Fokker Spin III, scale 1:48, scratch build

Finally some progress was made; I was able to test fit the engine. The exhaust stubs were added, as well as the inlet manifold and some cooling tubing. Now I just need to observe this install to see if I am enjoying the result and whether or not to add more details. While adding the inlet- and cooling manifolds, I encountered, again, my limitations in adding more intricate (read smaller and way more difficult to fabricate details).

Seen from the front RH side, with the exhaust stubs in view:
View attachment 449105

Seen from the front LH side, with the inlet- and cooling manifolds in view:
View attachment 449109

For comparison reasons similar pictures, but than from my first attempt of building an engine:
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Good morning Johan. Wow - for some reason your thread didn’t come to my reminders and suddenly there are 3 pages of activity. What Daniel said- you nailed it. Way to go. Cheers Grant
 
Wow, you’ve made a lot of progress on your little engine. It looks great.

Jan

That looks outstanding, Johan! I would be super happy with that outcome.

Good morning Johan. Wow - for some reason your thread didn’t come to my reminders and suddenly there are 3 pages of activity. What Daniel said- you nailed it. Way to go. Cheers Grant

Thanks for your positive feedback, it's highly appreciated!
It also should be said that quite some feedback, thanks to amongst others @Steef66 and @Peter Voogt , has been incorporated in engine #2, issue 3. Especially the rocker arms saw quite some changes from the issue 1 engine. Engine #1 was disregarded for being way too crude; a lot of refinement was needed.
I can't possible say it's perfect, but this is the best I can do with my current capabilities and toolset, mainly all handtools.
Still, figuring out how-to is very enjoyable... and I'm still pleased with the result so far.
 
I just saw this build log and the fantastic engine,
This looks excellent, Johan! I
Regards
Henk
Hey Henk, good to see you once again at SOS!
The engine is a little gem. Fokker used quite some engines on his Spins and while the 50hp Argus engine looks slightly less complicated to build, I opted for the 70hp Argus engine instead for my engine re-do. This also requires two radiators, one either side of the fuselage frame.
Below a, rather unsharp, picture of a dry fit of the radiators and engine. On the left the fuel tank, to be fitted in the fwd V-strut.

IMG_1915.jpeg
 
The last few days I have been working on the fuel tank, the axle suspension, the shock absorber and the radiotors.
The engine is now installed, as is the fuel tank. A fuel line runs from the fuel tank to the carburetor.
The bungee cords have been added to the axle and to the aft shock absorber and all is functional.
The radiators are painted and dry fitted again. Now some coolant lines must find their home.
After that it's seats and control column...
Below a few pictures of the current status. The silver model was gifted some 13 years back to commemorate the historic flight around St Bavo's steeple, then 100 years ago.

IMG_1919.jpeg

IMG_1918.jpeg

IMG_1917.jpeg

IMG_1916.jpeg
 
The last few days I have been working on the fuel tank, the axle suspension, the shock absorber and the radiotors.
The engine is now installed, as is the fuel tank. A fuel line runs from the fuel tank to the carburetor.
The bungee cords have been added to the axle and to the aft shock absorber and all is functional.
The radiators are painted and dry fitted again. Now some coolant lines must find their home.
After that it's seats and control column...
Below a few pictures of the current status. The silver model was gifted some 13 years back to commemorate the historic flight around St Bavo's steeple, then 100 years ago.

View attachment 450013

View attachment 450014

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View attachment 450016
Some very nice looking parts and attachments for the engine, Johan.
 
Work continues, still, on the fuselage.
I thought a couple of weeks back I could move on to the seats and control column and then quickly continue with the build of the tail. The wing build will be last.
Yet the drive train appears to be a nasty little bugger, the engine was build two and a half times plus the appendages I needed to add were time consuming little monsters.
Since Tuesday I have been working on correcting some errors and I started to add the Spider's web.
For this web I am using the serafil, I was given by @Peter Voogt; it's thin and presents a delicate appearance, which it really is, at least to my eyes. The main drawback being that it's very difficult to work with; I can't feel the thread, when manipulating by hand and, more often than not, tweezers lose their grip.
Still , I managed to complete the main rigging for the fuselage, although details for the til still need to be added.
The reason for starting the rigging so early on, is that I suspect that once tail and wings will be added, accessibility will be hampered considerably.
The drawings I have, though very helpful, I couldn't do without, have their limitations. Being drafted about sixty years ago, or there about, they are not without discrepancies. Some rigging lines appear to be connected to the oddest of parts, for instance, lines are shown to run from the lower part of the (sliding) shock absorber and run to hard points on the fuselage, meaning those lines will become slack if the shock absorber is forced upwards. That can't be correct. And that's just one tiny little nuisance...

Below a picture of the fuselage with the added rigging, or spider's web. I am very pleased with the appearance; the selection of the serafil is paying dividends.

DC80027D-B6FF-4350-8786-FE133C3A7889.jpeg
 
Work continues, still, on the fuselage.
I thought a couple of weeks back I could move on to the seats and control column and then quickly continue with the build of the tail. The wing build will be last.
Yet the drive train appears to be a nasty little bugger, the engine was build two and a half times plus the appendages I needed to add were time consuming little monsters.
Since Tuesday I have been working on correcting some errors and I started to add the Spider's web.
For this web I am using the serafil, I was given by @Peter Voogt; it's thin and presents a delicate appearance, which it really is, at least to my eyes. The main drawback being that it's very difficult to work with; I can't feel the thread, when manipulating by hand and, more often than not, tweezers lose their grip.
Still , I managed to complete the main rigging for the fuselage, although details for the til still need to be added.
The reason for starting the rigging so early on, is that I suspect that once tail and wings will be added, accessibility will be hampered considerably.
The drawings I have, though very helpful, I couldn't do without, have their limitations. Being drafted about sixty years ago, or there about, they are not without discrepancies. Some rigging lines appear to be connected to the oddest of parts, for instance, lines are shown to run from the lower part of the (sliding) shock absorber and run to hard points on the fuselage, meaning those lines will become slack if the shock absorber is forced upwards. That can't be correct. And that's just one tiny little nuisance...

Below a picture of the fuselage with the added rigging, or spider's web. I am very pleased with the appearance; the selection of the serafil is paying dividends.

View attachment 450764
The rigging is looking great, Johan. A true spider is a spider web.
Regards, Peter
 
Work continues, still, on the fuselage.
I thought a couple of weeks back I could move on to the seats and control column and then quickly continue with the build of the tail. The wing build will be last.
Yet the drive train appears to be a nasty little bugger, the engine was build two and a half times plus the appendages I needed to add were time consuming little monsters.
Since Tuesday I have been working on correcting some errors and I started to add the Spider's web.
For this web I am using the serafil, I was given by @Peter Voogt; it's thin and presents a delicate appearance, which it really is, at least to my eyes. The main drawback being that it's very difficult to work with; I can't feel the thread, when manipulating by hand and, more often than not, tweezers lose their grip.
Still , I managed to complete the main rigging for the fuselage, although details for the til still need to be added.
The reason for starting the rigging so early on, is that I suspect that once tail and wings will be added, accessibility will be hampered considerably.
The drawings I have, though very helpful, I couldn't do without, have their limitations. Being drafted about sixty years ago, or there about, they are not without discrepancies. Some rigging lines appear to be connected to the oddest of parts, for instance, lines are shown to run from the lower part of the (sliding) shock absorber and run to hard points on the fuselage, meaning those lines will become slack if the shock absorber is forced upwards. That can't be correct. And that's just one tiny little nuisance...

Below a picture of the fuselage with the added rigging, or spider's web. I am very pleased with the appearance; the selection of the serafil is paying dividends.

View attachment 450764

Dear Johan
I have ve just had a look at your build report and your historical information about Antony Fokker. I am very impressed.
You have chosen a special project for yourself, and is Very impressive
 
Work continues, still, on the fuselage.
I thought a couple of weeks back I could move on to the seats and control column and then quickly continue with the build of the tail. The wing build will be last.
Yet the drive train appears to be a nasty little bugger, the engine was build two and a half times plus the appendages I needed to add were time consuming little monsters.
Since Tuesday I have been working on correcting some errors and I started to add the Spider's web.
For this web I am using the serafil, I was given by @Peter Voogt; it's thin and presents a delicate appearance, which it really is, at least to my eyes. The main drawback being that it's very difficult to work with; I can't feel the thread, when manipulating by hand and, more often than not, tweezers lose their grip.
Still , I managed to complete the main rigging for the fuselage, although details for the til still need to be added.
The reason for starting the rigging so early on, is that I suspect that once tail and wings will be added, accessibility will be hampered considerably.
The drawings I have, though very helpful, I couldn't do without, have their limitations. Being drafted about sixty years ago, or there about, they are not without discrepancies. Some rigging lines appear to be connected to the oddest of parts, for instance, lines are shown to run from the lower part of the (sliding) shock absorber and run to hard points on the fuselage, meaning those lines will become slack if the shock absorber is forced upwards. That can't be correct. And that's just one tiny little nuisance...

Below a picture of the fuselage with the added rigging, or spider's web. I am very pleased with the appearance; the selection of the serafil is paying dividends.

View attachment 450764
Good evening Johan. Plenty Dividends…..looks really good and the thin serafil makes the scale look spot on. Way to go. Cheers Grant
 
The rigging is looking great, Johan. A true spider is a spider web.
Regards, Peter
Good evening Johan. Plenty Dividends…..looks really good and the thin serafil makes the scale look spot on. Way to go. Cheers Grant
Outstanding detail Johan. The serafil rigging adds a rich depth to the bird. This is really turning into a fine model.
Peter, Grant, Dan,

Thanks for your compliments!

That serafil rigging is a stroke of luck, actually. Initially I thought it would be too thin, but it’s just right. I processed quite a few meters of that stuff on my Bluenose, so I know how tricky to handle that awfully thin wire is.

Dear Johan
I have ve just had a look at your build report and your historical information about Antony Fokker. I am very impressed.
You have chosen a special project for yourself, and is Very impressive
Thanks Shota.
It’s a special project in more than one sense. Other than the historical background information (which I need for the context of my build) and some very sketchy drawings, there’s preciously little information and just a few build logs floating about. So for the most part I’m left to my own devices. Still it’s a very fun project, but with very slow progress.
 
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