Fokker F.VIIb/3m "Southern Cross", „1985"

Robert Podkoński
That's the challenge! I know this kit very well 😉 Watching with pleasure and interest, of course!

Alex K
Will gladly watch this and learn...

Gordon Sørensen
I have this kit in my stash. Looking forward to watching you work your magic!

Hanno Kleinecke
Taking a seat, let the lesson begin ! 😄

David Funke
I´m in, Sir!

Bernhard Schrock
Mates; as usual you are welcome in the first row! 🙂

Cuajete
Following!

Łukasz Gliński
Wow, seems like you're actually going to build it from scratch 😉

LucLuke B
Watching with interest.

Michael Kohl
me too

Dietmar Bogatzki
taking a seat

Andy Ball
Oh my….., now this looks very promising!

Derek Buckmaster
Nice progress Bernhard! The molded stars reminded me that I built this kit in my teen years (more than 50 years ago). By the way, the HARS Aviation Museum (near Sydney) have just rolled out the replica Southern Cross for engine runs and taxi tests. If you're on facebook you can see lots of images, see link below. Remember this is a replica, so the engines and wheels are different to the original aircraft, but lots of the details like the control cables, etc, will be as per the original.
facebook.com/HARSAviationMuseumAlbionPark

Jay Dubya
FYI Mates - here's a link for the history buffs.
"Brisbane, Australia is home to one of the most famous aeroplanes in the world. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's Fokker F.VIIb-3m Southern Cross is preserved in a purpose-built display building across the road from the Brisbane International Terminal."
adastron.com/southern-cross/default.htm

Bernhard Schrock
Derek and Jay: thank you for the information. You are right at the source🙂. I know some pictures of a replica and I suppose that this was the plane you mean? I downloaded a lot of pictures of the aircraft displayed in Brisbane: it is another replica, right?

Jay Dubya
[img1]

Just to be clear Bernhard, there are two Southern Cross aircraft in Australia. The replica that is being restored to flying condition, kept in a town south of Sydney, and the original plane, which is kept in a memorial opposite the Brisbane International Airport terminal. The photo link shows both in 1987.

Jay Dubya
As your attention to detail is amazing, you might also like to look at this page, as it lists all of the various modifications made to the original Fokker F.VIIb-3m to make the Southern Cross unique.
After all it was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean in 1928!

adastron.com/southern-cross/fair-dinkum.htm

Cuajete
Nice hand-made interiors. Great job so far, Bernhard!

Spanjaard
great job as usual Bernhard. Sheperd Paine.... that brings some memories of old 🙂

Michael Kohl
My kinda stuff. Waiting for more

Alec K
I'll take a seat. Detail is, as usual, spectacular 👍

Oliver Zwiener
Wow - FROG kit from 1968 - following

David Taylor
following.

Bas Tonn
I'll reserve a seat

Dietmar Bogatzki
Fantastic work, Bernhard, bad that one won´t see much of the details if the plane is ready 🙁

David Taylor
As always fantastic attention to detail.

bughunter
Again functional parts in Gods one scale 😮

Bernhard Schrock
The next lighthouse kit will be come next week and so I reactivated my nostalgia kit project. As warm up I replaced / scratched the 6 attachment points on the wing lower side.

Cuajete
Very nice progress 👍

Julian Herrero aka Yuri
I must be old because I learned abt gizmology from the master Shep.
Impressive work on an old an basic kit
Congrats

Alec K
Your landing gear detail is just amazing.

Jv
Taking a seat looks very good

Cuajete
I agree with Alec 👍

Boris B
Great build and research! Thanks for documenting this long-distance build . !-)
Can you explain your raised panel lines restoration technique? I can't quite make sense of picture 4.

Bernhard Schrock
Mates: Thanks for you nice comments.
Boris: the language of an technician is a drawing 🙂. See please the last picture.

Juergen Klinglhuber
Another great show of skills - a pleasure to read/look at. 👍

Boris B
Thanks for the explanation Bernhard. I will try it next time.

Alec K
Decals look great. Are those self made? If yes, can you provide some details (inkjet vs. laser, decal paper type). Thank you in advance.

Spanjaard
Alec, in picture 41 Berhard mentions that those are patterns for masking, so i guess they are airbrushed, not decals 😉

Bernhard Schrock
Spanjaard: you are right. The numbers are airbrushed.

Alec K
Ah, got it. Sorry I missed that. That explains the total absence of any borders…

Bernhard Schrock
Today I received the custom printed decals and used them at once. I'm enchanted! The shine is exact the same as my paint so the clear varnish is not necessary. 🙂

Cuajete
Decals looks so good 👍

Hanno Kleinecke
Silver and blue look super pretty, especially in combination with Davids great decals !

Kyle DeHart
You're building this into a very pretty airplane!

Bernhard Schrock
Thank you Mates! After several weeks of "absence" I glued yesterday the wing to the fuselage nearly without "mess"... (nearly = I have to airbrush a small wing area with aluminium).
Next step (three windshield windows) come at next.

Alec K
Glad this is back on the bench 👍

Hans-Jürgen Haag
Look great so far 👀👀👀👍👍👍

Lochsa River
Bernhard,

you mention the use of decal material being painted to good effect. Is this some sort of special decal paper or is it just material from a decal sheet that was not used? is the color of the decal sheet important?

Thank you!

Bernhard Schrock
Good morning Lochsa River. Thx. I oversprayed the remaining areas of the custom printed decals. This is a very durable decal paper and can be well applied over curved areas. Because of paint the color of decal is imo not important.

Lochsa River
is this decal paper available online?

Boris B
Very nice progress Bernhard ! What did you use to glue the windshield panes together so neatly ?

Bernhard Schrock
Lochsa River: I asked my friend who helped me create the decals. Sorry: we don't know about the manufacturer of this special delalpaper respective if it is avilable online🙁

Boris Belay: I played with Alfreds Nobel invention and used CA - glue of Tamiya 🙂

Olivier
Not Dynamite I hope...

Robert Podkoński
I start suspect that you also have trained spiders, Bernhard, like Bughunter here 😄 Awesome work so far!

Bernhard Schrock
Robert; yep, a bataillon and two more of ants🙂

Hanno Kleinecke
The control rods look superb, did you scratch the guiding loops by drilling PE leftovers ?

Alec K
Great progress. What is the colorant you add to the epoxy for the position lights?

Bernhard Schrock
Thx Hanno and Alec K.
Hanno: The guiding loops are spare PE-Parts (ignition wires & distribution ring for a R-2800). On the end of each ignition wire they are a small circle they should be represented the spark plug. I used this small circle plus apron. 1,5 mm of the ignition wire. In the middle I drilled a 0,2 mm hole.
Alec K: I colored the epoxy with Humbrol enamels (H3, emerald and H18, red). You need a very small amount of paint (5% or so). This small quantity of paint not change the properties of the epoxi.

Cuajete
Wow... Fantastic progress 👍

David Taylor
As above.

Julian Herrero aka Yuri
Awesome ....

Matthew A
Wow

Matthew A
Thank you for the tip about raised panel lines I tried replacing them with thick plastic tread before but that looks sooooo much eaiser

Hanno Kleinecke
Here now the proof : There is a secret army of ants under your command…… 😄
Super looking engines !

wilky
When I was in the Air Training Corps we got to visit the Southern Cross replica that was being built at Parafield Airfield in South Australia.
It was amazing.
I believe they had the original blueprints.
I seem to recall that they actually had to do a lot of work on the wing due to an incorrect procedure or damages that had occurred.
I've also seen the original at Brisbane Airport

Michael Kohl
nice engine detailling. Waiting for them to be painted...

Dietmar Bogatzki
Whoww the engines are fantastic 👍

Julian Herrero aka Yuri
Very good work !!!! Keep on following

David Taylor
Another masterpiece Bernhard.

Cuajete
I agree with mates. Fantastic job.
Congrats!

Łukasz Gliński
Exquisite build, noone would believe it all started with the ancient Frog sprues.
Wish I could get engines looking one-fifth that good on my future Trimotor build 👍

Kyle DeHart
Nice finish!! Excellent job. Enjoyed following along.

Oliver Zwiener
Beautiful Pacific crosser - state of the art !

Julian Herrero aka Yuri
BRAVO !!!!!

Neuling
Wonderful build and elegant presentation!

Bernhard Schrock
So many nice comments since yesterday although it's just quick-pictures 🙂! I'm so happy: thank you. Today I want to take some photos in my photo set with my Nikon.

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Looks great, Bernhard. 👍

Bernhard Schrock
As „promised" I managed today to equip my photo set with another background hangar and shot some pictures 🙂

Oleg Smilyk
Congrats, Bernhard, the best Southern Cross you can build with a set from Frog! The exterior is impressive, agree with all the amazing comments above!

Kyle DeHart
Love the hangar photos!! Makes it look even better. Awesome job.

Juergen Klinglhuber
It looks great Bernhard !

Julian Herrero aka Yuri
Magnificent .. it looks like the real thing

Hanno Kleinecke
Spectacular work, especially these delicate Whirlwinds look fantastic 👍
Looking forward to seeing it „live an' direct" tomorrow 😄

Alec K
That "fake" (not really the best word...) photo is superb 👍

Bernhard Schrock
Thx Alec K. Indeed... I'v removed my comment🙂

Alec K
Sorry Bernhard, I just meat that I wished there was a better word for a model photo made look like the original. Certainly no criticism was intended. Cheers!

Henry
GREAT JOB! A first rate build from a first rate builder. WOW!! Just beautiful

Andy Ball
The bar has been raised! Brilliant work Bernhard- we all admire the subjects 'less-often chosen'!!

Jay Dubya
Simply brilliant!

Carlo
Excellent work. I have to remember to use this as a reference when I get to my Valom kit of the Southern Cross.

Steve -
Very Well Done. Your scratch built parts make the model much more superior than with just the kit parts alone.

Jan Peters
Great job on this ancient kit!