Latest from Shapeways Caproni Ca.3

[Burt]

Kampfflieger has passed me news of his latest production from Shapeways the Italian Caproni Ca.3

http://www.shapeways.com/model/29185...ml?gid=sg85287

Looks very nice.

Who is going to risk it and take the plunge.

Don

[Hunter]

I will! Shapeways advised the Caproni will be delivered "on or before July 22, 2011". Can't wait. I also ordered the Austin-Osprey, both WSF finish. Take a look at Clipper1801's DrI's in the Shapeways thread to see the good results we've gotten from that finish. FINGERS CROSSED!

[Guntruck]

On the other hand, if they arrive like Batseyboy's Triplanes did, you are going to be in a world of hurt.

[Hunter]

Bit of an optimist there aren't you, Steve?

Well, a scout pilot is supposedly daring, so this is my flight of faith! Besides I've had good luck so far with Shapeways Though bummer about what happened to Bateysboys

You'se buys your tickets and you'se takes your chances Besides, I can afford it

Look at it this way, as if I'm the test pilot! If it turns out good, I'm a hero If I get 'Bateysboy'd' them I'm a nut Either way, I can live with it!

I'm doing this for all my mates on the 'drome! See you in the O.C. after the 'test flight'

[Guntruck]

Not so much an optimist, more of a realist. Anyway, good luck with it.

[Linz]

They look good in the photo. He's hoping they live up to that Hunter.
Good luck
Linz

[Boney10]

Hmm still not heard from Shapeways CS after nearly a week so dont think Ill bother with this one. no offence to the model, but untill I know things are fixed not using Shapeways

[clipper1801]

The Huns in the sun! I'm in for three! I just finished 4 D-VII's and love them, they join my family of 5 DrI's, finally my personal flying circus! Great news about the lozenge patterns! I hand painted 3 D-VIIs-5 colors top and bottom yesterday! Where were you and your lozenges then! I did just find some on the site under files! Sorry . . . lots of helps there indeed.
Dave

[pbhawkin]

Dave,
You know you can get a couple of great lozenge patterns from John at Revisco
http://www.tin-soldier.com/cgi-bin/ustorekeeper.pl

peter

[clipper1801]

Great lead Peter,

Indeed I found a ton of great things there-too late of course! I might have to do a repaint before I ever fly them : ) My Reviresco wish list is over $200. So little time and modeling funds!

Regards,
Dave

[Flying Officer Kyte]

I shall mark time until I see what the Nexus Caproni is like.
Rob.

[Raffvantye]

Ordered A pair, they should be here Aug 8th

[Pseudotheist]

Given the current rumors surrounding Nexus International, I broke down and ordered one of these. Now is anyone planning to make a flight stand for them (Oberst Hajj?)?

[Raffvantye]

Got an email on friday, order's done and will ship on monday, ordered a pair of them.

[clipper1801]

Mine arrived whilst I was away on vacation! Very nice, I will be adding the rear gunners cage and nose gunner for sure. Now for the color schemes! For the stands I discovered a plexi-glass picture holder at Walmart can be cut in twain and make a nice set of card holders, I am also fiddling with a new stand design with a ball top that will allow for the cool pivoting that the bombers look great doing. Will do a photo shoot this week and post it. Ahh so many models and so little time!
Dave

[gully_raker]

Well I just received 2 of the Sopwith Triplanes & they are both very good.
I went for the Frosted ultra detail & I do think the small extra charge was worth while. Wing detail excellent. A bit of sanding requited on Fuselarge sides but this was no problem.
I am more than happy & will buy again.
I feel a Bristol "calling"!

[pbhawkin]

Pictures Barry we need Pictures!

I am still waiting on my order of FD and FUD although the FSW version turned up 7 days ago.

[Zoe Brain]

Here's two of them - one a torpedo conversion.

[David Manley]

Now don't they just look excellent! Hoping to have at least one of these gracing the Bristol Aerodrome in the not too distant future.

[pbhawkin]

Bigger pictures, Zoe, BIGGER pictures :-)
Are they yours? Do you have any pictures taken during painting and conversion to torpedo carrying?
Where did the Torpedo come from?
So many questions....!

Wow anyway, they look superb!

[gully_raker]

Pictures Barry we need Pictures!

I am still waiting on my order of FD and FUD although the FSW version turned up 7 days ago.

G'day Peter! I did post pics on the other Shapeways threads but here they are again!
This is a Frosted Ultra Detail one as received.

[Zoe Brain]

Bigger pictures, Zoe, BIGGER pictures :-)
Are they yours? Do you have any pictures taken during painting and conversion to torpedo carrying?
Where did the Torpedo come from?
So many questions....!

Wow anyway, they look superb!

Thanks for the compliments. I'm a gamer, not a modeller, so they're a bit rough'n'ready - only received them a few days ago.

I'll get bigger pictures later, these are from my mobile phone.

Conversion - this one arrived with its front wheel snapped off due to too much packaging. Rather than glue it back on, I'd been thinking about a torpedo conversion anyway.

The paint scheme is here:


The torpedo is the tip of a wooden handle of one of my paintbrushes. I made the cradle giving the right nose-down attitude by carving a wooden match. The rear gun position is from a Subway transparent drinking straw, suitably cut. Because it doesn't take paint well, leading to lines rather than flat coverage, by painting inside and out you get an irregular cobweb effect that looks like a cage from over 10cm away.

I didn't model the tail of the torpedo as the stand has to go where the tail should be. This is a wargaming model, not a fine-scale one, and any real modeller would throw up their hands in horror. But it looks reasonable at normal visual ranges.

The stands are the Gotha bases available from the Aerodrome.

A real modeller would produce something like this 1/144 Scratchbuild:



I'm not even remotely in that league - and besides which, that's a model for display, not gaming with.

[pbhawkin]

I saw those pictures Barry in the other thread just now, so thanks for posting them again here. I have to say I think I like the look of the Frosted Ultra Detail! It's quite interesting looking at the properties of the materials Shapeways uses (they have a page about them and the finess of degree each has).
The FUD looks to be quite smooth in comparison to the WSF BUT I wonder how it compares to WSF-Polished and Frosted Detail? Also bearing in mind the cost factor.
I suspect the FUD is the best and would make a good master for casting from (my own designs that is not Roman's!) whilst the lesser detailed materials are better for repainting as wargaming planes.

Thanks for the additional info Zoe. I look forward to the larger photos.
I am certainly going to get a HP 0/400 when they arrive and some Brisfits too.

[Hunter]

Giving me some good ideas here Zoe!

[Raffvantye]

I Pick up my bombers this afternoon!!

[Zoe Brain]

From Roman:

Hello Zoe,

Caproni Triplane looks like absolutely winner!

I have to do it! But now I'm finishing the O/400 so Caproni will be started a little bit later.

Regards,
Roman.

[Hunter]

OMG! That's going to be HUGE! However, I'll be in for at least one.

[Zoe Brain]

OMG! That's going to be HUGE! However, I'll be in for at least one.

Smaller than you think - wingspan just over 8" in 1:144. But impressive, definitely. In service with the RNAS for ASW work (as shown in the photo), the Italians, and the Americans.

See http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sho...oni-Ca.42-clip

[Raffvantye]

Just recieved the pair that i ordered, and they look great, can't wait to get paint on them and get them redy for Hurricon in Orlando.

[Pseudotheist]

Just got mine today; these things are pretty sweet! finish is a little rough in the standard FSW finish, but not on the scale that you can tell without close inspection. And the struts, tail skids and engine details are surprisingly minute. Now I need to paint it, and see if that smooths out the finish. Anyone know the factory paint scheme for these guys? Just paint everything buff except nationality colors on the vertical tail surfaces? Were roundels standard anywhere on the wing surfaces or fuselage? Oh, and has anyone yet tried to weight it so it stands on the nose wheel instead of the tail skid? Can you even hide enough weight in there to do that?

[Zoe Brain]

JAnyone know the factory paint scheme for these guys? Just paint everything buff except nationality colors on the vertical tail surfaces? Were roundels standard anywhere on the wing surfaces or fuselage?

See
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sho...ll=1#post79228
and
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sho...ll=1#post79531

Usually no roundels anywhere - but lower wing painted red on one side, green on the other from wingtip to 3rd set if struts.



Note that the front wheel is there to stop accidents on landing, the Ca3 is a tail-dragger.

Part of the fuselage is in sometimes in wood finish - there are wooden panels on the wings too to allow the mechanic to service the engines in flight.

[Pseudotheist]

Of course! Why didn't I check the Fokker thread?

But seriously, thanks for the info. Do you know if they left the top wing surface undecorated, or did they pain that to match the bottom? And I assume those wood panels are just between the fuselage and engine nacelle, or did they have some on the outside wing too (don't know how the mechanics would get there)?

[Shiraz68]

I have 2 ordered from Shapeways - just waiting for them to be delivered now.

[Zoe Brain]

Do you know if they left the top wing surface undecorated, or did they pain that to match the bottom? And I assume those wood panels are just between the fuselage and engine nacelle, or did they have some on the outside wing too (don't know how the mechanics would get there)?

Top wing undecorated on Italian Navy and usually on Airforce. Some had cammo and roundels, but most plain buff. French and US had roundels.

As seen if you look really carefully at this photo of a French Ca.3, top of starboard wing:


Natural wood on aft fuselage from about the pilots position, and on sides of engine nacelles, and between centre and fuselage only. See picture in previous post.

Not all had more than a single panel though - see below for single panel and metal front of cowling (replica at Bratislava):



Then this one at USAF museum Wright-Patterson:



This one in off-white at the Italian Military History Aeronautical museum:




So when it comes to Caproni Ca.3's, you have a choice. Off-white, battleship-grey for navy, buff, with or without wood panels or whole aft fuselage. Green for most French and all US and a few Italian operating in France.

And even a few with cammo and roundels - though that was more common on Ca.5s


Ca.5


That's as much as I've been able to determine.

For my interpretation of a Naval torpedo bomber, "sufficit animus" of 1a Squadriglia Navale Siluranti Aeree, and an off-white version from VIII Squadriglia based in Comina, see

[Zoe Brain]

Some interesting facts:

IX squadron Ca3s were used by the Gruppo Speciale Aviazione "I" to land behind enemy lines to pick up and drop off agents.

Some Ca3s started the fashion of having elaborate nose art on bombers.


Others had painted on missions, showing target and bombs dropped.

For a while, the exposed tail gunners tried wearing some armour...


An Ace Instructor in February 1918 is reported to have executed both a full loop and an Immelman in a CA3, up to 6000 feet. And from the same squadron.... one Caproni Ca3 was flown by Cpt Fiorello LaGuardia of the AEF, later mayor of New York. This was attached to the 8th Aeronautical instruction school in Foggia, training AEF pilots to fly in Italian squadrons.

See attachment for the marking of his plane.