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Early Aviation
Discuss World War I and the early years of aviation thru 1934.
REVIEW
Eduard 1:48 LFG Roland C.II
JackFlash
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Colorado, United States
Joined: January 25, 2004
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Posted: Thursday, August 27, 2009 - 10:32 AM UTC

“. . .Aircraft of such impeccable design are a rarity. . .” is a quote from German aviation historian Peter M. Grosz concerning the LFG Roland C.II types. The nickname “Whale” did not do justice to the true shark-like appearance denoted in the super clean lines and consequently low drag coefficients of this 1916 design.

At the 2000 IPMS Nats in Dallas Texas. the owner of Eduard admitted to the minor fit problems to the lower wing and the six-cylinder engine. A minor concern for me was the interior walls had the direction of the diagonal veneer detail reversed. Only the most seriously affected with A.M.S. (Advanced Modeler’s Syndrome) will notice. In this build we will look at #8043 to discuss here.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
JackFlash
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Colorado, United States
Joined: January 25, 2004
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Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - 10:01 AM UTC
Ok folks we have some questions from a fellow coming out of a dry spell in modeling.

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1. the interior is a light gray shade inspite of Eduard calling out wood brown - a light dry brush of dark gray to bring out the stringers and lamination lines?



Reading the references provided willtell you that there were to methods of water proofing the interior.Just a quick point the half shells of the Roland fuselages were steam formed from strips of wood. The interiors were covered in a peservative coat against errant moisture that could weaken the wood and the glue. This is especially seen on the Roland C. II factory photos.

The wooden formers were also given a preservative coating for the same reasons. Since they were manufactured in a different shop of the factory, there were instances where the lt. blue/gray inner shells would be united over varnished wooden formers or vice versa. You could even have all varnished interiors or all lt. blue/gray . No hard evidence says different.[/


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2. bulkheads on the real planes were opened up as you show - is plastic's thickness ok or should the bulkhead be thinner?



Thinner is more in-scale but the pieces are plastic and care must be taken as it weakens the whole piece.


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3. Is there something wrong dimensionally somewhere in the cockpit? The pilot seat seems awfully high to reach the rudder pedals.



The cockpit inner walls are "too" thick and whenever building an injected model kit you need to take into account that this thickness pushes everything together. Vacuforms are more inscale and tend to give you more space.


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4. Do you have any pictures of the "boxes" you added in the gunner's area?



from the review article.



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5. Are your patterns of 3-tone camo accurate for the Roland, and where might I see references as to the colors for WWI German aeroplanes and what commercial paints might be close?



Yes, they are as accurate as I can research.
Profile #163 Profile Publications Ltd.by Mr. Pete Grosz.
Datafile 49 Windsock Publications Ltd.by Mr. Ray Rimell
Roland’s Mighty Whale Aviation News Vol.14, #2 by Colin Owers.
The Benighted Rolands Air Enthusiast Quarterly #3, by Dan San Abbott with editing by Peter M. Grosz.


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6. And lastly, you mention openings in the bottom of the aircraft - where is this in the kit and what does it look like?



Datafile 49 Windsock Publications Ltd.by Mr. Ray Rimell


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I have started about 15-20 kits over the last 15 years, the last completed was in 1979, a Revell 1/72 Fokker DVII and companion Sopwith Camel (no rigging or I wouldn't have finished those!!!). Your assistance is appreciated in hopefully ending my drought!!! C.



No worries C. References are your key to a more accurate build. For me its the accurancy that helps in the enjoyment of the build. While I am not the best I strive to do something different in each build. You seem details oriented but don't let those details or the lack of funds for aftermarket resin updates, PE and references keep you from enjoying the build.

Model On!
cscudelari
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California, United States
Joined: July 20, 2009
KitMaker: 9 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - 03:21 PM UTC
Well I certainly appreciate the info and I hesitate to get more reference as the detailing always bogs me down... you certainly have enough in your build for me. One last question regarding color - is there some cross reference of WWI colors to the Federal Standard or a major paint manufacturer? I imagine with fading, almost anything might go, but its nice to start close. thx again.
thegirl
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Alberta, Canada
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Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - 04:26 PM UTC
Hi Chuck !

ipmsstockholms .org is the place to have a look . There is a list of all colours crossed ref's on brands and mixing ratio's .

Also misterkit .com has WWI colours which are one of the best out there . Mike even has a great seclection on other products as well .

cscudelari
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California, United States
Joined: July 20, 2009
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Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 02:55 PM UTC
Thanks Terri I'll have a look!!!!
cscudelari
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California, United States
Joined: July 20, 2009
KitMaker: 9 posts
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Posted: Friday, November 13, 2009 - 07:40 PM UTC
Stephen - I noticed your pilot's seat has gray outside and leather brown inside - is this the case as opposed to painting the whole thing leather brown? Thx.
JackFlash
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Colorado, United States
Joined: January 25, 2004
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Posted: Friday, November 13, 2009 - 08:12 PM UTC
In most cases I have found that German seats were only upholstered where the pilot or observer sat. The covering was sewn into the seat back through eyelets punched in the metal.
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