Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

[Profa]

You have already seen my inbox preview of this kit (http://www.letletlet-warplanes.com/2009/12/30/albatros-from-eduard/)

Have planned to start this kit later in January, but since I'm already building something with a similar cammo scheme, I decided to start this one as well...
Unusually, I've started from the wings, since I was already using dark green. The sad story about wings painting continues in next post...

I sprayed the interior with primer - Gunze Sangyo Mr. Base White 1000 spray. The same evening I've put first layer of CDL (Humbrol 148), as the base for simulation of wood grain on the cockpit walls, seat etc:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

On with CDL, next evening... Now the cockpit interior was ready for oil paint I was to use to simulate wood texture. Was impatient to wait until it's completely dry, so one hour later I did the wooden texture, and the day after I painted details:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

It took me 30 minutes to complete the engine and its podest. First I cleaned flash, then went on with Model Master Stainless Steel metalizer and waited some 10 minutes for it to cure. After that I used pigments (soot) to stain cylinders and Vallejo copper color to do lines. 5 minutes later everything was assemblied and some black oil wash was used to accent details.

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Off to the seat – although I thought to build everything straight from the box, couldn't stop myself from adding some missing details – seat cushion is made of BlueTac and seat belts from Tamiya tape, painted with mix of Vallejo off-white and flesh colour. Now the interior is complete and glued to the right fuselage half:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

The fuselage halves are glued together using Tamiya extra thin cement, fixed with pieces of Tamiya tape and put aside to dry. After I took the tape off, it seemed this is going to be no-putty-needed assembly:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Really, after the joints were wet sanded (with 1500 grit), no putty was neded:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

While waiting for the fuselage to dry, I painted empennage Vallejo intermediate green, which seemed to me nearest to Jasta 5 colour of what I have in stash:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

I knew from experience that I might meet problems joining wings to fuselage, and I was right. This is how it looks like originally:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

During the filing and sanding of the fuselage to correct this problem, cockpit assembly went free and started playing inside the fuselage:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

OK, I have fixed everything and covered fuselage, struts and undercarriage with white primer, and some time later on went the first layer of light grey (Humbrol 28):

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

[Profa]

Painting of wings was, as I mentioned earlier, complete different story, all because of that #$%@ aforementioned Mr. Base White. This goes fine with lighter colours, while it is a disaster for darker ones (when you paint using paintbrush). Here is recapitulation of wings painting, with all the steps shown.
First I used my file and knife to cut a little bit of flash, which is usual for this kit, on both leading and trailing edges. That was followed by a primer (horrible mistake, as I noticed later). Next I created masks using Tamiya tape – I placed tape onto the wing, drew a line with a marker, took down tape and cut it with knife on my working mat, and have put apropriate part back on wing. Right away I went with first coat of dark green (Humbrol 30):

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Another four layers of dark green, and primer still shows through...

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Therefore wings have recieved a »brend new start« treatment – cleaned them using Mr. Muscle, taped mask back on and painted (again) first layer of dark green. Also mask on the upper wing was corrected - earlier I have followed original black and white instructions, where one can't clearly see colour demarcation on the right side. Then I thought better and checked colour drawing in Eduard's dual combo kit (No. 7021). This I remembered to do only after third layer of green was on , so now I took the opportunity and did the correction:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

The work continues...

[samuraj77]

Great start mate...

[No.1]

This look so good

[Profa]

3 layers of light grey later:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Also wings have recieved 3 layers of dark green...

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

For my paintbrush work, this is far from a weekend assembly (1 layer per day, depending on a free and drying time)
Well, the work continues... 

[Letipapa]

Mmmmmm! Profa this looks awesome!
That white primer on the fuselage is doing fantastic job - all gets some full, hard quality; looks like it has more weight. It will be one more precious  model stone from You. :-OK

[Profa]

Dark green is finished – total 5 layers of paint... Afterwards I went with Vallejo Purple – 2 layers, painted 5 minutes apart:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

I’ve left everything to dry overnight, and painted final layer of purple:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Borders between colours are visible, but that’s nothing that couldn’t be corrected:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Again I cleaned fuselage down to primer, because Humbrol 28 is definitely too light – I’ll use Humbrol 129. The paint went down with Q-tip and enamel thinner, fairly easy. I used some Humbrol 64 to try to make preshading – we’ll see how it’ll look like after light grey. I wonder if it’ll show through as I want it to.

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Now, for the most interesting part of todays’ work. When I was a lot younger, I thought that I might protect paints from drying in can by simply sealing them with candle-wax. Humbrol 47 stood that way more than 12 years, and today I cleaned wax and opened can... It required good ammount of mixing, stirring and shaking – using every possible way to throughly agitate it. I succeeded, and here it is, in all its glory and shine:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

It moves, it moves... 

[Letipapa]

This is incredible! I can feel that colors materiality. I especially like the fact that there is more layers - it gives a life to a model. Through the outer color to the essential core, I would say. A real magic man, real magic! Once more    

This is something that is not possible with air brush, without additional treatment of some kind.

Profa you will always stay the Lama of the Lamas of modeling world, Charles Bronson of the brush painting and Conan of 1/72 scale.

Let the force be with you! Haug, I spoke!

[No.1]

Outstanding as usual

[Profa]

It's not that I'm not working, just it took some time to get my hands on proper shade of light grey (Humbrol 129).
Here everything is prepared for assembly, after 3 coats of grey:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

I have already mentioned bad wings-to-fuselage joint... After some more filling and sanding there's no gap, but the wing doesn't sit so well...

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

[No.1]

Inspiring work

[Letipapa]

Huh! , at first glance I thought there are two airplanes Profa, the magician; David Coperfield of modeling and Agamemnon of brush work!

[Profa]

Decals are on the way...
Upper wing was coated with Mr. Gunze Sangyo Super Clear Gloss, while lower was painted satin and needed no gloss coat. Decals went on without a problem:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Front part of fuselage and spinner are painted flat red:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Now the complete fuselage was coated gloss, in order to prepare for some interesting work...
Red border on the tail and rudder is provided as decals, with quite wide supporting film, which is really helpful. Albeit, some care should be taken when transfering decal from the paper:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Exactly 30 minutes later, after lots of sweating, swearing, cursing and other, generally tongue-lashing language, using lots of water, Q-tips and all available materials and tools:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Wrinkles could still be seen, and I’ve used a decal solvent solution to try and straighten this. We’ll see the result tomorrow...
Then I'll go for upper border, and maybe do something more...

[No.1]

Very precise work mate!!!

[Profa]

Yesterday, half an hour later, I was impatient  and have put also rudder and upper tail border. This picture is before setting:

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Today the dragon (a four-piece-affair!) went on, without major problems. It really catches the eye!

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

Eduard 1/72 Albatros D.V Weekend Edition

I have put some decal solvent solution, to make decals catch all the panel lines.
This is going to stay like this for next week, until I come back from a business trip, and then we’ll move on... Until then,