Kondor D.2, WIP
![](/albums/img/5/4/3/1037543-21997-86-p.jpg "Then I painted acrylic "wood base" in an irregular pattern to have different brightness in the base. | View full picture")
![](/albums/img/6/4/5/1041645-21997-76-p.jpg "The problem was also to much paint. I have 3 Alclad alu shades in my stash. I thought that that dark alu is to dark so I sprayed "Aluminium" at first, but this was darker compared to the cowling. So I sprayed a layer "White aluminium" on top, which matches the cowling better.
Another problem seems to be, that the red-brown clear coat was going also in the metal area, so the solvent was able to go below. Something learned: more masking the next time.
Here the damage as macro shot! | View full picture")
Comments
31 20 July 2021, 12:00
bughunterThere are enough of started projects in my man cave, but there is a special reason to add the next one.
Today, on the July 20, but in the year 1912 the aircraft company "Kondor Flugzeugwerke GmbH" was founded in Essen (t least according to my Windsock article, Wikipedia says June 15th; another date I found was December 15th). Esssen is one of the bigger cities in the german "Ruhrgebiet" (Ruhr Metropolis, Ruhr is a river).
My wife was born there, and my mother in law lives there.
So you guess what? I have to build a Kondor aircraft!
After the experience with my last project Quadruplane I know that I'm able to handle a resin kit by Spin.
And Spin offers also some Kondor aircrafts, I decided to try a nice little biplane: Kondor D.2
There was a D.1 biplane, with Nieuport style struts and a single spar lower wing.
This was not very successful so the D.2 project was started. The upper wing was the same as D.1, but now 2 spars in the new lower wing and conventional struts. Two prototypes was build, the first with a 80hp (some sorces says Oberursel U.0) in a round cowling and a second one with a 110hp Oberursel UR.II in in horseshoe type cowling. Both take part on the fighter competition, but not ordered into production.
[img1]
The designer was Walter Rethel, who was later involved in Arado aircrafts and the Bf 109. For the German readers: His granddaughter is an actress and was married to Johannes Heesters.
There are no Datafile for those rare birds but Windsock International Vol 13 No.2 has an nice article, photos and drawings about the Kondor aircrafts. A picture here shows clearly, that the engine was a Le Rhone 80hp. The U.0 looks different.
So far the background of my new project.
20 July 2021, 12:11
bughunterAfter showing the kit content now the first real update with work on the wings. Not yet finished.
20 July 2021, 14:57
Urban GardiniI imagine that it didn't behave that well in the air with such a short fuselage.
20 July 2021, 15:49
bughunterWelcome to the show mates!
Urban, it was a small bird overall (also the Fokker Dr.I and the E.V were small). Pilots praised the aircraft's flying qualities, but criticised the poor performance.
20 July 2021, 17:03
Urban GardiniSo with a better motor it would've performed well enough to be produced.
20 July 2021, 17:42
bughunterEven the more powerful rotary of the second prototype was not enough. We will newer know....
I added more pictures, the wings are finished. I very happy, that masking on top of the decals worked this time 🙂
20 July 2021, 19:16
René "Lord Bilbo" BartholemyHey, you sneaked up on me! Just when I stop looking for your next project, you publish the first pictures... 😉
Very promising start. As always.
20 July 2021, 21:27
bughunterYes John, that was the intention 😉
Added some pictures of engine and cowling.
21 July 2021, 11:27
René "Lord Bilbo" BartholemyHi Bughunter, concerning pic 29, how do you manage to cut the rods off?
I did it as delicately as the sausages I replaced my fingers with allowed me to do, but some of them still flew off into the carpet monster's realm, never to be seen again... (luckily, Small Stuff ships more than the needed number)
21 July 2021, 15:44
Hanno KleineckeWow, pic 19 makes me believe that you covered the wings with real fabric - superb decal quality ?
I went to school in Essen and lived there for 10 years, but I never knew that there has ever been an aircraft manifacturer located there…
Live and learn
21 July 2021, 15:58
bughunterThank you mates!
@René, exactly as shown in the last picture of the manual. I used a piece of wood below and a very sharp razor blade (I opened a new multi-blade razor and have now 3 sharp blades. Be careful!). A light cut is enough on this thin resin.
@Hanno, I like the color shades of the upper side more (pic20), the blue looks like a jeans. The company was in Essen, the workshop and the airfield in Essen-Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen. Two links, the postcards are nice:
gelsenkirchener-gesc..enkirchen-Rotthausen
gelsenkirchener-gesc..viewtopic.php?t=5557
@Marcel Thx! Nice to see you here too 😉
21 July 2021, 18:32
bughunterTo keep the project under steam I added the cockpit pictures - the fuselage is closed.
22 July 2021, 14:37
bughunterThank you Dietmar and David, and for the lines!
I must admit, I already have a bit of a head start 🙂 I wanted to avoid to posting the next shelf queen and so check for early blocking points.
Now I have to wait a bit, because I painted oils on the fuselage yesterday. The oils are hardening now, but before I worked on the struts and undercarriage, so here are the pictures for that.
23 July 2021, 17:18
bughunterAs I mentioned already the oils are hardening, but I have not shown a picture. In meantime I prepared other details.
It was a lot of work, but I now have a result that no one can buy, you have to do it yourself 🙂
24 July 2021, 16:26
Hanno KleineckeThank you for these links - completely unknown history to me ! 👍
Prop and cowling look fantastic
25 July 2021, 08:35
bughunterThank you Urban, Justin and Hanno!
I forgot to add the nice front photo, which was my template for the airscrew. As this is stored in Wikipedia I can show it here.
[img1]
25 July 2021, 11:06
Robert PodkońskiWhat a colourful little bird it is! One easily forgets that it was a military plane. Looking fantastic!
30 July 2021, 19:44
Christoph KunzPic 77, seeing how tiny this bird is makes my respect for your work even bigger.
30 July 2021, 20:59
bughunterThank you mates! And no, my hand is not a construction worker's paw 😉
@Robert That's why I build these colourful aircrafts! Years ago I saw a collection of many WWI biplane models in a museum - that was my key moment!
31 July 2021, 10:45
JEAN-LUC LELODEYI love the rendering of the motor pan, it looks like brushed metal. well done
31 July 2021, 11:02
bughunterThank you! But the cowling looks like metal, because it is metal 😉 See pic31+
31 July 2021, 11:08
Robert PodkońskiI perfectly understand you, Bughunter 😉 The (Polish) book on WWI fighter aircraft was one of my favourite when I was young - there were many silhouettes in full colour presented.
31 July 2021, 11:20
bughunterThe hand is not in the original photo, but I take artistic licence! Thanks for the suggestion!
31 July 2021, 11:43
bughunterThank you Marcel!
Now it is a biplane, the outer struts are in correct length and glued in too 😉
2 August 2021, 18:30
Urban GardiniI love the artistic license with the oily hand print in order to cover up the paint damage!
2 August 2021, 18:59
bughunterThank you Urban for your opinion! I heard also the opposite and I must admit, that the contrasts are a bit high now. Let's see how it looks like after Weathering, but that will be done after the Brathering 😉
2 August 2021, 19:15
Urban GardiniWell it's a bit distinct put you could smear it out a little with some oil paint.
2 August 2021, 21:37
bughunterYes Urban, I will add some oil paint wash anyway.
That is a type of Triplane which I need to add to my collection! But that is the wrong scale 😉 Instead I have this SPIN kit (and the matching Eduard kit) in my stash: Nieuport Triplane (Ni 17 fuselage) (SPIN model K4804, 1:48) May be later this year.
There is also another Nieuport triplane type, I own also a SPIN conversion for the Special Hobby kit of the Nieuport 10.
3 August 2021, 13:28
bughunterThank you Eric! I'm working on the rigging now. It is already a biplane.
4 August 2021, 14:41
bughunterSome fixing of collateral damage is needed, some detail painting, washing, ... But the light of the end of the tunnel is visible, or is it an oncoming train?
4 August 2021, 18:33
Alec KHow the heck did I miss this! And a project with special significance to boot. Outstanding 👍
5 August 2021, 11:58
bughunterAnd I missed you, as a strong supporter of my projects, too! Thank you Alec!
5 August 2021, 15:23
bughunterThank you Dietmar! This Kondor is finished now. The rigging lines are metalized now, some weathering applied and added as last step the cowling and the airscrew.
The final shots still have to be taken.
5 August 2021, 17:44
Robert PodkońskiWe are all waiting impatiently for final photos of your masterpiece!
5 August 2021, 19:07
bughunterOk Robert, and all the waiters: don't miss the final album:
Kondor D.2 | Album by bughunter (1:48)
5 August 2021, 22:05
