Many thanks for taking the time to post this link Stephen; your research and corrections are invaluable for us modellers who are looking for accuracy in their paint schemes.
Folks, given not all of us have Facebook,
I have kindly received Stephen's permission to post his corrections and comments here. The images and words are Stephens and are not to reproduced without his permission.Here's the album -
This album will address corrections to published decal instructions. We all have finished a model, then found information that we did not have at the time of its construction. Often we just live with the build "as is" without revisiting or remodeling. Here we try to rectify some items that have had light cast on its original research.
Eagle strike (OOP) Nr. 48041 profile correction
The boys of Jasta 15, 1917. Ltns. Mendel & Monntington both showed up to Jasta 15 at the same time, both scored 8 victories total. Both flew machines emblazoned with the "Death's Head".
Eduard new mold Nr. 8110 profile D.
Eduard new mold Nr. 8110 profile D modified.
Alb. D.V kit Nr. 8113:
Alb. D.Va kit Nr. 8113:
Aeromaster 48-181 (OOP) corrections.
Aeromaster 48-182 (OOP) Corrections.
The recent issue of Eduard's 1/48 Sopwith F.1 Kit Number 11151 has a couple of fails. USAAS documents state that red & white was used for the upper wing sash. The orthochromatic film shows the "4" as a medium color. In this case ultramarine blue is likely since they came from the British contracts and the accompanying paint & dope would probably match their stocks. Also the unit insignia "probably" faced forward on both sides.
Blue Rider / Insignia 1/48 Sopwith Camel F.1 E7232 is in the Colorful Camels Part 2, BR517. It lists a possible alternative color for the top wing as orange and white as opposed to the usually accepted red & white.
When I did this build and decided to only use the red & blue portions over white painted airframe areas.
This is the Eduard kit #8057. I replaced the plastic pushrods on the Clerget with the appropriate diameter metal rods. I also added a Copper State models etched metal Sopwith type fire wall. Simulating the interior rigging with fine wire. Interplane and Cabane struts had fine wire inserted into pre-drilled holes at their ends. The top wing comes cast in one whole piece but with separation lines denoting the panels like the production versions. The rigging is monofilament. The tail skid is modified brass. Otherwise it was built per the instructions. DIMPS III, E7232 red wing, wheels & tail areas and serial decals are from Blue Rider "Colourful Camels Pt II."
AeroMaster 48-179.
Scrap image from AeroMaster 48-179.
Here is the original aircraft as it appears in service at Jasta 15.
In the corrected image I used Americal / Gryphon Jasta 15 decal sheet.
AeroMaster 48_074 corrections. Fields need to be enlarged & crosses centered to new area.
Fokker Dr.I decals for the DML kit #5901 upper wing cross field need to be wider.
Microscale 48-451 has a few problems.
Eagle Strike "Colourful Fokkers" first issued in Nov. 2002. The top profile should be 5 colour lozenge with minimal louvres. The 2nd profile's side panels have cupped louvres. The 2nd & 3rd profiles should be in 4 color lozenge. The Tomcat blurb is a head-scratcher.
Eduard art for their kit. Generally accurate. I agree with the referencing to Anthology 3 by Albatros Productions.
Eduard 1/48 SSW D.III premier release 1992. It wrongly portrayed Udet's D.8350/17 as having a red rudder.
Eduard 1/48 SSW D.III release 1992-4 instructions. It wrongly portrayed Udet's D.8350/17 as having a red rudder.
Eduard 1/48 SSW D.III release 1992-4 instructions. It wrongly portrayed as a Jasta 15 machine in July 1918. Vallendor never served in Jasta 15. If infact it was an early production machine it was photographed after it had been brought up to new specifications and returned to service probably in a Kest (5,6 or 8 ). If the "V" is from Jasta 15, it had to belong to Ltn. Seppl Veltjens as his reserve machine.
Eduard 1/48 SSW D.III release 1992-4 instructions. It was discovered to be 8340/17 from Swiss records.
Eduard 1/48 SSW D.III release 1992-4 instructions. It wrongly portrayed as an original Jasta 15 machine that was returned to that unit after modifications. The truth is that this was an artist's rendering of a hypothetical scheme.
Eduard 1/48 SSW D.III release 2014 kit. The mistakes seen in the lozenge have been discuss in another album. Too many people groused about the super detail in the wings and the lack of detail in the engine. Both were easy fixes. After all we are modelers.
Eduard 1/48 SSW D.III release 1992-4 C profile. It also wrongly portrayed as a Jasta 15 machine in July 1918. If infact it was an early production machine it was photographed after it had been brought up to new specifications and returned to service probably in a Kest (5,6 or 8 ). If the "V" is from Jasta 15, it had to belong to Ltn. Seppl Veltjens as his reserve machine.
Eduard 1/48 SSW D.III release 1992-4 D profile. Eduard says that along with blue another possibility is overall brown. It D.1626/18 was a 2nd production machine that was sent to Kest 4b in a used condition. The exhaust stains already covered the fuselage. Typically It was the piano type stained fuselage with grey metal areas. The exhaust stain muted these colors. The black and white tail markings appear freshly applied.
Eduard 1/48 SSW D.III release 2015 kit. The A profile has been discussed here previously. The B profile is nearly correct, but The cowlings were black and the sea snake was white. The exhaust stains muted these colors.
Nice scheme but it is not accurate. Raben never flew Dr.I types in Jasta 7 either. These bogus bills have floated around for years. Unfortunately.
Another publisher runs a foul. 2023.
The most reproduced color scheme on Pfalz D.III & IIIa aircraft kits is the machine belonging to Haupt Rudolf Berthold. Lower wing tips are wrong too.
Eduard kept getting the demarcation line in the wrong location. Lower wing tips are wrong too.
Finally they listened to WnW and began placing it correctly at the rear cabane strut connection to the fuselage.
Here is the WnW profile that had it down correctly.
Pheon Decals 48023 profile D.III 4004/17. Very good.
Eduard Albatros D.III. The real foul up is not quartering the colors on the fuselage.
First let me applaud Eduard for fixing the profile for 1996/16 in the current Profipack issue 8114.
But 8114 fouled up Sch?fer's 2062/16, the camouflage should be the early 3 color type like the other profiles.
In April 1917 when the tale of the Anti-Richthofen squadron came out the members of Jasta 11 petitioned MvR to bring the enemy confusion by adding red to their machines (fuelages). Then later when Sch?fer went to Jasta 28 he took this machine with him. While the serial on the fin was painted out, it is very unlikely that it was done in red.
But Sch?fer's 2062/16, the camouflage should be the early 3 color type like the other profiles. If hs wings had been recovered or replaced, then the colors would be lt. green & dk. green. Mauve was not introduced until the last of June, 1917.
Eduard has placed this machine as one that was flown by Ltn. F. Ray in the Autumn / Fall of 1917 in Jasta 28w. As such during this time frame the Jasta 28w yellow tail with two black stripes running fore to aft. Eduard has not presented this possibility.
If this is Ltn. Ray's same machine the cross is too far forward and is probably an OAW. Note the flare rack on the upper fuselage side.
Here the rear fuselage of Ray's Alb. D.III appears to be yellow (?) with a black border. There is also evidence of a letter or number on the fuselage spine.
Jasta 28w in the field Fall 1917. Note the tail units.
My take on his machine as a Jasta 28w early Johannistahl built.
Microscale decals for the Microscale 1/48 Fokker D.VII, decal sheet nr. 48150. Late 1960's - early 1970's.
These sheets were riddled with inaccuracies. The decals for the prop blades were the first of their kind. And disappointing after application.
Each profile has some problems. Today's common references will be a benefit. I altered he Auffarth profile to at least bring it to an early type.
We modelers are artists that are a grumpy lot when it comes to our final builds. Criticism is something that we don't generally choke down well even if the evidence is currently available. But when they whine that they had only a certain amount of evidence in hand at the time, it is time to block and move on. Years ago, K. Munson published some small booklets on WWI aviation profiles. Mostly there were some reasonable efforts for the time but in the case of the Fokker D. VI this green & lilac profile was dated 1918 and the Eastern front unit unknown.
First, there was never a Fokker D. VI that made it to the "Eastern" front "in WWI" as Russia retired from the conflict due to the Soviet revolution of 1917. Second, the Fokker D. VI was manufactured in the spring of 1918. Third, all 60 of the production Fok. D. VI went to the front in 4 & 5 color lozenge fabric camouflage. So realistically the Fok. D. VI could not have been on the Eastern front in 1917, especially in two tone upper camouflage. In one fanciful art rendering its depicted in streaked green & lilac patch upper camouflage. "Tom's Modelworks" box art for his resin kit R106 unfortunately it tended to perpetuate the myth. So, when you see this green & lilac profile applied to a scale Fok. D. VI model build, know that its ok to just shake your head & walk away.
That's all folks - i'll add updates as they come through (with Stephen's permission, of course!)
Cheers,
BC
