Blue Max Pfalz

[Bluesfan]

Here is my Blue Max Pfalz.

I wouldn't argue if Des wants this moved to 'Time to Relax'; it is a Sixties plane after all. I'm tentatively showing it here since this machine and the film it starred in had a lot to do with sparking off my own interest in WWI aviation and I daresay many of the other members here might say the same.

I made it as a fiftieth birthday present for my brother who loves the film. I had a lot of fun building it and for all its quirks, and my own mistakes, I'm very happy with the result.

[Bluesfan]

I'm tickled by the approach Encore/Squadron took to this kit, allowing the possibility of finishing it as a genuine D.III, the hybrid D.III/D.IIIa of the novel, as well as the plane from the film, which is of course what most people have bought the kit to do.

Which is in fact impossible.

Not because Encore have failed in their intent, or even because they've made compromises in utilising the Roden Pfalz D.III kit as the basis for this one. No, it's technically impossible for historical reasons, in that there were actually two machines used for filming, made by two different workshops, and which featured distinct differences. For example, the outline of the front edge of the fuselage lozenge is very different, the kit's resembling G-ATIF's. I'll refer to the two machines as G-ATIF and G-ATIJ, although I believe they both now have New Zealand registrations(?). Then there's the vertical tail, the nose, etc etc.

My references, apart from the very thorough instruction manual, were:
The Pfalz D.III Datafile, which includes some material on the Blue Max planes at the back
The article on the "Blue Max 'Pfalzen'!" in Windsock vol. 26, no. 2 (2010)
The walkaround of ex-G-ATIJ, "Omaka's Pfalse Pfalz", which appeared recently on Aeroscale.co.uk

[Bluesfan]

Part way through the build. A few notes:

A - Hard to pick out in the views I've seen, but there may be a small grey walkway, at least on the right hand side, outside the wing root. What there definitely is, on G-ATIJ, is a couple of small struts on each side above the wing root, and I added crude representations of these later in the build.

B - The new engine cowling top goes on okay, but it's not straightforward. I guess I'm not so used to this sort of thing and I had to do an awful lot of filling and sanding, culminating in an extra milimetre on the nose in the form of a circle of styrene, to smooth out the lines of the nose going into the spinner.

C - I didn't sand these scoops off since G-ATIJ does feature them. And I didn't add the provided PE boxy fairing under the nose because, again, I can't see anything of the sort on photos.

D - What on earth is this structure? I'm not complaining, it sort of adds to the look of the machine, I just don't know what it is.

E - Encore have you shaving off loads of unwanted bumps and stuff from the D.III fuselage and wings, I wonder why they didn't specify this rather prominent one as well. It's a bit late now and I'm leaving it. It's not visible on photos of either G-ATIF or G-ATIJ, and unfortunately allows much more light through from the cockpit than I was expecting. There shouldn't be any at all, their firewalls entirely fill the gap.

F - The instructions tell you to place a PE plate under here but I wish I hadn't, it messes up accurate positioning of the machine guns, and anyway isn't very visible.

Don't you just love the machine guns without any ammunition feed? And the six engine cylinders which only exhaust from the front four? But don't get me started on the seven colour lozenge...    Actually, this was a novel challenge, because I haven't had to use wide area decals before. I haven't used Microsol before either. In the end I needn't have worried, the decals went on quite well considering, the most difficult part being the wing roots.

[Bluesfan]

Facially the figures don't look like Ursula Andress or George Peppard at all, at least not the way I've painted them, but their poses make a success of the vignette I think.

I was tempted to spatter some mud around the hem of her dress, but then I considered that the whole scene is ridiculous anyway, since she'd never have been permitted on the airfield dressed like that. If the film had featured a scene like this, I'm sure her dress would have been miraculously spotless.

As for the bottle the Stachel figure is carrying, well the greeny silver and smoke treatment didn't really work. Too bad. Crafting a bottle out of clear sprue and using a mix of clear acrylics would be the way to go. Oh and it needs a label, doesn't it.

Wouldn't have minded a James Mason figure, glowering in the background!

[Bluesfan]

As well as the wing root strutlets, you can see that I added stays to the outer struts. They can be seen on the current incarnation of G-ATIJ.

I also added a whole lot more rigging, to the tail, and also crossing between each pair of struts. I may not have added enough: there may be another couple of wires between the rear undercarriage legs.

Another point is that the instructions ask you to leave off the wing control horns, but when I looked at the walkaround, they seem to be there. True, they could be dummies, but they're certainly visible.

I didn't mind using a kit propeller. This one is vaguely the right shape, just much larger than the de Havilland ones used by the movie planes. In fact, they didn't have a wooden finish then, but G-ATIJ does now, and I like it so that's how I've done it. There's also a small logo visible in the magazine and walkaround pics, but I couldn't see it well enough to attempt to render it.

Here's something else I missed. According to the instructions the footholds are on the other side to those on the regular Pfalz, and they supply half moon shaped PE representations.

Okay but I just couldn't see them. In the end I did spot them, on the walkaround pics, hidden by the lozenge pattern. They seem to be grey coloured and rectangular, and on the left hand side. Well, I don't feel like hacking into the fuselage at this stage, never mind.

The one area which seems to have escaped Encore's attention is the cockpit. I haven't seen a picture of either movie plane's cockpit, but I doubt if they look much like the original D.III's, which is essentially what you build for this kit. Never mind, the detailing is all quite pretty.

[Bluesfan]

I think I've finally been won over to Pfalzes, and when I get round to the Roden D.III I have in my stash, this kit has given me a nice spare resin Mercedes engine to use.

So, a lovely kit, whether or not you regard it as an appropriate addition to your WWI collection, or instead your 1960s display

[lcarroll]

Nicely done Bluesfan!
There's plenty of good memories shown here; I have two all time favorite Movies I try to re-watch once per year; The Blue Max and Forest Gump. Both depressing in their own unique ways but great entertainment and classics in their own right.
The Pfalz is very well finished......................but gawd, can you believe that lozenge?!
Cheers,
Lance

[rhallinger]

Well done Bluesfan!   This turned our very nicely, and is a great reminder of the classic movie we all enjoyed as youths.  It's in my stash, but it will be a long while until I get to it.  

Lance, I too watch "The Blue Max" at least once a year.  "Casablanca," "The Thin Man" and "It's A Wonderful Life" are the only other films that get that treatment.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[xmald]

Yeah Blue Max is such a nice film! Your model is great and I really like the way you presented it - with the figures! Great Job Bluesfan!

[Bluesfan]

Thanks for the comments, appreciated!   
Today , carefully packaged, it has to survive a trip down to Kent; after that bottle of wine/schnapps(?) who knows whether they'll both still be standing when I get there...

Mark

[RAGIII]

You have done a terrific job on your Blue Max Pfalz and figures! The film is a favorite of many WW1 modelers and your work represents the feel of the film well!
RAGIII

[Chris Johnson]

Well done! While the face may not be an exact likeness of Ursula Andress's, the 'figure' itself does bear a certain resemblance. 

Cheers,

Chris

[Epeeman]

Certainly looks good to me!

Regards

Dave

[Bluesfan]

Thanks again guys
As for her figure, Chris, I'm aware there's been some negativity from modellers about the sculpting of her right arm - basically, some felt it looks dislocated.
I admit in its bare resin state it can look a bit wrong from some angles, but I'm okay with it now, painted up and part of the scene.
It bothers me a little more (but not much) that they couldn't render Ms Andress's and Mr Peppard's facial features more faithfully; but maybe as happens elsewhere in the wider field of figure modelling, they had to be mindful of legal issues.
As I said before, a fun build.

Mark

[coyotemagic]

Nicely done, Mark!  I like how you posed Bruno's figure so he's staring right at the ladies boobs.  Brilliant!
Cheers,
Bud