Choosing Color Schemes

[skeeterbuck]

I'm interested in your method of choosing a paint scheme when you're building a particular aircraft. 

Do you go by which one just appeals to you?

Do you lean to the "classic" ones like MvR's red triplane or Udet's "Du Doch Nicht!!"?

Is a complicated paint scheme a challenge you look for or is a rather simple one like Goering's all white D-VII more appealing?

Let's hear you thoughts.

Chuck

[RAGIII]

I'm interested in your method of choosing a paint scheme when you're building a particular aircraft. 

Do you go by which one just appeals to you?

Do you lean to the "classic" ones like MvR's red triplane or Udet's "Du Doch Nicht!!"?

Is a complicated paint scheme a challenge you look for or is a rather simple one like Goering's all white D-VII more appealing?

Let's hear you thoughts.

Chuck

I am going to answer but am probably the "Odd Man Out" here. I build Collections. JG1 for the Germans, 19,43,and 56 Sq. for the Brits, Lafayette Escadrille and the Storks for France, and the 27th and 94th from the 1st pursuit group for the US. From there I go with what schemes appeal the Most to me.
RAGIII
PS: I chose these Groups/ Squadrons because I can trace them through WW1 to today, more or less, as I do build an occasional Off Topic Aircraft!

[lcarroll]

    Great question/topic.
    I seem to gravitate towards the historical ties of the subject; the "aircraft of the aces" approach. The uniqueness or attraction of the markings and colouring rank next in line. Like most, I suspect, national relevance plays into the game as well, with a "Canadian connection" being common in my choices.
    In my experience just about every scheme can be or is complicated and each offers a unique challenge. I greatly admire some of the recent builds here with colourful checkerboard or diamonds prominent, that's hard to present well IMHO. On the reverse end of the spectrum is the "plain Jane" PC.10 scheme I'm about to do on the MacLaren LeRhone Camel with very unique weathering and paint damage graphically apparent in photos of the aircraft; it will present it's own type of challenges.
   I will add a plug for our loyal After Marketers, Rowan and Richard whose efforts in the decal department make the choice of markings so much broader and rewarding. Great work, Guys, and hopefully still, and well into the future, a worthwhile business proposition for you as well!
Cheers,
Lance

[hiddeous1973]

I am one that tends to do the "what appeals to me'route.
When a new kit arrives, WnW or other, mostly I sit with my wife looking through the decal options and decide there and then which appeals to me/us the most (sometimes she wins, most times it is a draw).
When there is nothing special in the box or when the decals are known to be bad/substandard, I look arround for aftermarket sets.

[Jeff K]

i'm with LCarroll on this. i like a good story, and a good story usually involves an ace.

purty markings play into but end of day if i have a choice i pick a good story.

[RLWP]

I like to choose something that is unlikely to be in a decal set. and if there is some sort of story that helps

Richard

[IanB]

I tend to go for something that is not what most people know. So I won't be doing MvR's Dr.I for instance. That doesn't mean I won't do aces, but I also want to remember some of the unknowns (to those who know little about WWI that is). Having the background info on the crews is more important to me in my choices than a colourful scheme or well know pilot.

Ian

[coyotemagic]

I like a good story, as well.  That's why I chose to build Alan McLeod's FK8, in spite of the fact that it was the dullest of all the markings options.  I also like interesting designs, so experimental types are well represented in my stash.  I'm also a huge fan of Austro-Hungarian aircraft.  I have a Priesel DD KEP winging it's way to me as we speak.  I like floaty planes, too, so I guess my taste is pretty eclectic.
Cheers,
Bud

[Edo]

I too go the "what appeals me more" road. 
but since I build one model per plane, the scheme I choose has to represent,say,  "all" the Albatross. so it doesn't have to be associated too much to a single ace, it has to be colourful, but sobre and not machabre (no skulls, bones and such).  in the end it is a matter of personal tasting... 

ciao
edo

[skeeterbuck]

Some interesting replies so far.

I usually gravitate towards schemes that contain personal markings of hearts, comets, and skulls.  Ones that are not frequently modelled I also find more attractive. I used to like the Fokker D-VII in the "Sieben Swabians" markings, but after Eduard released the special edition and you started to see that scheme modelled frequently, that kind of put me off of it then.

I can still remember in the mid 1960's when I first saw Revell's re-issues of their 1/28 scale SPAD XIII, Fokker DR-I & Sopwith Camel in the markings for Frank Luke, Werner Voss and William Barker and thinking who are there aces that I've haven't heard of before. Right away that made me want to build all three! 

Also for german aircraft, ones that have odd early versions of the balkenkreuz markings that look like early WW2 luftwaffe crosses before they settled into the common narrow late war design.

Chuck

[Borsos]

Great topic! "It depends..." I would have to answer. Sometimes I simply love a color sheme that I see like the famous Jasta 5 Albatros D III with the Bavarian diamonds on the rudder (I am Bavarian by the way) for example or the red flamed Halberstadts from Schlasta 26b.
Usually I tend to avoid the schemes of the big aces, as modelling airplanes for me has nothing to do with celebrating what was done in war times. But that doesn't mean I won't build a black Josef Jacobs Triplane or so one day. I won't even promise that there won't ever be a red biplane somewher in my collection, as i love MvR's shabby Albatros D III from April 1917.
There are two (or three) "topics" I like most:
 I am always looking for building planes that participated in the air battles over Verdun (1) and the Somme 1916 (2) (Generally I prefer planes from 1916 or very early 1917). These battles are also my main field of intrest when it comes to general history of WWI
(3) I like to do color schemes of Jewish German aviators. To a certain extend building the plane of a certain person is always remembering this person. So this is my way to say "F*** *ff!" to those who destroyed their memory (not to mention everything else they destroyed) between 1933 and 1945. There's a great book for those who can read German from Felix Theilhaber "Jüdische Flieger im Weltkrieg", published 1924 (the better edition) and published online by several libraries. For the same reason I would never build a Fokker D VII from Hermann Göring or a Ju 87 G from Hans-Ulrich Rudel or so. I can't tell how happy I was that Pheon Decals included the markings for Jakob Wolff in their Jasta 17 sheet. The Fritz Beckhardt scheme on the Siemens Schuckert sheet also attracts me (although I would have to cover it up when I showed it at a model show here in Germany...) and if I ever can get my hands on a 1:32 Halberstadt scout there will be a Wilhelm Frankl plane. Just to name a few...
Borsos

[skeeterbuck]

Interesting reply Borsos.

When I did my SSW D-III, I did Fritz Beckhardt's as I liked the scheme and the irony between him being Jewish and his use of the swastika as a personal marking which would latter be tainted in it's association with the Nazi's. I also like Willy Rosenstein's black Fokker D-VII with the white heart he flew while with Jasta 40.

In Peter Kilduff's book on Goring he goes into the fact that Goring's anti semitic views were developed in this earlier schooling and before his  career in the German Army.

Chuck

[cduckworth]

I like to pick a color scheme that I haven't tackled before just to learn another technique.  I also seem to favor the early war aircraft so lots of CDL variations, sky blue for German a/c and odd placement of national markings as exampled with the BE2c having national markings on the horizontal tail.   

Great discussion topic.