Greg Law Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 This is my second build for my BOB year. I'm building it along side my He 111. I have made a start already. It will have a slow start because I'm still waiting for the PE cockpit set to arrive. In the mean time I have started with the engines. The engines are all but done. I found them much easier to do than the Heinkels. I'm not going to detail paint them because they will disappear below the cowlings. I just sprayed them an overall steel colour and picked out the mounting brackets in RLM02. I have left off the bracket that goes on top of the engine and fixes to the main mounting brackets. This is because it didn't easily fit as it was supposed to. The cross arm seems to be too long and I could see the main engine brackets being pushed out of alignment by it. I will add this once both engines are mounted, just because it is there. The cowling parts seem to be ok from what I can see. However, the assembly seems to be a bit trick because you fix all the parts to one side then try and get them all to fit in the holes and slots on the other side all at once. A great deal of care has to be taken getting them aligned correctly to the first side. The other issue on two of the parts it is hard to tell which way round they go. You will note how easy it is to get the mounting wrong. Note the gap on the left mounting bracket. This has been fixed after I saw this image. The other thing I have been working on is the replacement tail. I have a Vector resin kit that replaces the whole tail. The only tricky thing is cutting a section of the fuselage to accommodate the new parts. You have to be very careful doing this. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted December 20, 2019 Author Share Posted December 20, 2019 My PE for this project has arrived, so I will be able to continue with it now and catch it up with the He 111 project over the Christmas period. So I should be able to give an update on the cockpit in a few days. A lot of this also will be relevant for the Do 17z kit except for the engines which are completely different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted December 21, 2019 Author Share Posted December 21, 2019 Ok, I have decided I will do this WIP progressively. This is the Vector Corrected tail planes glued together. They are a very nice unit and worth the money. You will notice the separation of the top panel. This is This is the way it was on the real plane. I need to fill the gap where the parts join. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 Just for amusement I have stuck the plane generally together with tape. The engines are complete and the wing is now glued. You can see the first bit of Pe in the cockpit area. I found that when fitting the engines I had to remove the tab that was on the wing because I couldn't get the engine on with it there, as you can see in the image. I had to sand the left wing wheel well hole so that the engine aligned with the top part of the wing. The right wing was ok. This may have been my own doing as I did have trouble getting one of the engine cowling parts together. so be aware of it. The other image is of one of the engines. I have since sanded it a bit to reduce the step in the part. I might still use a bit of filler on it. Boy the text in this report was real bad. I must had been too close to the glue for too long. I have edited it. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadMax8 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Seems to me you have things under control. This kit appears to be a little worse fitting than some of ICM’s newer offerings. How does it compare to the He 111? Am I being over-critical? Thanks for keeping us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 In some ways it is better than the Heinkel. For example you don't have to drill out the pin holes in the fuselage. The engines are simpler than the Heinkel and go together ok. There is a bit of an issue with the top bracket that fixes to the engine main mounting brackets. On the first engine I left them off and had to cut back the attachment mounts that are on top of the engine because the top cowling cover wouldn't close down. I didn't have to on the second engine, which might be the reason I had trouble getting it together. However, it has closed up in the end. I just have to go back and tidy it up a bit. All this might be my own doing. I'm not sure on that. The wings where no problem they went together very well. As far as getting the engine on I had to tweak the opening on the left wing as mentioned above. However, it was only a minor adjustment. It could very well have been a case of the engine build not being quite right. As far as the fuselage to wing joint is concerned I'm still to find out.it looks like there might be a bit of a joint issue, but only a small one. As far as which is best between the He 111H-3 kit and this one, I would say they are very similar as far as build difficulty. They are still a joy to build even with the issues and the heaps of glass work to deal with. I should have this one up to the Heinkel in a few days. Then I will have a better idea which is best. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 Just letting you know that this project is still going. I just got an excellent book on the Do 215 by Mikael Olrog. Once I have read it a bit I will have a better idea on the cockpit detail. I'm also thinking of redoing the engines using my nightfigher version and using the current ones on that build. These engine cowlings are quite smooth so need to be built better than I have done here. I'm also being distracted by an important small BOB project for another group. That won't take long all going well. Then I will be back on this and the Heinkel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 I've spent most of the last two days on the Dornier's cockpit. With a full PE set it is a big job. Makes the Heinkel look easy. It really has a lot going on. I've got to the point of adding the pilots station. However, I think I may have a problem to over come. On the sides there is a support ledges that you have To put in early. One side has good positioning pins. The other side has no pin holes, so it becomes guess work. The pin holes are there in the instructions just not on the part. It looks like I might be out by 2mm or 3mm. I didn't realize how important that ledge position is until today. Still this is tomorrows job. Images will be posted when I'm past this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 The good news is I discovered that the nightfigher kit of this plane does have the missing location holes on the left fuselage half. So I was able use that as a guide to relocate the ledge which everything comes off. In doing so I made a bit of a mess when I removed it. I have done my best to sort out. So after two days on this cockpit I'm getting close to completion. I just have to get the pilots area in place, which is another vague install. It is easy to locate the right side, but there doesn't seem to be anything to hold the left side and the instructions don't show it clearly. I've also removed a lot of the PE I installed because it was getting in the way of important parts. When you do this build and want to use the PE be aware of that. There are a lot of PE ammunition magazine holders that they want placed. I removed them because they didn't fit the kit magazines. I stole the magazines out of the night fighter kit, so at least I had some in the cockpit. There isn't any on the kit for this purpose. Photos soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 Latest discovery. The instructions are wrong when it comes to locating the pilots platform. The bottom of the frame should be glued to the floor of the fuselage where the fuselage side locating pin is. Not on the ledge as pointed to in the instructions. The left side of the pilots platform glues to the ledge. Here is a photo. This is just a work on progress, not the finished cockpit. Here you can also see how I used the magazines to add detail. The strange thing stuck to the roof is the PE magazine holder. I don't have enough for it. The part with the long holes is the one I was having trouble locating because of the missing locating holes. The trouble with that is it only needs to be a fraction out and it stuffs up a lot of things, such as the pilots platform. Right side 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadMax8 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 It’s amazing to me that the manufacturer can get the instructions so wrong. A good example of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing. Looks like you’ve recovered nicely. If it really bugs you, I know Quickboost makes some resin ammo cans. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 7 hours ago, Greg Law said: Latest discovery. The instructions are wrong when it comes to locating the pilots platform. The bottom of the frame should be glued to the floor of the fuselage where the fuselage side locating pin is. Not on the ledge as pointed to in the instructions. The left side of the pilots platform glues to the ledge. Here is a photo. This is just a work on progress, not the finished cockpit. Here you can also see how I used the magazines to add detail. The strange thing stuck to the roof is the PE magazine holder. I don't have enough for it. The part with the long holes is the one I was having trouble locating because of the missing locating holes. The trouble with that is it only needs to be a fraction out and it stuffs up a lot of things, such as the pilots platform. Right side I've started building the B5 in 1/72 I haven't arrived at this point but may do it tomorrow I'm guessing the instructions are going to be the same, we shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 I will check my nightfigher kit and let you know if they fixed the instructions problem. My kit is one of the early ones. They have fixed the missing locating points on the fuselage with the nightfigher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 13 hours ago, RadMax8 said: It’s amazing to me that the manufacturer can get the instructions so wrong. A good example of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing. Funny if you scratch build at all it can actually be surprising they get so much right, it’s very easy to get an idea in your head and get details wrong when you’re doing it yourself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 I checked the nightfighter instructions. They are the same, with the location arrow pointing to the wrong place. Just use my image and you won't go wrong. At least the fuselage part in that kit is correct. Here is an image of the fuselage buttoned up with the tank in place. The tank location tabs only just fit across the gap. The fuselage fit is good, with only a small amount of filler needed. I've decided not to use a wash or panel liner in the cockpit. I think it would showup all the blemishes from relocating the ledge. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I just did a catch up and it's looking good to me, Greg. Not that I'm a Dornier expert, but I'll be back! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted January 31, 2020 Author Share Posted January 31, 2020 Well it's starting to look like a Do 215. The wings are on and the tail is installed. This is the resin tail. I'm very happy with it's fit. It is nice and square and level. The photo distorts the look. There is cleanup to do yet. The wing wasn't and easy fit. Most likely my doing. However, be aware you might need to do same adjustment of the joining surfaces. Only minor, but it took quite a lot of time before it settled and I ended up with some minor gaps to fill. I still have to do more tidying on it too. The engines are just dry fitted. They look like a good fit. This is fast catching up with the Heinkel. Now I have this new BONDIC UV glue to attach the canopies I'm no longer concerned about fixing them. I will also be able to fix the Heinkel's instrument panel without worrying about fogging the canopy. The plan is to paint both planes together. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mottlemaster Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 Looking good Greg. . You must be well organized to be building so many models at the same time. The ICM kits can look deceptively easy to build especially when compared with early Special Hobby kits but we are on our guard with those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted January 31, 2020 Author Share Posted January 31, 2020 On 31/01/2020 at 20:00, Mottlemaster said: Looking good Greg. . You must be well organized to be building so many models at the same time. The ICM kits can look deceptively easy to build especially when compared with early Special Hobby kits but we are on our guard with those. Yes, so far I have found the ICM kits harder than I expected. However, I am getting used to them now and look out for issues before they happen. It helps to have more than one of the kit, so if something is wrong like missing location holes I can have a look at the other kit and use it as a guide like I did here. Part of the reason I'm doing so many kits at the moment is, this is the Battle of Britain 80th anniversary year, which makes it my BOB building year. There's a lot to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 Added the engines today. This was not the easy install I had expected. The problem was the wing surface edges were a fraction lower than the engines matting edges and there was no easy way of lining them up. In the end I tried two methods. The first was to dig my knife into the wing surface and lever it up to the shape on the engine. This worked to a degree, but it broke away again later. The second was to place the edge of the engine surface against the wing edge by tipping the engine then gluing the two edges in the middle. I let it dry for an hour and then carefully tipped the engine back into position and glued the other side. This pulled the wing surface up and remained lined up with the engines edge. Once the glue was dry I ran CA over the whole joint to ensure the wing edges were connected. After an hour I used a diamond file to shape the super gun and sanded the surfaces. Now I have quite good joints. I just need to finish then nicely tomorrow. I'm not sure if this my fault or it is the nature of the engine joints so take care when you get to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) I've been thinking about this engine to wing issue. It might be better to glue the engine to the bottom wing part before you join the wing halves together. This way you can align the edges easily. Don't forget this applies to the ICM Do 215 nightfigher, but not necessarily the Do 17z. It has a completely different engine build up system. The problem on the Do 215's engine I believe is caused by pushing the engine assembly into the wing after it is built. It forces the wing surface up. Edited February 9, 2020 by Greg Law Changed note on Do 17z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted February 9, 2020 Author Share Posted February 9, 2020 Good progress on this build on the weekend. Tail is done and the canopies are on. The canopies where a very good fit so it is really looking like a Dornier now. I will put up an image later today. I glued the canopies with Bondic. A UV glue which worked very well. I cut the barrels off the guns because they wouldn't survive the masking process. They will be put on again at the end of the build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 Well I had a very close inspection of the model this morning. It looked really good yesterday. Today I estimate a week or two of filling and cleanup. Whoever put that hatch on needs another six months training. Completely out of line. This is typical of my Groundcrew. They must have sloped off to the pub and had to many Guiness's before putting it on. Not only that I found partial finger prints. These guys will be band from the pub until this plane is completed and past final inspection. Also just to make my point leave is canceled for three months. Don't you just love disciplining the underlings. Such fun......🙂 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 After many weeks in the brig thinking over their sloppy workmanship the crew has decided to continue with the plane and making a better job of it. As of this morning the RLM65 and RLM71 colours have been applied. Tomorrow if I can get them off their lazy backsides they should get the RLM70 scheme applied. After that I will put up another progress image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 This is coming along really well Greg. Be good to see some shots of the paint work when you get the chance. Cheers.. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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