Scratch Junkers Di Build Help Me?

[mgtaylor]

I was thinking of a wild idea of a Scratch Gaint Scale junkers DI build. Is there anyone with suggestions?
Anyone know if there is a Coragted Aluminum Sheet material for model building use such as used on the Ford Trimotor? Any plan suggestions?

[Brad]

I can make a suggestion as to how you might create the corrugated metal effect. This involves building a tool, but I think it would work ok.

If you were to use foam, you could hotwire the wings and other panels to the initial shape... then make a tool with a section of wire formed to the corrugated "waves" attached to a straightedge of some sort (I think a wooden yardstick or similar would be ideal) to support the wire. Hook it up like a regular hotwire cutter, and use the straightedge to follow the contour of the first cut.

A second possibility, depending on scale, might be to use sign material (corrugated plastic) as the skin. You would have to remove one side to expose the corrugations to make this work, and I don't know how difficult that would be, but I think it would be doeable with care.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Brad

[jumpinjan]

I seen a scratched build, large scale model built by someone in the UK. It appeared in WWI Areo (#115, Dec87). I appears that he made dies and "pressed" the corrugation into the sheet aluminum. Slip-rolls will be needed to stretch various radii into the corrugation to make the wing panels. A "crimping die" is needed to flatten each corrugation back to a planer surface along the panel edges (the 90 degree corners along the fuselage & other seams).
I have performed about a years worth of research and collected just about all the material written out there on the D.I and other models.

[greenknight]

You Junkers D.I fans will want to take a look at this corrugated metal covered model of the Junkers F13 being built in Iceland:

http://www.rcscalebuilder.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2868&PN=1

[jumpinjan]

He mentioned using a corrugation roller. That's the same idea that I have, but I'm using rods around the roller instead of grooves as he mentioned. I wrote an article about it in the next Over-The-Front issue.

[mgtaylor]

Brad, Jumpinjan, greenknight I have to thank you all tremedously. The thought of crimping and rolling all my own sheet aluminum send shivers through my spine. I know in RCM or Scale RC Flying I swear I saw a DI all built and flying but it had to be yeas and then some more years ago. With some people actually having used sheet aluminium to cover some of their giant scale projects I thought their might have been some hope in finding pre-made material.

It was a graciously good Tax return season this year and a very expensive designer purse gift to my Wifey pre-valentines day paid off in Spades ! I was given permission to and I broke down and ordered a Glenn Torrance Fokker DVIII instead. So Iam SET !

[jumpinjan]

Here is a largest RC model that I found on the web. I can't remember the builder, I don't think it was here in the States.