Around the World Pedro Zanni's Fokker C.IV, 1/72 conversions

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

1 hour ago, Bengalensis said:

 

Very true!

And as you posses the three requirements; we mortals can enjoy the results and learn.

Great work!

You have a rather optimistic and idealized view of my work, Jörgen 😁

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

50 minutes ago, Space Ranger said:

And copious amounts of filler and sandpaper. And bourbon.

I was so misguided by the first kit I built when I was 8: the instructions specified that you ONLY needed a modeling knife, a piece of sandpaper, glue, tweezers and some paint.

Fourteen million dollars and three tons of modeling equipment and supplies later, spread on ten square miles of modeling space, and I still don't have all I need.

 

Bourbon? such refined Space Ranger should surely know that nothing compares to a peaty, single-malt, good ole Scotch.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 

My previous experience with soldering was limited to electronics and a couple times arc welding. I never soldered before small metal parts for the models, always using cyano glue or epoxy. I have acquired an inexpensive 40W set and was fortunate to get it right the first try. Contrary to what I thought, the issue was not so much a proper soldering, but to position the parts accurately and securely to be able to apply the solder. I ended up using clothespins for each length, weighed-down with a metal tool. I found the use of the device with the arms with alligator grips and magnifier I had to be utterly inconvenient and ultimately useless:

[Vesa Jussila]

Once again good advice coming from elder statesman of modelling. 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

19 minutes ago, Vesa Jussila said:

Once again good advice coming from elder statesman of modelling. 

 

Hum, the advice of a one-try soldering beginner may not be that trustworthy...

(What do you mean "elder"? At only a few hundred years old, I am at the prime of my youth. And my only "state" is a desperate state!)

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Well, the two "W" are done. It took a bit of time given my inexperience, and surely is not perfect, but now I am learning another useful skill for the hobby:

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

The "W" as they go into the fuselage:

 

The whole frame. Now, I just soldered the "W", because at this stage I couldn't solder the rest, so it is superglued in place. But next time...may be:

[Space Ranger]

5 hours ago, Moa said:

Bourbon? such refined Space Ranger should surely know that nothing compares to a peaty, single-malt, good ole Scotch.

Good Scotch is hard to come by out here in the void of our lonely interplanetary patrols. But a Space Ranger must be enured to such hardships. Bourbon must suffice until we make the next spaceport of call.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Space Ranger

[Andwil]

Roundels?  Did those decals burn your fingers?

 

AW

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

27 minutes ago, Andwil said:

Roundels?  Did those decals burn your fingers?

 

AW

 

This is an excerpt from the text I will post with the completed model post:

 

"The plane wore the country's cockades and rudder colors, not necessary -or perhaps not even legal- as the plane did not belong to the Argentinean military, nor was it sponsored by it, if indeed the pilot was an active military pilot. The fact that it was paid by popular collect and sponsored by the Aero Club Argentino (a civil entity) is the reason I decided to build these planes, as there was no military ownership or sponsorship, and the planes of course were exclusively used for (and spent in) this around the world flight attempt."

 

Hope that this clarified the matter and where I do stand on the issue.

[Andwil]

Just to be clear, I was making a light hearted comment and meant no offence.  I apologise sincerely if any was taken.  I admire your moral stance by the way.

 

AW

[Alejandro Martinez Colombres]

Hi Moa, and congratulations “Nono”.

Excelent job, as usual. A plane I was very interested in some time ago. I have collected the known photos of Zanni’s adventure and there is a pdf booklet at Histarmar.com you certainly know. But my intentions to scratch a scale model of the Fokker C.IV were stopped by the lack of a proper set of 1/72 scale plans of the wheeled version. Do you have plans you could share with us in this space? 
Cheers,

Alejandro.

[chrispisme]

Beautiful job on the floats, struts and spreader bars!

Will you have to add....Or did they have cross bracing rigging as well? 
That would be as close as I’ve gotten to biplane rigging, doing the cross brace rigging on float planes (and only a few of those) in the way of Beavers Otters and Cessna’s

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

9 hours ago, Andwil said:

Just to be clear, I was making a light hearted comment and meant no offence. 

 

AW

I know! No offense! 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

7 hours ago, Alejandro Martinez Colombres said:

Hi Moa, and congratulations “Nono”.

Excelent job, as usual. A plane I was very interested in some time ago. I have collected the known photos of Zanni’s adventure and there is a pdf booklet at Histarmar.com you certainly know. But my intentions to scratch a scale model of the Fokker C.IV were stopped by the lack of a proper set of 1/72 scale plans of the wheeled version. Do you have plans you could share with us in this space? 
Cheers,

Alejandro.

Hola Alejandro

Thanks!

Regarding the plan, take a plan of a "normal" C.IV and stretch the wing to the required span of the "observation" (model C) plane as I did (to 14.27 mts), that's the only modification needed, besides being sure the nose corresponds to the correct engine installation (Napier Lion). Arctic Decals already produced the set for me, so that part is easy.

The planes had some features changed during their short lives, so closely follow photos for the specific moment in time you want to represent is advised.

I will be emailing you directly some material, as the copyright issue may cause trouble if posted here.

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

3 hours ago, chrispisme said:

Beautiful job on the floats, struts and spreader bars!

Will you have to add....Or did they have cross bracing rigging as well? 
That would be as close as I’ve gotten to biplane rigging, doing the cross brace rigging on float planes (and only a few of those) in the way of Beavers Otters and Cessna’s

 

 

Thanks! Not something I would like to do every day for sure!

I still have to add four very short braces that anchor on the floats as I mentioned somewhere above, but I see no float wire rigging in the photos. Perhaps it had an "X" of wire spanning the floats horizontally, but again, not seen in the multiple photos I have.

The wing had only one very short wire brace close to the cockpit area between struts per side.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Well, on its feet...er, floats, now.

How would I be able to add the top wing and all the struts without knocking off that very fragile float arrangement still escapes me.

[Space Ranger]

1 hour ago, Moa said:

Well, on its feet...er, floats, now.

How would I be able to add the top wing and all the struts without knocking off that very fragile float arrangement still escapes me.

Do you not have an assembly jig? Fun fact: You can make one by stealing from your kids' Legos.

[Marklo]

Lovely work on the Fokkers I’m starting to get used to the green  

 

Id never let the absence of a scale plan stop me, for the most part in the absence of plans proportions can be figured out from photos etc so even if not 100% accurate the model can be made to look right.

 

Both my racers were scratched ( these are the only ones I can show in a Moa thread btw) and a lot of eyeball spectroscopy was employed, as even photos are scarce let alone accurate plans, but they turned out ok.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Marklo

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

1 hour ago, Space Ranger said:

Do you not have an assembly jig? Fun fact: You can make one by stealing from your kids' Legos.

Há! We modeling monks do not lower ourselves to the denigrating standards of space technology! 
We use our eyes, hands (not tentacles, in case you didn't notice) and our hearts to guide us to modeling harmony.

As our modeling martial arts teacher, Master Xacto, famously never said: Little Grassmoker: if you need a jig, you are already out of balance."

 

[Space Ranger]

8 minutes ago, Moa said:

Há! We modeling monks do not lower ourselves to the denigrating standards of space technology! 
We use our eyes, hands (not tentacles, in case you didn't notice) and our hearts to guide us to modeling harmony.

As our modeling martial arts teacher, Master Xacto, famously never said: Little Grassmoker: if you need a jig, you are already out of balance."

As Sub-Lt. Hermione Smythe, Chief Instructor of Dance and Etiquette at Space Ranger Academy once berated me in front of the entire Corps of Cadets, "If you can't do a jig, you have no balance."

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

5 minutes ago, Space Ranger said:

As Sub-Lt. Hermione Smythe, Chief Instructor of Dance and Etiquette at Space Ranger Academy once berated me in front of the entire Corps of Cadets, "If you can't do a jig, you have no balance."

She knew your jig was up!

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Here is an article on Zanni´s progress, of all sources, from the "Mecanno" magazine.

 

[Courageous]

11 hours ago, Moa said:

Well, on its feet...er, floats, now.

And how stunning she looks.

 

Stuart

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

 

By the number of "Existential Crisis" the server is having, you may think that BM is being written now by Jean-Paul Sartre.

And given the number the number of error messages we are getting, I suspect HAL 9000 is in charge of the software.

 

Anyway...no wonder we all cringe and despair at the mere mention of the words "updates" and "upgrades".

 

The landing gear and stirrup of the land model are added:

 

A tiny visitor:

 

And more calming sunsets:

 

 

(I hope the last images contribute to ease the effects of the too many "existential crisis")