i am REALLY loving this thread.
maybe i missed it, but what do you mean by “issues”. are you getting the parts in the mail? how much did the kit cost?
also, is it a pretty easy build, or are you just making it look that way?
This “project” is a weekly build. You get 4 parts a month (1 a week) and each part consists of a magazine containing the build instructions and articles on the development of the stuka, plus others on aircraft, people etc. Also you get the parts for that week and it costs 7.95 Euro per issue.
This build is a 140 week build and as it is not available in the UK I am having a friend get the issues in Germany for me and shipping them. If this “partwork” as we call them here does become available here then I will of course get another as I want one fully skinned and painted and one just framework.
Is this build easy? Yes and no. You are dealing with a mostly metal build. which means that the standard plastic skill set is the basic thing you need you are also working at a much bigger scale and in metal (mostly brass) this means that you have to be accurate with your work and spend much more time dry fitting and dranslating the instructions (google translate is my friend!).
These builds take time and money and produce fantastic and limited production run kits. Eventually you will be able to buy the thing complete in a box from Amati - but not for at least 10 years and will cost a small fortune.
Doing it this way at a weekly/monthly rate you don’t feel the bank balance shrink violently and SWMBO doesn’t go totally screwy at the cost start [bnghead] making you [:D[.
My first weekly build was the Titanic in 1/200. Just look at Amati’s site. Now available all in one box ( and it takes 2 people to carry the box) turned out to be a stunning and accurate build.
During these builds you will learn new skills, sharpen up on old ones and manipulate existing skills to do something different. You also learn lots about what you are building and just how it goes together.
THere is another aircraft frame/skin build available in Italy and that is a 1/16 Japanese Zero. The publishing company is aggreeable to send it to me in the UK (not available here as yet) for 10.99 Euro +25% postage per issue. and this one is 100 issues.
It spreads the cost and gives me something to do / look forwards to and provides a challenge.
Recent partwork builds include Titanic, Fokker Triplane DR1, Bismarck, Flying scotsman…
Current ones include HMS Hood, JU87 G stuka, Mitsubishi Zero, Formula 1 Mclaren MP40, Aston Martin DB5 (James Bond edition from Goldfinger) HMS Victory…
If you live in the Eurozone, south africa, Australia and New Zealand then most of these are available somewhere.
On average I spend 6 hours + an issue. With the Stuka I have to translate the instructions, spend lots of time dry fitting parts and checking before I think about adding glue. This one can also be soldered together, but that is not in my skill set!!!
I have a spare Issue 1 of HMS Hood if you want to have a look at the format.
James
It does sound like a lot of $, and it is - but is it worth €8 a week in entertainment value? Sounds like it. Looking forward to next week!
next month i finish to pay my car [whstl] put down some picture of hood spares just to compare with the yamato kit
Very Impressive.
Building a Stuka the old fashioned way.
Will the kit fuselage final assembly entail joining top and bottom halves as done on the actual aircraft?
As far as I am aware the fuselage aft of the cockpit is in upper and lower halves. I won’t know until I get the issues that deal with this part of the airframe.
What I would like is a hydraulical, electrical and control wiring diagrams as I am toying with the idea of adding those to the build, if they aren’t included.
At this moment in time I have no idea on what is coming after issue 8 as that is all I have in my build box.
I think it is good value for money as not only is this entertainment it is learning too. It’s a big step outside plastic kits where you stick two fuselage sides together. With this kit you put together the entire airframe and then add the skin (if you want to) so you are building the real thing, in metal but in a smaller scale. 8 Euro an issue for these parts, a magazine and the experience you get and a new skill set in my opinion is worth it.
Also they are limited edition and unique models you end up with and are unlikley to see them in a full kit - then they are worth the time and money as a talking point.
There has been a discussion on another forum on if it is possible to make this model fly. My feeling is that this is a large scale reproduction of a proven airframe so with the correct RC stuff added and an engine big enough then in theory it should be able to fly!
but there again Theory and practice are two different things!
Next up once I have translated all the instructions and studied the construction photos is the bomb sight.
James
It seems nice enough to make color scans of the parts, and use them as patterns to build an 80% scale flying replica. That would be cool. I’m enjoying this as well.
If that is the case, how about a full size flying replica. Hmmm… pity I have started…
This would mean making each part 16 times bigger, finding an engine… somewhere to build it…
Anyone got some blueprints???
DADDDDDD!!!
LOL
Somebody who donated an engine to this museum
_**http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/KnappCol.htm**_
may have made an engine for that size aircraft…
Here we go with another update. It is taking so long because
A) The parts have to come from Germany
B) I have to translate the instructions using Google into pidgeon English
C) Translate Pidgeon English into Proper (Queen’s) English
D) build the thing and get it right first time!!!
Also you have to factor in visits to A&E when the cutting or grinding wheel hits my fingers and I end up with bandaged fingers (think the man from the Pink Panther films that kept on getting his hands stuck in things)
Issue 6 - The pilots Bombsight
The parts
The Build
This issue is a bit more complex and you have to work carefully and as accurate as possible or it “don’t fit right” where it will end up. in otherwords itis a slanting box that has to end up square! The first three parts make up most of the build and have to go together correctly which means that you have to bend the middle part in more than one direction to match the sides of the other two parts. The locating pins etc do help but care has to be taken.
Once all the dry fitting is complete and everything looks good… out with the superglue and the bonding process starts… carefully as usual.
A little box to house the control lever is bent into shape and put in its place. A little tyding up is in order to remove some superglue which strayed slightly. nothing which a sharp knife can’t handle. you can also see the last part of the box bent to shape and ready to go on.
There… the bombsight box is complete and it is time to start adding the details!
Slap it on! I have not been able to find the correct colour that the interior of the bombsight was painted. The photos I have seen of museum exhibits show it as a very light colour… but flash has been used to take the photo which also changes the colour that the camera sees to a certain extent. It does look white, but I am not sure and as white is a right ****** ** ******* ********* to get a proper even coat I have opted for a very pale non-reflective grey.
While that is drying a primer coat of RLM 66 is put on the outside and then left to dry
I did a dry fit at this stage just to make sure that the thing was square and fitted where is supposed to go
The control lever is next to do before we can finish the bombsight. First of all there is a 7 degree bend, 39mm down the hollow copper pipe to do.
Then there are some small brass parts to add to the top of the control lever to make the handle and knob. The Ruler is for your size reference. Even at 1/16 there are some small bits to put together!
Once again a fry fit of the last parts including a clear acetate sheet and the outside frame for the sheet. This is so I can work out where to put the glue!
Finished! The bombsight is complete and painted up and then placed in it’s position - but not fixed as yet.
Issue 6 complete. Comments & questions once again welcome
James
I’m back with issue 7
Here we go
The parts
This is the frame for the rudder bar and pedals. It is unclear at this stage if there are control cables or not. With this issue you have to put lots of small parts together.
The Build
Starting off with the parts for the basic frame. There is some bending to do.
Once all the bending and checking is done the parts look like this.
Cross members applied to the frame board
and then add the bar support
Idealy here I would slap on (er… paint) some RLM 66. But there are still some parts to go on here and they are in Issue 8. Next up are some small parts that once all together form a part that sits in the middle of the frame. The brass pole goes through it.
Part complete
part complete!
Issue 7 finished. Just needs issue 8 and then painting!
Issue 8 coming shortly
Comments, questions etc welcome
Wow great work on that PE…man I love/hate that stuff
That’s some seriously-impressive work, my friend. I eagerly await your ongoing updates.
Greg
What an awesome thread, and thanks a ton to the OP for going through the trouble of photographing your build and letting us in on it.
If they would translate and sell this piecework kit in the US, I’d pay the likely $15 per issue equivalent price in a heartbeat. I’m sure I’m not alone there. Though they’d get even better sales if they did something a bit more popular, such as a 109/190, or any American or British fighter.
Thanks NervousEnergy.
I am posting my build like this because these partworks are more one-offs than regular kits and they are not available in the US. In fact I know of only one that has gone out as a full kit in a box and that is Amatis 1/200 Titanic.
It is a cracker of a kit. The original partwork had most of the detail work in printed colour card, but this has been replaced by proper etched brass detail parts and really make it stand out. It is a wood model kit with brass details etc. Well worth the money and build time if you are a modeler that tackles a range of subjects.
I thought I would show you guys how one of these partworks goes together. They are long term projects rather than a weekend or couple of weeks/months that a plastic kit normally takes but at the end you have a unique model to show.
It is a shame that the companies that publish these have not considered the American market. I am sure that they have their reasons and it could be the distribution factor that is part of it. I am sure that those following this would love to have a go at something like this.
Of course subject does have much to do with sales. Famous things sell better goes without saying as does content. I am sure that a 1/16 full frame P-51 would sell more than the Stuka, but then unusual subjects often have good sales too.
Consider this, this stuka JU87 G comes with a magazine that has the build instructions, articles on the development of the aircraft, famous aces, aircraft and other things. for me this is a leap of faith as most, if not all the aircraft is metal. Brass for the airframe, aluminium sheets for the skin There has been some wood turn up in this months delivery! I have no idea what the engine is made out of as that is some months away. It is all complete in 140 weeks. Work that into your calendar - Just under 3 years. It is not a build as much as a project.
Getting something like this is an undertaking. I personally like doing these because they challenge me, and I can learn a new skill - this build is brass and superglue!
If you really want to have a go search ebay.de in Germany for Hachette Stuka or Hachette JU87 or just Hachette. You will have to pay for shipping etc and you might not find all the numbers available.
This stuka is only available at the moment in Italy, German and Austria. I have a contact in Germany who is getting me the Stuka parts and shipping them to me on a monthly basis. In Germany they are about 75% through the build so I am getting 8 parts a month to catch up.
I am also arranging for another aircraft to come from Italy. This is the same kind of thing, full framework etc but is a 1/16 Japanese Zero. This is costing me more than the stuka and I will log the build on here the same as the Stuka.
Partworks are big sellers in Europe. Recent and current publications are
- Avro Lancaster - 1/32 scale with wooden framework, metal skin, engines and fully equipped interior.
- Bismarck - Wood, plastic and metal ship in 1/200 scale. (Hachette/Amati)
- HMS Hood - Same as Bismarck
- Tiger I - the famous Tank with full interior (sort of) 1/16 scale
- Flying Scotsman
- Aston Martin DB5 - the 007 motor with lots of features either 1/6 or 1/8 scale - I forget!
- McLaren Formula 1 MP23 in 1/8 scale
- HMS Victory
- Mitsubishi Zero 1/16 ful metal frame and skin
- JU87 Stuka 1/16 Full metal frame and Skin
The list goes on.
Now my stuka build has the added interest of learning a foreign language as will the Zero as the Stuka instructions are in German and the Zero will be in Italian. Therefore my build process goes like this
- Look at the build pictures
- Use Google translate to translate written instructions into pigeon English
- Rewrite Pigeon English into useable instructions
- Build part.
fancy having a go - you can sometimes find complete sets on Ebay Germany (ebay.de) or rustle enough up through different vendors to complete a set.
James
Issue 8
Hot on the heels of Issue 7 comes the Rudder pedals!
The Parts
The Build.
Lots of photos on this one because there’s lots of parts! It maybe possible to mod this area later in the build to include wire to make the rudder move the pedals or the otherway round. or just maybe to put the wire in to add more detail. We shall see! If I have translated it correctly everything that goes on the rudder bar should move there is no glue involved.
So we start with the bar mounts Eight pieces that double up to make four mounts
To make sure that the mounts are in the holes properly I pushed through the bar and then set each mount vertically and let it dry. If I had looked ahead - I already had the part - I could have made the mounts more secure before adding the mout block to the base. My own fault!
Some more parts. I think that the rudder Control wires may attach to these… not sure though. Anyway, Four parts go together to make 2 parts.
Spacer Washers. Once again. 4 parts go into two parts!
Now we come to the rudder foot pedal control mounts. out of these parts comes the mounts.
Finished - ready for bending into shape
Here we are. Rudder footpedal mounts bent to shape along with the previous assemblies ready to go together.
Rudder pedal assembly nearly complete - there are still some parts to go on!
end mounts for the bar. Not sure what they are for yet, but they have to be bent.
Shown in place with correct bend.
now for the footpedals. There is a left and right.
Bent to shape.
Issue build finished. All parts in place. Just needs painting RLM 66
Snapxxx, this project is just mind-blowing. You mentioned that soldering is out of your skillset- with this much brass involved it might behoove you to learn that skill as I’d hate to read 1 year down the line that the cockpit CA has started to come undone…
Hi there Dre. Nice to see you about the forum
All the framework and everything else so far has been locating pin through hole as well as Superglue. the pins go through and I grind them off flush. the grinding process also widens the pin as it flattens it and so fills the locating hole and locking the parts together as well.
I am spending alot of money (40 Euro for 8 issues) and the partwork is 140 issues long ( 700 Euro for the lot.) That is alot of money for me to start learning how to solder on this model and melt parts!
I’ll stick with what works at the moment. [:^)] LOL
I hope everyone is enjoying my build. I will answer any questions you have and comments are always welcome
James
Snapdragon: Pardon me for saying so; but sir, this may be the most impressive build I’ve ever seen.
What are your plans for the completed work? I think many of us have fancied our kits in proper displays at museums etc, but this is serious work.
I have not decided on how to display this as yet. There is a long way to go, also there are quite a few display options.
With this being a full frame and skin build I can go for broke and cover the entire aircraft, do a half frame half skin or just leave some of the skin panels off to show the frame and any parts underneath.
Eventually it will go into a case that will be custom built for it (a 1/16 JU87 Panzerjager is very large!).
I am also preparing to start a Mitsubishi Zero in the same style, but that will be November sometime before the parts start arriving. Once again the display options exist as above and a custom built case will be needed.
At the moment though I am just concentrating on building it.
James