Wingnut Wings Junkers D.1 - 1:32 Wingnut Wings

[Viking]

Junkers D.1  - 1:32 Wingnut Wings

 

 

This was one of Wingnut Wings surprise releases in April this year, few of us would have predicted that A Junkers D.1 was on the cards. Although Wingnut Wings are well known for producing beautifully engineered and presented kits, this one was so impressive when reviewed here it went straight onto my workbench, pushing all other projects aside. It hasn't disappointed, it is an absolute joy of a kit to build, pretty much flawless in every respect. The fit of parts is outstanding, virtually perfect, and there is no filler used at all, anywhere.  Wingnut Wings kits are always outstanding, but this one probably tops the lot from all those I have built from their range so far. And with only one length of fishing line on the undercarriage. there is hardly any rigging either.

 

The Junkers D.1 was the worlds first all metal monoplane fighter, and a hugely significant aircraft in the history of aviation. It arrived too late at the end of the First World War to have any real opportunity to prove itself, A few, perhaps four, were delivered to the western front, but most were delivered after the November 1918 Armistice. They saw post war service in the Baltic during 1919, with the German Freikorps fighting the Bolsheviks, where they were used to good effect.

On with the photos;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've only lightly weathered, with a dark wash on various details and a bit of mud splatting on the underside.

 

Cockpit details;

 

 

 

To give an idea of its size, I've used that standard WW1 unit of comparison, an Albatros DV.a. The D.1 is surprisingly big.

 

 

And a final comparison with Wingnut Wings other kit for a Junkers, the two seat J.1 ground attack machine. Those of you who have built one will know what a whopper of a model the J.1 is.

 

Perfect companions;

 

If you are thinking of trying a Wingnut Wings kit, but are wary of the biplane wing and rigging, then try this one.

 

Cheers

 

John

 

[Mike]

Lovely job John - such an ugly aircraft though!

[Buzby061]

15 minutes ago, Mike said:

Lovely job John - such an ugly aircraft though!

It's not ugly, it's pugnacious. 

 

Great job, it must be an ideal introduction to WNW kits. Might get one before I attempt my Snipe.

 

Pete

[CMSCHLOM]

Beautiful job!  Was this Junker's version of a WWI A-10?

[invidia]

Very nice 

[Alpha Delta 210]

Wonderful model of a type unfamiliar to me.

[polo1112]

Beautiful job !!

[Epeeman]

Well done, John.

 

Yours is the best in terms of finish on the few that I have seen completed on the web so far.  Excellent result as always!

 

I have just started this one myself in the last few days and impressed with kit engineering and fit on the the bits assembled so far.

 

I must be one of the few that actually like the look of this particular aircraft .............

 

Regards

 

Dave

 

PS - is there any join to fill on the wing leading edges?

 

 

[FatFlyHalf]

Stunning modelling.

However, the subject does look like a shed, with wings.

And again, first rate modelling.

[MartinSK]

John that is fantastic & very clean job. Excellent details!

Martin

[Viking]

Thanks for the comments folks, much appreciated.

On 28/05/2018 at 19:10, Epeeman said:

PS - is there any join to fill on the wing leading edges?

Not really Dave. Of course there is a faint seam, so I lined mine up and let some Tamiya extra Thin flow along with capillary action. I sanded & smoothed the non corrugated areas on the tips. I figured that trying to sand the faint join along the leading edge corrugations would do more harm than good. Plus the demarcation between the upper & lower colours runs along the seam, further disguising it.

 

Looking forward to seeing yours finished! Which colour scheme are you going for?

 

Cheers

 

John

[Rumblestripe]

On 5/28/2018 at 4:34 PM, Mike said:

Lovely job John - such an ugly aircraft though!

Hush thy mouth! I love it, very "Wacky Races"

[waylandsmithy]

That's amazing. Really inspiring!

[Epeeman]

3 hours ago, Viking said:

Thanks for the comments folks, much appreciated.

Not really Dave. Of course there is a faint seam, so I lined mine up and let some Tamiya extra Thin flow along with capillary action. I sanded & smoothed the non corrugated areas on the tips. I figured that trying to sand the faint join along the leading edge corrugations would do more harm than good. Plus the demarcation between the upper & lower colours runs along the seam, further disguising it.

 

Looking forward to seeing yours finished! Which colour scheme are you going for?

 

Cheers

 

John

Thanks, John

 

That makes perfect sense to me so will follow your advice here.

 

Regarding marking scheme (I hope you don't mind) I intend to go for the same scheme as yours.  The only exception is that (to bit a bit different) I will paint fuselage dark red as Wingnut suggest this as a possibility and thought that could look pretty striking.

 

Regards

 

Dave

[stringbag]

Yet another museum quality masterpiece.

I'm very lucky in that I get to see all of these lovely Wing-Nut-Wings models in the flesh so to speak.

Nice one John

 

Chris.

[waylandsmithy]

I've got a question about tyres! I've noticed a lot of modellers use a mid-grey for tyres, which looks a bit too light to my eyes. I know tyres aren't black, but they are black-ish. Here's a pic I found:

 

 

So, were tyres a lighter colour in the olden days? I know compounds have changed a lot...and the ones on the plane pictured must have been made recently. Or is it because using a black-ish (light black?) paint actually makes the tyres look properly black, and then people will say that it's wrong?

[Rumblestripe]

9 hours ago, waylandsmithy said:

I've noticed a lot of modellers use a mid-grey for tyres, which looks a bit too light to my eyes. I know tyres aren't black, but they are black-ish. Here's a pic I found:

Without going into "colour theory"...

 

Firstly, that example is in a museum and it is quite likely that those tyres have been "blacked" with one of the compounds that car detailers use to make their tyres look nice and new. Secondly go have a look at the sidewalls of the tyres on your car, not black, I think you'll agree and they are driven on metalled roads. Have a look at a picture of an aircraft from the period

The tyres here look a very light grey.

In reality the colour that we see will depend on the season (how dry/dusty it is), how old the tyres are and on the limitations of the photographic media of the time.

 

And yes, BLACK tyres look wrong.

[waylandsmithy]

2 hours ago, Rumblestripe said:

Without going into "colour theory"...

 

Firstly, that example is in a museum and it is quite likely that those tyres have been "blacked" with one of the compounds that car detailers use to make their tyres look nice and new. Secondly go have a look at the sidewalls of the tyres on your car, not black, I think you'll agree and they are driven on metalled roads. Have a look at a picture of an aircraft from the period

The tyres here look a very light grey.

In reality the colour that we see will depend on the season (how dry/dusty it is), how old the tyres are and on the limitations of the photographic media of the time.

 

And yes, BLACK tyres look wrong.

Thanks for the reply! I did actually go and look at my tyres: I think modern compounds are perhaps darker. Your image clearly shows a ighter tyre, and my attempts to paint tyres a dark grey do end up just looking 'black'. Lesson learned!

[Kev The Modeller]

Lovely build John as ever, but I have to agree it's an odd looking aircraft. 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Sorry for the delay in posting ... Excellent work on an historic aircraft. 

[Viking]

18 hours ago, waylandsmithy said:

I've got a question about tyres! I've noticed a lot of modellers use a mid-grey for tyres, which looks a bit too light to my eyes. I know tyres aren't black, but they are black-ish. Here's a pic I found:

So, were tyres a lighter colour in the olden days? I know compounds have changed a lot...and the ones on the plane pictured must have been made recently. Or is it because using a black-ish (light black?) paint actually makes the tyres look properly black, and then people will say that it's wrong?

Rumblestripe has given a pretty good answer and I'd agree with everything he said. I'd never use black for tyres of any period, it is too stark. WW1 tyres could be anything from dark grey to pale cream. A quick google turned up this photo, showing the extreme of light coloured tyres;

 

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[Duckwizard]

No it's not really ugly in my eyes and it was a big progress in comparison to the "beautiful" aircraft of that time.

 

Phantastic work, I love it.