Here is a bit of fun with a return to the Gunsight Graphics streaked decals on an Eduard 1/48 Fokker D.VII fuselage. (Early Schwerin of course.) No trimming yet. They are still available for sale at Roll Models and Hannants I think..

Here is a bit more.




I plan to use some of the ex-Jager Fokker D.VII wings toward the finish of this build.

I used the Gunsight Graphics on a recent Fokker Dr.I.

I loved them. They went on well and conformed well. In addition, they look great. I can also reccomend them.

Now back to Stephens thread...

Looking good Stephen my friend!

I have been away for a bit and come back to see the familiar DVII on your bench. Cant help but love those! I hope to hang around a bit but might need some directions as looks as though the industry has changed a bit. I hope for the better.

Merry Christmas!

Jeff

Thanks gents while I am at it its good to see you Carl. And our wayward Jeff. I was about to set the hounds out looking for you. Glad to see you found your way back.

Next from Dan San Abbott on the Early Fokker D.VII lay out as prescribed in the Greman Bau und Lieferungsvorschiften für Militärflugzeuge (Building and Delivery Instructions for Military Aircraft).

". . .It specifies that on one piece wings the base seam be at the wing center-line. And that is the Fokkerflugzeuge-werke did itway. Between the 4th and 5th rib and about 80mm short of the fifth rib you will find the first seam. All fokker built machines complied with the directive.

(On the first production batch) only the wings were covered with printed lozenge (4 color} fabric. We are limiting the serial number range here to the serial number D.240/18 to D.379/18. Later the whole airframe began to be covered. The fuselage on D.402/18 was covered with 5 color fabric. . .
I have a copy of Paul S.Leaman study of the Fabric sample from Fok.D.VII werke number 2469, serial number is D.382/18 in the Imperial War Museum. Wüsthoff was shot down and captured in this machine. Wüsthoff was flying Ltn. Georg von Hantelmann's machine. The fabic sample has ONLY Four colors on it, Paul identified them as A,B,C, and D. , , therefore Fok.D.VII 382/18 was covered with four color fabric. . .

The first Fok.D.VII fitted with a BMW IIIa engine was Fok.D.VII 231/18, w.n.2314 was accepted for delivery on 25 april 1918 at Schwerin was shipped to Adlershof Abt. B.18.

Fok.D.VII 286/18 w.n.2372 had a Mercedes D.IIIa serial no. 37662. It did not have a BMWIIIa engine.

The next Fok.D.VII airframes to have a BMWIIIa engine were
D.VII 323/18 w.n. 2409, BMW IIIa s/n 1236
D.VII 362/18 w.n.2449, BMW IIIA s/n 1239 accepted on 3 May 1918.

In all 12 Fok.D.VII aircraft were accepted in May 1918.

All of the following BMW IIIa powered Fok.D.VII aircraft were in either 300 or 400 series of serial numbers with the exception of D.VII 231 /18 (to Adlershof) and Fok.D.VII 294/18 which was delivered to Jage Nr.1"Richthofen". This machine suppostedly went to Ltn. Lothar Frhr von Richthofen where he painted the fuselage red and yellow.

Twenty-seven Fok.D.VII were delivered in June 1918 with the BMW IIIa engine out of 93 Fok.D.VII accepted."

Dave Watts wrote;

"With regards to early BMW powered Schwerin built D.VIIs, the exhaust pipe was the low exiting "two-into-one pipe" coming out the side of the cowling.

A "fun fact" is the early BMW powered D.VIIs were marked as, "D.VII XXX/18F". The "/18" is much smaller than the numbers and the F. This can be seen on "D.VII 325/18F" and "D.VII 377/18F", both utilizing the white serial numbers. Later the format changed to the more familiar "D.VIIF 461/18". This is an area that would be fun to narrow down and I'll start a thread on it and see what all of us can find.

Dan-San, on the early numbered D.VIIFs, I think you have to include 295/18F on your short list of Fs below 314/18, (231/18F and 294/18F). As you know 295/18 was accepted on May 3rd, 1918, but without a motor listing or werk number, but even with this anomaly the aircraft was accepted again on August 18th, 1918 with a BMW motor Nr.1233 making it an "F". What's strange is the plane immediately before this, 294/18, accepted on May 8th, had BMW motor Nr.1234 (in sequence with 295/18). There is probably a logical explanation for this, like the plane was retained for trial comparison and than later 're-accepted' ?"

Research is fun stuff eh? Wing coverings, gun heights relating to type of engine. In short on Schwerin's Fokker D.VII first production batch, lozenge was used only on the wings. Only the earliest Schwerin D.VII types upto about 376/18 had the Fokker streaked green fuselage similar to the Fokker Dr.I camouflage. After 376/18 Fokker Schwerin began to use lozenge entirerly.

Coming along very nicely Stephen . Will have to give the decals a try in the future , they are really something else !

Thanks Terri. I just couldn't leave the fuselages sitting there like a misfit.

First we match lower the wings to the required location. A little plastic strip shimming and some brass rod for spars.


Next I cut a plate from sheet stock to cover the spars - like the original.


Match it to the opening and then paint to match the undersurface lt. blue.


Here are a couple of views. When assemblng this build I am struck with the similarities that even in late WWII the German aircraft program had components being built or assembled in several shops so the wing and the fuselage camouflage was dissimilar.

Looks good. Do I see texturing on the wings?

Stephen,

Are the offerings from MicroSculpt still the preferred decal for lozenge fabric?

I still have some but am going to need to replenish my stash.

oh and....is the Wojtek boy still dropping jaws? I cant wait to see what he has done.

Hi Stephen,

A very nice progress on this bird indeed – the streaky decals, with your enhancment, look particulary good to me...

Would you say it was possible to use these decals on a 1.32 subject, or would that be out of scale?

And I also do like the slighly missmatched apperance on these DVII, that you get whith streaky body and lozenge wings. As you say a bit like the late WWII planes of Luftwaffe – very appealing


Best Regards

Mikael

Yes Carl Its brush applied.




Yes Jeff in 1:48 I still think Microsculpt has it hands down. Though I will be reviewing a set of Doug Baumann's 1:32 5 colour in the near future (Ink jet printed. . .but they seem to be cutting edge stuff). Yes our man Wotjek Fajga is still amazing us. He is doing somew work for Polish & Czech companies right now.





Greetings Mikeal,

At last word they had not determined thw price range for 1:32 so it would be a separate sheet. The 1:48 are too out of scale for 1:32 applications.

See here.

Thank you sincerely for the kind words.

Stephen

Now for some more background. About 10 years ago I wrote two articles that were published back to back in Cross & Cockade Intl..

“Photos & Combat Log of Jasta 14" 31 #2 2000.
“Photos & Combat Log of Jasta 30" 32 #1 2001.

and it began with this photo image.



At first glance you might think that this is the first Fokker D.VII assigned to Jasta 14 because of the Triplane line up in the background. But lets take this as a study in details.

Take "Sonder Kommando Vogel". Normally "kommando" means that it was an un-official unit or a part of a unit stationed on another airfield. "Sonder" means "special" Now between 6Jun18 - 3Oct18 Jasta 14 & 30 were components in JgGrp 3 located in the 6 Armee area. They were even stationed together on Phalempin airfield while Jasta 14 owned Dr.I Triplanes.

Here is a bit of fun for those of you interested in Jasta airfields in WWI.

click here.

Note the date of this shot concerning Jasta 14 is 23 May 1918. The same as our Fokker D.VII.




What do you see?

Well not sure on what to you see , but I do see a Albatros D.V in the line up of the Dr.I

Yes I know , not the answer you are looking for .

Are these articles in Over the Front ?

Gee , don't I feel stupid now . Here I'm looking right at it same aircraft and I totally didn't clue in !

No worries Terri I am just trying to help everyone see these images with a new point of view. While most "historians of the genre" know these things already. Most modelers learn more if there is a bit of history involved.

Now if we were on Phalempin airfield on this date we see on one side of the tarmac is the Jasta 14 line up. While across the the airfield (out of view) are the Pfalz D.III & D.IIIa aircraft of Jasta 30 with their "orange diamond and black border". Dan San Abbott tells us that Jasta 14 kept their Foker Dr.I fighters until August 1918. About this time they traded their war weary machines in for new type SSW D.IV aircraft. But Jasta 30 began trading their old Pfalz aircraft some time ofter June 15, 1918 for the Fokker D.VII.

Fokker D.VII 247/18 was in my opinion assigned at Phalempin as a familiarization machine. It follows that usually German high command passed on new machines that were similar in engine types to their previous types. Inline engines machines for inline engines machines. (This was also true for Jasta 10, remember?)

Whats more Jasta 14 equipment inventories only show the Fokker Dr.I on strength until August 1918 when they began to recieve the SSW D.IV. (rotary engined machines replace rotary engine machines).

Sorry Terri, They are found in Cross & Cockade Intl.

Note that pathway again. This is Jasta 30 post June 15,1918 on Phalempin airfield.

Starting at left the first . Note the center section is typical of the early machines where this area's skeletal structure had to be reinforced. It looks like they used undersurface fabric for the repair. Note the solid painted horizontal tal unit with a darker border.

Now here is a bit of fun with #2 from the left. I have had the upper image of the early OAW buly D.VII in my collection since my tour of military duty in Germany 1976. Note the solid colour tail unit and the darker border in the bottom image.

Another OAW with a solid coloured tail unit with a darker border.

Here is a bit of a twist check this image out carefully.

Ok here is #4. the upper left image shows this early Schwerin machine from about (376-4xx? series) with the fuselage paint completed with striping. Note the solid coloured tale with a darker coloured border. Note the narrow border crosses having been downsized from the thicker early types. All lozenge on this airframe.



Alao note the 5:4 ratio crosses on the Jasta 14 Fok. Dr.I triplanes.