokker triplanes were always the most fun to do.

Rowan, the DH9 is off to a great start. I was surprised at how quickly the engine has gone together.
CaptnTommy
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Posted: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - 01:08 AM UTC
Does Wingnut F2B have a mail hook?

Captn Tommy
Merlin
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Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2016 - 02:03 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Does Wingnut F2B have a mail hook?

Captn Tommy


Hi Tom

No, it doesn't have the mail hook, but it does include the later balanced tail.

I've got to work through Easter, so I probably won't get much of a chance to do much to the Brisfit. Hopefully, I'll get a little done though.

All the best

Rowan
Merlin
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 02:17 AM UTC
Hi again

My surgeon threw a slight spanner in the works today by booking me in for my carpal tunnel op next week. With a bundle of reviews (including the Brisfit) that I need to try publish before my hand looks like something out of The Mummy's Curse for a couple of weeks, I probably won't get a chance to do much more on the Ninak before I'm temporarily out of action.

All the best

Rowan
Xirrcom
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 03:30 AM UTC
Hi Rowan,
I was so excited to follow your Ninak build as I am planning to go for the early version when I'm done with the W.12 beast.
So sorry to hear about your hand surgery - that was really unexpected. I keep my fingers crossed to see you back in the saddle as quickly as possible. Keep us updated...

Bart
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