1/16th Fokker Dr1 scratchbuild

[DonnyW]

Thanks Don, Ken and Hot Ford Coupe

The wheels will be spokes Ken.. making them wont challenge me as much as the Spandau gun jackets. I guess they will be the crux of this model with the tools I have.

Not sure what makes a master modeller Hot Ford ..but hopefully anyone watching will realise that it is not expensive tools. Im still only using the tools in the photo at the start of this thread. I do have a small ..very cheap lathe ..but it was only used to turn the engine parts.

So what makes a master modeller ? I can only guess..

Knowing what materials are available on the market and how to use them is a must. (that's where forums like this are worth their weight in gold) The ability to take complex shapes and see them as simple cylinders and flat sheet is a must too. To think ahead and work out how to solve problems .. (thats the fun part for me) ..but most important of all … your heart and soul must be in what you are doing. If its not ..it will never be art. Anyone else any thoughts to add ?

Its not finished yet but here is the cowl to illustrate what I was trying to explain in the last post. I could have used blue foam as a plug, covered it with the glass cloth and resin then melted the foam out with solvent. However..I chose the balsa and ply method..its a little cleaner to make.

Its still to get the white face painted then varnished with a closs coat. I only use matt enamel because it dries fast.

[JohnReid]

Thank God you came back to modeling and to static large scale modeling in particular! We are a small but growing community, much in need of guys like you that are so willing to share your work and techniques with others.
Master modeler? one who is willing to push the envelope and challenge himself into doing new things in new creative ways.

[Tage]

We progress through phases of competence,
Apprentice, when we all made plastic models, and honed our skills.

This is normally a four year process.

Then as a journeyman, we take our skills to new heights,
and into new areas of study and work.

A Master, is a journeyman who has successfully completed a Master piece,
as judged by his or her peers.

As a journeyman cabinetmaker, I have yet to build a true Master piece in furniture or cabinetmaking, I don't work in the trade anymore.

You sir, are a Master.

Most of the folks here are. That's what makes this such a great site.

Daniel Curnutt aka Tage

[DonnyW]

Thanks for your thoughts guys and I appreciate them.

Truth is I’m just a normal guy labouring away at something he loves doing. I am self taught but I have studied and tried my hand at many forms of art and crafts… anything from the IPMS guys to see how they paint and weather their stuff to real painters and artists. From the railway guys to the R/C aircraft guys. All have a story to tell and I think I listen to them all.

Now Im watching you car guys .. and I quite fancy trying my hand at a chopper bike soon

Anyhoo.. back to this little Fokker .. here is how it stands with its touch of colour .. Im still pleased with it and think LT Werner Voss would be too.

I guess its wing struts and guns tomorrow .. oh and by the looks of the photo .. straightening the stabiliser’s elevator.. looks like I dinged it which proves I’m human.

Thanks again for looking

[DonnyW]

Master piece or not, I can only do my best and sometimes I have to compromise. You wouldn’t belive how many hours I spent trying to drill the Spandau gun cooling jackets. There was no way that I could get nearer scale. The real deal has twice as many holes.

As I drilled, the metal tube got less and less , and started buckling with the drill bit spinning all over the place searching to start the new hole. I tried twice and it looked a mess. I have settled for fewer holes and a neater job. Even then, it was a pain trying to get the drill bit started in the correct place. I filed little “flats” on the surface where the lines of holes were to go and even wrapped the tube in sellotape to try and keep the drill bit steady. The thing that eventually made it possible was having the drill bit turn just above stalling speed and using a hammer action to get it started. Phew..Im glad the job is done. I knew it would be awkward with just a dremel drill and stand

Although there are not as many holes in the jacket as a real one, I’m not too concerned. I’m discovering that neatness matters more at this scale than trying to emulate every nut and bolt. An artist doesn’t paint every blade of grass when they paint a field but just paints an impression of grass. That’s what I have done with the guns. Given an impression of the Spandau guns. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Here is the progress shot

[Don Garrett]

Works for me.....

[JohnReid]

Hi Donny! That is one of the reasons why storyboard dioramas appeal so much to me ,they allow for lots of artistic freedom.Personally I would soon lose interest in something that I had to reproduce exactly, in real life or in scale.It is just in the nature of the individual and nothing to apologize for. In fact once I realized this fact about myself it was very liberating.
Model on.Cheers! John.

[DonnyW]

Thanks Don and John

I love watching your dioramas take shape too John. Perhaps you will remember it was your thread on another forum that inspired my home made crew in the R/C Caproni CIII bomber which I made and flew a few years back.. It looked great in the air with its little figures telling their part of the story. I will try and post some pics of it soon

Yup..Im certainly not sorry about the Spandau’s. There are one or two little details that are not 100% accurate in the model, but as long as it’s instantly recognised as a Fokker DR1 then I’m happy. After all it is being made in my “style” which is influenced by my background, tools and skills. Everyone is different in their approach and that’s what makes modelling an art rather than a science. At least..thats what I think

Onwards and upwards goes the little Fokker. Perhaps there doesn’t appear to be too much progress this weekend but I did put in quite a few hours. The top spar and struts are almost ready to fix in place. Im hoping to meet my self imposed deadline for finishing the model by the end of this month.. So.. Back to ribs and things for a day or two…

Thanks again for looking and commenting.

[hot ford coupe]

I wouldn't worry too much about the holes. I have the same problem where the smallest drill available to me is still too big for some applications. If you had never said anything about the number of holes, I would never have known there was a difference.

[Don Garrett]

Jeff, spend some time wandering around www.modelexpo-online.com
I sent Mario some micro bits and blades recently that when bundled together looked like a piece of string........in other words, really small!

[Mario Lucchini]

That's right!!
Wonderful addition for us modelers and a must for the toolbox.....

Dimensions in the set in mm. :

0.30-0.35-0.40-0.45-0.50-0.55-0.60-0.65-0.70-0.75-0.80-0.85-0.90-0.95-1.00...........for a total of 15 drill bits...

Use with utmost care and good luck!

Mario

[DonnyW]

Thanks for the info on the drill bits guys.. wow … 0.3mm ..that is small

Stepping back a bit and looking at the whole picture..them oversize holes in the spandau's dont mean a thing now

The woodwork is complete. Yeah!!!! I counted 17 separate pieces of wood used to make one wing rib. There are around 60 wing ribs… that’s … thousands .. of pieces of wood to wing this little fokker.. wow … no wonder my eyes are going pear shaped

Only the brass ailerons, wheels and a few odds and ends to tidy up and it’s a done deal. Should easily complete it for Halloween

Thanks again for looking and your interest

[slingshot]

Just amazing!

[xken]

The model is looking great!!! These kind of builds are adventures in learning new skills and techniques. I prefer scratch building now because I can pick a topic research it, plan it and build it versus just writing a check for a kit and having to live with the shortcomings of it.

Model building is a journey of pleasure not just a destination. My problem is I will never live long enough to do 1/10th of the builds I would like to do.

Now onward and upward!

Ken

[DonnyW]

Thanks for commenting Slingshot and Ken, much appreciated

I agree with you entirely Ken, I also see modelling as a journey, of continual learning and experimenting with new methods and techniques. Choosing new subjects that will continue to push me to greater levels. This is what keeps the passion of modelling alive in me and my work. Im already researching Brass etching with ferric chloride plus, how to make a cheap homemade etch tank. Them little Fokker gun barrels wont beat me next time.

The ailerons are now finished. Only wheels and a little brass ornament around the wooden wing struts and she is complete. Here is the photo update.

I must admit… Im loving the touch of colour introduced by the cowl. You may also remember that back at the start of this thread.. I was a bit sorry I introduced aluminium for the wheel struts ? I also love this effect now I can see the full model. Before building the model ..I saw a picture in my head of the shapes of the legs and the wingstruts “leading” the viewers eye into the fuselage area which was also going to be made of aluminium framed with brass and wood. To me… that is what highlights the art part of the model and helps convey “my style” to you the viewer. Art is not only made of shapes but has colouring and texture too. Its worth considering how they blend together for the final piece.

Does any of that make sense ? Or am I just plane crazy ?