Albatross DV 1/72 Airfix

I started this Albatross to replace the Handley Page bomber for a WWI group build.  It's a 1/72 Airfix kit that replicates von Richthofen's plane.  I recently saw some cool looking decals online from Printscale that replicate the Albatross of Paul Baumer of Jasta 5.  His plane was recognizable by the large white edelweiss graphic on the side.  His name was immortalized after the war by his good friend Erich Maria Remarque in the novel 'All Quiet on the Western Front'. I've seen a few variations of the paint on his plane, so I'll probably choose the easiest to execute.







The fuselage went together with just a dab of filler around the cockpit padding.  The two tail pieces went in easily and were filled.  All large pieces were primed.


Also attached the lower wing that appears to need filler.


Time to start a little color painting before too much gets together.

Thanks for looking.

Mike

 Good start.

That will be an excellent finished model. Looking good so far!

Filled in the gap and reprimed.  Also added the tail skid and filled.



On to painting the colors.

Mike

  Gonna be cool !!

 

Got some color on this one yesterday.  Airbrushed the MM Medium Green, Tamiya Flat Black, and Testors Sky Blue.  Handpainted the MM Insignia Red edging on the tail areas.  I couldn't find any violet in enamel or laquer, so I settled for an acrylic craft paint.  When I airbrushed it on, it dried a whole lot darker than I thought it would, so I mixed a small amount with white and overpainted it by hand.  As it dried, I dry brushed the brush marks out as best as I could.  





The areas left are around the cockpit, which will be a simulated plywood look, and the cowl around the engine which will be metallic.

Thanks,
Mike

  Looks good

That's a freaky colour scheme isn't it!

Looks good Mike, I wouldn't worry about the brush marks, they slapped the size/wash/paint on with a brush back then anyway.

That's one of the great things about WWI planes - awesome paint schemes. They spent some time on camoflaging the wing surfaces, but used bold graphics and eye-catching colors as if to advertise who they were. Truly the 'Golden Age' of flying.

Nice one Mike.

The colour schemes of some WW1 planes, look almost cartoon like in some cases!!

That is definitely one of the most colorful  planes I have ever seen.

Gave a coat of clear and applied the decals.  The Printscale decals worked really well.  My only complaint is they can be a PITA keeping tiny decals and sharp corners from rolling over.  I kept needing a straight pin to get the iron cross corners back out from under themselves.  The tiny printing on the left side of the fuselage got botched up so I had to substitute some other printing - so small you couldn't read it anyway without a microscope.


 

I also added control cables to the rear by drilling small holes in the tailpiece and inserting plastic rod painted green.  On top of that I placed straight bits of thin wire.





Finished the simulated plywood using flesh paint gone over with a pine wash.  Hobby Lobby has a number of different colored acrylic washes in their railroad section which come in handy.  I highlighted the panel lines with a super fine line sharpie.  I also added BMF to the engine panels, to be done over with matt spray later.





The landing gear is assembled off the plane to make it easier (I think) to get it nice and straight.  Looking at the photo, I still need a touchup on the tires.



So far, I'm happy with how its turning out.

Thanks all,

Mike

Doing a Great job Mike   

Nice work on the tail control lines Mike. It certainly is a colourful old crate!!

I luv the crazy camo paint schemes on all manner of military vehicles of WWI. Looks like your plane is nearing completion. Congrats on improving the look with control lines.

A little more progress.  Got the wheels on - and they even look straight!  LOL



Got the engine, exhaust and MG's on.  After press fitting the engine in the slot, I had to pry it back up from inside because the MG on the right side extends past the exhaust pipe on the nearest cylinder which was in the way.  Luckily, it came back up with no damage.



This is what I'll be using for rigging on this plane - EZLine (fine).  It still has to be connected at the other end.  Have to do a separate test coloring it before/after I make a connection.



That's all for now on this one.

Thanks for the comments,
Mike

 

Looking good!

Looks good.

 

Great progress Mike   

looking forward to seeing rigging Mike. Your 'kicker' trick sounds just the ticket!!

Tiny model, fantastic paint and rigging!

The rigging is complete on this one.  Not a difficult process afterall.  I used the EZLine fine, white and left it unpainted, since I (colorblind) can barely tell the difference with silver.  In fact, the darker you make it, the more it tends to disappear.  I used the blunted tip of a pin to place a small dot of CA on the target area on the plane.  Then the EZLine end was dipped into the accelerator and touched to the target.  Before you can count to three, it's set.  It works that well about 85% of the time.  Depends upon the size of the CA dot you lay down.  The CA dots get bigger if you set multiple lines at the same point, so watch out.

BTW - The Airfix pilot went AWOL somewhere during the process, so I conscripted the Handley Page pilot for the job.




Here it is against the reference standard.


Now, all I have to do is paint some matt and satin areas here and there.  I'll also be adding the missing cooling pipes to the radiator.  And maybe a windscreen if it looks good.

Thanks for your comments,
Mike