DaddyO

Old freeflight trick when trying to get superglue to go off on cold damp days outdoors is to add some baking powder to the joint (not bad as a crude filler either) Paul

Never used the Cricut, but I worked as a signmaker pretty much my whole life so use vinyl cutters all the time as well as Coreldraw. These days I always export from Corel as an AI file to cut from, but Corelldraw can export in a wide range of formats. As long as the file you are using to cut the stencil from is a 'vector' format (ie made up of lines rather than pixels)you should find there's something that you can use in Corel. Paul

I'll second the DR1 suggestion (The Eduard one was my first build in over 40 years) I'd also suggest the Eduard Nieuport 17/21/23 (all basically the same aircraft with minor changes) It's a well engineered kit that goes together well with colourful and simple paint schemes (It was my second and third models) The cabane struts are quite delicate, but everything fits together well and rigging is about as easy as you can get on a biplane that has rigging 😉 You can also pick up a dual combo box cheaply which means you'll have a spare sets of pieces if anything goes wrong. Personally I'd steer clear of the old Airfix kits (which can be built up really nicely, but show their age) Roden kits are nice, but to get the best you'll need to spend a bit of time with them. Choroszy are an adventure in resin. Most of the KP kits aren't great if I'm honest, but look good if you are prepared to ignore the detail parts and spend a lot of time on them. (I've made the Swallow, DH5 and a couple of others) The KP one that might suit you is the Roland DII; it's not a great kit by any means, but both wings attach to the fuselage rather than use cabane struts so setting up the wings is easier and it has simple paint schemes. It's also cheap enough, but the decals in mine were crap 😔 (I ended up scrapping the work I'd done and built the Pegasus version of the same aircraft instead) I'm usually on the WW1 SIG display at model shows if you manage to visit any - feel free to come over and say hi Paul

Nice start Pete and not much rigging to sort out on this one.😉 Paul

Lovely model choice and a great display idea.👍 Funnily enough I'm currently reading about these postwar experimental aircraft and their pilots. They were real rock stars of the day with news of various achievements and records making the headlines and powering a host of schoolboy dreams of flight. What surprised was how poorly they were paid generally for such dangerous work and the lack of response to genuine concerns that were often raised about an aircraft's aerodynamic or ergonomic shortcomings. Britain's aircraft industry still being on a war footing and showing off the newest designs to sell to the rest of the world was more important than safety in a lot of cases. Aircraft often being displayed before they were fully safe and proven. The beautiful but deadly DH108 being a prime example (All three prototypes were lost in fatal crashes) Not meant to be a party pooper, but interested in these early jet designs and their development. Doesn't stop me admiring a beautiful model of a lovely looking aircraft 😉 Look forward to seeing more progress Paul

Nice - I'll try that mix the next time I spray something. I'll admit I usually am happy to get a smooth layer down and am not looking for an award winning finish. I usually thin with distilled water and add a few drops of 'flow improver' and see what happens when I start spraying 😉 Paul

Stunning work Joachim I've a soft spot for these early types (especially in 'Gentleman's Scale') Congrats Paul

Hi Pete That makes sense. Jigs are home brewed.😃 I just make one up to suit the model I'm currently working on. Couple of photocopies of plans and 5 mm thick foam board offcuts (I make individual boxes from the same material for transporting to shows so there's always a few bits laying around, but it's cheap enough to buy anyway) For aircraft like the Nieuport 17/23 or SPAD I've kept hold of it and used a few times for successive models, but for odder models (like the DH5) I ain't going to build another any time soon so I just chuck away after use to save on storage. Must get around to the EV at some point, but trying to balance the sides by making a few more allied types at the moment 😉 Paul

FWIW i only build 72nd WW1 types and it's almost always easier to make up and complete (including decals) the main components before final assembly. Various suppliers make suitable decals if you struggle with the Roden ones (Type in 'Lozenge' on Hannants to see a range). You've not mentioned PVA for attaching the struts which is an option since it won't affect the decals and dries clear and slowly enough to move pieces about. In all honesty I wouldn't dream of trying to assemble the wings/struts without some form of jig to hold the pieces in the correct position - you'll find it so much easier. It can be as simple as a bottles and blue tac affair or you can use lego bricks. Personally I make one up for each model using a few scraps of foam board with photo copies of plans on them cut to allow the wings to slot into position. Here's the one I used on the Sopwith Swallow which has a similar kind of layout and the more complex DeHavilland DH5. Using a jig means you'll be able to use superglue and if preferred 😉 Cheers Paul

Happy to add my name to the list since this is pretty much what I always build 😁

Nice one 👍

Happy to throw my hat into the ring with this one. Got several of the D types on the shelf although I'm drawn towards one of the two seaters personally I don't need much excuse to add another Albatros single seater to the shelf (Maybe a pair of early ones . . . )🤔 Paul

Cheers Pete 😁 It's a mix of Vallejo Pale grey and Vallejo air aluminium for the 'solid' areas and the same mix with a touch of black for the fabric areas (There's a noticeable tone difference in photos) This one has a cut down cowl displaying a Small Parts engine and bits of the PART etched set added as well as sanded brass for the UC legs and a hand carved wooden prop. Rigging is 1lb monofilament Paul

Coming along nicely. Just finished the DIII version by Roden myself and although I made various mods to mine the basic kit is sound (as are most of Roden's offerings). I understand that the wing shedding on Albies and others was due to wing flutter which was little understood at the time and difficult to replicate during tests. Significant, to me at least, was that various highly skilled pilots stuck with the Bavarian company's offerings even when Albatros' were available (Berthold springs to mind immediately) I suspect it was a harder machine to get the best of (I've read various pilots talking about heavy controls and difficult handling at the limit) For me personally I think it's a better looking aircraft than most of its contemporaries and wings that stayed firmly attached would have been reassuring 👍 Paul

Pre-ordered this because I've seen William's work elsewhere (eek! you mean he visits other forums!?!?) It arrived earlier this week and I've been reading it ever since. Even if you are not remotely interested in building 1/144th scale models to his insanely high standard there will be something in this book that makes your modelling better or easier. There are a couple of modelling volumes that I refer back to regularly and this one just joined that elite club - brilliant. Do yourself and your modelling a favour rush out and beg, borrow or buy a copy immediately - It really is that good. Congrats to all involved 😁 Paul

Depends on the scale you are working in - presumably 1/72? I've only ever made mine from filed brass rod or sometimes soldering a brass strip to the back of a thin brass wire. Easy enough to do if you are patient and just work on a few inches at a time. to shape solid brass wire use some double sided tape on the workbench, add a piece of 1mm brass wire and sand a flat. Peel it off and repeat on the opposite side (easier than the first side to do because the flat stops it rolling) Keep repeating until you have made it thin enough and then clip off slightly over length and shape the ends. As an alternative you can superglue plastic strip to thin wire and then shape to suit with a file or sanding stick Here are a couple I've done First up undercarriage for a 1/72 Fokker Eindekker from soldered brass wire with the 'section' added in plastic (before final shaping) Next a 1/72 Floh with struts filed from brass rod as described Final one is a set of struts for DeHavilland DH5 made from brass wire soldered to brass strip (after painting) I've also seen bamboo used very effectively because it can be split into sections to save sanding time Hope that helps Paul

For what its worth I'll agree with the above - tweezers can be 'exciting'. Being a cheapskate I normally use a bit of white-tac or similar on the end of a cocktail stick as a pick up stick (or a bit of saliva on the end of a cocktail stick for really tiny pieces) Often the tiddlers are not worth the effort and are better represented with stretched sprue or paint (I've got a PART set for an Albatros I think in 1/72 where the compass is made up of a stack of circular PE )🤪 Don't feel you have to use supergue which is a pain in itself. White glue (PVA) works well or even varnish depending on the location (I'd use glue in high handling areas such as the side of a fuselage where it might be picked up several times during construction) Obviously for belts and the like anneal the part with heat to make it easier to conform naturally (I use a lighter; heat till red and then quench by plunging in water) Don't fret it if it disappears or you decide not to use it after I won't tell if you don't 😉 Paul

Cheers Chris. Certainly looks a bit different and dwarfs all the other models on the shelf 🙂 I don't think they lost any during the war to enemy gunfire although there are some great photo's of aircraft riddled with holes from bullets. They were certainly well liked by the crews that flew them. Plenty were damaged or written off on take off or landing because it needed a lot of space to get off the ground and there are almost as many pictures of them standing on their noses as on their wheels 🙃 Paul

Here are a couple of close up images showing a few of the extra's 😉 Rear cockpit detail. the hatch was stretched sprue with a tiny brass handle The prominent stitching (missing from the kit) is from Archer decals. The fin was mounted sightly above the fuselage so brass pins were used to raise it slightly. The front fixing above the fin is quite prominent in pictures) Likewise the rudder gap is noticeable in images so this was again mounted slightly away from the fin using brass pins as hinge points. Brass horns are from a Brengun sheet with control lines from fishing line coloured with a sharpie I added a few flares from stretched sprue to the holder to add a splash of colour and step is brass wire (as are the rear lifting handles) The rear fin supports are also stretched sprue. Looking from the front you can see the prop carved from wood and the compass added to the lower wing which was stretched sprue inserted into a drilled hole with a decal from an Albatros sheet (I think)

And here's the latest off the bench. I present (drum roll please) the flying furniture van aka Junkers J1. 😁 This is the Eduard 72nd kit and is nicely produced apart from a couple of errors, the most obvious is the upper wing dihedral which goes the wrong way and needed the tips sawing off and angling upwards so the upper surface is completely flat. Despite the lack of rigging the wings are a bit of beast to put together and a jig is highly recommended. 🙃 As usual I drilled out all the struts to add brass pins which made life a little easier. Lots of extra details added such as the flares, rear storage hatch, stitching, wing compass etc. Topped off with a hand carved prop. These things had a reputation for poor paint adhesion and quality so I picked an 'early' all green scheme and I had fun trying to show this. My version needed a couple of extra crosses adding to the underside of the upper wing, but these were found in the spares box. I've not added the rear gun mount yet, but might well leave the gun itself off since they are often seen in photos without them. . . . Paul

Sorry I missed the question (cooking tea at the moment so hopping back and forth) I just looked at a local fishing tackle shop for the thinnest line they had. The one i'm currently using is 'Super G-line' which is 0.06mm diameter (1.2lbs breaking strain from memory) I've got some 0.1mm which tends to get a slight kink as it enters the hole although it is easier to handle. On 48th models you can probably afford to go a bit thicker because the angles are not so acute so the kinking isn't as obvious. Personally I like it to be barely visible for this scale; I know others who want a more prominent appearance and add colour to the line with a marker pen or use thicker stuff . . . Paul

Top tip for superglue application is to stretch some sprue and then trim off the skinny bit; with practice you'll end up with a nice tapered applicator which is stiff enough to get into tight gaps and put a drop precisely where it's needed. Put a small amount of Cyno on a smooth surface (I like to use Pringle tops, but other potato snacks are available)😉 Dip the applicator in the cyano and away you go. When it gets a bit clogged just trim the end and carry on 😁 Paul

A DH2 is a bold choice, but will look fabulous when completed. If you don't have one a jig of some kind is enormously useful even for simple types. You can make one from lego or meccano if you have such things laying around. Personally I always make one up from foam board which only takes about 1/2 hour using some PVA, plan photocopies and a scalpel. Here's the much modified KP DH5 in it's jig to give you an idea. (If you look carefully you'll see the small holes in the wings for the rigging) Here's the same model later in the process after the lines have been anchored at one end with the AK tweezers pulling the tension onto the elevator cables to fix the second end (A not quite so sophisticated jig) 🙃 Once all the lines are done you'll end up with a hairy model like this Nieuport Back to the DH5 with a brand new scalpel blade to trim, spot of filler or superglue or even thick paint to fill the remaining holes (A lot of exit points for wing rigging is actually under the markings) I made a right pigs ear of the finishing on these so a bit of sanding and repainting was required, but nothing too serious. Hopefully that should give you the idea of how I do it. Some folks prefer to just drill part way through the top wing so they only have to touch up on the bottom, but I've never bothered since it's not too much of a chore. I buy the circuit board drills in boxes of 10 for about £6 and with the thin ones I usually break a couple when drilling which is frustrating, but not the end of the world. Drilling all the holes out before assembly is much easier than trying to do it afterwards and remember to work from the inside rigging lines outwards to save yourself some grief. Look forward to seeing the DH2 👍 Paul

Meant to add about the AK thread (which I personally don't like, but have tried) Drill a small hole pop some kicker in the hole dip the end of the elastic in superglue and thread into the hole (Or if you have hands like a micro-surgeon hold the super-glued thread in the hole and then add kicker) Once that ends secure then pull thread towards second hole under slight tension and cut thread (it will end up slightly short when cut) Take the loose end in tweezers and repeat the gluing arrangement. Don't worry too much if it comes loose just trim the gluey end off the thread and have a bit more tension in the line 😉 Make up a test piece to practice on before committing to the model. Something simple like two pieces on plastic glued to a base and you'll be nice and confident when you come to use it in practice. Paul

Chalk me up fro a through the wings method Set of micro drills or PCB drills from evilbay 0.3mm holes drilled before construction and thread overlong pieces of the thinnest fishing line (or invisible mending thread if you prefer something coloured) through. Fix one end with superglue and when dry tension the overlong thread at the other end with a light weight (I use a pair of self closing tweezers) Apply superglue and after drying trim off with a new scalpel blade. Touch up if required. These are all 1/72 and use 1lb fishing line.and it adds quite a bit of strength to the finished model.