forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Completed models => Topic started by: gedmundson on May 04, 2024, 12:48:59 AM
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This is Aviatic's 1/32 scale Pfalz D.VIII built to represent the aircraft flown by Paul Bäumer in 1918 with Jasta "Boelcke". I was extremely fortunate to be sent the kit to build for Brett Green's Military Illustrated Modeler magazine (Edit) and should be in Issue 155 for August of this year.
The kit was a marvel of engineering and production - there's been plenty of hype on the internet about what's in the box. This was the Pour le Merit version which has lots of extra decals. I swapped out the supplied turnbuckles for ones in 1/48 scale which is just a personal preference. The figure, which came in the kit, represents Bäumer wearing a Pour le Merit "Blue Max" medal. Although I paired it with the model for the photos, he wasn't awarded the medal until the end of the war, after recovering from a crash - probably in this aircraft.
A tip of the hat to NigelR for his write-up on the first build of the kit. It helped quite a bit as I struggled with the build, trying to figure out how to put it together. Cheers, Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/q7OGgQB.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/PQT9Nt1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wJzUMlb.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Rcd5kpM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mffyIcn.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kDlhIyc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/f9f8J0l.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kouU0iF.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vkr2oEz.jpg)
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Stunning work Gary! The kit looks to be awesome and your skills have certainly done it justice. Lovely figure and base!
RAGIII
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Fantastic, I like it very much. And it makes me even more wanting to start on mine.
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Stunning work Gary! The kit looks to be awesome and your skills have certainly done it justice. Lovely figure and base!
RAGIII
Thanks so much, Rick - your kind words are appreciated!
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Fantastic, I like it very much. And it makes me even more wanting to start on mine.
Thanks Prze! This model was a very difficult build for me, working with 3D printed parts can be daunting. The fit of the parts was exceptionally good. Cheers,
Gary
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Lovely job Gary, she looks fantastic. It is indeed a lovely kit, and it's great to see it being built up so well. I'm glad the hints and tips were of some help in the build.
I just noticed you added the altimeter on its springs, well done! That was beyond me......
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That really is a great model there, Gary
Love the subtle weathering (chipping) on the fuselage around the cockpit opening.
Regards
Dave
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Magnificent model Gary, the detailing is exceptional and the finish as well. Hope I get to see it sometime, sadly the big event in Nanton will be missed this year but hopefully we'll have the opportunity to meet in Edmonton next year.
Cheers,
Lance
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Excellently built model - the figure of Paul Bäumer is just as excellent.
Gary, I am a secret admirer of your model building skills - and I'm particularly impressed by your figure painting.
Can you tell us which color mixture you used for the Pfalz silver-grey, please?
BtW - My Pfalz D.VIII "Pour-Le-Merite" box arrived yesterday.
Simply outstanding stuff in the box, I am simply thrilled.
Here is an original photo of Paul Bäumer's D.VIII.
Maybe you should - see picture - attach the black, white and red fabric banner to the rudder to identify the "Jasta boss"?
(https://up.picr.de/47551375st.jpg)
Servus
Bertl
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Did you write that you found this a difficult model to build? Well you could have fooled me - that is truly outstanding in terms of detail and finish. I just wish that sometimes I could achieve the kinds of finish that you regularly present here, and as for figure painting - yours is first class.
Stephen.
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Stunning work all around! It almost tempts me to consider 1/32 scale (almost... haha!)
Tell me, how do you execute the rib tapes around the edges of the flying surfaces? I have a love / hate relationship with Aviattic decals given their transparency, and I always wonder how people execute these types of rib tapes given how much Aviattic decals stretch, don't cut cleanly once applied, don't take to decal solution, and are translucent... how do you achieve this?
Cheers,
BC
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Tell me, how do you execute the rib tapes around the edges of the flying surfaces? I have a love / hate relationship with Aviattic decals given their transparency, and I always wonder how people execute these types of rib tapes given how much Aviattic decals stretch, don't cut cleanly once applied, don't take to decal solution, and are translucent... how do you achieve this?
Cheers,
BC
Thanks Brad. It was actually WnW that converted me to making the big scale again (and I'm running out of room because of it - but what a way to go!) The rib tapes in this case are actually printed onto the decal. Also - the white parts of the national crosses are clear...resulting in my pre-shadowing actually coming through. I've tried to stick to Aviattic's pre-cut custom decals for the most part which include the ribtapes. I did a Hanover Cl.II a couple of years ago and cut my own rib tapes from Aviattic's white-backed decals and it was a lot of brutal work. The decals will cut with care AFTER they dry out completely...and you'll need a brand new #11 blade.
Cheers,
Gary
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Did you write that you found this a difficult model to build? Well you could have fooled me - that is truly outstanding in terms of detail and finish. I just wish that sometimes I could achieve the kinds of finish that you regularly present here, and as for figure painting - yours is first class.
Stephen.
Thanks for that, Stephen. I found the biggest difficulty working with the printed resin parts, which are brittle and want to break in the wrong places & fly off into space at times. Also using 2-part epoxy glue was a first for me to get fuselage halves to join and other bits & pieces. Quite the learning experience! Cheers,
Gary
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Excellently built model - the figure of Paul Bäumer is just as excellent.
Gary, I am a secret admirer of your model building skills - and I'm particularly impressed by your figure painting.
Can you tell us which color mixture you used for the Pfalz silver-grey, please?
BtW - My Pfalz D.VIII "Pour-Le-Merite" box arrived yesterday.
Simply outstanding stuff in the box, I am simply thrilled.
Here is an original photo of Paul Bäumer's D.VIII.
Maybe you should - see picture - attach the black, white and red fabric banner to the rudder to identify the "Jasta boss"?
Servus
Bertl
Hi Bertl - your kind words have made my day :) Glad you like the model & figure. The figure was actually disappointing in quality, but I did my best to make it work with the model. For the Silbergrau I used Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminum and XF-19 Sky Grey in a 1:1 ratio, and airbrush on a semi-gloss after.
I have seen this photo of Baumer's aircraft before...but not with the back of the tail showing the Jasta leader's banner. I think it would make a great addition to the model. But I cannot make out the layout of the colours or the approximate dimensions - could you help me there? I'd love to add it.
Cheers,
Gary
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Magnificent model Gary, the detailing is exceptional and the finish as well. Hope I get to see it sometime, sadly the big event in Nanton will be missed this year but hopefully we'll have the opportunity to meet in Edmonton next year.
Cheers,
Lance
Hey Lance - hope all is well with you and thanks for your kind words! Yes - no Edmonton show this year, and I certainly won't be going to Calgary. Apparently the Nanton museum and Calgary club had a fall-out, so their shows unfortunately won't be happening there any more...for the foreseeable future. Two years goes by fairly quickly for us retirees so - see you soon ;)
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Lovely job Gary, she looks fantastic. It is indeed a lovely kit, and it's great to see it being built up so well. I'm glad the hints and tips were of some help in the build.
I just noticed you added the altimeter on its springs, well done! That was beyond me......
Hey Nigel, thanks for that. Your review was printed out and sat on my bench for the whole build. Those springs were such a faff...needed to be re-done a few times before things sat right. Wrapped 0.1mm copper wire around a slightly thicker core then trimmed to fit. A bit out of scale, but what the heck :)
Cheers,
Gary
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Stunning work, Gary, not much I can add that hasn't already been said! Looking forward to the eventual appearance of your article, even though I don't really like reading that magazine because it makes me want to build jets and stuff...
Dutch
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That's a gorgeous build. Incredibly inspiring!
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Another superb model from you, Gary. What a beaut.
On the one hand, you make me want to start mine, but on the other you make me tremble at the hill to climb! Models are there to be built though. Interesting how a craftsman of your experience rates the difficulty. But the result was well worth your effort.
Lovely rendition.
Sandy
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Excellently built model - the figure of Paul Bäumer is just as excellent.
Gary, I am a secret admirer of your model building skills - and I'm particularly impressed by your figure painting.
Can you tell us which color mixture you used for the Pfalz silver-grey, please?
BtW - My Pfalz D.VIII "Pour-Le-Merite" box arrived yesterday.
Simply outstanding stuff in the box, I am simply thrilled.
Here is an original photo of Paul Bäumer's D.VIII.
Maybe you should - see picture - attach the black, white and red fabric banner to the rudder to identify the "Jasta boss"?
Servus
Bertl
Hi Bertl - your kind words have made my day :) Glad you like the model & figure. The figure was actually disappointing in quality, but I did my best to make it work with the model. For the Silbergrau I used Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminum and XF-19 Sky Grey in a 1:1 ratio, and airbrush on a semi-gloss after.
I have seen this photo of Baumer's aircraft before...but not with the back of the tail showing the Jasta leader's banner. I think it would make a great addition to the model. But I cannot make out the layout of the colours or the approximate dimensions - could you help me there? I'd love to add it.
Cheers,
Gary
Hello Gary,
regarding the length and width of the leader's banners, I believe that I have read that they were normally around 5 - 8cm wide and 2.5 to max. 3 meters long.
Usually the banners were painted in the colors of the flag of the German Empire.
Starting with approx. 80-100cm black, then 80-100cm white and finally 80-100cm red.
Made from canvas, the corners and edges were sewn all around.
The colors used did not really matter, the only important thing was that the leader was visually recognizable in the air in the mass of aircraft - the banner was of course clearly recognizable - the colors probably less so.
I thought I got this information from the book
“Die gesamten deutschen Luftstreitkräfte im 1. Weltkrieg” by Major a.D. Georg Paul Neumann, 1920 edition.
But I couldn't find these lines in the book today in a hurry.
However, there are some pictures showing banners on the airplane.
Udet and Kempf quickly come to mind.
Of course also the Pfalz D.VIII by Paul Bäumer.
On Paul Bäumer's Pfalz D.VIII the banner looks as if it were about 20-30cm of light, unpainted canvas and then the black color begins.
Kempf even had a banner on each side of his triplane, these were mounted to the wooden spurs under the wing.
Here is the link to the website of the descendants of the pilot Fritz Kempf.
Very interesting pictures.
http://www.kempf.no/index.html
And this link leads directly to the picture of his Fokker Dr.1 213/17 “Kennscht mi no?”
The banners are relatively easy to recognize.
http://www.kempf.no/Bilder/Varaircrafts/C066.jpg
Servus
Bertl
...... Ah, almost forgot - thanks for the info about the “silver gray” ;)
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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Hello Gary,
regarding the length and width of the leader's banners, I believe that I have read that they were normally around 5 - 8cm wide and 2.5 to max. 3 meters long.
Usually the banners were painted in the colors of the flag of the German Empire.
Starting with approx. 80-100cm black, then 80-100cm white and finally 80-100cm red.
Made from canvas, the corners and edges were sewn all around.
The colors used did not really matter, the only important thing was that the leader was visually recognizable in the air in the mass of aircraft - the banner was of course clearly recognizable - the colors probably less so.
Servus
Bertl
...... Ah, almost forgot - thanks for the info about the “silver gray” ;)
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Thanks for that Bertl - much appreciated. Here's what I did with your info. Luckily I'm still typing up my article and this will be a great additional picture to include & talk about. I remember also your help with the Albatros D.Va and the flare pistol on the right hand side of the aircraft - another "thought I was done, but I wasn't" moment. But thanks to you the model was much more accurate.
Cheers!
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/pkwO30a.jpg)
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What a fantastic build, Gary!
I received my kit last week and I am still overwhelmed by its surface details and quality all over.
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Brilliant work all round Gary (and a nice touch to add the streamer Bertl suggested)
Paul
ps - Good to read that Brad has a love/hate relationship with the Aviattic decals too having been battling to use the transparent ones on a 72nd fuselage I stripped them off and, after an aborted second attempt, used the white backed ones instead.
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Thanks for that Bertl - much appreciated. Here's what I did with your info.
Some icing on a very nice cake!
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I really love to look at your beautiful made models Gary - they are all so well executed! Lots of attention to details all around ;D
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That really is a great model there, Gary
Love the subtle weathering (chipping) on the fuselage around the cockpit opening.
Regards
Dave
Thanks for that, Dave - it was the very last step of the finishing. I never know when to stop adding those little paint scratches...but try to err on the side of "not too many" ;)
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What a fantastic build, Gary!
I received my kit last week and I am still overwhelmed by its surface details and quality all over.
Thanks Andreas - it's quite the kit. I was happy to see Richard add a few spares of the tiny parts, and I certainly needed a couple of them. And completely lost one of the etched metal parts (front support for undercarriage) and had to make one from styrene ::)
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Another superb model from you, Gary. What a beaut.
On the one hand, you make me want to start mine, but on the other you make me tremble at the hill to climb! Models are there to be built though. Interesting how a craftsman of your experience rates the difficulty. But the result was well worth your effort.
Lovely rendition.
Sandy
Thanks Sandy! If you're ready to start your build at some point please send me a PM and I can pass along a few of my building experiences :)
Cheers,
Gary
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Gary, you are a gentleman.
S
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Magnificent build Gary, just the right amount of subtle weathering. Glad you added the pennant, nice touch.
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Hello Gary,
regarding the length and width of the leader's banners, I believe that I have read that they were normally around 5 - 8cm wide and 2.5 to max. 3 meters long.
Usually the banners were painted in the colors of the flag of the German Empire.
Starting with approx. 80-100cm black, then 80-100cm white and finally 80-100cm red.
Made from canvas, the corners and edges were sewn all around.
The colors used did not really matter, the only important thing was that the leader was visually recognizable in the air in the mass of aircraft - the banner was of course clearly recognizable - the colors probably less so.
Servus
Bertl
...... Ah, almost forgot - thanks for the info about the “silver gray” ;)
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Thanks for that Bertl - much appreciated. Here's what I did with your info. Luckily I'm still typing up my article and this will be a great additional picture to include & talk about. I remember also your help with the Albatros D.Va and the flare pistol on the right hand side of the aircraft - another "thought I was done, but I wasn't" moment. But thanks to you the model was much more accurate.
Cheers!
Gary
(https://i.imgur.com/pkwO30a.jpg)
Excellently realized with the banner, Gary!
Simply superb.
Did you make it from a thin strip of paper?
Servus
Bertl
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Excellently realized with the banner, Gary!
Simply superb.
Did you make it from a thin strip of paper?
Servus
Bertl
Thanks for that Bertl - the banner was made using some soft thin metal from the top of a wine bottle. In the old days, these "capsules" were made of lead, and the stuff I still have is from a few decades ago which is quite malleable and takes well to paint. Not lead (but an alloy of??) and bends nicely. Good for making seat harnesses too.
Cheers,
Gary
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For those of you who are interested to see my take on building this kit, the write-up will be in the August Issue (155) of Military Illustrated Modeller - cheers!
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Beautiful model and presentation. Looking forward to the article.
Steve
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Hi Gary, I'll make a point of scrounging out that issue, I'm still referring to your E.II article as my own Projekt Eindecker progresses by fits and (mostly) starts...
All best,
Dutch
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Beautiful and eye catching ...as usual =).
Paul
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For those of you who are interested to see my take on building this kit, the write-up will be in the August Issue (155) of Military Illustrated Modeller - cheers!
I've just ordered the Issue 155 Military Illustrated Modeller magazine Gary. I'm looking forward to it.
Servus
Bertl
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I've just ordered the Issue 155 Military Illustrated Modeller magazine Gary. I'm looking forward to it.
Servus
Bertl
Thanks, Bertl. The fact that I did not use the kit-supplied turnbuckles didn't go over well with some - but I stick by my decision since they are too big (look at the photo on the back of the instruction book) and also won't swivel into position when the rigging is pulled taught.
Cheers,
Gary