Engine Construction
The Daimler Benz DB605 inverted V12 engine is made up of over 70 parts. As mentioned earlier, the instructions show photographs of the completed unit.
Looking at all the intertwining pipework, it seemed I could expect building this to be quite a complicated process. This proved not to be the case provided the clearly indicated build sequence is followed without deviation. This sequence leads you by the hand step by step and is very difficult to get it wrong. Even the engineering is cleverly designed to prevent Murphy’s Law occurring. For non-aviation types this law states that if a component is possible to be fitted incorrectly, someone, somewhere, sometime will do so – usually with serious consequences!
The engine crankcase and heads are moulded in two halves. Before these are joined the six pistons and cylinders each side must be inserted.
These are actually positioned correctly for the firing order of the engine! Having gone to all that trouble, ZM now let us down because there is no crankshaft.
I was very disappointed here. Never mind. We can now close up the crankcase to hide this glaring omission! Construction continues with the sump plate, cam drive, accessory gearbox, cam covers and reduction gearbox with the propeller shaft.
I paused here to paint the whole thing with a mixture of semi-gloss and Nato Black. The build continues now with items such as the injector pump and drive, the two ignition harnesses, inlet manifold, supercharger and the first bit of pipework. All these are shown in final position with the use of expanded windows. Colour indications are given for even the smallest components. For steel and aluminium parts, I varied things here with the use of different shades of Alclad and Xtreme Metal lacquers.
Next up are the two exhaust shrouds and the engine mounts. These were painted with Tamiya RLM Grey which is actually a shade of green and looks spot on for RLM02.
With the main components in position, this marks the beginning of attaching the spaghetti of individual pipes. Some of these need to be threaded into precise positions but, again, the instructions show exactly how to do this and in what order. This process continues along with the addition of the oil header tank and coolant side reservoirs, inertia starter unit and DC generator.
(These photos show the build-up of the various pipework)
Paul Ainsworth says
Hello,Rob – A very-detailed kit and you’re certainly doing it justice..The engine block’s a great model in its own right.
Looking forward to following your updates.
As Always,
Paul.
Rob Ruscoe says
Thanks Paul.
Christopher Woolford says
A fascinating 109 and a very helpful guide. Thanks Rob. I think mine might be displayed during a wing change, having seen how detailed the wing root is.
Rob Ruscoe says
Thanks for your kind comments Christopher. It is a very enjoyable kit to put together. I will look forward to seeing your completed model in the gallery
Best Regards
Rob.