Favorite Books.

Jim · January 31, 2011, 05:27:19 PM

Okay, I'll bite...

I've scanned the images. Being ancient pencil tracings, some are of poor-ish quality, but perhaps someone who has more image manipulation and website management know-how can do better with them.

I tried uploading the images to the "Member-Submitted Plans" section, but the transfer failed. I think it exceeded the file size limit. I'd shrink the files further, but the image quality is so poor to begin with, I'm afraid you'd wind up with nothing but mush. Perhaps our able administrators can make an adjustment to the file size limit for me.

I've got a couple quick notes to append in conjunction with the files, and rather than hopscotch all over the board, I thought I'd add them here, briefly:

o The first two files are of a Pfalz D-XII. You can see that they're badly creased, but probably still useable. The three-view drawing is different because it was traced on a an odd olive-colored paper, which made the contrast rather poor.

o The Fokker Triplane file is really minimal and was badly creased as well. It doesn't appear to have details of the engine cowling, but the canny model-makers here could certainly work around that. Personally, I'd take a hard look at the fuselage side view and the placement of the wings...

o The final page is a bit of a mystery. The images aren't identified, but the top of the page looks a lot like a DeHavilland-9 to me, whereas the bottom looks more like a Short Seaplane...

If someone will let me know when the file-size limit has been adjusted, I'll upload the images...

Balsabasher · January 31, 2011, 07:06:01 PM

Fingers no need to shrink the files and loose the quality,when you do the scan set the DPI (Dots per inch ) to a lower setting,this way it takes out the un-neccesary bulk of the pixels which load up the file,you can also experiment by scanning either as a colour image or as a black and white image,looking forward to identifying the other plans,if you need any more help just give a shout,we will get around the large file size dilemma.
Barry.

Jim · February 01, 2011, 04:22:14 AM

I've already done that, Barry. I scanned them in color at 300 DPI, then converted them to B & W at 150 DPI. If I reduce the resolution any more than that, you won't be able to enlarge them again. 72 DPI is fine for viewing on a computer screen, but when you need to print an image -- especially if you have to enlarge it -- I've always understood that 150 DPI for a B & W image is as low as you want to go. Below that, all you're liable to get will be pixelized mush if you want to enlarge it. You can always enlarge an image, reduce the resolution to save space, and still print it; it'll come out fine. But if you throw away the resolution at thebeginning, you're pretty much stuck with the size you've got. Remember also, these images are really small to begin with, faded and creased, and the original resolution of the pencil tracings is not great.

I suppose I could always do what I did with the Lewis gun plan images, send them to you as attachments to a personal note, and let you upload them as you see fit.

And Ray, it wasn't my intent to hijack this thread. My apologies if that's what happened...

lastvautour · February 01, 2011, 10:53:51 AM

Jim, are your images jpg.?

Lou

Balsabasher · February 01, 2011, 02:10:27 PM

Send them to me Fingers for attention,Ray has a good point I wonder if they are jpegs ? anything else gets rejected on some systems,jpegs are user friendly,we will get there no problem.
barry.clay4@ntlworld.com

Jim · February 01, 2011, 04:07:07 PM

Yup, they're jpegs. I'll e-mail 'em to you now...

jim

Balsabasher · February 01, 2011, 10:54:27 PM

Thanks for sending those Fingers,all of them are now in place,these really are delightful amateur tracings they have real character and models are perfectly buildable from them,this is the first time I think I have seen a Short 184 seaplane as subject,it will join the queue to be built.
What a bonus for your purchase,well done.
Barry.

Jim · February 02, 2011, 06:09:16 AM

I'm very happy. Everyone can enjoy them. I wonder where they were made from...?

Balsabasher · February 02, 2011, 12:17:44 PM

They could be from any of the period pulp magazines or publications then on the market for building soilid models of WW1 aeroplanes,I seem to think that James Hay Stevens did a Short 184 plan ? they will probably surface in time,interesting that the notes are type written,these things all add to the completion of history and thanks to people like yourself and many others here we are recording it and keeping it alive as well.
Barry.

Mark Crowel · February 03, 2011, 05:26:25 AM

Model Making, by Herbert Lozier, 1967, Chilton Book Company, Radnor, Pennsylvania.

This book is an excellent introduction to making models: a balsa glider, a balsa and tissue-covered rubber band powered airplane, and several cardboard shelf models: a 1910 race car, a steam locomotive, a motorboat, a delivery van, and a Waco 10 biplane.

There are also many black and white photos of model cars built from plastic and cardstock kits, as well as scratchbuilt cars from brass, and others scratchbuilt from cardboard.

This book has been my main guide and encouragement in my hobby.

Mark Braunlich · February 06, 2011, 09:37:56 PM

Quote from: Balsabasher on February 02, 2011, 12:17:44 PM
They could be from any of the period pulp magazines or publications then on the market for building soilid models of WW1 aeroplanes,I seem to think that James Hay Stevens did a Short 184 plan ? Barry.

Barry,
I don't know if there was a JHS drawing of the Short 184 in Air Stories but here is the later Short N.2B and one page of the building instructions which was on the back of the 3-view page cut from an Air Stories long ago. The N.2B has double bay wings instead of the 3-bay wings of the 184 and according to J.M.Bruce, the N.2B was the last of the war-time Short seaplanes; only two prototypes were built, the design being too late for production. Serial numbers of the two built were N.66 and N.67.

Mark

Balsabasher · February 06, 2011, 11:00:41 PM

Mark this is a cracker of a drawing,it needs building into a model so it certainly joins the list ! thank you for placing it here.
Barry.

Jim · February 07, 2011, 05:50:55 AM

By George, that's it all right! The head-on view of the Short is an absolute dead-ringer for the image in the tracing! Nice job of detective work, Mark! Is there a date anywhere onb that plan?

Any idea where the DH-9 tracing might have originated?

Mark Braunlich · February 07, 2011, 03:03:16 PM

Fingers,
The D.H.9 is also probably a tracing of a JHS drawing in Air Stories. Sorry, I don't know the dates. A friend in the U.K. gave me a stack of the JHS Air Stories drawings he picked up somewhere at a boot sale.
Mark

Balsabasher · February 07, 2011, 05:21:59 PM

Mark,any chance of a list of which plans you have in your 'Air Stories' collection please ? I also have a lot of them and curious to know which ones that I do not have,and vice versa with yourself ?
I can also prepare a list to compare with yours as well.
Thank you,Barry.

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