¹⁄32

February MOM winner

History

Sleek and elegant, Pfalz D.IIIa was Pfalz Flugzeugwerke's first original design and entry into competitive German fighter line up of late 1917. Powered by Mercedes D.IIIa and D.IIIau engines, covered in 5 color "lozenge" camouflage fabric and fielding twin Spandau through-propeller firing machineguns, the aircraft may appear quite contemporary to other German fighter designs of the time. Roland's method of building fuselage produced aircraft that was sturdy, relatively lightweight and with smooth, panel-less finish. The aircraft possessed superior maneuverability characteristics to the venerable Albatros D.V fighters it sought to replace, but did lose out in some other aspects that German pilots came to rely on through the years. While not overly popular with the pilots, it saw use in combat late 1917 through mid 1918 and finished the War as auxiliary / training aircraft. It served as a platform for many German aces and captured in photographs overpainted in many Jasta specific and personal markings - big draw in scale modeler's area of interest. Sadly, there are no surviving examples of Pfalz D.III types today.

Hans Bohning started the Great War as artilleryman, transferring into air service in early 1917. He piloted 8170/17 as part of the Royal Bavarian Jasta 97b as well as few other known aircraft that bore the varying Royal Prussian Blue and white motifs. He saw the end of WWI with 17 credited aerial victories and as commander of Jasta 32b.

The Kit

The base of the build is the Wingnut Wing's kit "32006" and "Flying Circus, Part II" decal sheet, with spares used to create details particular to this airplane - most notably the fuselage mounted Eisfeld flare pistol and flare rack from one of the German two-seater equipment sprues. I have also opted to use Aviattic lozenge set - sample kindly provided by Richard William Andrews. Lastly, I've opted for white metal landing gear by "Scale Aircraft Conversions" - it's not a must have, but adds a level of extra sturdiness to the model.

The Build

The kit is built "out of the box" with few items, as listed above and rigging down "through the wing" method with jeweler's wire and turnbuckles made from brass tubing. Kit's own lozenge was substituted with Aviattic lozenge set that's already templates for all fabric surfaces - replacing the process of laying out lozenge and rib tape decals with pre-shaded method of application (more on this, below).

As with other Wingnut Wings kits, the Pfalz came together as per instructions and without much fuss - only warning note to first time WnW builder is high precision of fit that can be thrown off by thickness of paint - give all the parts extra pass with a sanding stick where fuselage meets the frame prior to painting, as detail allows.

The cockpit and engine frame builds around the office and the Mercedes D.IIIa or D.IIIau engines - control wires are sparse and easy to recreate with rigging wire, while frame bracing rigging is (thankfully) not needed. Completed frame makes for a good display, before the fuselage is assembled around it.

Lower wing comprises the bottom of the fuselage, so do plan accordingly - my model had fully "lozenged" and sealed lower wing mounted to the fuselage and then seams filled and painted in place. The process follows instructions, though I do try to do as much rigging as possible throughout, as to not get bogged down at the very end with nothing but lines.

Pre-shading Lozenge application method

The Aviattic Decal set is slightly translucent, so base white will appear as wood framing pressed up against fabric while any light shade of gray or cream will appear darker, or empty space in the wing. Using this method, it's possible to convey underlying wooden frame of the fabric covered wing with reasonable level of realism. I hand paint my frame lines, though more "proper" technique is application of white decal paper strips - my before and after photo demonstrates that one doesn't have to be too clean to produce good effect.

The kit came with extra set of wings not used in the build (early, in my case) and Aviattic set comes with a number of spares and samples to practice with. I highly recommend practicing with spares first, as decals act just differently enough and one may need to adapt their application method a bit.

I'm reasonably happy with my first attempt and subtle detail it achieved - it certainly added a level of detail and personalized touch to the model.

Conclusion

I must admit that I have chosen this aircraft for most of lozenge fabric left as-is and not overpainted, with the exception of the tail rudder and elevator. The elusive Royal Prussian Blue, the particular flare pistol with flare rack arrangement lent to level of easy level to recreate (I did leave out what looks like an Oigee sight under the top wing as I could not read into how it is mounted) - all lend to the one of the most elegant scout biplanes of WWI.