abufletcher

What thickness are the ply side panels?

Alistair

0.6mm (1/32) pleasantly surprised how suddenly robust the fuse sides have become.

abufletcher

And that's exactly how the original was designed. The internal frame on the C-class Albatros aircraft was as flimsy as possible. The genius of the design was that the solid panel sides functioned as cross-bracing...and even better as cross-bracing that couldn't be shot away. My CDScaleDesigns CI also used 0.6mm ply. Actually, I wonder now whether even 0.4mm would have done the trick. Mine is 1/6 scale (and still a work in progress).

Alistair

Going thinner the ply suddenly increases in price. I bought 4 sheets of 1/32 36" ply cost nearly £40 - I find expense deeply distressing (the cheaper the build the more satisfaction)

Alistair

Had a look at your CDscale designs thread and on RCSB . - Wow. Beautiful.

More work/detail than i'm capable of, or prepared to do. (If it looks good in the air i'm happy)

Really really nice. Now get back on it and finish it (whipcrack!)

On my more 'basic' build i've used gaffer taper to steadily tease the fuse sides at the front closer and closer together. Almost ready to put the engine bearers in.

Got all excited and started getting the super tigre G4500 into a bench mount to run it in .

abufletcher

It's so close and yet so far...

Alistair

if you build it....................... you get a load of baseball players or something in your garden

abufletcher

It's still on the main workbench. Beckoning. But it's currently waiting its turn. First, I was doing some preparatory work for running the UMS 770 (again) and then the Snipe and the SE5a were imploring me to get them set up on the new Tx and in flight-ready condition again.

As you can see in the second photo I'll actually be sleeping in the (reserve) workshop while my two boys are here for the next three months. How many of you other modelers are so dedicated you actually sleep in the shop? You can also see the CI wings in the second photo.

(BTW, shockingly this is my 15,000th post on RCU since I started doing RC in 2004.)

Alistair

I'm not sure wether to be shocked or impressed So I'll just say it's shockingly impressive.

'Reserve' workshops, radial engines, 15000 posts and sleeping with models (the flying kind)

Whats left on the C1 ? looks pretty much there ?

The ply looks really good. I was planning to cover mine with solartex and paint, but now it's in place, it looks too good to cover and i'm not even sure I want to paint it. But I did like the blue fuse and linen wings scheme , more dilemmas

I've just ordered some of the mick reeves rigging steel, i've got it on my 1/3 camel (I bought it from a friend) and had it on a 1/3 pup. It doesn't twist/tangle and is very strong and looks good. I'll have a go at doing the fork ends silver solder on them. (pics from Mick Reeves website)

Telemaster Sales UK

So am I!

I call it the "soldier's view." Imagine yourself in the trenches in the Great War when an aircraft flies overhead on a reconnaissance mission. Given that the aircraft would be flying at at least 6000 feet, if my 1/6 scale BE2 looks like a BE2 when it's 1000 feet up in the air, then I'm happy!.



It would appear that my model needs over 200 grammes of lead under the engine to bring the balance point forward. It appears to be incorrectly marked on the plan. I may just fit a bigger engine.

Alistair

nice picture ! bigger engine = bigger (more scale) prop and you don't need to rev the nuts off it to fly. Much more pleasant

abufletcher

I'm not sure how I got myself into this sorry state.

Details. Tons of piddly details. But I suppose the one remaining major structural task is to work out how I'll rig the wings so that they can be transported as cells. And I need to to paint stuff. I hate painting. And particularly hate spray painting. A friend in Germany was able to acquire some of the light green primer as used on the original Albatros aircraft from the actual company that was making the paint during WWI.

The overall "powder blue" is very representative of the period but it just seems too plain. Plus a blue plane in blue sky? Also are you sure the blue was used on the CIII. Some of the aircraft scheme you posted above are of the CI.

My steel cable (0.60mm) comes from the local hardware store. But I've got some of the Mick Reeves turnbuckles and forkends that I'll be using in somewhat non-traditional ways. (BTW, a shout-out for the amazing customer service at Mick Reeves Models!)



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abufletcher

My other major obsession is photography...and the rule there is "if your photos are good enough, you're not close enough." So I get close. Real close. And the same goes for when I do "glamour" shots of my "models." I think in terms of what could a real person standing next to the real aircraft see. For this reason, I don't put much effort into the cockpit since that's mostly not visible.

abufletcher

It's my impression that that is often the case. I prefer to judge the CG in several different ways and the hope that all the answers come out about the same. Regarding that "soldier's view" I think more in terms of an "artillery spotter with a good pair of bioculars" (i.e. a telephone lens).

Telemaster Sales UK

The BE2 doesn't need much power to fly as the video suggested, OS 70FL btw.

Dismantled my Thunder Tiger 91 FS last night with a view to using it as extra nose weight but cannot remove the camshaft and yes, I have both of the cam followers out!

I'll get off this thread now and allow you gentlemen to return to discussing the Albatros CIII.

abufletcher

Ditto. I'm looking forward to the rest of your CIII build.

Alistair

Love the flying SE5 pic . I like photography too, trouble is I tend to be flying the thing I want to photograph (and they won't stand up to close up on the ground shot scrutiny so it's airborne only)

Had a bit of a 'palava getting the front of the fuse attached to the nose 'thingy'. Sides kept pinging out again. Lot of epoxy and tape and clamps finally got it done - but it aint pretty. I think it would make some of you perfectionists queasy seeing my bodges. Fortunately it all gets covered over, what you can't see, can't hurt is my philosophy. .

I'm now eyeing the fuse as possibly slightly skew whiff, reassuring myself that if so I can jig it up and use so weights to slowly bend it straight . pics to follow.

Alistair

I think i may go for this scheme (as simplest least work)

I think gary mentions varnishing the ply in dark oak. I think i'll try to match the lighter colour. perhaps a pine dye/varnish ?

Albatros C.III C.4187/15

Alistair

I think this is the colour i need to achieve for ply.

abufletcher

It took me dozens of experiments to come up with a wood color that I liked. The tests involved different stains (both oil and water based), lacquers, as well as number of coats. Some historical research suggests that many of the Albatros aircraft were only varnished (boat varnish) and were closer to natural wood color. Anyway, these are impossible things to nail down. The best we WWI modelers can do if make a choice that satisfies us personally.

Alistair

Gary actually did 'light' oak varnish. Thanks for the range of colours shown in the picture. As you say, it comes down to making a choice that satisfies us personally - which is one of aspects I think makes model building and flying so enjoyable. In the end the only one to please is yourself. Before glueing I did dye the ply 'antique' pine . Not sure why exactly, just to look more interesting internally (on the basis i was covering/painting the outside)

Looking at more pictures (at gleaning info) from your build. Your attention to detail is amazing. I could never bear to risk a model that nice in the air. I would cry if it crashed. By the nature of the hobby, the more they fly the closer they come to that day.

geezeraviation

My Feedback: (3)

Enough with the negative waves there Moriarty. Think positive thoughts.
Doc

abufletcher

Hey, look at it this way, our models probably have a longer life-span than most of their WWI counterparts! Build for the fun of building and fly for the fun of flying. One reason I enjoy the detailing is that I enjoy the historical research involved.

For my CI I ended up using multiple applications of water-based "teak" stain. I found the oil vs. water-based stains (and varnishes) often resulted in completely different colors. This photo shows various stages of the testing with the water-based teak stain. The second photo shows how it looks with a coat of polyurethane.

Alistair

Hi Doc, not being negative, just realistic but hey, we build and fly them anyway ! He who dares etc, hows about that for positive !

Alistair

That teak looks really good