Douglas DC-4 / C-54 for Paper Trade: Berlin Airlift.

[Erik Zwaan]

Cor, just a question. Just viewed the pictures in more detail and was wondering if you will replace the panel lines on the horizontal stabilizer by rivets, similar to the tail end of the fuselage. I guess so as this seems to be a working copy, given the word "top" printed on the surface?

Regards,
Erik

[dutchbuilt]

Erik

Indeed this is a working copy. It was very difficult to trace back all panel lines correctly, let alone capture the fine detail of rivets (and small doors and vents which suddenly seems to be all over the place) but in the end one has to stop looking because it makes you crazy. The horizontal stabilizer shows distinct panel lines plus a fine array of rivets, which are really difficult to grasp on photos, so I follow a rule of thumb: Where panels meet, there must be a structure under it and in between there are regular spacings or intervals where girders and ribs are located. I had no official drawings, just a collection of photos and a line drawing with cut out sections, so I had some clue of the distances between formers and girders. After days and days of study I set down drawing these on the the segments of the model, looking for the best rythmic array and relative position. My goal is to capture the looks of a structure which usually hides the finer detail for the eye, i.e. in reality we often are not aware of all the rivets, lines, gaps, indentations, holes, vents etc. which appear on an airplane in close up but on a model they have to be represented in some way to be authentic. So I gave the panel lines a somewhat heavier stroke and the rivets, some small covers and lids a lighter stroke to enhance the difference in view from a certain distance. I printed it out and changed the stroke weight again, until I achieved the best appearance in my view. As of this moment I still have to correct some small spots where the looks can be improved. I know it is a bit 'over the top' sometimes but I went this road and have to ride it out to the very end.

[reklein]

Looks to me that you are doing a fine job. I'm afraid us consumers of models both paper and plastic, take for granted all the fine detail that goes into the dies for plastic and the graphics that go into paper models. Keep up the good work and we as consumers will be able to build a fleet of these fine airplanes.

[sgoti]

Originally Posted by dutchbuilt

My goal is to capture the looks of a structure which usually hides the finer detail for the eye, i.e. in reality we often are not aware of all the rivets, lines, gaps, indentations, holes, vents etc. which appear on an airplane in close up but on a model they have to be represented in some way to be authentic. So I gave the panel lines a somewhat heavier stroke and the rivets, some small covers and lids a lighter stroke to enhance the difference in view from a certain distance. I printed it out and changed the stroke weight again, until I achieved the best appearance in my view. As of this moment I still have to correct some small spots where the looks can be improved. I know it is a bit 'over the top' sometimes but I went this road and have to ride it out to the very end.

Just a suggestion, but instead of a solid stroke, what about a very slight gradient leading into and/or out of the panel line?

I had to recreate something like this for the background in a magazine ad many many years ago. I wasn't satisfied with how my panel lines were working, then realized the reason they were apparent was because of the play of light along some edges, and the way dirt/shadows were accenting others.

I also did this another time when I needed to create the effect of an unfolded map.Again, the trick was to have *just enough* slightly lighter leading to slighter darker/slightly darker leading to slightly lighter gradients along my edges to trick the eye into "seeing" an edge that really wasn't there.

Really enjoying the in-progress photos of this one!

Glenn

[scon10]

If you want to simulate rivets on a paper model, you could use a tiny gear wheel, such as the tiny wheels you can find in a clock, and roll it over the surface. The teeth will leave tiny indents, that look just like riverts. I build one myself from a cooking timer, see pic. I am sure I have pictures of models with simulated rivets made in this way, but I 'll have to search for them. On the internet, you can find ready made rivet simulation instruments, I got one, and they work just fine.
If you want the location of under skin structures, you can look for exploded views, such as the one in the second picture.

[dutchbuilt]

Dear modelers
Thank you for your replies, they will be considered. Here are some more pictures of the finished tail section, which costed me a lot of troubles getting it right. It's not a perfect finish, but I have no time to adhere to the finest craftsmanship of the hobby in this moment, the damned thing has to be finished! All parts on the sheets has to be put in order and the instruction sheets have to be drawn, so it may take a while before posting here again. Thank you for your support and enthusiasmic comments, I will surely will pay attention to it in the process of finishing this build.

greetings
Cor the designer

[Isaac]

Love those separate control surfaces.



Isaac

[Erik Zwaan]

That's a great job Cor, from our discussions during the Santa Fe F7A and Sleeper builds I clearly remember it is a trade-off between what you want to achieve and what can be achieved, given all kinds of limitations, often being the most notable one: Lack of proper drawings or pictures. Preparing the skin graphics is an art and by looking at the various comments given by others, there are many ways and experiences, and your DC-4 looks just fine.

Regards,
Erik

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

Originally Posted by sgoti

Just a suggestion, but instead of a solid stroke, what about a very slight gradient leading into and/or out of the panel line?

I had to recreate something like this for the background in a magazine ad many many years ago. I wasn't satisfied with how my panel lines were working, then realized the reason they were apparent was because of the play of light along some edges, and the way dirt/shadows were accenting others.

I also did this another time when I needed to create the effect of an unfolded map.Again, the trick was to have *just enough* slightly lighter leading to slighter darker/slightly darker leading to slightly lighter gradients along my edges to trick the eye into "seeing" an edge that really wasn't there.

Really enjoying the in-progress photos of this one!

Glenn

Isn't this just the sort of effect the really experienced builder can achieve by weathering? It sounds to me like an extremely painstaking, i.e. time consuming process for the designer. It would definitely push back publication by several months...

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

yesterday, for an evening's uncomplicated nostalgia, I watched the Tintin cartoon 'Rocket to the Moon'. Silly story line, but great running gags and great drawing. My attention was drawn by the DC4 whuich takes Tintin and Caprain Haddock to Syldavia. in the last frames, the brace is shown that balances the plane while loading and unloading. It can also be seen on some old b/w pictures. This thing is beginning to intrigue me. Is it built into the plane, or below the fuselage like an arresting hook on carrier planes?!
Scon recently had an exploded view of the tail, which however did not really show enough. Does anyone have more on this?