This is turning out to be a really busy week full of non-modeling stuff, but things continue to move forward on the triplane. I finalized the fabric sides of the cockpit interior. From what I have read, these planes started in the factory with linen stretched over the framework. Then they did the streaked paint on the exterior. This exterior layer should be faintly visible on the interior side of the fabric. The process for the interior was simply to paint a linen color on the inside of the model, streak some green oil paint on the inside, then work the streak effect using Odorless Turpenoid. When this was dry, I sprayed some Clear Flat over everything to protect it. Today I sprayed some very diluted linen-colored ModelAir over everything to lighten the effect. I like how it came out. I have also been playing around with some 3D printed parts. The throttles were a little big, I think, so I reduced the size and reprinted them. I found a file online to laser cut a wooden prop. By coincidence, my daughter's hobby is laser cutting and she has a couple laster cutters that have all the cool technology. She cut the 7 parts for the prop in their native 1/8 scale so that we can see how it works. In the meantime, we are looking for some basswood that is thin enough to print the prop in 1/28. I want to see how much work it is to assemble and sand the prop to its final shape. I think I may decide it is too much trouble and stick with the kit prop. That's it for now. Cheers.

12 attached images. Click to enlarge.

George, got to love that engine and throttle you printed ,this DR1 kit is way past the OOB, excellent detailing.

That's impressive work done, George @gblair.
Those newly printed parts do upgrade this kit a lot.

Spiros (@fiveten)
Ian (@firelockg)
Paul (@yellow10)
John (@johnb)
John (@j-healy)
Thanks for the kind words. 3D printing allows me to add detail that just wouldn't be possible any other way. I want to raise my game and learn how to actually design things that I print. I currently use a free. simple design program called TinkerCad where you simply "glue" basic shapes together to form something more complex. There are several modelers on iModeler that use really advanced software to create really complex items for printing. I would really like to get where I can design and print stuff like ejection seats, landing gear, etc. The price of 3D printers has come down dramatically in the last few years, so it is possible to get a printer for just a couple of hundred dollars. Still not cheap, but when I first started looking at printers several years ago, they were over $1000. And thanks to YouTube, the learning curve is easily managed.

I am currently waiting for a print to get done. I discovered that my throttle is still the wrong size, and my cross-cockpit support bars are all too big. It is easy to resize all of the parts and print them. One of the benefits of 3D printing.

You're really moving up on this 3D printing George (@gblair). Computers are wonderful tools when it comes to this sort of thing, but learning the software is the computer equivalent of sanding and rescribing! I'm hopeful AI will get incorporated into the software so I can tell it to make shapes and trim them and move things around instead of having to remember how to do all this myself. I don't want AI to design the parts, simply to serve as an interface between me and the software tools.

The frame looks great. And the floor, once you get it corrected will be a nice addition.

Excellent result so far despite the challenges, my friend @gblair!

This is all going together well, allot of trial and error but by the end you will be a master printer George. The next kit will be a breeze.