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Wingnut Wings Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 Float Plane


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Since all of my "involved" projects are on hold for one reason or another I started to get the urge to do a quick (at least by my standards) build.   I'm not a huge WW1 fan but once in a while something jumps out at me.  In this case I just realized that WNW had released a kit of the Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 float fighter / recon aircraft a few years back.   Never really paid any attention to it at the time but I now realized it's a pretty cool subject and best of all, it only requires 6 bits of rigging!   Works for me.   Since most of the popular WNW kits seem to be selling out, figured I'd jump on this one quickly  (Wingnut's Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 monoplane sold out within a year or so of it's release).  Placed the order with Sprue Brothers, the kit arrived a week later.   

 

 

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The kit is incredible.  Finely molded details (you can see through the engine louvers), a large set of decals, PE for some small bits and best of all, the typical WNW instruction manual.  The instructions in their kits are full color booklets that can double as a reference pictorial.  If anyone is on the fence about purchasing a Wingnut's kit, go for it!   You won't be sorry.   

 

If you want more details on this particular kit, go here:

 

http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/product?productid=3114

 

 

Anyway, that's it for right now.  More info to follow. 

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First off is to replicate the wood paneling.   Multiple ways to do this, I went with Wingnut's approach.  Shoot everything a neutral tan, then take a sponge and coat it with the appropriate color oil paint.  In this case since the wood had a very dark finish, I coated everything with burnt umber.  Let it sit for a few minutes, then using a fan-shapped brush, drag it lightly across the surface to replicate the wood grain.   You can even use a fine tip brush to replicate knots.   Let it dry for a day or two and you are good to go.  For lighter color wood, I usually then shoot a top coat of Tamiya clear yellow to replicate the varnish but in the case, it wasn't necessary. 

 

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Side framing with some detail paintwork started.  Much more to do....

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9 hours ago, Falconxlvi said:

Great start!  I will be watching with interest since I also took the plunge and bought a Wingnut Wings kit for the first time (USAS Camel).  

 

Thanks Hooker!   Falcon - You'll really enjoy your Camel.   Only advice I can give you is make sure all your parts fit perfectly.  Even a layer of paint can screw up the alignment; they are molded that precisely.  With regard to rigging, from all I've heard,  the experts say that once you get the hang of it, it's really no big deal.   That being said, I've always shied away from major rigging.  The W.12 is right up my alley.  My only other WNW build was the Fokker D.VII, which was another aircraft that only had a few bits of rigging.   I was real happy with the way that one turned out.  I wouldn't normally post pics of another model in a WiP thread but since it's my thread, here are a few pics of my Fokker :)  I had a few fit issues because I didn't follow the rule above.  Aside from the that, the hardest part was painting the darned propeller.   Took many attempts and I'm still not 100% happy.  Hopefully I learned enough to have better going with the W.12's prop. 

 

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Edited by 11bee
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8 hours ago, Hooker169 said:

You guys continue to amaze me with these builds, the detail is crazy! That camo pattern was all masked?

 

 

LOL.. you give me waay too much credit Hooker!   

 

The wing/fuselage camo are decals provided by WNW.   Towards the end of WW1, the Germans (being Germans) decided to come up with a state of the art camo system by printing multi-color "lozenges" on the fabric used to cover the aircraft.  Had a mix of darker colors for topsides, lighter colors on the bottoms.   They then proceeded to ruin the effect by continuing to paint their planes with bright squadron and individual pilot markings.  I just added the WNW decals (which went on quite easily) and then over-coated the top surface camo with a dilute brown, since many D.VII's seemed to have a brown lacquer field applied over the factory lozenge to tone it down. 

 

The W.12 has something similar covering just the upper surfaces.  This pattern was tailored for maritime operations.   Will be interesting to see how it comes out. 

 

 

Edited by 11bee
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Got the basic cockpit assembled.  Still have to add some small stuff, controls, wires and then do another round of touch-up work.   I really like these old cockpits.   Nice break from overall grey with some LCD screens and an ejection seat.    Did a bit of weathering to replicate some hob nail boot scuffs on the nice varnished floor.   Not a lot a of gear in the backseater's cockpit, under his folding table (to which I added stretch sprue cables) is a large handheld camera and a cloth storage locker.  Aside from that, just a couple of spare magazines for his MG.   One really nice feature is that WNW provided not one but a choice of two maps to affix to the table, if you are so inclined.  They also provided a fuel gauge decal and a data plate for the fuel tank the pilot is sitting on.  May not ever be seen but at least I'll know they are their.  Kudo's to WNW for thinking of all this!   

 

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In looking at this pics, I'll probably go back and add some weathering to the PE seatbelts.  They look a bit uniform. 

 

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Got the cockpit assembly 95% completed.  Just need to weather the seat belts, add a decal to the throttle housing and do a bit of touch up.  Also need to tuck in the end of the pilot's PE seatbelt.   Hopefully this will all fit in the fuselage halves.   As mentioned before, any sloppyness on the assembly will result in issues further down the build.   Got a few areas of sloppy paintwork but they won't be seen once the fuselage is buttoned up so I'm not worried about it. 

 

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Next mini-project - the Benz Bz III engine. 

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The kit's engine is nicely detailed, comprising around 20 parts.   Some of the engine won't be seen when the model is completed but since I plan on leaving off the starboard access cover (the port-side is molded in place).  I decided to add a bit of detail.   In one of their very few simplifications, WNW opted to mold the pushrods as solids parts connected to the cylinders.    I figured I can cut off the molded-on pushrods and replace with small diameter plastic rod.  Going to be a bit of work but I think it's worth it since those pushrods will be very visible through the open access cover.  

 

Here's the motor as I started.  Only have removed the first push-rod on the last cylinder.  More updates to follow....

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2 hours ago, Hooker169 said:

That cockpit looks great! Seems crazy that they literally sat on the fuel tank!

That was pretty much standard in nearly every WW1 single engined aircraft.    At least towards the end of war, the Germans started issuing parachutes.  If their plane caught fire, those crew had a chance of survival.   The Allies determined that giving parachutes to their aircrew would encourage the crews be overly quick to abandon government property and promote general cowardice.   If an allied plane caught fire, the crew had two options.  Burn or jump.  Pretty grim stuff.   

 

Anyway, I've got the Benz Bz iii mostly complete.   As noted above, I cut off all the molded on push rods and replaced with .025" plastic rod.  Took about half an hour and IMO, it really came out well.  Aside from that, so far, the engine is stock.  The way it's mounted, you won't see much of the accessories below the crank case but I painted them anyway.  The pilot had a large window in the bottom of the aircraft so I suppose there is a small chance that some of this might be visible (if the model is held upside down).    As indicative of the level of research WNW puts into their kits, they offer up not one but two decals of engine serial numbers and three different styles of manufacturers data plates.     Next step is to add more weathering / grime and to install spark plug leads which (at least on the starboard side) will be pretty visible.   Also will add the wires coming off the aft-mounted magnetos.     One note on the pics, the close ups tend to accentuate the rough paint job.   Keep in mind that from a distance, once the kit is buttoned up, I think everything will look pretty good.   Trust me on this  :)

 

Thanks for watching!

 

 

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Edited by 11bee
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Cockpit is done.  Wingnut provides decals for all the gauges and placards.   They also do a nice job of replicating all the plumbing behind the instrument panel.  Prior to applying the decals, I coated everything with a nice layer of future.  Also added the ammo can for the forward firing Spandau MG. 

 

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Thanks very much Crackerjazz!  

 

Got the engine nearly completed.   I added the wires coming off the starboard magneto and the spark plug leads on the same side.  Didn't bother with the port side details since they will be hidden once the fuselage is completed.   Laziness is one of my traits and if no one is going to see my hard work, it's not worth it.  I also skimped on the magneto wires since they will only be visible from above.  Anyway, the only other thing needed on the powerplant is some final weathering.   I'll add that before I button up the fuselage. 

 

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Edited by 11bee
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Got the fuselage buttoned up.  Advice to anyone building a Wingnuts kit - make sure you don't have any paint on the surfaces you are gluing.  The tolerances are that tight.   Even a lay of paint could throw off the alignment.   For me, this is always the moment of truth.   My Fokker VII was a bear to get together because I was a bit slopply with the interior.  This time things went a bit better.  Still had to tweak a few things but careful dryfitting and gluing seemed to do the trick. 

 

Prior to assembly, I shot the fuselage with the blue grey finish.  Sheet metal had a high gloss finish, the wood fuselage was matt.   I'll go back to hit the fuselage with some dullcoate later on.   I also painted the bottom of the fuselage a light grey.  The instructions note this as an optional color.  I went with it just to break things up a bit.   Once the fuselage was together, I added the radiator assembly, along with it's support brackets.   I really like they way this aircraft looks.  The Germans nicknamed it the Kamel (camel) and it definitely has a heavy duty, industrial look to it. 

 

Anyway, some pics.  Keep in mind that I'm not close to being done with the final painting, still have so seams to fill / sand.  Don't worry about the crappy weathering around the engine mounts.  Once I'm done, you won't be able to see most of it.   Just wanted to provide an illusion of a grubby engine compartment.  

 

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Last pic.  Just a close up of the cowling.  I'm in awe of the fine detail that WNW provides.  The cowling fasteners with their integral springs are works of art.  Sometimes I loose track of the great detail they provide because most WW1 aircraft are pretty basic.  That being said, if it needs to be replicated, they definitely get the job done. 

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Edited by 11bee
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  • 2 weeks later...

Taking a break from the fuselage to do some paintwork on the wings.   The upper wings are covered with lozenge decals but the lower wings were left in unfinished linen covering.   This was a very light tan-ish, semi-translucent fabric that was simply stretched over the framework and doped. The sections that are doped to the wooden frames typically stand out from the rest of the fabric.   It's hard to replicate on a model.   I've seen a few approaches that involve multiple layers of masking, etc.   I took the easy way out. Used a sharpie to outline all the frames.  After letting it dry, I shot a couple of coats of progressively lightend paint onto the wings.  It's pretty subtle and doesn't show up that well in these pics, taken in bright light but overall, I'm pretty happy with the effect.   I'll add staining, etc when I start final weathering at the end of the build.  I tried to replicate the grungy look of this fabric that is apparent in the few pics that show the undersides of the wings.  

 

After my sharpie work.   The key is to keep it random.  

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After painting.

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Still need to paint the aluminum access panels and various other metal fittings.   Overall, I'm content with the outcome.  Since the upper fabric was dark, you don't need to fully replicate the translucent aspect as much.  

Edited by 11bee
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Thanks very much guys!    Got a chance to finish the fuselage this weekend.   Added a coolant line from the radiator to rear of the engine (love those rubber / band clamp fittings they molded in) and installed the Spandau MG.   The MG itself is fantastic.   They provide a nicely detailed PE cooling jacket and even a strip of cloth cartridge holders (on the inside of the fuselage, never to be seen.  Aside from that, I also dry fitted the horizontal stab and upper wing in place.   She's gonna be a big plane when I'm done!   One thing I really like about WNW is the attention to detail on their subjects.   They painstakingly note the minute differences between all 5 of the subjects in this kit.   All small stuff ranging from different exhaust setups, telescopic sights on a couple of the gunner's MG, small fittings that only one aircraft had, etc.  These guys really give it 110%.   

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Haven't been inclined to post many updates lately but I've made some progress.   I added the lonzenge camo applied to the upper surfaces of the fuselage.   Since the W.12 had wooden fuselage and fabric covered wings, the Germans hand painted the camo on the wood fuselage and used pre-printed fabric on the wings and horizontal stabs.   As a result, the lozenge on the fuselage is a bit darker than the fabric on the wings.  WNW captured this look with their decals.  I then completed and installed the floats and added a few more bits to the fuselage.  On the real thing, these floats were made of wood and were constantly leaking.   Later in the life of the W.12, the Germans started to coat them with a thick, tar-like mastic.  This had to be continually re-applied to keep water out.  I painted my floats in an overall semi-gloss black.  Then went back and applied "touch-up" paint using gloss and flat black to add a bit of variety.  Add some rigging from stretched sprue and mounted the floats to the fuselage.  Like everything on these kits, you need to make sure there there is no paint or crud on the mounting surfaces.  As long as this is the case, the floats mount perfectly and provide impressive strength to support the rest of the model.   

 

Next step is a bit of weathering.   I really don't like the W.12 wearing a uniform coat of semi-gloss grey.   These were hardworking seaplanes and should show a fair amount of "grunge", especially around the engine compartment.  I considered using paint-based washes but to be honest, for me they don't look very natural.  I decided instead to go with pastels.  I first used them on a helo build a few years back.  I needed a method of replicating the heavy dust that Iraq deployed OH-58D's were coating in.

 

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The technique is beyond easy.  Just find an artists pastel that has the color you need, scrape it with a knife blade and apply the ground up pastels with a q-tip or paint brush.   Don't like the effect?  Wipe it off and start again.  You can easily modulate the application to suit your tastes and it provides a more subtle approach than paint.   Once done, overcoat with future or the sealer of your choice to protect the pastels from handling.   Easy-peazy!  

 

So anyway, I went pretty heavy around the nose, using a mix of brown and dark grey pastels.   Also added some staining on the aft-fuselage since WNW noted that this area often had a blotchy appearance.  Went pretty hard on the floats.  Painted on some wood that would be exposed due to rough handling, chipped up the metal fittings a bit and then added multiple pastel colors.   

 

All in all, I'm pretty content with the look.   Note that I still need to overcoat the aft fuselage with a flat to done down the shine.   Some pics:

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Edited by 11bee
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