GianFrancesco

The Albatros CI in the Krakow Museum has a Schneider Ring cladded with aluminium or steel plate; I made the turret with 0,4 birch ply then covered with insulation tape of aluminium; the tape is 50 mm. wide and sticks well and goes even around compoud curves. Ultimately it looks exactly as made of aluminium plate even after painting.
I found a web site with over 30 photos of the Alb. C1 in Krakow; I think that may help: www.wwi-models.org

abufletcher

Thanks for that photo! So far, I've been unable to bend the 0.4mm ply to the right shape. How did you do this?

Ah...GF, I just realized that you were talking about making the turret itself out of ply. And yes, I like the way you built your turret very much! (Thank you for the plans, BTW.) I've been trying to do my best with the kit parts...which do actually go together really easy and look pretty good. But the balsa really needs to be fiberglassed...so maybe building the turret from ply isn't such a "hard" solution anyway.

My own feeling about using fiberglass on a WWI model is that it's "cheating." Or rather, it should be unnecessary if the modeler sticks with scale construction. The original builders didn't have fiberglass to work. The best way to "simulate" plywood or sheet metal construction is with plywood or sheet metal!

So take two approaches. Modeler #1 decides to simulate a metal panel with balsa. But then to create a suitably hard surface for finishing, this modeler needs to apply fiberglass. And then he needs to sand, prime, and paint to fake the look of aluminum. Or apply aluminum tape to the prepared surface. Modeler #2 just cuts the part out of aluminum sheet and is done. Not only is modeler #2's panel true to the original, but it's actually less work, requires fewer materials, and is probably even lighter than the "fake" panel.

Really, the main reason I model WWI aircraft if that I can pretty much just build them like the original.

abufletcher

Here's the linkage for the turret movement. I decided to stick with KISS. It seems to turn fine now but we'll see later. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. No biggie.

Then it was on to making strap hinges for the rudder and elevator halves. That's nine hinges. I'm using a little simpler technique that I used on the DrI. All these are is a brass strap soldered to a brass tube. The way I did them on my DrI is more elegant (and more scale) but this'll have to do.

I need to finish the hinges before building the rudder and elevators since these slip over the LE carbon fiber tube.

CTDavies

I think Gian meant cut the 0,4mm ply in strips perpenticular to the grain, which should then make it quite flexible. Then it can be wrapped around the outside of the turret ring and trimmed .

abufletcher

Yeah, I understand now that he was talking about the turret. I was thinking about the decking that surrounds the turret (for example the concave area between the pilot and the observer. I don't think there's any way that that ply can be bent to that curve. And now that I look at the photos more closely, I can see that there are several sections of the decking and that the decking was probably made of metal. For that matter, the Scheider rings also looks like it was at least clad in metal sheeting.

The problem with cutting "veneers" for the turret is that this is essentially a cone and a so a straight strip wouldn't work.

GianFrancesco

So is exactly how I did the inner and outer skins of the turret; the structure is simply a circular base (with an off centre hole) made of 0,6 mm. birch ply and 15 formers of 3 mm. balsa. The inner skin of the turret protrudes below the flat ground plane of the turret itself; a ring made of three layers of 0.6 ply prevent the tower to come out, hold the turret in position and allows rotation by hand.
I hope that you may understand even through my terrible English!!!

GianFrancesco

Yes the turret is a truncated cone; I did a cardboard template and by this I cutted the birch ply in (I don't remember how many) segments with the grain mostly perpendicular.

abufletcher

I understand how you made the turret. What I can't understand is how to form the "cowlings" that surround the turret. BTW, I hope you don't mind if I post a section from your CIII's plan drawings.

GianFrancesco

No, of course, but unfortunately I realize that my designs are made for my own use and may not be fully comprehensible to others. However I am available for any clarification...

abufletcher

Well, the first batch of hinges looked terrible and were inconsistent. And since the whole point of these is appearance, that just wouldn't do. So, this time I went back to the scale "loop" of the DrI hinges and replaced the soldering with a drop of CA, which works every bit as well.

Step 1: Place a "strap" of brass over the fixture and cut two slits a bit more than halfway through.
Step 2: Move the strap over to the other side of the fixture and with a rounded off file fold down the loop.
Step 3: Slip the 1/4" brass tube through the loop.
Step 4: Making sure everything is straight, add a drop of CA
Step 5: Cut the hinge off the tube and file the ends smooth.

It's slow but at least it's consistent. Functionally, these strap hinges are just about perfect.

abufletcher

Of course, in a strict sense, these are too wide to be scale. The scale size would probably only be about 1/8" in width, but that's beyond my manufacturing abilities. And they'd be steel, not brass. []

GianFrancesco

These hinges are very convincing; and appear even simpler to make than mine; the "forming tool" is very clever too!!

abufletcher

Can you post a photo of your hinges? I can't take credit for the technique, which I learned about on Del's thread on his 1/3 scale GTM Dr.I. On the GTM kit the hinges ARE made of steel! I thought about using aluminum but I don't have the right diameter tubes.

Anyway, time to move on.

GianFrancesco

I am sorry but I have no one useful photo; I attach the drawings I hope are understandable; however I try to explain: in the trailing edge (CF tube) of the stabilizer are glued pieces of Paxolin that are shaped to hold the leading edge (CF tube)of the elevator, the strips of brass mm. 4x0, 3 retain the elevator in to the concave seats.

GianFrancesco

I forgot the drawing....

Mein Duff

Still nice work...that's a new one for me..when polished up they should look very convincing...thanks for sharing !

abufletcher

These are the same style as I made for my DrI. The construction is very close to how Fokker did the his strap hinges.

Mein Duff

What kit was your DRI from ?? great detailing on the scale fuse !!

Thanks for the recent link to your Snipe build and fotos..she came out really well!

Hope you've had a chance to get some airtime under your wings with it..

Are you familiar with Peter McDermott's large scale Snipe he fly's in the world champs?..
Quite an amazing craft with rotating engine and all...unfortunately he lost a few fingers when he accidentally hit the throttle while sitting in front of it a few years back...he is the most dedicated scale builder in my opinion..a new masterpiece every two years it seems.

abufletcher

It's a scratch-build in progress and I need to get back to it!

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_81...tm.htm#8127853

It's still awaiting those minor but necessary strut repairs. Plus there's been more "building weather" than "flying weather" recently. But I'll get it back in the air soon.

Oh, yes! Pete's Amazing Snipe (in both WWI and postwar versions) was an inspiration from the very beginning. Although it was also a needed reality check for my more limited goals and skills. Pete might get my vote for "Best Lifetime WWI modeler." But then there a few other our British cousins also in the running.

i hadn't heard this. [] On the other hand, I'm quite certain that Pete could build a better model with both hands tied behind his back than I can with all my fingers and toes!

abufletcher

Well, move on after I make another dozen or so, that is! [:@]

abufletcher

The hinges are done so I moved on to building the elevator halves. And ARGHHHHH!!!!!! [:@][:@][:@][:@][:@] First, it seemed like the liteply patterns provided in the kit for the laminated trailing edge were too big. OK. No problem, I'll just cut one down to match the plans. OK. Done. Then I bent a 4mm aluminum tube to shape and cut the 5.3mm CF tube for the leading edge. All matched perfectly to the plan.

So then I decide to lay the stab down next to the pinned down elevator parts to see how it looks. [:@] The stab part doesn't fit over the plan AT ALL!!! I mean it's WAY off. And I'm thinking I must be nuts because there's no way I could have mis-built the stab that badly.

Then the light went on. Or, for Tom, as they say in German ("Der Groschen ist gefallen"). A couple of days ago I spilled some water on this part of the plan and had to dry it with a heat gun. It SHRUNK!!! [:@][:@][:@] Good thing I didn't build (and cover) both of the elevator halves before checking this!!!

Happily, Chris has already emailed me pdf's of this part of the plan so I can print those out and build over those instead.

This is an interesting lesson is "trusting original documents." Who knows what's happened to "original factor drawings" over the years...which, of course, is why replica builders rely on measurements rather than just matching parts to a drawing as we modelers tend to do.

Mein Duff

Oder vielleicht auch besser gesagt "Da liegt der Hase im Pfeffer"........what a shocker!

fliegertom

Auch sehr gut.......

abufletcher

I must say, that as a professor of language and linguistics, I love that this thread is (occasionally) bilingual! Or even trilingual! [sm=thumbs_up.gif]

Anyway, the "plans" have been printed out and a new elevator TE formed from 4mm aluminum tube (good thing I bought extra yesterday specifically to cover "wastage"). On his CI, Tom made the TE from laminations of 1mm balsa and CF tape. That sounds like a great solution. Just for giggles I might try also soing a lamination of balsa and 0.4mm ply. The reason I don't like all balsa laminations is that it's very hard to sand without damaging the shape.

abufletcher

Nothing but frustration after frustration today. I think I need to step away from the workshop for a couple days.