1/144 Shapeways models in progress - The H-12 "Large America" Flying Boat and the Halberstadt D. V fighter

In October I orders two models from the Reduced Aircraft Factory store on Shapeways. I received a Curtis H-12 seaplane and two Halberstadt D. V fighters. As with most Shapeways models, surface preparation is an arduous task that must be done to get the best results. That was true with these two models. A lot of time was spent filling the surface grain of the black strong and flexible material. 

Fortunately, the work is not hard, but involves repeated application of a gap filling material - in this case acrylic clear coat. It took several weeks to achieve the desired result, but then applying the primer coats took a mere two days. A good thing too as winter is set to arrive this week, putting a close to the spray painting season. 

Here's some views of the primed models ready for painting. Now to come up with a choice of paint scheme. The D.V are destined for Mesopotamia and Turkish service, I wanted something 'not-CDL' for a change. The H-12 is going to take some thought as the paint schemes on those beasts can be quite complex. 

The primed H-12 next to a completed Felixstowe.

You can see the common ancestry the two planes share.

Shapeways is getting quite good at the detail, but the 3-D printers still have limits on the really small details.

There's still a little graininess visible in this image. For a gaming piece, it will be fine. 

New balloon section joins the action at the front for...

...1/144 Great War aerial gaming

I've completed a project that has languished on the modelling table all spring - a 1/144 model of the Avorio-Prassone kite balloon produced by Daryl at the Reduced Aircraft Factory shop within the Shapeways 3D printer. 

It's a nice three piece model consisting of the two halves of the envelope and a one piece assembly of the basket and harness. There's a hole for mounted. I inserted a steel screw and glued a magnet to the a base post so the model can be placed on a stand. 

As always, when it comes to the models, I believe a picture is worth several paragraphs, so without delay - enjoys these pictures! 

The front end of the balloon with the basket and harness attached

Nice side view. The base is from Litko Aerosystems. 

The left side. The balloon was printed using Black Strong and Flexible. 

Here's a shot of the balloon under attack by a Albatros D.III. Albratros from Ares Games Wings of Glory line.

Good shot showing off both the texture of the envelope and the detailed section lines on the model. 

Up, Up and away in my beautiful ballooooooooooooon........

.....or 99 Luftballoons on the wall, 99 Luftballoons.....

But seriously folks, I'm making great progress with the Reduced Aircraft Factory model of the Caquot Type M kit balloon available on Shapeways.

You can read the earlier installment here;


The painting has gone very well, in fact much better than I anticipated. I stumbled over a link to a postcard of a similar balloon done up in a charming checkerboard pattern. With that as a base, it was just a matter of selecting colors and a brush and getting started.

Here's the balloon after painting and following installation of the mounting post and the basket and shroud lines. The mounting post is a #6 1/2" screw that's screwed into the provided hole. To this screw, a strong rare earth magnet is glued using DAP adhesive or other strong adhesive (I'm a big fan of JB Weld). I thought I'd get smart and use a stainless steel screw with the magnet, but as I'm driving in the screw I remember....stainless steel is not magnetic! 

Here's the balloon after the basket installed. (Don't mind the hand of God in the lower left). Okay the paint job looks crummy in this picture.  I think the camera is too close. 

This looks a little better. It might be the angle. (It might be my painting skills!)

Thought I'd hold it over a game mat to get a feel for it.  

Success! The magnet on the post mates with a magnet glued to a 'bomber' peg and allows the balloon to be placed on a stand. 

Here's a view of the inverted balloon showing off the basket assembly. The great thing about this is that the basket and all the lines are a single part, making installation very easy.

The colors used on this model include  Folk Art Lemonade (the light yellow) and Americana Yellow Ochre. The basket was flat brown and the shrouds a base coat of yellow oche with a stain of flat brown and dry brushed light gray for weathering. 

Here's a shot of the primer, paints,  and screws used in the construction process. 

Now we're cooking with gas!  An Italian SVA 5 flies past this balloon somewhere on the Piave front.  The checkboard effect looks much better from a few feet away.

Heavy fighter escorts reporting for duty!

The Letord 2 and the Caudron R.11 are completed!

These both painted up nicely. Decals were from Dom's Decals and a few odds and ends from the decal box (the numbers were Woodland Scenics decals).

A box with the escorts in front and back.

The bomber box with the escorts shifted to the flanks. 

Caudron G.6 on a bomb run, as the fokker D.VI closes in. 

The Letord 2 turns as the D.VI hurtles past into the rear guns view. 

The Letord from the front, showing off the twin MG's in the nose and the prominent radiators over each engine.

The R.11 and the D.VI get close up and personal.

You can see the gunners clearly in this image. The gunners are separate items for this model. 

Reduced Aircraft Factory's 1/144 Caquot Type M Observation Balloon

Newly arrived from Shapeways is this model of the 1/144 Caquot Type M Observation Balloon.

A mainstay of the observation corps, it was frequently the target of enemy aircraft. Years ago, FFG had released a set of balloons as part of the Wings of War product line. Those products are long out of production and getting increasingly difficult to find. Thanks to Reduced Aircraft Factory, another option is to obtain a 3-D printed model of the balloon and create your own.

My model arrived in the mail this weekend, just in time for the Labor Day weekend. I opened it up and looked at the parts - it's pretty darn simple. Two parts for the gasbag and one part for the basket and ropes.

The parts of the model laid out with the rule for sizing purposes. 

So how does it scale? I pulled out one of the new Nieuport 11 models from Ares Games and placed it next to the balloon for a sense of size.

With the Nieuport 11 added for a sense of scale in 1/144.

Granted, the Nieuport is a small, single engine fighter, but you get a sense of the size of the thing.

While it may be large - it's feels fragile. The walls of the model are super thin - maybe down to the level of what the printer will handle. I suspect that once assembled, each half with support the other resulting in a much more rugged model. In addition, treating the Black Strong and Flexible material with a base material (be it Future or gloss finish) should add a little 'heft; to the model.

I'm liking what I've got - now to get it in the assembly and painting queue. The fun with Shapeways is in the ability to get a uniquely painted model on the table. This one will likely be done up in colors for either the Italian front or possibly Western Front. (Now I have to read up on balloon operations!)