1/24th Fokker DVIII Scratch Build

[The Orange]

Bruce this is absolutely spectacular.

I must admit, I do agree with your reasons for using a readily available tool, however, I find there's a certain quality, something indescribable and almost mythical, when one cuts the pieces solely with blade in hand.




Then again, I may be a romantic.


Nonetheless, I do love laser cuts, and I do admire your ability to efficiently wield such a tool.

In regards to Jim's post about releasing this as a kit, imagine an entire kit that's laser cut (Just cut, not any fancy scoring/folding processes), I would buy that in a heartbeat!

[bclemens]

Jim,
I grew up in southern California and my father was active in the AFV and scale modeling community- he put on several scale model shows in the 60s and 70s. Your name rings a bell. Did we ever cross paths a long time ago?

Orange,
thanks for your comment. There certainly is a romance to turning a flat piece of paper into a work of art with nothing more than a knife and straight edge. And I am often astounded with what members of this forum do. Many are clearly masters of their tools and of their material.

However the ability to do efficient cutting and effortless duplication of parts does open up possibilities that hand cutting can't approach easily. How many of us will never build the armor model we are capable of just because we are put off by the endless tedious cutting of the treads?

That point is a perfect segue into the next part of this model- the cylinders of the Oberursel engine. Each individual cooling fin is represented. There is a total of 225 individual fins of various sizes and as many spacers between them. Each needs a fairly precise rectangular cut in the center of the part. Sure, they could be done by hand, but don't you want to do other things for the next month?



To relegate the talents of a skilled paper artisan to doing nothing but regurgitating duplicate parts for hours on end is something of a waste, no? Which is why the weak link of many a model is an exposed motor. It's not that we can't do it by hand...but you have to dial your own level of pain vs. authenticity.

[Rubenandres77]

This is looking really beautiful.
Is delightful to see all this.

[bclemens]

Hi, Ruben,
Thank you. I see in your signature that you are a fan of Dreideckers. I'm seriously thinking of following this DVIII with a DR1 because so much of the design is transferable.
Best,
Bruce

[birder]

So good to see this project of yours and hear from you again Bruce! This thing is absolutely awesome. I tried some time ago to build a Stearman mailplane using a similar although hand cut technique and think it is a terrific idea, with the laser cut the thin peices will have considerable more strength as thin strips of card are weakened a bit by handling neccesary to cut them normally.....very nice and thanks for showing us this work

[Bengt Fredén]

Hi there, Bruce!

This is a fantastic laser-cut Fokker D.VIII model you are producing. My favorite modeling subject! The detail and delicacy is mind-blowing.

Seeing the tailplane and rudder reminded me of the full-scale work of Achim Sven Engels & co at Fokker-Team-Schorndorf in Germany!

Do you recall that we had a discussion a couple of years back, relating to embossed scaled card and terracotta-colored roof tiling for an old German castle model I was working on? I did some initial test-work embossing by hand with a steel dowel, but I couldn't repeat the pattern perfectly enough. I am still interested, if you would be able to supply this, by the way.

Looking forward to seeing more of this spectacular build. As Gil was saying, this really calls for a some sort of semi-transparent 'doped' skin, so that one can see the fuselage detail in the light! Thanks for sharing the fine photos, Bruce!

All the best from Sweden,
Bengt

[cdavenport]

Please accept my compliments in the already established deluge! Your methods are laudable. Yours is a natural extension of the technological limits of our hobby.

I am especially impressed with your construction methodology; you have basically included a construction jig with the component part just like the aviation industry does. Tell me, are the jig parts designed and lasered with a break away feature?

Also, can you give us a bit more, a lot more, detail on the equipment you are using. Do you require a design interface between Corel draw and the cutter driver or does Corel export to a G code file the cutter driver can read?

For those of us bound to the 9th level of modeling hell, do you have plans to sell the kit?

Finally, in this scale Japan tissue is the covering of choice. I would suggest silk, but it is, after all, a paper model. LOL! There are several grades of tissue from which to choose. You can Google any number of online suppliers. I would suggest building a few test fuselage sections to determine which tissue gives the most realistic scale effect.

[bagpiper]

Originally Posted by bclemens

Pythian Castle...been inside once- fascinating place! Do you give the ghost tour?

Tim Piland does the Ghost tours. I take members of the public around the castle (3 times this year) and teach them how to be paranormal investigators for the night. It is a great location for sure and it is surprising how many people from Springfield don't even know it is there - it is well hidden for sure.

All the best

Jim

[bclemens]

One cylinder at a time.







Thanks to everyone for your comments and questions. I'll try to answer some of the questions that have come in over the next couple posts:

Leif wrote:
So you own a laser cutting tool. How come? Isn't that very expensive? Do you intend to go into business producing models like the one you are designing and showing? Would you like to receive requests from others producing laser-cut parts for their designs? If so, will you start a thread on tips and requirements for how to produce a suitable original for laser cutting? What would the cost for that be?

I have a wonderful wife who indulged my midlife "crisis" and let me get a very expensive "toy" when I promised her it would ultimately make us money. It has yet to do that

I have been selling small parts, primarily laser cut nuts and ship railing for a couple years. But I am now doing what I really wanted to do with this in the first place- create entire replicas with it. I will likely be able to provide those who want it with the complete cut sheets to duplicate the model. But I haven't yet thought through that part of it.

I've learned I really can't make custom one-off parts for individuals because the time and work involved in creating the correct art work makes it prohibitive to do single items. The art work to make the cuts correct is very specific and "picky".

More to follow...

[bclemens]

Hello, Bengt,
nice to hear from you. I appreciate your comments. Yes, it wasn't until I found Achim's information on the web that I decided I had enough detail to attempt this model. What a wonderful resource his postings are!

I am sorry I was never able to provide the embossed tiles you wanted. I did try some different ideas, including carving a linoleum block (as in printmaking) and using it to emboss the card stock in my rolling mill. It did not work and I never could get anything to come out consistent. At this point I must just admit to defeat on that project but I welcome your input to this build