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Friedrichshafen F.F.49c, a civil cabin conversion based on the 1/72nd Sierra Models vacuform kit.


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I was innocently browsing topics wondering if Moa had started another build thread somewhere...when I came upon the subject of a aircraft I hadn’t heard of with a name I couldn’t pronounce and new it had to be him!

a day late getting here and the model is already moving along at a pace! With a humorous master at the helm building muscles as he goes! Beware the sanding event horizon (Beware the sanding Jaberwoke!)

I will admit to looking like the guy in the pile of plastic sanding dust after building the ATR 72

 

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On 12/18/2020 at 1:46 PM, Moa said:

 

Well, I heard Marcellus said long ago that Something Is Rotten in the State of Denmark, but he may have been referring to other matters.

I shall ask the Space Rangers to investigate. I don't trust those Vikings. They may be building a Draken ship in disguise for all we know. Next thing they are landing on your stretch of shore and plundering your kit stash.

But thanks for the heads up, I shall follow that lead.

 

I can confirm that the Danmarks Tekniske Museum (Danish Museum of Science and Technology) in Helsingør is building a replica Friedrichshafen F.F.49c, but I am constrained by the Convention on the Sharing of Alien Military Technology of the United Worlds of the Solar System from posting any images of said replica, lest the technology fall into the wrong hands/tentacles.

 

I can also confirm that the Something Rotten is nothing more than a container of yogurt which reached its sell-by date several months ago and is now stinking up the refrigerator in the Museum's workshop.

Edited by Space Ranger
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2 minutes ago, Space Ranger said:

I can confirm that the Danmarks Tekniske Museum (Danish Museum of Science and Technology) in Helsingør is building a replica Friedrichshafen F.F.49c, but I am constrained by the Convention on the Sharing of Alien Military Technology of the United Worlds of the Solar System from posting any images of said replica, lest the technology fall into the wrong hands/tentacles.

Indeed!

I have seen during the research phase before opening the thread that there are some photos online.

They will be useful to an extent, but I am going for the cabin versions. Machines also differed from each other (different canopies, float struttery, tail, etc.).

Appreciate the survey and no doubt you took pleasure in the probing too as you researched the site.

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Yikes, I'm way behind on this one.

I almost once applied for a Charles Atlas course, but failed, so remained the wimpy kid.   What a fabulous collection of early Airliners  that you have done.

Your prolific modelling is a thing of beauty, and supports my theory the more you make the better and quicker you can do them, but these days I slip so far behind so fast I wonder where the time went, but following this one, and amazingly I didn't know of the existence of this Sierra Scale Models kit, my memory must be failing.

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34 minutes ago, Graeme H said:

Yikes, I'm way behind on this one.

I almost once applied for a Charles Atlas course, but failed, so remained the wimpy kid.   What a fabulous collection of early Airliners  that you have done.

Your prolific modelling is a thing of beauty, and supports my theory the more you make the better and quicker you can do them, but these days I slip so far behind so fast I wonder where the time went, but following this one, and amazingly I didn't know of the existence of this Sierra Scale Models kit, my memory must be failing.

Thanks, very kind words.

It is true, the more you make, the faster you make them, and you accumulate more resources and techniques. But you have to allow yourself to make mistakes, and never let go.

We impose ourselves such unreachable standards and goals, we forget how fun it used to be. We have top recover the fun, and still match the challenge, but joyfully. Or bitchingly, whatever works for us.

It took several tries -and hours- to get my first carved laminated wood prop right, now I can make one in minutes, yawning.

I could (anybody could, actually) make more detailed models slowing a bit down, but I like the balance point I am in now, a good, sustained, consistent output and reasonable detail. Fun and challenge nicely in some sort of equilibrium.

Ommmmmmmm!!!!

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The spares cornucopia may provide something useful for the exhaust, absent in the kit:

IMG_3105+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

And as I have suspected, the tail needs to be enlarged (up to the red line):

IMG_3106+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

No marks or good, clear indication of where the struts precisely go in the kit's plan, so their location is measured and marked:

IMG_3109+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

The surface under the wing has of course no detail. I found several methods to add "rib tape", today I used a two-blades-together approach:

IMG_3110+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

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Photos show that at least some of the civil planes had a different cutout on the lower wing, marked here with pencil until I determine the specific plane to be modeled:

IMG_3111+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

All the "rib tapes" were engraved:

IMG_3112+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

It's not easy to go half way into a thin styrene sheet to mark the position of the struts, and here I went through. A plug is in place now until I can redo the spot. On the lower wing, the struts positions closer to the fuselage were intentionally drilled through, as they connect with the floats struts and I plan to go all the way with a single length. The wing fuel tank position, absent in the kit, and most plans, and inaccurately indicated in the only plan that has it, is marked following photos. The cutout in the center section leading edge for the water radiator is done at this time:
IMG_3114+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

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Because of the nature of the molding process no detail is imprinted on one side of the parts, thus the aileron outlines have to be engraved on that "blind" side, being the wings just one surface, not upper and lower parts as usual. The positions for the aileron connector struts are marked at this stage, and metal control horns added:

IMG_3115+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

The new, larger vertical stabilizer is fabricated, and the elevators separated to be posed a bit deflected. All are given metal control horns, and rib detail under the horizontal stabilizer engraved:

IMG_3116+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

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Now a note on the meandering and ever-forking paths of subject-choosing:

As I mentioned at the beginning, a large number of FF49c were converted to civil use, and therefore are eligible for any more-or-less straightforward civil conversion from any of the kits on the market (there are several) without having to deal with cabins and canopies. But if you want a cabin as I do, there were the LFG conversions and a few others.

Having consulted the modeling underground in the form of fellow Ornithopters (a secret modeling organization), friends Sönke, Alain and Tracy came up with some additional information. Sönke pointed out that the LFG conversions involved widening the fuselage, thus requiring even more kit modification. I think that he is correct in regards to the 5-passenger conversions, but not the 3-pax ones, but there is no confirmation of this. Then we have a few other machines for which, as usual, the colors are a veritable nightmare, opening too widely the gates of speculation. The only firm grasp is so far on the Tiedemann machine, for which friend Sönke found the color: silver -with the Norwegian flag colors on the rudder and wooden floats-. Online https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/QBCXvKC5-451ckOmObKL2z2sexcaM0a_KNtESEgQV8HTIbY5AEBaDrwrzFGmxLNeNX35QCyhb68yqror2JsfSgtlnCetU15JnojoYKUiPPDZb8kDwbvrCIHO3g  you may find a drawing of the machine christened "Max" in red, but that is a questionable choice as the hue -being much lighter- has very little to do with the red on postal flag on the side (inaccurately rendered in the drawing as a spurious window, by the way). https://www.dauntless-soft.com/AviaQuiz/images/setN18_0275_a.jpg

We keep mulling...

 

 

 

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Moa's plastic therapy for us.  There is something very satisfying watching your marvels come together.  Great tip for the rib tapes . I had not thought of that, I have used two blades taped together , to use the p cutter with two blades in, inspired.  Great work as usual 

Chris 

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The fuselage halves are taped together to be able to work on the pilot and cabin openings. I am going for a 3-pax version, of which seem to be more adaptations than for the 5-pax:

IMG_3117+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

Hardened, trained real modelers should be always on the look for useful stuff. I was doing my daily 7.000 kilometers run when I found this street iron lid, and I thought: "Why, this will be good for sanding the bigger parts". So I ripped it off from the sidewalk and brought it home. It's only 150 kilos, and probably needs a handle added, but hey, it was free! So you, wimps, with your sanding sticks and fancy sanding pads, take note!:

IMG_5663+%25281280x953%2529.jpg

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1 hour ago, bigbadbadge said:

Moa's plastic therapy for us.  There is something very satisfying watching your marvels come together.  Great tip for the rib tapes . I had not thought of that, I have used two blades taped together , to use the p cutter with two blades in, inspired.  Great work as usual 

Chris 

Thanks Chris!

Glad you enjoy the builds!

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1 hour ago, HOUSTON said:

Moa,

A saucy  thread with a bit of modelling on the side.

:whip:

SUPER start.

Looking pretty impressive. 

Look forward to the next  chapter.

:yikes:

 

Thanks Houston!

For too long have modelers been pampered with nice kits that fit properly, have good instructions and impeccable decals; it's time modelers remember that this hobby is about tempering the soul through suffering! Per aspera ad astra!

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