This is the DML/Dragon 1/48 Fokker D.VIII.
My model club had a two-month build challenge; anyone who signed up for it had to build something within that time period or suffer the consequences... said consequences were that, if one failed to finish a model within the time limit, they would have to get up in front of the club with a finger & thumb 'L' held up to their forehead and utter the phrase, "I'm a modeling loser"... fun stuff!
'Plan A' was to build a Mirage 1/48 PZL.11. After a certain amount of time I did some math and came to the conclusion that 'Plan A' wasn't gonna come off... so I went to 'Plan B'.
'Plan B' was a Hasegawa 1/48 P-40E... I procrastinated just long enough on a few aspects of that project to quickly scratch it off as well...
That was about a week before the meeting and, seeing as I had no 'Plan C', I was forced to call an audible and pulled this little gem outta the stash...
My memory told me that this was a fairly simple kit and therefore I determined that it would be a quick build. Actually, despite the fact that I got this puppy to the point seen here within five days, it was not a 'quick' build... so my memory failed me. If done properly, this build should have taken me at least six days... hehe...
Seriously, it was a bit more involved than I'd anticipated but I wound up completing it just in the nick of time. To tell the truth, at 11PM the night before the meeting only the wing and fuselage sub-assemblies were put together. Nothing else was attached and there was paint on the fuselage only.So I more or less assembled and painted the entire kit between 11PM on a Sunday and 4PM the following Monday.
Speaking of painting, there are no decals on this model... it's all paint. And I'm usually a weathering fool, but haven't done a thing to this one... I don't think I shall, either. I kinda like it the way it is.
I think this model is a bit crooked here and there, but I stopped worrying about such thingslong ago. So long as it ain't too cockeyed it's good enough for me.
Anyhoo, there are a few odds and ends that must be added yet, including the few bits of rigging found on the D.VIII. But other than that, this is pretty much a finished model... my first 'completed' build in somewhere around four years...
(Click each image for a larger version)
Fade to Black...
