ORIGINAL: willig10
People who take the hobby too seriously.
I think that scale is a great thing and I truly appreciate all of you guys who spend copious amounts of time getting all the panel lines and rivet details super correct. However after working on a lot of the full scale versions over the years I find it comical because no two planes are the same. All have differentiating panel lines and rivet details are similar but no two are exactly alike.
Anyway I think we should all have the latitude to paint scale models anyway we like. Especially when it comes to camo. When I was in the Military we spray painted over the factory camo job when the paint was getting weathered. So in essence I guess what I am trying to say is, don't take the scale details too seriously. Close is close enough.
My 2 pennies worth.
I am enjoying this thread.
Glenn Williams
Exactly Glenn.
Pardon the term when I say that some people are scale nuts. I think partly the reason why is because scale judging at some of these contests have gone a little too far- forcing the builder to try and get everything perfect and finding documentation to back it. But that's only my opinion.
You are 100% correct when you say that no 2 military or civil aircraft are exactly the same. It was like that for Germany in WWII and WWI as well. I just finished a rebuild and mod of my Discontinued ARF GP Fokker DR1 and you wouldn't believe the research I did on the original Fokker Dr1.
Because it was a ARF originally, I was limited to what I could do. Most parts I made were from scratch because it's almost impossible to find anything in 1/5 scale! Also I was limited what I could do in modification because it would weaken the structure, and I didn't want to do that.
Every Fokker Dr1 wasn't built the same way, some had square panels, some were round. Many cowls had round air intakes in front of the cowl and others were oval, not all the latch handles were in the same spot, The cowl attatchment cable was all set up differently, plus the ground crew often made changes for the pilots. In WWI the planes were all hand built and they were rushed in production often times over looking questionable assembly. (Bad quality)
In WWII some say it was production that won the war, and I tend to agree. It was about production speed and they didn't care about perfection long as it worked including rivit count or if they were evenly spaced and what not. I seen camo put on some scale models that were perfectly put on by the builder, but in reality the military often quickly painted the planes and the masking or lines weren't always perfect.
But back to what another person stated about how some build a master piece and they don't fly them, I tend to understand where the builder is coming from when they decide to make "hanger queen" out of them. Anyone who has built a a very scale work of art knows where I'm coming from.
My Fokker Dr1 took me about a year to build including all the detail. At the S.T.A.R.S. event this year in Cicero, NY I couldn't tell you how many times people came up to me that were perfect strangers- telling me I should make my Dr1 a hanger queen. Often times I thought if I should or not, why? Because getting another GP Fokker is nearly impossible and if I were to find another one the price I'm sure, would be exuberant.
Because I've spent so many hours on this plane and dumped a good chunk of cash building it, I only fly my Fokker Dr1 when the weather is perfect with very little or no cross wind. I made the mistake of doing my maiden in wind gusts over 9mph and it wasn't fun.
It took all my skill not to crash and I focused on my plane so I wouldn't panic. My wife was with me filming, so that helped keep me calm and she reminded me to come in with a little more power when I botched the first landing. ( My wife is a German WWI and WWII airplane buff after meeting Galland and Walter Schuck. More so after she had met me I think.)
At the last S.T.A.R.S. show, I saw that another scale guy and he had a BUSA Fokker Dr1 and I asked if he was going to fly it, and he said. " No, the winds are strong and crosswinds too tricky to safely fly it, not to mention the heat and humidity is a bit much for our engines, don't you think?" So we both agreed that we'd take our work horses out instead. Me it was my Custom Hanger 9 Fokker DVII and he (Dave) was using his BUSA Pup. Our nice Fokker Dr1's remained grounded and I'm happy to say we have our nice work of arts to fly another day, no pride lost.
So if I see someone that made a very nice scale warbird, and they are afraid to fly it because of the weather conditions I understand. But what I don't understand are those who can't tell me if the plane they built is airworthy or not. I can say all my planes are, and if and when I retire a plane or sell it, at least I can say she flew and I have the video to prove it making the plane worth even more. But if a person decides to fly their warbirds or not is not up to me, and I shouldn't loose my panties over it. Not a big deal I don't think.
Great thread so far, keep it coming!
Pete