Albatross DV World War 1 German fighter aircraft

Balsabasher · April 10, 2012, 11:41:09 PM

Some stages in detail construction of the Albatross DV,biplanes do take a bit more planning but are rewarding subjects once mastered,I hope that the following pictures will encourage others to give them a go.
Barry.

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The propeller is started by marking out the blank with the profile of the blades,a piece of Jelutong is used.

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Slowly mark up and trim the shape of the propeller to incorporate the taper.

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The brown areas represent the areas that have not been carved,it is a good idea to run a marker pen over the surface so that you can see where the whittling has taken place,carve in the helical part of the blade and then with a round file shape the hub portion,you will see the shape of the propeller evolve.

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The prop blades just prior to shaping,think of it as a screw with the tip gradually flattening out,the hub will take care of itself and is easy to blend in later.

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The spinner which was cut from the front of the fuselage can be slotted to take the blades,any gaps were filled with plastic wood,a once over with a brown marker pen forms the basis for some subtle wood stippling later.

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First step in cutting the dihedral break,take a saw to the area followed with a v-shaped file,open the area up enough to run some Gorilla into the joint.

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A simple jig was made to set up the dihedral,two strips of wood at the tips and wings clamped to the board via elastic bands held with some small nails.

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The fuselage was flashed over with some primer to make painting easier later on,it also helped show up any blemishes that can be fixed now.

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The lower wings in place ready for the next stage.

lastvautour · April 11, 2012, 01:28:31 PM

Thanks for the prop tutorial Barry.

Lou

Balsabasher · April 11, 2012, 04:05:45 PM

You are more than welcome Lou,I thought that it was one area that modellers fight shy of,in reality it is fairly straightforward provided operation a few simple tasks are undertaken.
Barry.

buccfan · April 11, 2012, 05:22:16 PM

Thanks for the photo masterclass Barry, us newbies need some guidance. I see the edges of your tongue and groove boards came in handy. Regards Paul J.

Balsabasher · April 11, 2012, 06:23:59 PM

Absolutely nothing is wasted Paul,everything has some use one way or another,glad that you enjoyed the pictures,lots more to come as and when things get done,the Albacore's are curing out paintwise at the moment waiting for extensive masking and finishing but the cold weather spell is delaying things.
Barry.

Balsabasher · April 12, 2012, 11:04:27 PM

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/normal_MERCEDES_6_CYLINDER_ENGINE_FITTED.JPG

The Mercedes 6 cylinder engine was quite a lump,checking various old pictures in 'Janes All the Worlds Aircraft' for the WW1 period I found some splendid photographs of these engines in different forms,the exhaust systems seemed to vary a lot with some going up towards the centre section of the wing and others slung to the starboard side of the aircraft,it was necessary to simplify the motor otherwise I could have gone on and on ! instead I opted for s basic block with exhaust manifolds represented with bamboo,spark plugs with dabs of PVA,a rocker cover and six cylinders carefully carved,the overall effect is satisfactory and brings out the character of the aircraft well,a block of Jelutong was used,precious offcuts of which fill many boxes in my workshop and shades of the days when you could visit real pattern making shops,offer to sweep the floor for the wood spoils ! and make a donation to their tea kitty,I was happy to do all of these things to come out with carrier bags full of useful quality wood that is lasting me albeit in smaller offcuts to this very day.

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The interplane struts are basswood strip sanded to aerofoil and placed into indents formed in the wings,the indents are created with a hand held Dremel tool,the idea is simply to just dish in a small mark where the struts spring into place.

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The setting up of biplanes requires a simple tear down or sacrificial jig,to make one draw the side view with the respective wing positions,note any wing incidence etc and incorporate this into the jig,trace the shape onto some ply or scrap wood and carefully fret out,make two sides and glue these to an appropiately sized base with a centre mark to line up the fuselage.

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The cabane struts fit into the previously drilled holes in the fuselage and are made from brass tube which bends easily and can be manipulated and adjusted fore and aft,some leeway for adjustment is essential,small indents are once again made in the underside of the wings and the brass snapped into position,the design of the rigging jig allows for slight tension to be exerted onto the struts,once in position a slight squeeze and the brass tube digs into the wood,a quick zap with thin cyno does the rest,believe me you will not be able to shift them later,they are solid,the strength of the wing to fuselage fixing relies on the centre section,the interplane struts just sit into their indents but are not structural,the centre section ones are the working struts.
Any small holes can be fixed later with Araldite or similar for even greater strength,these models will last for many years,they are built that way.

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The tiny Mercedes in position,it looks effective and once painted will look even better with some subtle paintwork applied.

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In order to set the corect position of the struts slaves are made up to determine the respective 'rake' decalarge and angle of the struts,they also serve useful in cutting the brass tube to length gradually nibbling away until a snug fit is achieved.

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http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/ALBATROSS_IN_ITS_JIG.JPG

The Albatross sitting in the sacrificial jig that can be torn down once the struts have been fitted,secured and left to dry overnight,you can work away in the knowledge that everything is at the right angle and position,balsawood jigs that wrap around the wings and are glued together can also be used,you just pull them apart after assembly has taken place,it takes all the hit and miss out of biplane construction.

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http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/THE_UPPER_WING_GOES_INTO_THE_JIG.JPG

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/MERCEDES_6_CYLINDER_ENGINE_FITTED.JPG

lastvautour · April 13, 2012, 12:49:30 AM

Superb work Barry.

Lou

buccfan · April 13, 2012, 07:53:51 PM

Thanks for the continued tutorial Barry, they are coming on a treat. I particularly like your engines. I found Lou's tutorial really helpful, and you can save them to harddrive for reference without having to go on the net. Regards Paul J.

Balsabasher · April 13, 2012, 08:46:13 PM

Thank you Paul & Lou for your kind comments,this has been my most comprehensive blow by blow account of one of my models so far,I have enjoyed every minute in taking the pictures with dusty hands ! explaining things in depth and putting the images up here,if a single person learns a snippet of knowledge then my aims have been fulfilled.

Barry.

Balsabasher · April 13, 2012, 10:46:13 PM

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The undercarriage is made from brass tube soldered up after binding with fine brass wire obtained from an embroidery type shop,it is easy to use and sweats up well with a tad of flux,simply wipe down the joint with cellulose thinners afterwards to get rid of the oily residue left by the flux.
You can easily pre-adjust the undercarriage legs before the final soldering,light tacking first before binding with the fine wire.

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A few minutes were spent going around all of the strut attachment joints with slow setting epoxy,for this a toothpick was used with a slit cut in the end,the epoxy serves two purposes,firstly to secure things and also fill a few small holes effectively.

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A few views after flashing over with grey primer,this reveals a few dings and blemishes that will need attention,the plan with the bare wood one is to varnish it to bring out the woodgrain then add a bit of selective colour and iron crosses,I do not normally do this but the aircraft type seemed to lend itself to this type of treatment,it can always be changed later on if I do not like the effect,its all about experimenting.

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/FLASH_OVER.JPG

Balsabasher · April 15, 2012, 11:50:27 PM

Todays task was to complete the wheels for the model,previously I have made up WW1 type wheels by cutting ply discs and adding balsa tyres then making up a balsa dome for the part that covers the spokes,now I have mastered making these fiddly items on a lathe and after some experimentation worked out how to do it as one unit,it worked out quite well and I am constantly learning new ways to turn by altering the angle of the cutting chisels etc,here are the results to judge for yourself.

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/TURN_UP_THOSE_WW1_WHEELS_WITH_THE_CANVAS_DOMES.JPG

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/THE_WHEELS_FETTLED_AND_SANDED.JPG

Jelutong finishes well and the beauty is that apart from the final parting by hand with a dowel saw you an do everything else on the lathe,final finishing etc.

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This clever little gizmo saves a lot of hassle,investment in the centre locator will save lots of flustration in finding the precise centre,the best investment ever from places such as Proops BAROS and Endless Green.

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Empty drinks cans make excellent material for model building,even the curve was right for making these seats for the Albatross,watch your fingers as the material is razor sharp when cut.

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The alum material wrapped around the balsa seat base and locked with two tiny dressmaking pins,a tad of cyno locks everything.

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Fokker D7 in Howard Hughes 'Hells Angels' colours gets in on the act for a photo shoot with the Albatrosse's in the sunshine.

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lastvautour · April 16, 2012, 12:15:37 PM

Barry, you continue to outdo yourself. Great models.

Lou

buccfan · April 16, 2012, 08:28:00 PM

Lovely job Barry. Regards Paul J.

Balsabasher · April 17, 2012, 12:18:03 AM

Some spirit based yacht varnish that I have had on the shelf for years was pressed into service,the result the first coat of golden yellow that has really brought out the beautiful grain of the pine timber to good effect,the plan is to add a bit of colour decoration like the crosses and a bit of colour to cover the inevitable filler on the tailplane,the plan is to add three coats each rubbed down with fine garnet paper.
Also made up the wing mounted radiators,all these are is scribed laths of basswood with a filler/sight cap made from scrap.

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/PAINTING_THE_ALBATROSS.JPG