Phew! Just finished. This is Otto Kissenberth's Pfalz D.IIIa from Jasta 23b, scratchbuilt in 1/144 and using Aviattic's excellent 5-colour upper and lower lozenge decals.
The main components are cast from a handmade master that used solid styrene for the fuselage and acrylic sheet for the wings. Other components are a mix of brass and sterling silver, with homemade decals for things like the Edelweiss insignia and Axial logos on the propellor. The rigging was done with 0.05mm nichrome wire and fixed in place with UV-activated resin glue.
The most time-consuming part of the build was the rib tapes, which are individual strips of 0.20mm lozenge decal cut from the stock Aviattic sheet. The decal material is thin and translucent. So to maintain the correct colour, each rib tape required a strip of white decal to be added first, before the lozenge strip could be placed on top. The whole process required 82 strips in total. 😵
Things I'm pleased with: The upper and lower wing alignment is strong and nicely even. Thanks to a jig and some very careful preparation. The 3-colour prop worked out well too (after 3 tries) and the Axial logo is surprisingly clear. This was a white disc with the black portions photocopied onto clear decal film and added over the top. I'm also pleased with the separate control surfaces, which give the thing a more animated appearance.
Things I'm not so pleased with: the white portion of the edelweiss was cut from a commercially available blank white decal sheet and the shape was marked out by first putting it through a photocopier. It looks too thick and speckly when viewed close up. Next time I'll paint clear decal film instead and use a lightbox to cut the shape out. That way I can "choose" the shade of white and get a cleaner result. The tyres are perhaps too dark as well. I recently learned that carbon black wasn't added to continental rubber until after the war, so they would look more realistic with a lighter tone. The black fuselage finish also has a slight texture to it, particularly around the nose, where I foolishly sprayed the last coat from too far away... Grrr!
I hope you will like the pics. The 10 Pfennig coin is 21mm in diameter. Just a little bit smaller than a modern 10c/10p piece. And yes, before anyone asks: the matchstick is actual size... And so am I!
