[pstrany]

Wow! I can see I should have been more precise!

The manufacturer's drawings I refer to are general layout, not for individual parts. I'm fairly certain that each sub-manufacturer would have received an extremely detailed set of drawings of each and every part they were to manufacture, but while I would love to have a set, I have yet to see anything like that.

So what I have to work with are overall layout drawings, 3-views (some very detailed) from various aviation books, and period photographs. While the drawings thus far posted are extremely helpful in terms of providing dimensional data, the drawings themselves do not seem to be intended to be an exact rendition of the outline of the various parts in question.

From a detailed examination of period photographs (of which most are from an oblique angle and thus of little use) I have found that indeed, even on the same model (like the Friedrich) there are differences from aircraft to aircraft in the exact outline of the aircraft (and so I also would assume the parts themselves to vary, though of course the differences are generally small.)

When I try and them overlay these photos with 3-view drawings from various sources, the differences can be quite striking (in an incredibly anal sort of way.)

My goal is to start with the best information I can find, as I know that in the process of creating the individual parts, I am going to make errors, no matter how slight, which will make the end product less than perfect (as indeed the various sub-manufacturers in the original production lines would have faced this same problem.) What I am looking to avoid is to compound the errors of others, where I am taking their less than accurate rendering of various shapes and outlines and compounding those errors with my errors in the process of creating the piece.

To that end, I need to know what the original source looked like. Even working from period photos (which I differentiate from current photos, as most of the existant aircraft may have been restored or altered in some way) is compounding the errors of the original manufacturer in rendering the parts.

So yeah, I'd love to have a set of draftsmen drawings of the original parts, or save that then a good set of photos of original units, or save that then a set of accurate drawings made after the fact. I'm in the process right now, and at some point very soon I am going to say, "close enough for jazz!" and build my beauty.

So thank you all for exercising my brain and helping to keep the Alzheimer monster at bay, for your information and thoughts. I greatly appreciate it!

Paul