forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Topic started by: NigelR on August 01, 2025, 08:57:20 PM
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Here's the first stages of my first entry for the "Aces Mounts" Group Build. It's the Fokker DVII flown by Lothar von Richthofen which he described as his "lovely red bird". Ronny Bar produced a profile of this a while back showing the aircraft entirely overpainted in red, and this provoked some discussion on The Aerodrome. Bottom line is that the all-red scheme is definitely highly speculative but IMO it looks great and Aviattic produced a set of decals for this scheme which I will be using.
It is possible that this DVIIF is in the 4250/18 to 4449/18 series, as JGI received a batch from this series in the July/August timeframe which is when LvR was flying his "lovely red bird". There is a photo of him standing in front of a dark coloured DVIIF which has the cowling arrangement from this series, so that's good enough for me. This photo could be his "lovely red bird" but we don't know for sure.
This aircraft was not in service for long under LvR. He was known to have scored two victories in it but then crashed it on landing, damaging the wing. So weathering will be kept very subtle on this one. This will be a "quick" OOB build as I need a relaxing build after spending so long focused on my "Gassed" diorama......Let's hope it pans out that way.
I had already started this when the GB was announced so don't have any photos of the box and kit before it was started. But most of the interior parts and engine are done, so here's a few photos of where I am at:
(https://i.imgur.com/G243fkq.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/idZ72uo.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Fm4VuNU.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BIMrph0.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CZDB5Vt.jpeg)
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Lovely start Nigel. Quite looking forward to a red kite that wasn't flown by the better known brother :)
Paul
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WOW! Excellent engine and weathered seat. I am looking forward to the next updates
Joerg
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Looks great! Looking forward to more pictures
/Fredrik
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I too am looking forward to seeing it. I don't know what LVR's D.VII looks like and I'm not going to Google it, gives me another thing to look forward to.
Alan.
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Oh my Nigel, off to a cracking start there! Looking great! Nice choice of subject also :)
Cheers,
BC
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Nice!
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Excellent start to your build, Nigel and great to see something new from your bench. Looking forward to seeing your progress on this interesting subject. Decided to go with the red exhaust flange covers, eh ;)
Cheers,
Gary
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Great start Nigel, can you please give us scale and manufacturer? Of course it's 1/32.
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Thanks everyone, there should be more progress shots later this week.
WOW! Excellent engine and weathered seat.
Thanks Joerg. I got a bit carried away trying some new techniques on the seat. Of course I then remembered this aircraft was only in service for a couple of weeks so the seat probably wouldn't be that scratched. But I decided to leave it that way.....
Decided to go with the red exhaust flange covers, eh ;)
I ummed and aahed and decided to go red to add a bit of colour to the dull side of the engine...... ;) ;D
Great start Nigel, can you please give us scale and manufacturer? Of course it's 1/32.
Sorry Allan, I forgot there were scales other than 1/32....... ;D It's the Wingnut Wings Fokker DVIIF (in 1/32 of course). This is the Goering boxing they did and as I didn't want to do his machine I am using the nice set of Lothar von Richthofen decals that Aviattic produced for this kit.
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Nice work so far :)
Alexis
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Thanks Alexis!
Here's a couple of shots of the completed interior. Most of the detail is now (of course) difficult to see.....
(https://i.imgur.com/DyROIvb.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/KIqT8A9.jpeg)
I had trouble with the etched seatbelts from the kit. These seemed flimsy and the buckle parts broke off when I bent them to shape. I didn't have any HGW seat belts to hand so I used some of the Kits-World 3D printed decal seatbelts. These aren't too bad IMO. Not my preferred solution but ok.
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Really good work on the interior. I wouldn't have known they weren't the original seatbelts, they look good to me.
Alan.
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Cracking along with this one Nigel 8)
Seatbelts worked out well and I love the leather effect on the seat. Soon be time to close it up and start on the exterior (given teh lack of rigging on this one I'm expecting it to be wrapped up by the weekend ;D ;)
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Nice progress, Nigel. So much work goes into these cockpits and so little seen afterward - but that's the fun of it. Having built a couple of the WnW D.VII kits myself, I know that joining the fuselage halves can be tricky because of the tight tolerances around the cockpit framing (I'm sure you've heard of this!).
Cheers,
Gary
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nice work painting the ammunition.
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Thanks very much Alan, Paul, Gary and Bo.
Having built a couple of the WnW D.VII kits myself, I know that joining the fuselage halves can be tricky because of the tight tolerances around the cockpit framing (I'm sure you've heard of this!).
Yes, this is my third WNW DVII and I've run into those challenges before. The first attempt never got finished, partly because I assumed the quality of WNW kits meant I didn't need to worry about much dry fitting...... How wrong I was! The multi-version approach means everything at the front end needs careful dry fitting and fettling before committing anything to cement. The same is true of the cockpit tub, once it's built it needs a fair bit of sanding on the outside to get the fuselage halves to fit together.
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Great stuff. Here's me thinking WnW fit perfect all the time.
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Here's the first stages of my first entry for the "Aces Mounts" Group Build. It's the Fokker DVII flown by Lothar von Richthofen which he described as his "lovely red bird". Ronny Bar produced a profile of this a while back showing the aircraft entirely overpainted in red, and this provoked some discussion on The Aerodrome. Bottom line is that the all-red scheme is definitely highly speculative but IMO it looks great and Aviattic produced a set of decals for this scheme which I will be using.
Hi Nigel,
I didn't spot the start of this GB until I read your post.
I added my 'Schweinhund' SE5a build now.
It looks as though it could be a red letter day for the GWSIG models ;D
Mike
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It looks as though it could be a red letter day for the GWSIG models ;D
Hehe, it does indeed. Now all we have to do is to get them on the same display table! Any chance you will be at Telford this year?
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It looks as though it could be a red letter day for the GWSIG models ;D
Hehe, it does indeed. Now all we have to do is to get them on the same display table! Any chance you will be at Telford this year?
Hi Nigel,
Afraid not as, unless anything kicks off over there, I'll be in Eygpt,
Mike
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This is some beautiful work Nigel. Love the paint skills. Can't wait to see how your take on the LVR D.VII.
Warren Q
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Very neat painting in the cockpit!
/Fredrik
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Very fine interior!!!
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Thanks very much Warren, Fredrik and Przemo. Work is progressing, the fuselage is buttoned up and joins filled, all subassemblies built, cleaned and ready for priming. Will post some updates when I have something more interesting than grey plastic....... :D
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A bit of progress to report. As the whole aircraft is covered in Aviattic decals, there was a lot of undercoating and gloss coating to be done before decal application could start. I didn't want to bother you with all of that, but here's one shot of the undercoated fuselage:
(https://i.imgur.com/GA5Ldxp.jpeg)
The Aviattic decals don't include a serial number, as the serial number of this aircraft was unknown. So I made up a plausible one by cutting up and adapting the ones in the Goering kit. I meant to do 4255/18 but in my haste I did 4525/18 (which is outside the likely production batch for this plane). I then did a mist coat over the top so they didn't stand out too much through the decals. I also added a weight table because I didn't think there was one on the Aviattic fuselage decal. But when I went to apply the decal I realised there was a beautifully subtle weight table under the red overpainting on the decal. So now there are two, but fortunatley it's not very obvious!!
Here's where I am so far, still more decalling to do before weathering and assembly can begin:
(https://i.imgur.com/x7rkFMj.jpeg)
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Looking good Nigel and should be a bit of crowd pleaser on the stand :D
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Gorgeous!
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That's looking great so far Nigel. Your weight table story had me chuckling - there have been so many instances I've fallen into that are similar...it's nice to know I'm not the only one ;)
Cheers,
Gary
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That looks great.
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Fantastic work so far , love the red you choose ;D
Alexis
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Thanks all! There is progress being made. The issue with a plane that's pretty much covered in decals is that there is a lot of varnishing and decalling to be done which can't be rushed. However, the main components are together and now it's just a question of painting all the front end panels and undercarriage and doing the final assembly.
(https://i.imgur.com/8dwSkZn.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/p5iUbGO.jpeg)
Fantastic work so far , love the red you choose ;D
Aviattic chose the red, not me ;) The whole thing is covered in Aviattic decals, they did a clever job of allowing the lozenge underneath to show through. However, it turns out Vallejo Model Air Fire Red is a pretty close match, so that's the colour to use if you like this finish.
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Well that's looking pretty glorious Nigel.
Cracking job on the decals. Doff my cap to you and Richard (Aviattic) 8)
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Looks amazing.
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Oh my! That?s looking great so far.
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Looking excellent! One thing I have always struggled with aviattic decals on is trimming them after they are on the model. They are so stretchy that I don't find it easy to get a clean cut, even with a sharp blade. What is your tips with this?
Cheers!
Brad C
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Thanks Paul, Allan, Tim and Brad. Sadly there's been a slight issue with my final varnish coat. I apply a mix of matt and satin varnish to give a slight sheen to the fabric but for some reason this time it didn't go that well and has ended up too matt with an odd rough finish and doesn't look great to my eyes. I wish I'd left it in the satin finish I used to seal the decals. Oh well. It will still look ok when finished but it's not to my usual standard.
One thing I have always struggled with aviattic decals on is trimming them after they are on the model. They are so stretchy that I don't find it easy to get a clean cut, even with a sharp blade. What is your tips with this?
Simple - use a brand new razor blade. And it has to be brand new, one that has been used a bit won't be sharp enough. You will get some nicks in the paintwork where you do the trimming but I always need to do a few touch ups with these large decals anyway.
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Simple - use a brand new razor blade. And it has to be brand new, one that has been used a bit won't be sharp enough. You will get some nicks in the paintwork where you do the trimming but I always need to do a few touch ups with these large decals anyway.
Many thanks kind sir! It's always been the thing that has put me off their decals, even though I have used them on a few models. Personally I still prefer the old Eagle Strike lozenge decals for their ease of use and responsiveness to decal setting solution, but they are far more work with application and post shading than the Aviattic decals (plus the Aviattic colours are more accurate). Appreciate the tip :)
With regards to the varnish issue you have, what varnish are you using? Perhaps the same with some gloss mixed in might help? I sometimes find the same issue when I use acrylic varnishes if I use methylated spirits as a thinner; it dries before it hits the surface of the model, which gives it a powdery white appearance. Hence for my gloss acrylic coats I use proper tamiya acrylic thinner. If you're using acrylics, good news is that it can be gotten rid of with some application of gloss varnish.
Cheers,
BC
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With regards to the varnish issue you have, what varnish are you using? Perhaps the same with some gloss mixed in might help? I sometimes find the same issue when I use acrylic varnishes if I use methylated spirits as a thinner; it dries before it hits the surface of the model, which gives it a powdery white appearance. Hence for my gloss acrylic coats I use proper tamiya acrylic thinner. If you're using acrylics, good news is that it can be gotten rid of with some application of gloss varnish.
I use a Vallejo acrylic varnish for my final coat, a mix of matt and satin which usually gives a nice subtle sheen. It's been perfect over my recent builds. I suspect atmospheric conditions might have impacted things. I've applied a coat of satin mixed with gloss over the top, it's improved it slightly but it's still not how I like it. Oh well, sometimes these things happen...... It was quick fun build anyway, no plans to enter it into any competitions!
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Good luck, when it all goes tits up for me I re-coat with full gloss Future and start over. For my doped finishes of semi-gloss I mix Vallejo flat with Future about 50/50.
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Nice to finally catch up on your build Nigel. It's troublesome to have that problem you'd mentioned with your overall finish...hope all goes well with the next steps!
Cheers,
Gary
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Great effect of the underlying losenge.
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Well, it doesn't look like much progress but I am getting there. The MGs are only loosely placed in position as I want to get the rest of the engine panels in place before I permanently attach them.
(https://i.imgur.com/jJ9i0fk.jpeg)
All other parts are painted, varnished and ready to go, so hopefully it won't be too long until it's finished. I am currently deciding whether to add the control rods for the Hohenvergaser (high altitude carburettor) in the engine bay. I intend to leave the top panels off so these would be visible but I can't work out how they would be routed in the engine bay. More research needed.....
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Lovin' that Nigel 8)
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Your progress looks fab, Nigel. In regards to your research into the carb linkage, I?ve sent a picture to your Messenger account which hopefully may show you what you were looking for as far as linkage to the carburetor (saving the faff of uploading saved images etc.)
Cheers,
Gary
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Wow! What a beautiful model, painting and weathering at it?s best
Joerg
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Second that , gorgeous !
Alexis
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Thanks Paul, Gary, Joerg and Alexis, I'm taking the photos carefully to hide my varnish imperfections but it is definitely a very cool scheme. Whether it actually ever looked like this we'll never know.....
In regards to your research into the carb linkage, I?ve sent a picture to your Messenger account which hopefully may show you what you were looking for as far as linkage to the carburetor (saving the faff of uploading saved images etc.)
Thanks Gary, as I said I actually have that book and missed that picture. Although it doesn't really help because I found the original workshop manual for the BMW IIIa (https://bmw-grouparchiv.de/irc/resultlist/detailpage?id=3052421) and it shows the control linkages (there are two) located behind the hohenvergaser unit rather than attached to the front of it. Very confusing.
The Memorial Flight Association Fokker DVIIF has an original BMW IIIa but annoyingly among all the restoration photos they do not have one that clearly shows how these linkages are attached to the engine. However, they do show the radiator shutter linkage, which I shall add.
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That?s a great effect with the lozenge pattern slightly showing through the red. I know it?s a decal but you?ve applied them
masterfully.
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Thanks Tim, the decals are very good. Sadly there are a few cock ups with the application and varnishing on my part but they aren't that obvious and I'm hiding them in the photos..... ;)
She's now up on her legs with the cowling panels and radiator in place. I'll be doing her without the cowling top panels as these planes were often flown without them to aid cooling. I solved the mystery of the control rods that actuate the hohenvergaser and added them from stretched sprue. Of course they can't be seen now the cowl panels are on.....! ::)
(https://i.imgur.com/8Gzzgot.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/aTZ0g9H.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5V4WLfH.jpeg)
The MGs are still just loosely in place which is why they are a bit wonky in the close up. Should be finished next week.....
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Stunning! :o
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That's really cool how the lozenge just shows thru the red.
Alan.
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Thanks Brad and Alan. The decals really are very effective with the lozenge under the red.
I've now got the MGs attached along with the padding and spent ammo chutes. The exhaust is on, all that's left to do now is to attach the top wing, do any final touch ups and weathering tweaks. I'm also waiting for the oils on the prop to dry which will take a few days yet, so I'll post finished photos early next week.
(https://i.imgur.com/tCO2oqJ.jpeg)
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Hey Nigel - I love that exhaust pipe. What colour did you paint it?
Cheers,
Gary
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Hey Nigel - I love that exhaust pipe. What colour did you paint it?
Thanks Gary. The basic colour is MIG Atom steel. It then has a wash of Abteilung 502 Starship Filth oil paint (any black/dark grey wash will do) over the whole thing. Once dry, it's dry brushed with MIG Ammo jet exhaust burnt iron. I then used the Tamiya Weathering Maser set D that I have had lying around for years to add the blue heat discolouration close to the engine, and I used the burnt red colour from the same set to add a bit more patina around the tip. Finally I just dry brushed the weld beads with an aluminium colour to make then stand out a little bit. And of course some black pastel at the exhaust tip.
And I think I've realised why it takes me so long to finish a model.......... ;D
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Stunning.
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The basic colour is MIG Atom steel. It then has a wash of Abteilung 502 Starship Filth oil paint (any black/dark grey wash will do) over the whole thing. Once dry, it's dry brushed with MIG Ammo jet exhaust burnt iron. I then used the Tamiya Weathering Maser set D that I have had lying around for years to add the blue heat discolouration close to the engine, and I used the burnt red colour from the same set to add a bit more patina around the tip. Finally I just dry brushed the weld beads with an aluminium colour to make then stand out a little bit. And of course some black pastel at the exhaust tip.
And I think I've realised why it takes me so long to finish a model.......... ;D
Thanks for the tutorial - the effects are well worth the effort and your attention to detail shows - as always! Funny you mention the Tamiya weathering set...I had set "A" which has sat in a drawer ever since I bought it maybe 15 years ago. Never used it, but your post made me hunt around for quite a while to finally find it and think of some possible uses ;)
Cheers,
Gary
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Stunning.
Thanks very much Allan, I appreciate that a lot!
Funny you mention the Tamiya weathering set...I had set "A" which has sat in a drawer ever since I bought it maybe 15 years ago. Never used it, but your post made me hunt around for quite a while to finally find it and think of some possible uses ;)
I did the same :) I bought set D many years ago and never used it. Recently, a post popped up on my FBook feed with a really nicely done exhaust and the modeller had used this Tamiya set to really good effect. That prompted me to dig it out and I really liked the effect it produced.
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I'm saving your exhaust painting method to try (if not with the exact products then similar which I have handy) as it's long been an issue for me. Thanks for sharing! Also that overall finish is brilliant. I love how you can just barely see the lozenge. Those decals are brilliant, and I love the richer/denser colour on the non-fabric parts. Very cool.
I solved the mystery of the control rods that actuate the hohenvergaser and added them from stretched sprue. Of course they can't be seen now the cowl panels are on.....! ::)
But - let's say it together folks - you know they're there!
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It's finished - completed pics here: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=15133.msg277618#msg277618