WWI Planes w/engines and Rib Wing Effect

[vbsargent]

So it's been awhile since I posted. Reading on another forum about how to create a rib wing effect inspired me to build a couple of WWI planes . . . . well that and watching Fly Boys again.

I like to build in 1/72 scale, so I downloaded Prudenziati's Nieuport 17 and Fokker Dr1 from here: Zioprudenzio - aerei di carta - paper airplanes I also took inspiration from Lief on another forum and wanted to do a more detailed engine that would actually spin, so I downloaded Robert Schulten's 9 cylinder Le Rhone and Oberusel Ur II models from here: -Engines WWI - Paperwarbirds

Here's the Le Rhone, reduced to 1/72nd scale- a little rougher than I would have liked, but most of it will be hidden behind the cowl.

The flattened fuselage.

The "assembled" fuselage showing from lower left in clockwise order: engine backing/firewall (scratch built), engine cowl, 9 cylinder Le Rhone engine, pilots seat, and propeller.

And a teaser showing the installed prop spinning!
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More to come later tonight!

 

[Zathros]

Looks like you have a bad bearing on that engine! In all seriousness, if you want to make an incredible, long spinning propeller, use a fire and melt it into a block of plastic glued inside the engine, or, if you are into R/C planes, the long push-pull rods make great shafts for spinning rotors. I used to make working gyro copters using those.

Look forward to the rib effect you are emulating.. Most people start from the inside and use very thin paper over the wing formers to get the ribbing effect.

The only slight visible ribbing on the Nieuport 17, and it isn't ribbing, it the seams on the wings. The rest of the plane is really smooth. The ribbing on the wings is very slight. There is an original Nieuport not too far from where I live. The picture below explains it best.

 

[treadhead1952]

Cool, I like the old WWI birds. While operating features are nice, doing them in the small scale is not as easy as it would seem. Looking forward to seeing what you do for the ribbing effect. I have done a number of them for my own on various aircraft in larger scales.