WW1 Aircraft Modeling > WW1 Aircraft Information/Questions

Rib Tapes for Four and Five Color Lozenge

(1/1)

WD:
Forumites,
               I'm putting this here hoping I'll get a bite. Mods, if it's in the wrong place, please delete and/or move.

I'm thinking ahead to some future German builds, and I'm pondering about the usage of the blue versus pink/salmon colored rib tapes.

It seems that back in the 90's there was a conventional wisdom that one color went on top, and then the other color was applied to the bottom.
Then, if memory serves me correctly, it was the fashion to believe that one manufacturer used one color, and another manufacturer used another.

What's the conventional wisdom on this subject these days? Or, is this still one of those topics that we don't know?

Warren

Borsos:
To be completely honest, as far as I know these “wisdoms” are nothing but telling the future from tea leaves. I learned from people who write for Propellerblatt: Modeling a certain model means interpreting all the available photographs and then avoiding all impossibilities. They even doubt this “early Tarnstoff covered planes means five colors, later Tarnstoff covered planes means four colors”. According to these scholars German supplies were in such a shortage that all factories used whatever they could get their hands on. So if a light rib tape on a photograph is in fact pink, blue or CDL — no one can ever say with certainty.
I think that sounds quite plausible.
Sorry if that doesn’t help finding the proper “on Mondays and Wednesdays between September 1917 and May 1918 Johannisthal only cut salmon rib tapes” -rules.
Andreas

Rob Hart:

--- Quote from: Borsos on February 08, 2023, 05:13:07 AM ---To be completely honest, as far as I know these “wisdoms” are nothing but telling the future from tea leaves. I learned from people who write for Propellerblatt: Modeling a certain model means interpreting all the available photographs and then avoiding all impossibilities. They even doubt this “early Tarnstoff covered planes means five colors, later Tarnstoff covered planes means four colors”. According to these scholars German supplies were in such a shortage that all factories used whatever they could get their hands on. So if a light rib tape on a photograph is in fact pink, blue or CDL — no one can ever say with certainty.
I think that sounds quite plausible.
Sorry if that doesn’t help finding the proper “on Mondays and Wednesdays between September 1917 and May 1918 Johannisthal only cut salmon rib tapes” -rules.
Andreas

--- End quote ---

Information like this is one of the reasons that I love to build models of WWI aircraft. There is always an exception to the rule and the rules are usually in flux.

WD:
Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I just didn't know if there had been any breakthrough on the knowledge front. Sounds as if I can do as I please within reason.

Again, thanks!

Warren

Borsos:
Again, I have no idea if this is correct. I just listen to other people‘s statements, but other people who are much deeper in the sources than I am. But I personally think that the more recent discovery of a strange way to cover Halberstadt Cl. II wings — that they used the Tarnstoff intended for the lower sides of the wings on the upper sides and CDL on the lower sides on the first production batch because they hadn’t anything else to cover the wings with, speaks for this theory.
However, I am keen on seeing your build, Warren!
Andreas

Navigation

[0] Message Index