I think this plane looks like a flying Oktoberfest tent. Maestro, crank up the oompah-pah!!! In any case, it's my first Eduard "dark grey" plastic (the stuff they've been using on the kits they've put out in the last year or so) WW1 kit and it's a WINNER! Beautiful quality. No more jokes about crappy simple injection kits. So, whaddaya say? Should we start a Wish List for Eduard? Anyone for a Halberstadt C.IV?
Plumbing, guns and guts of the Alby. Prop is painted, pencilled and lacquered kit part. Fans should know all the details of this process by now. Note Axial company logo on blade. Radiator pipes are bent brass 1mm rods, carefully measured before placement with a caliper and shaped after consulting NASM "Stropp" engine/radiator closeup pix. Connector to engine is 1mm solder sleeved with a section of 1.2mm bore brass tubing. Exhaust pipes get a flat clear/pastel powder wash for "rust" and "heat discolor".
A fetching profile...
Wish you could pick the pencilled wood grain out a bit better in this shot. Cables are, as usual, nylon fishing line with gel CA/Gunze Surfacer 500 "turnbuckles" all brush-blackened with Japanese cartoonist's ink. Note slight "underbite" of the spinner/cowling interface. This feature is clearly evident in all shots I've ever seen of real Albatros D.IIIs, D.Vs and D.Vas, but the Eduard kit is the first I've ever built where this feature was (purposely or not) modeled. Nice touch, anyway.
All aboard! Data stencil decal was floated on floor wax and the edges of that sucker just DISAPPEARED! I DARE you to find them in this shot!
The trademark of the infamous "Green Tails" who caused so much trouble over Flanders Fields...
Note radiator slats and crank attached to underside of wing.
Damn. I just can't seem to get good cockpit shots these days. I think I need one of those rectal camera probe thingies with the light diode in the tip. Any charitable proctologists out there who'd like to make a donation? Uh...please remember to wipe carefully before sending it...