Working on Douglas M-2 1/33 scale GPM printed version by Fitter

[Leif Ohlsson]

I have been working a little bit on the printed version of Maciej Lewan's ("Fitter") Douglas M-2. The original is very attractive, both as an aircraft, and for its place in aviation history.



This photo shows a very attractive museum exhibition of how an M-2 is loaded up with mail in its two forward compartments (which could also carry passengers, at least in the one closest to the pilot), while the pilot is studying his map for the next stage of the flight.

Maciej Lewan has already pubished the military O-2H model, from which the civilian M-2 was developed, both with GPM and with E-cardmodels (three versions, check them out here). The M-2 is due for publication with E-cardmodels as well some time in June.

I had already done some preliminary work several years ago, with the intention of making something worthwhile of a free download from Navarin.ru. David from Spain managed to do a very good recolour of the same download not so long ago (see his build thread here).



Meanwhile, Fitter came out with a much superior version at GPM, which simply cried out for enlarging and doing some extra work. I work on a scan enlarged to 1/16 scale, which means I have to make completely new original part sheets. The reason to make a quick report of the work so far is to try to inspire people to get down to redrawing models they appreciate and want to go the extra mile with.

So far I've done two pages of cockpit parts. Here's the starting point:



Here, I have collected most of the parts supplied in the kit for the cockpit interior, rescaled parts having been rearranged in Photoshop on a new sheet. From this, I made separate Photoshop images of each single part (quite a lot of them…). These were imported into an Illustrator work sheet with two pages of A4. I redrew all contours to get them crisp and clear.

Then started the fun part, namely making new textures and gradients to replicate wood & metal parts. The finished result looks like this, two pages worth of it:



Here is the main cockpit part in the center, and then all the smaller details and doubling parts grouped around it. The part I enjoy most is creating the instruction texts and integrating them with the parts. Recently, I have also started learning how to make small squiggly arrows, which is great fun (unfortunately not quite visible at this resolution, sorry, but perfectly good in my original pdf print file).



Here's a really good photo found on the web of the M-2 cockpit. It is extremely useful for anyone wishing to make extra details, and excellent also as instructions. I am convinced that this photo was used by Maciej when making the cockpit parts. The result is good, and it was easy to add a few extra details.

Main improvements include a more complete throttle quadrant, better looking instruments, and a true-to-scale rudder bar (mounted on a center pivot). Plus of course prettier textures, in my view.

While on the subject, I am pretty sure that Maciej has been working from the Paul Matt drawing from the 1970s of the Douglas M-2. It really is a superior drawing, and Maciej's model follows it closely.

So far this is fun. I think I'll return to this job from time to time, although it will not be a continuous effort. I guess I'm publishing this in order to say that this is how I would like to see kits made - lot's of details integrated with text and photos, just as fun to read as to cut up.

But, of course, language will be a problem if you are not satisfied with English.

[Don Boose]

This is a splendid historical aircraft and I am delighted to discover that it is being Ohlssonized.

This is the time of year when the press of work keeps me away from the Forum and paper modelling, but I am about to finish getting my course grades in and Army Heritage Days is this weekend. I look forward next week to resuming Forum surfing, model building, and, most of all, watching you work on various aspects of this beautiful Golden Age airplane (I love your instructional texts integrated into the airtwork). I bought all the Fitter recolors of this aircraft and have the GPM kit, so may well be inspired to try a more simplistic version myself.

Don

[deckape]

Ahoy Lief
Looks li9ke it5s going to be a great build in your hands it will fly right off the building board. I be watching this for sure.

Boats

[Wilfried]

Hello Leif,

I have no idea but you work reminds me on Sysyphos; I think sometimes it's better to make a new construction than redrawing the stuff?!
Nevermind, you're results a very satisfying. I will be a follower of your progress ...

with lovely greetings
the Wilfried

[wag]

This is one I'll be watching. I picked up the O-2 from e-cardmodels and I'm anxious to see what you can do with this one.
Wayne

[ccoyle]

This ought to be good!

[Wad Cutter]

To me as just at the door step of this hobby I have to say this at least once. You guys make this hobby the land of the giants. I am trying to take everything in and go through as many post as I can cover what I think is the top forums and yet a month later my Pier Cub looks more and more like a pile of shit. Leif you continue to blow me away. It's one thing to build a clean model but you want to add to the challenge and change her size. HS(Holly Smoke) And I thought that thing you did on laminating propellers was off the scale. Wow, just wow!!!

[eatcrow2]

Looking forward to following this beauty!!!

[birder]

Add me too love the mailplanes....(have been scratch building a simple one will show if holds promise)

[Leif Ohlsson]

Don - you are as quick to bite as always. Good luck at the Army Heritage Day, and I'll be sure to enjoy the photos afterwards. Boats, Wayne, Chris, Peter, Glen - good to see you again! Wad Cutter - nice meeting you. Wilfried - a few words?:

Yes, Wilfried - redrawing is a Sisyphos job in many respects. And I agree with you - If you are satisfied with the scale of models on offer, there is precious little reason to undertake this task nowadays (even if Mikhail Golovanov would not necessarily agree with this; see for example his original Zero thread).

The Douglas M-2 kit is a very good example:



The GPM printed kit includes parts printed in a silvery color (alibeit on ordinary paper), plus one sheet with copies of a few selected parts, originally in aluminium sheet metal, printed on very gloss paper with some technique unknown to me which renders an perfect alu finish (you thus get these parts in two versions). This quality simply cannot be beaten by downloaded and home-printed models - and even the designer himself, Maciej "Fitter" Lewan, says so in his own thread.

So, why bother? - I could say it is because I like to play around with these fine models in larger scale. Even so, though, if I just wanted to manufacture a model, I could print & build the scanned version. So I guess the real reason is that I like to fiddle around with these things. All my modeling life, it was the drawings that turned me on; poring over them, trying to understand how things were supposed to go together, planning ahead, fantasizing…

If you look at the screen in the background you will see what I mean. There is an incredibly good Paul Matt drawing scanned and enlarged, overlayed with scanned parts from the GPM kit, and some extra small items like an electric motor and a 9V battery placed on top. Why not enjoy all this when I have finally arrived at a time and place and technology which allows me do it? For me, this is as close to designing as I am likely to get.

As you are prone to say, Wilfried - with my loveliest greetings…

Leif