How I Build Dioramas in 1/16th.

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Trailing edge and aileron spars and the leading edge have been temporarily installed.The aileron spars where the leading edge of the ailerons are attached must be shaped into a U type curve.

I had forgotten just how time consuming the the building of the Albatros wings can be,much more so than either the Camel or the Nieuport or maybe it is because I have a short memory!

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Wood bending tool. I use an old hair curler for bending wood.It remains at a nice constant temperature and has just the right curve for most hobby work.

I dunk my wood into water and let it soak for awhile depending on the thickness.Then I press the wood up against the curler and slowly bend it to shape.If you are bending right near the end of the wood get an old piece of wood or the end of an eraser to replace your fingers.Take your time and re-soak the wood if necessary.Even thin wood has a grain and some of it does not run lengthwise but is cross grain in nature,so if it keeps breaking select another piece.If the wood splits turn it over and bend the other way.After a while you will become more familiar with the grain of the wood just by looking at it.Experiment and take your time! Have fun.

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Wood bending tool. I use an old hair curler for bending wood.

What a brilliant good idea if you dont mind John I am going to copy this to the tips page

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I've just gone through a process of bending strips of 1mm x 1mm wood and I used a tin can after soaking in hot water but the idea of using hair curlers is a brilliant one.

I'll give it a go, thanks for the idea!

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Glueing up the wing. The upper wing has been glued up using super thin super glue at all the joints and in between the bend laminated wood strips.The capillary action of the thin glue allows for all parts to be glued while pinned down to the building board.

Where the wing tips join the leading edge I made a 45 deg cut.

Let the glue cure for an hour or so and then the wing can be freed from the building board.Give it a quick check for any loose joints and apply more glue where necessary.Now it is on to the sanding.

Note: there is a pic on my photobucket site that shows the underside.The four rib from the front shows some deformation where the cap strip fits over the spar.I couldn't see this until after the wing was removed.It was probably caused by the rib installation somehow getting out of sequence when they were installed over the tapered spar.Normally I would replace it but this being a wreck I will make it a stress fracture.

There are many areas that could be improved in the fitting of the wood parts etc... I could without too much effort scratch the ailerons etc...but on a large project such as this I can't allow myself to get bogged down into too much detail that will never be seen upon installation.You have just got to draw the line somewhere and modeling for God is that line for me!This is not an excuse for poor modeling just reality if I ever hope to get anything finished.

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What a brilliant good idea if you dont mind John I am going to copy this to the tips page

No problem! Glad you like it.

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The sled. The wreckage rests upon this sled and was dragged by horses or a truck to the spot beside the hangar.The wreckage had been ordered off the field right away with no time to even cut the control wires and remove the tail.

It is now being stripped of any usable parts and the rest will be sent to the junk pile.

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