HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

I took the easy way out and wrapped the woodwith protective tape!

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

If these laser cut ribs are cut accurately they are almost worth the price of the kit.Unfortunately this is not always the case.I know of companies who will do this for you using your drawings but I think it is quite costly.
We'll soon see how they are on this Camel kit.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

If I had to hand cut ribs as complicated as these I still would be working on the Albatros!

[JohnReid]

Don't be too anxious to remove those nice ribs from the laser cut plywood sheet.
Do you want to stain the ribs?If so do them now before removing them from the laser cut board.The laser does leave a few burn traces here and there but I just work it into the weathering.You could remove these with very fine sandpaper if you want.Then give them a couple of coats of semi-gloss or matte spray lacquer.
Now is also the time to decide if you want to put on the rib stiffeners.The Albatros calls for them while the Nieuport should have them but they are not called for in the plans.Lucky for me the Camel does not have them at all.
If required this is the time that I glue just one long strip to the ribs and then cut them out with a sharp xacto.I have a nice little wood burning tip(left over from my bird carving days) that looks like an xacto and makes the job a little easier.
If you try to glue these on and then stain the ribs you might have a mess and nothing looks worse than glue stains all over the place.

[JohnReid]

Adding rib stiffeners.Don't forget the other side!

[JohnReid]

Center section ribs!

[JohnReid]

The plan calls for the top wing to be all in one piece.Because I am adding a separate center section it makes for three pieces altogether,so I won't be following the instructions very closely.