LEGO land

 

Ahhh, now comes the part were modelers are turned into raging maniacs….putting the top wing on WWI plane.  It is easily the most dreaded step and scares off a lot of people from building one (along with the rigging).  

To make putting on the top wing easier and since I don’t have four arms, I use Legos to build a jig in order to hold the model in place.  It takes long time to get it set right, but it is a lot less hassle in the long run.  

I had several problems with the DVIII.  I attached the 4 outside struts and let them dry.  When I flipped the plane upside right, the top wing promptly broke off (this actually happened to me twice and the plane almost took an unscheduled flight across the room).  The problem is that Eduard molded the wing as a solid piece instead of 2 separate pieces which would weigh less.  In essence, the top wing is just too heavy.  So I got a new plan.

I first glued the two inside V-struts into place and then four outside struts.  This seemed to worked.  The V-struts also held the plane at the right height and helped in lining up the other struts.  I then glued the living snot out the struts and you can clearly see the super glue globs but so far the wing is staying in place (and the plane is safe for now).  Actually, there hasn’t been an “accident” since a Revell Fokker DVII took an unscheduled trip across the room almost 2 years ago.   

I am finishing up the rigging and other odds and ends.  Hopefully, my next post will be my last on the DVIII and it will be finished. 

As sidenote and some advice, if you have kids, I suggest that you buy two sets of Legos or you will forever have to fend them off from stealing your “modeling equipment”.