Siemens Schuckert D.III (Eduard 1/48)

[modellius]

looks great, a bit of suggestion if I may : the wood is better when it's made panel by panel - surface by surface one at the time, by this you'r avoiding the continues wooden pattern, you get a more natural look

[draken35]

You're right...

[draken35]

OK, the engine now. The one in the kit is simply... poor.
The one in brasin is gorgeous. But not easy to build at all, as I will show you in the next step (not the present one).

I have decided to build BOTH engine so I can show the difference.

First, I've paintbrushed Vallejo Oily Steel with a drop of Glossy Black. Then I've made a wash with Citadel Colors Brown ink on the cylinders.

Photo of the finished engines will follow in the next few days...

[No.1]

Both engine build+lozenge article... this will be great article in the 2015!!!

[draken35]

[draken35]

Both engines are finished.

Left: the brasin one; right: the one of the plastic kit.
2nd and 3rd photo: kit engine
4th and 5th photo: brasin engine.

As you can see, the brasin engine is very fine and looks from far (from a "different galaxy" as it seems to me!) better than the one of the kit.
I must honestly say that I find the kit engine poor and too basic. If you wish to realise a very fine Schuckert, you must buy the brasin one.
On the other hand, the brasin one is not easy to assemble. There are many PE parts to add and the resin is somewhat fragile for the little parts. I have broken some and fortunately repaired with a good cyano glue. I can recommend the brasin to the experienced modelers, but not to the beginners...

[draken35]

...Another big problem with the kit is, as I said early, the lozenges: there are not correct.
I own some photos of the good colors (thanks to the brussels Air Museum) but have not found them actually 

Eons ago on a WWI forum, Doug Baumann offered for free drawings of lozenges that are from far better than Eduard ones. So I printed those lozenges on clear decal sheets. Eduard decals will often be useful to serve as gabarits...

First steps: under the Eduard lozenges are the ones Doug realised. Than I use Eduard decals to cut my own decals at the good shape. I've begun with the ailerons; photo depicts the lower lozenges that are placed with the use of MicroSol...

[Second Air Force]

Excellent results on the engine project. The Brassin engine is definitely the best way here!!

The lozenge colors are so different!

Incidentally, not really part of our conversation here, but I was watching an episode of Rat Patrol, a U.S. television series from my childhood and the Germans had pyramidal tents that were made of lozenge pattern material.....very similar to this!

[draken35]

here we go woth the lozenges... As you said, Scott, there is a big difference between the one I use and those of Eduard... It was very time consuming because I had to place lozenge in band and then to cut the surplus with a razor blade (and still have ten fingers...)

...And work is not finished yet! I have to make lot of minor corrections (my lozenge are frangile) and, for the ribs, I have to print lozenge bands on white decal sheet: the ones I have printed on clear decal sheet are translucid and that gives bad result placed to the "base" lozenges"...

I have also worked a little bit on the propeller (oil paint: burnt sienna) and airbrushed the brassin machineguns with gun metal.

[Second Air Force]

Delicate work, and all fingers still attached!!

[No.1]

You really made it great!!!!

[draken35]

Thank you! Lot of work still waiting...

[draken35]

The application of lozenges is a long work to do... Actual progress is shown here.
To be noted that the ribs surrounded the wings/ailerons; so there were of the same colors and not "upper lozenge" on upper surfaces, and "lower lozenges" on lower surfaces... That's why I made "upper lozenges" ribs on the lower surfaces!

[No.1]

Complicated... and great

[draken35]

Thank you!