Hi, Mal the Mask here
I don't normally build WWI models and I have a customer wanting masks for a RFC DH-2 in 1/48 scale to correct a problem with the decals. So my questions are:

1. What sizes were RFC roundels, particularly the sizes of the red white and blue portions. If they were sized to suit particular aircraft please can you give me the sizes for the DH-2. The actual life size is the best then I can scale them to all scales (That's so that I can cut the masks accurately).

2. I would like to be able to help the customer with the correct shade of red and blue. I know that the blue is lighter than the WWII blue but is it lighter than, or the same as the Blue used post WWII? Is the red "Post office" red.

Thanks in advance

Greetings Mal!
The short answer is that cockades were determined by
1. the wing area.
2. Parent Manufacturer or license manufacturer (These could vary considerably.)

As far as colours go Ian Huntley's studies on the subject are and always have been the real deal when it came to known colours. I may have one of his colour notations on cockades. I will dig it up for you and send it along.

Thine
Stephen

Hi Stephen,
Thanks, I had a feeling that cockades were dependant on the size of aircraft but can you give the sizes for a DH-2? A measurement of decals will suffice, as I can scale from that to determine the probable correct size.

If it is anything like modern ones, out of 7 aircraft of the same type in the same squadron I found 4 different roundels just on the wings, including one aircraft whose roundels were different on one wing to the other. Doesn't help much but does indicate that there is no fixed standard

Hello Mal, here are the 1/48 sizes for the DH-2 cockades taken from the Windsock Datafile and Eduard's kir:

Wings:

"red" circle: 7 mm
"White" circle: 17 mm
"blue" (outer)circle: 27,5 mm

Fuselage:

"red" circle: 2 mm
"White" circle: 5,5 mm
"blue" (outer)circle: 8,5 mm

I hope this helps

Cheers,

Claudio

Greetings Mal,

Check your PM for the Ian Huntley Zip file URL. It goes into the hobby paint equivalents.

Thank you all.
Yep these things are never straight forward, I learnt that when I started producing masks and it's one of the reasons that I do them to order, rather than do generic sets.
Thanks again, my customer had the same problem with decals, as indicted elswhere in the forum about the DH-2. I'm hoping that the masks will be the fix that he needs
I have the PM Stephen many thanks.