DGA Caudron Luciole, 1/48 - Page 2

**30-06** · #11 11-18-2009, 03:40 PM

Major - I like the punch idea to get consistent webs on the trailing edge. As an old 1 to 1 dope & fabric guy, this was always the prettiest part of the wing when I restored and oldie. Another note - I opened a little applesauce container & the foil lid gave me an idea - rubbed it out with the back of a spoon - right guage - shapes & holds shape well. Thanks for the PM & Info.
Thanks,
Gregor
'06

**cdavenport** · #12 11-21-2009, 08:42 PM

I am cutting off the glue tabs and sealing all the seams from the inside. This makes the seams much tighter and less noticeable. I run a bead of super glue along the seam and carefully sand it away for later coloration and blending with oils.

The cowling was all aluminum judging from existing photos, though I am sure they were painted, too. But, mine will have an all aluminum cowling. The very front part appears to have been a casting. So, I am going to aluminize it and the remaining cowling section. The lollipop stick serves two purposes: 1. gives me something to hold onto. 2. I'll later drill a hole for the propeller.

I used the kit seat. To give it some "dimensionality", I scribed vertical lines, filled them with copper wire and glued the lot together to give the seat a "tuck and roll" look. Whether or not it looked like that, I'll never know and neither will anyone looking in the cockpit.

I made bulkheads to establish the cross-section of the model. I CA'ed monofilament wire to the backside.

I added rudimentary cockpit controls with copper wire and lollipop stick.

Next, I'll make the rudder pedals, throttle quadrant, and instrument panel.

**Thomas Meek** · #13 11-21-2009, 11:39 PM

Whooie! That's looking good.
That cowling looks really smooth, and I really, Really like the internal bracing wires.
This one's going to be Tops, I can see already.

**cdavenport** · #14 11-22-2009, 12:13 PM

Many online photos show the Luciole with an aluminum cowling. Whether or not this DGA model had one, I don't know; I don't care, either. The aluminum cowling looks cool.

There are several ways to do an aluminum finish and I have tried them all over the years. The two best, in order, are Alclad paints (absolutely superior) and real aluminum foil. Everything else is merely an approximation.

I didn't feel like firing up the airbrush so I foiled the cowling.

1. Build the cowling taking care to eliminate or minimize seams.
2. Add a rear bulkhead to establish shape. This is one are in which the DGA kit disappoints: no bulkheads. So, I just measured and made my own.
3. Superglue the whole thing. This makes the paper very rigid and easy to work.
4. Sand the superglue to remove the sheen and begin smoothing the seams.

Aluminized finishes require a dead smooth surface; any imperfection will show up like pimples on a baby's butt.

5. Prime with any rattle can primer. This will show all the imperfections in the surface.
6. Fill the imperfections with automotive body glazing putty (Bondo).
7. Sand smooth with 300 grit sandpaper.
8. Add the foil.

Foiling techniques need a video which I did not do. It's actually pretty simple if you take your time and follow a couple of rules.

1. Always foil from the highest to lowest contours. The nose of the cowling, in reality, appears to be a single casting. I applied a single section of foil to the very front and gradually burnished back with a burnishing tool (this is a teflon tipped pen used to apply Letraset lettering). There is one cut above the propellor boss to minimize creasing.

2. Burnish long to short. If you have a section that has a long side such as the cowling side panels, place the foil in the center running lengthwise along the long side. Burnish from side to side gradually laying the foil towards the short side.

3. USE THE SHARPEST BLADE YOU CAN. The best for cutting foil is a surgical blade made from ground and honed tool steel. I never use X-Acto type hobby blades. They are made from old battleships and have a nasty tendency to tear the foil.

The fasteners were simulated by using a suitably sized punch.

Final note: Being a nut for details, DGA represents the cooling air intake with a black printed section. No problem, perfectly acceptable. But, I wanted a hole. So, I cut one AFTER the cowling was superglued and assembled. I just lined the edges of the hole with card, superglued them in place and foiled them.

**Don Boose** · #15 11-22-2009, 03:59 PM

This is really superb craftsmanship, Major D.

Don

**cdavenport** · #16 11-23-2009, 09:27 AM

She's starting to go together.

For comparison, here is a photo of the scratchbuilt instrument panel to the left and the kit panel on the right. I have a supply of instrument decals in 1/72, 48 and 32 scale. I just made up a panel and punched some holes and glued the instruments to the back side. The glazing affect is done with gloss acrylic varnish

The second photo shows the general cockpit layout with everthing in place. Alongside the fuselage side you can see the throttle quadrants that I made from card.

Finally, I one wing and the horizontal stab. The DGA kit features a good fit with just a bit of trimming.