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Dornier Do 18-D *Finished*


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5 hours ago, JosephLalor said:

Come up, Kinch! Come up, you fearful Jesuit!

Eating kidney in the morning..... Quite a challenge !!

Good to see that I'm not alone in reading that book !!

We had a great time at the distillery (Middleton or so) about that

sincerely

CC

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On 27/11/2017 at 7:27 PM, giemme said:

Success! :clap: Great save and I might steel that alu foil idea away, if you don't mind.

As a resolute Friend of the Foil I can recommend anything similar to this Giorgio:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00G5D5MKY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That was the stuff I bought which sold out quite quickly, though there seems quite a bit of choice around nowadays.

On 27/11/2017 at 10:42 PM, keefr22 said:

Ah, the late, great Bob Ross - I remember one happy Christmas Day one of the satellite channels had back to back episodes on all day. I drove the missus mad saying ''I'll just watch one more...!!'' For about 8 hours....!! 

I think I must have seen the same ones repeated on Boxing Day!:lol: 

Followed by 'The Salvager'...

On 27/11/2017 at 10:42 PM, keefr22 said:

Those covers are brilliant Tony, fantastic lateral thinking to attack your model with a Ryobi & tin foil & then get a result like that! :thumbsup:

Shame on you for failing to make a Ryobi-Wan Kenobi joke Keith.

Other modellers may have been watching....

On 27/11/2017 at 10:46 PM, jrlx said:

sponsons. They look very realistic.

still can't work out what function all those circular covers had! :hmmm:

On 27/11/2017 at 11:13 PM, Martian Hale said:

This grows ever more impressive Tony, the attention to detail is excellent.

I say. Thanks dearest viridian overlord! :thumbsup:

On 28/11/2017 at 3:02 AM, hendie said:

total disregard for modelers established conventions

Fi to convention I say! Tis the stuff of sanity and has no home here.

 

Put your fnaar-filters to a low setting for this next revelation but...

...sometimes a big tool gives a more satisfying result.

By which I mean of course - cutting to the heel of the hunt - that the direct route leaves less room for deviation to creep in than gradually working to the same conclusion.

 

That sounds like some weird confession. Best I stop at that point.:emo:

 

On 28/11/2017 at 3:02 AM, hendie said:

Note how I avoided anything to do with 'Drats.. foiled again!' or other phrases of similar triteness.  I'm a much better person than that  :whistle:

Yes.

Yes I see that.

Your brass neck is etched into my consciousness...(Wessex HC2 Crab Cabs Pt II (Fly Wessex joke....)

On 28/11/2017 at 9:01 AM, CedB said:

I was a bit worried when the strakes went over the top but I guess they're going to get chopped later eh?

Exactement mon Cedrique. The inner and out ones run the length of the sponsor whereas the middle one run 3/4 of the way back at intervals between the saucer lids.

On 28/11/2017 at 9:01 AM, CedB said:

3D printing, bring it on!

Here. Have a gander:

2017-11-29_07-47-15

This is the beast in progress - an Ultimaker 2+. I giggled throughout the whole procedure at the sheer magic of seeing something virtually-designed become a real object:

2017-11-29_07-47-57

The photos are poor as they were phonesnaps just taken in the low light of the printing room but essentially the red one is with a 0.4mm print nozzle - resolution of the object was on the threshold of build ability so we did a second print (the black one in the first photo) which came out with better definition. I'll post more definitive pictures tomorrow when I get these in front of the DSLR.

 

My reactions to the results?

 

Apart from the giggling my main reaction was surprise at the levels of definition with the 0.25mm nozzle - certainly enough for my needs here at 1/72. 

 

The double-circle base BTW was a twofold decision to print both front and rear mountings together and also to provide a firm base whilst  the parts are being printed. The plastic base rings will obviously be cut off and replaced by the brass watch-cog rings made previously.

On 28/11/2017 at 7:48 PM, Tomoshenko said:

Excellent save Tony (I think I heard the profanities you expelled in Brum).

I wish to take this opportunity to apologise publicly to the good burghers of Birmingham for any distress caused Tomo. I am not proud of myself for such Anglo-Saxon broadcasts and am a poor example to my children.

Flipping-A bubba....

8 hours ago, TonyTiger66 said:

Hello Tony, my apologies for the lack of comments

Hey! So pleased to hear from you Mr.T and hope you are feeling better?

 

Tbh I half-suspected that you'd won the Australian lottery and were possibly ensconced on a private island like Dr.No, slowly turning the inside of a volcano into a primo man-cave.

8 hours ago, TonyTiger66 said:

Meanwhile we have this wonderful resource on getting the absolute best, showing us how to attain a true representation from the Matchbox/Revell kit.

Glad that you've been enjoying Dornier chronicles!:D This oddly Gothic-feeling craft is I fear a neglected modelling subject, from a time when aerodynamics and aesthetics were still fighting for custody over the airframe. It will of course be sitting resplendent upon a fine trolley donated by you-know-who.:worthy:

 

I hope to have a little more for you tomorrow evening chums.

Bring some sweets.

:bye:

Tony

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that was so good I liked it twice. No, wait, there was two posts - does that mean I only half liked it ?

 

9 minutes ago, TheBaron said:

from a time when aerodynamics and aesthetics were still fighting for custody over the airframe

 

such a lovely turn of phrase Mr Baron.  I congratulate you on that one. 

 

Right, you've got 3D Printing and soldering out of the way.  That just leaves mold making and casting followed by photo etching.  Carry on.

 

 

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Nice to see some 3d action :thumbsup:

 

Thanks for the heads up on the alu tape, it looks very similar to the one I have.

The way you used it is, of course, absolutely brilliant :worthy:

 

Ciao

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I see that thing

 

 

:(

 

I think I see the end of the world

 

 

 

 

But hey, that much fun at the end, bring it on

 

I can take it with me

 

Yeehaw

 

making that mount double looks like a fine idea, but I hope it means you are making two...

 

I could imagine friction

 

And melted plastic  :)

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Hello Tony, that looks very promising. I like the development 3D print very much with all it's opportunities. I will have to use this also for missing plastic parts of my old diecasts, but first I have to learn to develop 3D graphics on the computer for that. So I watch carefully here on your thread. Thank for the explanation, although it's a bit difficult in english for me at the moment.

By the way I watched an astounding story here tonight on the local NDR TV  about a camera travelled from England to Germany through the north sea. (Ok a bit off topic, but interesting)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/30/camera-yorkshire-500-mile-journey-german-island-suderoog

 

Edited by bbudde
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On 11/29/2017 at 9:50 PM, hendie said:

Right, you've got 3D Printing and soldering out of the way.  That just leaves mold making and casting followed by photo etching.  Carry on.

:lol:

Today on 'Modeller's Boot Camp'....

On 11/29/2017 at 10:15 PM, giemme said:

Thanks for the heads up on the alu tape, it looks very similar to the one I have.

Can't beat the stuff for certain jobs Giorgio imho.:thumbsup2:

On 11/29/2017 at 10:52 PM, jrlx said:

Thanks for the pictures of the 3D printer in action. Really interesting!

Like I said, the only thing missing is the sound of giggling from me whilst the machine was whipping that up!:banghead:

On 11/29/2017 at 11:41 PM, CedB said:

Great stuff Tony.

Yay, yay, and thrice Yay...;)

On 11/30/2017 at 12:55 PM, corsaircorp said:

Should we hope for a complete 3D 1/48 Stirling with that thing ???

Not before Christmas, not without a case of Chimay, and definitely not unless @hendie agrees to do all the photo-etch for it. It must also be crewed entirely by 1/48 @CedB figures.

Those are my terms...:P

17 hours ago, perdu said:

I think I see the end of the world

By the Great Prophet Zarquon I hope not Bill!

 

Have a closer look my dear sir and you may see how at 1/72 this is pushing the limits of what can be done with detailing using a 3D printer for parts this small:

38764814301_13b981df42_c.jpg

A lot of tidying-up and printing layers to smooth out still...

 

'Tis fun though, you're right, but I still want to learn etching and casting as I don't see 3D printing replacing (complementing absolutely, but not replacing) the intrinsic qualities of those crafts any time soon, due to the 'softness' of plastic regarding shape formation. You only have to look at how Brother Crisp has been brassing-up that Shagbat in his Salisbury cloister to feel reassured about this for example...

 

17 hours ago, perdu said:

making that mount double looks like a fine idea, but I hope it means you are making two...

It did!;) 

As anticipated I pretzeled one at the drilling stage...more below.

16 hours ago, bbudde said:

By the way I watched an astounding story here tonight on the local NDR TV  about a camera travelled from England to Germany through the north

We must have been looking simultaneously at the same story in our respective national media Benedikt as I read the same thing!

Something oddly attractive about a camera going off on its own journey....

 

The second half of the week has been rather 'bitty' so I haven't cracked on as much as I wouldhave hoped to. I began cleaning-up the 3d prints - the 0.25mm nozzle leaves a lot of plastic 'hair' when working down to such small parts, but after some grooming with a scalpel they wre ready to test fit to their respective metal rings:

38733981432_9f0a3cdf16_c.jpg

Remember of course that the plastic base rings will be cut off to mount them onto the metal but I'm leaving them in place for now to make sure that I had an accurate separation to work with when building the arm that provides gun elevation:

38764816611_deac8e3601_c.jpg

I'm using 0.4mm piano wire for that as it is not only strong but approximately at scale thickness. Drilling those holes out for it to go into was an absolute swine of a job. 

 

Practically every Russian swear word I learned out of Sven Hassel books at age 15 was necessary to see the task through.

 

The metal arms were tacked into place temporarily with CA, and then the main bond made using 24hr Araldite. As with fixing the metal pins used in the construction of the new propellors previously, this yields both strength but also is a material once cured that can be carved and sanded back to form whatever shape you need. I'm finding Araldite particularly effective for this kind of job and have quite come to rely on it!

 

As mentioned above, the drilling was so damn' fiddly that it was as well I did two sets of the 0.25mm printout due to one getting destroyed by the fine drilling tolerances involvedon that part:

38764817401_e70af14ff6_c.jpg

The second attempt I didn't bother removing from the temporary collar that is created by the printer but just left itto tidy up once the epoxy has cured.

 

Sponsons are now finished:

38764818351_f9997fa45f_c.jpg

I meant to post these a few days ago:

38048380614_36a39e2f2f_c.jpg

The metal rings look plausible enough in context, but the rear one needs the base extending down a millimetre or so:

38764812831_892904a0dd_c.jpg

Seen from the side, that ring should be flush with profile of the fuselage, so you can see it won't need much adjustment.

 

A last conundrum (regarding the exact bow shape of the D3 variant) has I think now reached a resolution. 

 

I've enjoyed an extended conversation with Bernard (@blg63) who's coincidentally building the same aircraft over on the 1-72 forum:

http://1-72.forumgratuit.org/t8689-concours-matchbox-dornier-do-18-d#151524

He's been doing some dogged and valuable research on working out this bow issue himself. 

 

The big problem with the D3 variant is the paucity of reliable photographic references, many books and websites only reference aircraft as 'D's, with no confirmation of variant number, some reference variants incorrectly or indeed do not mention variant at all, giving a very large scope for error. 

 

Finally I managed to track down what seem to be the only deeply-authoritative and referenced series articles on the Do-18 that were published in the German magazine Jet & Prop, over the period 1994-95.

 

A key page showed two high-quality photos of D3s, taken in 1938. I can't reproduce them fully without breaking copyright so here's a blurred version of one of the photos with the bow outline reproduced:

38048379514_5614318e62_b.jpg

As you can see this is closer to what is referred to as the 'cruiser' bow of the later G variant than it is the much more snub return of the earlier D0-2 variants (which are the only profiles given in my various handbucher). In this respect it represents an evolutionary stage in the shape of the bow, going from rounded to sharp. This means that for a D3, the OOB shape of the kit bow is creditably not far away from that of a D3, and I need to mould mine accordingly when the fuselage is closed.

 

First I need to get the interior finished and that is the next set of task that will consume my time...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Good results on the 3D-printed parts! The finished sponsons look splendid with the added detail. Very well done!

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

 

 

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This is yet another flippin marvellous thread of yours Tony, not only in pushing into new areas of modelling technology, but in the meticulousness of your research, who knew (apart from probably a couple of chaps at Dornier & 1 or 2 Luftwaffe airmen) that this aeroplane came in such a variety of flavours?! 

 

Most excellent gun mounts, really terrific stuff this 3D printing - we have seen the future....!! :D

 

I'd love to know  what the designers of some of these ancient old piles of plastic would think of the results people like yourself can drag out of them!

 

Keith

 

(PS I'm still kicking myself over missing the Ryobi-one-canobi quip during the power tool incident....!!)

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True multimedia modelling (did I say that before?), simply outstanding :worthy:  :clap:  :clap:  You really just need to crack on with mould making and resin casting :whistle::devil:  :D 

 

Ciao

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1 hour ago, TheBaron said:

Have a closer look my dear sir and you may see how at 1/72 this is pushing the limits of what can be done with detailing using a 3D printer for parts this small:

 

If I may comment sir...  the equipment is already out there to do that.  This is a SACRU I got printed for my first Wessex build. Okay, it's 1/48 but I was still amazed at the level of detail that got incorporated.  The gooderer news is that since then, they have introduced higher resolution printers and better materials which are capable of producing even finer detail.

 

S5003398.JPG

 

 

2 hours ago, TheBaron said:

as I don't see 3D printing replacing (complementing absolutely, but not replacing) the intrinsic qualities of those crafts any time soon, due to the 'softness' of plastic regarding shape formation

 

Complementing... absolutely.  Horses for courses etc.  The "extreme detail' plastic offered by Shapeways is rock hard and can be drilled, filed, sanded to shape.  I also printed up the tail wheel mounting casting for  the Wessex as the italeri part was awful.  I was slightly out in a couple of dimensions and some fettling was required.  I haven't tested their newest materials yet, but was very impressed with the last items I got printed.

 

2 hours ago, TheBaron said:

I'm using 0.4mm piano wire for that as it is not only strong but approximately at scale thickness.

 

I'd recommend investing in a bunch of brass rods (not wire!).  Wire will always curve and bend easily - 'cos that what it's intended for. However brass rod is much stiffer, but more easily processed than piano wire.  I've still got some piano wire I bought several years ago now but almost exclusively use brass rod for purposes such as you are describing.

 

Gotta love this shot. It's parts like this that bring the joy and the warm mushy feelings to scratch building

 

2 hours ago, TheBaron said:

 

38764816611_deac8e3601_c.jpg

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, perdu said:

Wunderbar, is I suggest, correct useage

Thanks for that Bill. Getting those gun arms to fit and stay on I count as something of a minor triumph...

5 hours ago, jrlx said:

The finished sponsons look splendid with the added detail.

Thanks Jaime - there was just too much of the 1970s in the original moulding on those parts - the aircraft equivalent of woodchip wallpaper or nyon sofa-covers....

4 hours ago, keefr22 said:

I'd love to know  what the designers of some of these ancient old piles of plastic would think of the results people like yourself can drag out of them!

Thanks Keith. It does make you wonder doesn't it what and how people will be building models thirty years hence? Possibly from Carribbean-lagoon reclaimed plastic, microlasers and 3d metal printing...

3 hours ago, giemme said:

You really just need to crack on with mould making and resin casting

Giorgio, Giorgio, you are indeed a little devil on my shoulder whispering baleful stratagems!:lol:

3 hours ago, hendie said:

the equipment is already out there to do that.

I clearly need to amend my previous statement hendie to limit those comments to printers of the Ultimaker 2+ level of equipment - your SACRU is exquisite and from investigating Shapeways myself earlier am now more aware of the range of materials options besides the kind of plastic my parts were printed from. I just set up an account with them 'because'...;)

3 hours ago, hendie said:

I'd recommend investing in a bunch of brass rods

It shall be done!

I had brass strips delivered on Tuesday from the Isle of Man and have brass sheet en route from Polska, so brass rod will be the next acquisition - possibly from Papua New Guinea because I always like the FSOL track:

 

Whirligigs:

38770930001_f483bcedd9_c.jpg

Hit a second wind this evening so been polishing up the pushy-pullers; a little remaining roughness around the bases and blade rootws to go yet, but the essential shapes are there now.

 

Prior to any further priming and painting I decided to replace the masks on the portholes as they were getting well gummed-in and as they'd been in situ forover a month I wanted fresh ones for the last phase of the build:

38770928351_834444c42a_c.jpg

The clarity of the replacement glazing is much to my liking compared to the transparent flying saucers the kit gives you...

 

A last task this evening was adding in the replacement magazines for the front gun position. You'll recall my brain-lock previously thinking I could leave the magazines on their mounting blocks and just glue them on as-is, whereas here I have them cut off individually and added in the correct orientation:

38054216624_074d49bc0e_c.jpg

Plus the two sides makes nine of 'em:

38770928941_21c88fa4c1_c.jpg

I stuck these on with Revell Contacta not thinking that the mags were cast in PUR:

38054217324_f7c0bbf13e_c.jpg

Does this mean they'll all drop off overnight?

:shrug:

I guess I'm about to find out...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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hope not

 

but

 

 

keep your blimmin fingers off 'em

 

hint

 

from a determined stuporgoo hater  DeLuxe's Roket Max actually seems OK-ish

 

in a kind of bleargh way

 

I do however hate stuporgoo, can you tell?

 

Just in case they do fall off overnight  :(

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55 minutes ago, HomerJ_757 said:

Sven Hassel, that brings back some memories! 

It sure does! I was a huge fan of Tiny, Porta, Old Man, Barcelona, Gregor et al

 

Ian

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14 hours ago, perdu said:

keep your blimmin fingers off 'em

:lol:

Fingers. Blimmin. Ten of.

Kept off as ordered.

(Sah!)

13 hours ago, HomerJ_757 said:

Sven Hassel, that brings back some memories! 

 

12 hours ago, limeypilot said:

It sure does! I was a huge fan of Tiny, Porta, Old Man, Barcelona, Gregor et al

My sixth form book report for English Literature on The Bloody Road to Death was something of a personal milestone.

Our year group all had interviews with an educational psychologist not long after, though it may of course just have been coincidence...

 

This morning I have mainly been working with harnesses. The Eduard Luftwaffe seatbelt set (recommended by the Extraterrestrial Oracle @Martian Halehimself) has completely failed to disappoint me - they are super quality and fun to work with:

38752096132_47dbb826ab_c.jpg

Getting the flight engineer's one fitted to the sliding seat was a bit of a challenge - in the manual only a lap-belt was shown but I've added the shoulder elements too  - whether to do so this is right or wrong I don't know, but it would at the very least be consistent with crew safety.

 

Those newly-added drilled holes are because I finally decided to do something about the kommandantensitz and stick my neck out. Nowhere - not even in the handbucher  - does it say or show more than the fact that this was a collapsible item, without describing how it collapses! 

 

This has required some educated guessing from the structural drawing I have of this item regarding points of articulation, plus no doubt a little artistic license regarding how the seatbelts are implicated in the whole procedure:

38752090842_2ae60ba195_c.jpg

As far as I am able to work out from the manual illustration, there are two sliding diagonal arms on each side that look as if they were loosened at the bottom so that the seat-back could be folded forwards to lie flat, seen above from the back and below from above:

38752096362_b67ac1e9b2_c.jpg

I can see how that setup possibly works, with the observer leaving the kommandantensitz after take-off and pulling the seat back down after him if needing to go forward and man the bow gun position:

38752091642_bc8b4e1684_c.jpg

I would love to find some crew testimony to back this up this assumption but ion the absence of historical detail, that's my story and I'm sticking to it unless more informed evidence emerges. The lateral aspect gives a better of the folding structure I'v elected to produce:

38752092142_e6dfb13f64_c.jpg

The reverse angle:

38752095142_ec9df24ae5_c.jpgYou can see the limited space for fixing points around the flt.eng.'s position by the bulkhead door:

38752092912_65abb9f988_c.jpg

Above:

38752094692_06e1c7ebaa_c.jpg

Looking back from the bow:

38752093852_0d8902ca9d_c.jpg

There's still the IP decal to print, and I want to get the gun mountings finished this weekend if I can.

 

More as it develops.

:bye:

Tony

 

PS. Four crew members but only three seatbelts? I'm assuming (in the absence of evidence again) that the most likely take-off/landing position for remaining crew member in the radio room was the port seat mounted to the bulkhead by the navigation table (die Bigswerthgerate Crisp?)); luckily this won't be seen once the fuselage is closed as one of the seatbelt harnesses pinged from the tweezers into oblivion earlier, so we're a set down...

 

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Well, I don't know Tony, it looks like you're not putting much effort into this build ....

 

No, seriously: :gobsmacked: the level of detail you are putting into this is outstanding, jaw dropping, fascinating, multi-mediatic (not sure that last word actually exists, but whatever... ), putting-all-the-rest-of-us-to-shame.... you got the point :worthy:

 

Ciao

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I have never understood why Tiny didn't actually frag Julius Heide

 

So many lost opportunities

 

Unlike the Do18 on which we are losing no opportunities to be given the pleasure of your mastery of the game

 

S'brilliant

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1 hour ago, TheBaron said:

Four crew members but only three seatbelts?

 

I wouldn't have thought the one on the 'collapsible' seat would be of much use in any sort of impact either!!

 

Lovely 'pit detail Tony, looks cracking!

 

Keith

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Sven Hassel's books were brought home to me even more when I discovered, in the mid 1990's when visiting my relatives in Germany (all 4 of my Great Grandparents on my Father's side were German, coming to London in the 1890's), that I actually had a relative who fought at, and survived, Stalingrad! He was in the Pioneers and he lost his left arm and was evacuated back to Germany just 2 weeks before the 6th Army surrendered.....he passed away in 1985 so unfortunately I never got to meet him.

 

Ian

 

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