Comments on Model Airways' 1/16 Albatros DVa

[philip.e]

Hello. This is my first post so bear with me. A quick introduction: I've been modeling for 40 years, but probably average only one per year (or less) anymore as a I give my family a lot of time and the military gets most of the rest. I recently began Model Airways' 1/16 scale Albatros DVa. This is the first wooden aircraft I've started since building a few balsa and tissue models in High School in the 1970s. I've done a couple of wooden ships, but most of my experience is in plastic modeling. I have completed one step (#4) and posted a few pictures. I welcome any constructive criticism or comments, especially from those who have built similar models from Model Airways. One item I'm patiently awaiting is the Albatros DVa technical drawings from the National Air and Space Museum. Those drawings along with Mark Miller's illustrations should answer most of my technical questions.

I was dissatisfied with the wing mount castings and tailskid and replaced both. The wing mounts were poorly cast, oversized and didn't provide much real support. I took a single long spar and cut an opening in the center to slide over the bulkhead, then cut some angled supports from styrene and made some simple bolts to add a little depth. The tailskid looked like a toy knife, and though it does somewhat resemble the one on the NASM aircraft, it didn't match what I'd seen in any of the books I purchased for research. I cut a skid, stained it a darker color and secured with the supplied cord painted black. (It may be less accurate but "looks" better to me.) What I haven't done to truly complete step 4: secure the skid at the other fitting (because I'm planning to veneer one side of the tail before doing so), add a piece of metal to the bottom of the skid, clean up some bits of glue peeking from a few bulkheads, and spray a light dull coat over the frame.

Perhaps some of you can assist me with a few questions.

1. What should I wire the control rigging with? I've read 0.06 wire, but can someone point me to a web site with a specific recommendation? I found annealed wire, but am afraid it might be too stiff. I also considered some copper fly-tying wire. It's cheap and should be as flexible as thread.

2. Where on-line could I buy some veneer to cover part of the model? Would you use 1/64? Birch?

3. If you were covering the rudder, would you use silk and dope or something else?

4. The only 1/16 scale items I found to upgrade the kit are the Spandau machine guns from Tom's Modelworks. Are there other places I'm missing with 1/16 scale instrument decals and such?

I realize this is a long post, but wanted to get some thoughts from more experienced modelers on these items. Thanks!

Philip

[StephenLawson]

Greetings philip.e:

The man to talk to about the Model Expo kit is Aerodrome member John Reid. He is the author of the great thread "How I build Dioramas." I have had this kit under construction (for a couple of years) because I have pressing requirements that keep it at th back of the building table with only intermitent lapses of concentrated efforts. John has not only completed the kit but did it well.

[JohnReid]

Hi Philip! and welcome to the drome.It is great to have a fellow 1/16th modeler on board.
I guess that you have already discovered that the Albatros is not one of the better Model Airways kits.In fact I recommend that the best starter kit in this line is their Jenny.A little more expensive but a lot easier to build.However I see that you are not afraid of a little scratchbuilding so I am sure things will work out for you.The research material that you have so far is great especially the wonderful work of Mark Miller.
The questions that you have asked ,I have answered most of them in my long winded thread.After I finish building the Jenny diorama I plan to do another shorter version of this thread with just the main building points of each aircraft.But in the meantime ,I would recommend that you grab yourself a brew and scan the pages of my present thread.I am not pretending to be an authority here but I have built,or intend to build, just about all of the Model Airways offerings.I will soon be starting their Camel and I plan to convert their Flyer into a "Backyard Flyer" out of the Pioneer Era.
Some of what I have previously written applies to all of the kits and some is more kit specific .Unfortunately until I got a digital camera and finally learned how to post pictures ,the pics I have of the Albatros and Nieuport build are somewhat limited.Take a look over on World War I Modeling Page and check out my Albatros pics and the wonderful work of Ken Foran.
Please feel free to contact me at any time .If I have a chance today I will respond to your specific questions that you have posted as it requires a little research on my part.I am almost 67 now and the old memory ain't what it used to be. Cheers! John.
Here is a faster link John Reid : 1/16 Scale German Hangar Diorama

[airwarrior]

At this scale, silk or other fabrics are too large in weave and thick to be convincing. Painted, I thing your best bet I thing would be the tissue used on free flight models, sealed and attached with dope.

It would be delicate though, and you'll have to be careful about puncturing it when building.

[philip.e]

Thanks! John, your dioramas are incredible. Although my wife thinks my models are great, I’m never satisfied. Seeing your examples makes me feel even more amateurish! As long as my family is impressed I should be happy, right? The reason I asked for specific web sites is because I’m working in Estonia for a few years and there is one small hobby shop in the capital and that’s it that I can find. Almost everything I must get via the mail. My next goal is finding a European supplier that can ground ship all the combustible stuff I can’t get via air from the U.S. (e.g., clear dope, decal solutions, paints, etc.). I will read through the diorama thread this week. Two more questions if you don’t mind. (1) How did you do the instruments? Are they decals, painted, photocopy reductions, or something else? I’m not happy with mine so far. (2) What color were the metal surfaces painted in the cockpit, such as the control stick? I assume they applied some kind of protective coating on them. Mark Miller’s illustrations appear to be a greenish color. Thanks again for your help.
Regards,
Philip

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I just cut these out and reduced the size on a good photocopier, then spray lacquer the paper ,set them in the instruments and used Microscale Kristal Klear to cover.

[JohnReid]

Sorry but on color I am no expert . Others on this forum are however.I am sure they can answer you about factory fresh colors ,in the field that is another story.
Stand by and I will try to get you an answer today to your other questions!
Cheers! John.

[JohnReid]

This is what I use for fabric covering,Coverite Antique.You can get it at Great Plains Models.

[JohnReid]

Be careful of the plywood supplied in the kit as any amount of sanding of the surface will allow a dark color to show through,which looks terrible.There is good quality stuff available that does not have the problem.