samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Bruce,
13 bucks a can.

pforty

Thanks Sam,
I thought you might have used the pre-mixed colors from their sample cards, but I see they are custom color matches. It will be easy enough to duplicate from your pictures of the lids.
I can't believe you built 3 planes in the past 6 months.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Painting (cont)
Masked off the bottoms of all the parts and shot the tan. Usual procedure, painting from light colors to dark.
Did the stab, inside area of both top wings plus the center section, the center of the bottom right wing, left side of right aileron and both elevators.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Painting (cont)
Color pattern for plane.

Used a mirror and cut masking tape in 1/8" wide pieces to get the curves of the color patterns. Some masking paper from home depot to fill in the open areas. Just used regular beige masking tape and stuck it to my trousers before using to weaken the glue.
Did the lite as well as some dark green. The dark green is only about a shade darker than the lite green so I'm going back to get a darker color. Picture 8 has the two colors (dark on the right) and there's, virtually, no difference.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Painting (cont)
Dark green:
Much better: went back to home depot: they couldn't make what was left of the original dark green dark enough so I got a new can. I choose alligator green as a good match.

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

Alligator Green is the same color I used on my 1/4 scale N-28.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Radfordc,
Good to hear that my color selection was accurate.

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Painting:
I masked off the other parts for brown and black.
As with the dark green, the dark brown seemed too light for me so I went back to home depot to darken the brown. Probably can't tell in the two pictures of the fuse but the 2nd picture of the fuse is darker. Not sure if the scanner was bad or the employee made mistakes: I usually get very accurate results from them.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Painting (cont)
I used some card stock from Michaels craft store to make paint masks for the wheels: worked well and went quickly.
Last color is some black on one wing after the brown dries and dark green on the fuse (forgot that I've also got to paint the rudder/fin red, white and blue)
Saves time doing this 'production line' routine keeping the 'pop ups' up for about the last week and priming the B-25 and P-47 along with painting the N28.

FireBee

My Feedback: (34)

Sam,

Just saw your pics. They are PERFECT! Hurry up and finish it!
I love that scheme ever since I actually saw Lt. Meissner's #8 at the Udvar-Hazy Museum in Wash DC about 2 years ago. I may have a cell phone picture I can post. like this one
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdevers/5779355979/

Better yet here is side view link: http://www.skytamer.com/1.2/2.7/JH009.jpg


Hope I'm not crowding in on your build/paint info.

For my 1/4 scale Paint scheme of Lufbery #2. I used Humbral plastic model paints and a plastic model airbrush.
Down side is, I can never touch up a repair since it was a one time mix of various paints for each of the 5 colors: Dark Green, Light Green, Brown, Tan, Black and Jaune Clair (Undersurface Colour).

Here is one source for those who do not have paint samples. WW1 French 1918 Aluminised paint finishes. http://www.wwi-models.org/misc/Color...h/humbrol.html
The following colour mixes are taken from those published in Scale Models magazine and Scale Aircraft Modelling since 1980. They owe much to the research effort of "Project Butterfly" and the efforts of Ian D Huntley.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Mike,
Thanks for posting all that great info. Always appreciated.
Looks like I could have still made the brown darker! With no color pictures from 'back then', it's probably difficult to say exactly what the colors were, anyway! Also, we tend to make our planes too tidy; They probably used a paint brush to apply the paint!

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Painting (cont)
Never dispair!
Get paint runs under your tape. Use some window washer fluid and a popsicle stick (or other soft blunt instrument): put the fluid on the affected area and then scrape with the wood stick (easiest if done soon after applying paint).
First time that I've applied six colors: went through over 2 rolls of masking tape.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Painting (cont)
Was thinking I was going to have to mask the whole plane just for that small fin but I remembered that I made the stab and fin removable: much easier. Using rustoleum gloss white, apple red and navy blue for the fin/rudder colors.

Tmoth4

My Feedback: (1)

Looks awesome, Sam. I think the French 5-color camo scheme is my favorite of all of them. The planes are really colorful after all the markings are on.

Jim

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Thanks, Jim.
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Painting:
Rudder finished.
When shooting paint, it's best to, first, shoot at an angle along the masking tape and towards the area being painted to reduce paint from getting under the masking tape, The paint will fill in the masking tape edge so perpendicular shooting will less likely get under the tape.

Decals:
I'm using vinyl decals and not too happy with them.
I started with the bottom wings so I could learn how to apply vinyl as I've never used vinyl before. There's a top sheet covering that is extremely tacky and makes removing it from the decal very difficult. The bottom blue paper sheet came off easily. Using the suggested spray solution of alcohol, soap and water really helps keep air bubbles from under the decal. The bottom decals came out OK.
The top wings were a disaster. Vinyl, as least these, do not go over compound curves (as seen in the last picture). I'm going to have to go back to the old ways and paint them on.
I used to paint them until I used Major decal's water transfer decals. They are super thin and go on very easily. Unfortunately, they do not make them big enough for this plane plus they didn't have a 'hat in the ring' decal.

http://majordecals.com/

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Decal painting:
Masked off the insignias and put the center white on. Really a pretty easy insignia to paint: just circles. Let that cook overnight and tomorrow morning, the blue will be shot.
Painted insignias will look a whole lot better than plastic vinyl, anyway (that's my opinion and I'm sticking with it!).

FireBee

My Feedback: (34)

Sam, when you are done building your Nieuport and B-25, here is the best N-28 book I've read. Lots of details, flight accounts, squadron history and many pics . it also explains the wing Leading Edge failures. It also has 6 pages in color on smithsonian's refurbishment started in 1995. Lt. Jimmy Meissner actual had it happen to him twice. Rickenbacker once.

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

When I painted my Spad I put on the lightest coat first and then the masking tape. Next I applied a thin stripe of the light color along the edge of the masking tape. This seals the tape edge and anything that runs under is the same color as the base coat.

The trick to getting vinyl to conform to compound curves is gentle heat. Remember they use this stuff to completely wrap automobiles. Also, any bubbles left under the vinyl will usually disappear after a few weeks.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Mike,
Thanks for the reference book.
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Radfordc,
Yep, I forgot about using the same color (clear also works). Don't paint very often but the learning curve is quick.
Thanks for the info on the vinyl. I'm not comfortable with this material. I'll stick with the super thin water transfer decals or painting them.
I partial to the water transfer decals as they always give me a non-run edge and they recess into panel lines and even rivets on the WW II warbirds. I doubt that I could achieve such a clean line over hundreds of rivets by taping/painting.

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Struts:
Used minwax gel stain on the struts and some spray black paint on the connecting wires.

Clearcoat:
Use minwax polycrylic to seal the paint and decals. Still painting the insignias on the top two wings so they will be clear coated, later.

maddog-RCU

My Feedback: (23)

Sam,

Do you spray on the minwax; if so do you thin it at all?

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Maddog:
I sprayed it without thinning, although I have added about 5-10% window washer fluid in the past. It's important to get the cone shape paint filters to remove anything that may clog the nozzle, especially when opening a used can as there are always hard particles around the can lip and cover.
With WW I planes, it would probably be more realistic to apply the paint with a brush!

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Insignias:
I'm happy with how they came out. I used the vinyl as a paint mask and got some bleeding (should have used masking tape). I tried the popsicle stick and washer fluid but the rustoleum paint was stronger than the Behr house paint so I just used an artists fine paint brush and touched up the bleeding. Nice satisfaction in painting your own insignias.

Clear coat (cont)
I noticed that I, initially, used gloss polycrylic so I went over all the parts with the satin and also finished the top wings.

FokkerD7

My Feedback: (5)

Sam I painted my Albatros with brush for the reason you stated. Besides it was cold out when it was time to paint, so I grabbed a brush. Looking good

maddog-RCU

My Feedback: (23)

Thanks Sam.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Assembly:
I normally use epoxy on attaching hinges but, since there won't be a lot of stress with this slow moving plane, I used CA on the flat nylon hinges. I replaced the individual hinge wire with one long wire. I put an L bend on one end and placed it on the inside of the aileron so it can't slide out. The elevator wire hinge was inserted from the center and the rudder got a U bend and just pushed it into the bottom of the fuse.
I forgot to attach the hinges before painting. The painted elevator/rudder servos/linkage looks like it blends in pretty well with the fuse side.
Cleaned up the shop so the only clutter now are planes .

FireBee

My Feedback: (34)

Sam, what great progress and your plane is looking pristine!
If you like weathering I recently used these items.( this is my wife's contribution) Apply on the roundels and rib stitching tape with Q -tips and then rub it in with you fingers. I used various tan, black and even some pink.

I used 0000 steel wool over rib stitching tape added a blackish hue to them. Then the hollywood make up detail. Then satin min-wax poly spray to seal it all in.

Hey I see that Razerback in the background.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Mike,
Good idea on the avon stuff: plus she can use them after you're done!!
Bummer: I hadn't thought about adding stitching tape.
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Assembly (cont)
Tail section:
Remembering my last N28, I put down in the elevator.

Batteries:
Two 5 cell, 4200 ma batteries for the JR 9 channel power safe receiver.
The smoke unit gets 5 cell, 2700 ma.
The batteries were put in a recess in the bottom of the fuse below the engine box via two large holes in the ply.

Tanks:
A 32 oz B&B tank was used for the fuel and a dubro 32 oz put on it's side for the smoke.
I used blue tubing from B&B for the smoke fill so I don't get confused on fueling the tanks.
Used black tubing for the clunk area. Forgot the name of it but it stays flexible.
Hanger 9 fuel filler with overflow, dubro fuel line clips and dubro fuel line barbs used on setting up the tanks.
Used a mini push/close, push/open latch on the side doors.

Drilled out an aluminum bolt and put an extension on it for the smoke going to the muffler. Extension to keep the smoke line away from the heat.
Bungee cord attached to gear. Too tight the first time. Leaving excess tie exposed until a few flights to insure proper tension.

samparfitt

My Feedback: (43)

Ready to test the engine.
The plans say 6 3/4" back from top wing for CG. I transferred that to the bottom wing and it came out 7/8" in from of the bottom wing.
She is slightly nose heavy: perfect for me. The 1" added to the nose compensated for the three servos in the tail.

Still need to add skirting to gear and cabanes over the fuse, cockpit detail plus paint ball gun.