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5 hours ago, PeterB said:

Not an area I am familiar with but I am guessing the rod, tube and strut was extruded (a bit like pasta) so you would need something to heat and inject the plastic, various "dies" to form the shape, and maybe a cooling system to set the plastic before cutting into lengths. I suppose it is the sort of operation that would not be that difficult for the sort of "cottage industry" type operation that I guess Contrail and Aeroclub were, and clearly companies like "Evergreen" are already making similar strip, rod and tube but for the limited use I would make of `it I would like to see bags of mixed sizes which seem hard to come by but I may be wrong. I guess the problem would be limited demand and small profit margins. Still we can always hope somebody will make some available eventually - or maybe they already have and I have not come across lt? I am a bit surprised that the Aeroclub moulds or whatever have not resurfaced though I know John Adams did say he thought the ones for the white metal bits were about shot. Of course, vac form modelling probably peaked in the 1980s and 90s so perhaps there is no longer a market.

 

I have a bag full of WWI biplane vacforms which I will probably never build, but some are now available in injection from Roden or various short run companies. I don't think I ever did get an LVG but I do have various Albatross, Rumpler, Halberstadt, DFW, and AEG C and CL types together with a DH9 and Fe 2d, all of which I suppose I should consider getting rid of - Ray has already taken the Gotha off my hands!

 

That was my theory too...I wouldn't mind just extruding out some airfoil strips since Evergreen doesn't really do that.  Rods and tubes are well covered, I think.  

 

Regarding the Vac-form...yes...we are blessed with so many other options from the the olde days.  Those are excellent aircraft though, and most are really only available in resin.  I think Karaya and CMR handle them.  I only have on eval-form kit, a Lohner seaplane.  It's on the to-do list somewhere.  As I am not frightened of rigging or scratch-building struts, I just say that the Lohner is intimidating to say the least.

 

Anyway...I have progressed with the LVG...

 

The innards went in cleanly and with little fuss...

 

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Closing it up was not a problem...

 

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The underside was a little 'stepped' so PPP went the length...

 

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I smoothed it out after drying and attached the stabilizer and rudder.  Again, no issues.  Some more PPP in the small gap in the tail...

 

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And here she rests...until tomorrow...

 

--John

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The lower wongs are on.  No issue there.  A clean and tight fit.  I did not add brass rod support.  I think once all the struts and rigging is on, it will be strong enough.

 

I have also connected the two pieces of the upper wing.

 

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I have masked off the area that will be NMF...

 

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...and I have geventhe whole of the aircraft some light tan matte primer.  I will mask off the forward section to make the 'wood' effect, but the rest of the aircraft will be CDL and this will simplify that painting process.

 

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At this point I am contemplating drilling.  In the end it will be a much easier process than snipping off 24+ little pieces of stainless steel cardiac thread and making sure it is all the right length.

 

--John

 

 

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Very nice! I make my own struts from Evergreen strip, shaving and sanding to get the profile then adding brass pins for location. Never had any strength problems yet although I think I'll do the outer struts on the Muromets with brass rods and add "fairings" from strip, just to be sure. (The same method I use for undercarriage).

 

Ian

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21 hours ago, Brandy said:

I make my own struts from Evergreen strip, shaving and sanding to get the profile then adding brass pins for location.

I won't be going that far.  I have found, especially with a double-bay biplane, that once the struts are in place and the rigging is set, it is actually quite strong.

That would be 4 struts on each side, not including cabanes, and then 6 pound test monofilament CA'd into place through holes in the wings.  Pretty sturdy.

(he said, with confidence and crossing his fingers behind his back!)😉

 

I have given the wooden bits some Clear Yellow.  Having used this technique many times I find that the Clear Orange makes for too much orange tint.  

With the Wood colour already established, the yellow suffices.

 

I will drill tonight...38 holes, btw...don't forget the rigging in the tail!

 

 

 

51108790897_4dc4bbb843_c_d.jpg

 

--John

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2 minutes ago, John Masters said:

 

I won't be going that far.  I have found, especially with a double-bay biplane, that once the struts are in place and the rigging is set, it is actually quite strong.

That would be 4 struts on each side, not including cabanes, and then 6 pound test monofilament CA'd into place through holes in the wings.  Pretty sturdy.

(he said, with confidence and crossing his fingers behind his back!)😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--John

Looks very good.

 

Even the flimsy extruded strut supplied with Pegasus kits is perfectly adequate once the wing cellule is complete, and monofilament rigging (which qualifies as structural) makes it solid as a rock. In the case of the nice, thin, Ardpol resin wings I think it's essential as well to prevent any warps, either new or recurring, over time.

 

Paul.

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How did I miss this one? Good to see another real aeroplane, (ie one with a spare wing and fan), being built. I have never built anything in resin  although I have used AM. You are making a first class job of it - but I agree that resin struts are about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. I use Evergreen strip which I file to shape - it works well and is relatively cheap and simple. But then I make nearly all of my parts these days..!

 

P

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1 hour ago, pheonix said:

Good to see another real aeroplane

 

You might also like this one from 19 Squadron...

..or this one over in the 'Unarmed GB', soon to start...

 

 

Thanks @pheonix I'll be using Contrail strut for the interplane pieces and Evergreen for the cabane and stabilizer struts.

I build these kind of birds often!  🤪  

 

--John

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I masked the aircraft and sprayed some rattle can aluminum on the nose.  Sorry.  I won't be able to show that until I spare some CDL on the fuselage.  In the meantime, I masked that again and removed the tape form the aircraft so I could drill the rigging holes.  Easy-peasy.  I also added some Evergreen stock for the control horns on the stabilizer and rudder.

 

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CDL tomorrow...

 

--John

 

 

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IT's a sad day when your decades-old jar of MisterKit German CDL has decided it just won't play anymore and gives up the ghost.  Oh well.  It was good while it lasted.  I still have hope for some of the others.  I have already made my own PC10 anyway, so there's that...

 

I felt the Vallejo 'Beige' was too warm, too yellow, for the CDL so I cooled it off a bot with some USAAF Light Grey and I am very pleased with the outcome.

 

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In the mixer...

 

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Finished result.  Not so bad.  Close enough for government work.

 

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Masks off next...!

 

--John

 

 

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8 hours ago, Torbjorn said:

Vallejo’s Aged White

Yes...that's nice too.  A bit too clean for my tastes.  It would be excellent for an un-doped CDL.  Factory fresh, so to speak.  My mix matches the MisterKit German/Austrian CDL neatly.  Thanks!

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13 minutes ago, John Masters said:

Yes...that's nice too.  A bit too clean for my tastes.  It would be excellent for an un-doped CDL.  Factory fresh, so to speak.  My mix matches the MisterKit German/Austrian CDL neatly.  Thanks!

Agree - that’s how I treat it. For used/stained look I usually mix it with various sandy brown or yellow shades.

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OK....just so you know I have not been distracted by other, more injected, items elsewhere in the forum...🤪

 

Tonight I took care of all the little pieces:  the struts, the landing gear, the radiator, guns, etc...

 

My precious Contrail Strut...I've had this since 2006 or so and have been chipping away at it sloooowly...some brass rod and thin Evergreen too (cabanes).

 

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Each of the struts supplied in resin is 25mm.  I cut each of the Contrail to 26mm so I could smooth off the ends.  I can always make them smaller, to fit, if needed.  

I gave the whole batch a spray of tan primer and then some 'wood' colour.  Varnish is later.

 

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A slightly thicker airfoil piece for the axle.  I drilled out a hole on each end for some brass rod.

 

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Next to the resin piece, it is a bit wider, but I bet you won't notice once it is on the aircraft.  I also gave it some primer and 'wood'...

 

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Undercarriage struts...flimsy, but nicely moulded.  I'll reinforce them with some surgical steel from Small Parts.  Are those folks still around?  I have been carting this stuff around for years...the thinnest is .005mm stainless steel cardiac thread.  Looks great on a kit for rigging but it is really hard to work with.  Measure and snip and you'd better have good snips because it is tough stuff.  And wear eye protection too.  Those snippets are deadly...

 

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And now they look like this...better.  That's not the thin thread obviously.  Once again, primed and 'wooded.'

 

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And here we are.  I am ready to start assembling the top wing to the aircraft.  Tomorrow I will start with the 4 interior interplane struts and then attach the 'V' cabanes.  Then the 4 outer struts.  Then the landing gear, sans wheels...Then I will add the fuselage decals.  After that, rigging, wing decals, little pieces, wheels, etc...It all sounds easy.  It just takes time, patience, decaf...

 

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--John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yes all of those small and fiddly jobs - important but time consuming. Just as you finish the painting you begin to think that the end is in sight, only to discover that with a biplane it is not!

 

Looks good so far and will be interesting in Polish markings.

 

P

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7 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

I thought “those struts don’t look very well aligned” and it was then that I noticed that they were stuck into blutak!

 

😆  Very funny.  And did you notice there are 9 of them, not 8?  The big struts I mean...

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Strut work begins!  I really see things coming together now.  Before I add the top wing, I will attach the Spandau and a makeshift windscreen from plastic scrap.

 

I also shortened them back to their original 25mm length.

 

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And with the top wing on, and the cabane struts attached, it is quite secure.

 

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From the side it looks alright.

 

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Next up...more struts and probably the landing gear.

 

--John

 

 

 

 

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