I ordered the new WNW Roland D.VIa the other day, downloaded and poured over the instruction sheet, unsure which profile to build.

One thing struck me, I wonder if anyone else noticed or can cast light on it.

Profile C Kissenberth's aircraft

Fuselage is black, all agreed?

Profile has its wings in 4 col Loz but...scrutinising the lovely clear side view photo on P24 of the instructions and the details of it elsewhere the upper wing at least looks very dark and the pattern indistinct. which made me believe either it or both wings may be doped over black, albeit thinly. Another thing that caught my eye and gave this idea support was the struts, they look loke they are misted over with black at the tops, a misty overspray edge not like shadow which looking at the ground shadow under the A/C wouldnt tie up anyway.

Now, could this have been an ongoing thing, the groundcrew gradually intent onpainting the whole aircraft black in stages?

Anyone's opinions or info would be appreciated.

Keith *Master of the Order of the Wooden Spoon*

The idea that the machine was painted in steps is entirely plausable. It relied on:

1. Availablility of paint stocks & supplies.
2. Work load during offensives.
3. Staffing (many men were sent from ground duties to the front in the last months of the war. Manpower was limited like never before.)




For a description on the Roland D.VIa see here.

A mechanical engineer with an interest in aircraft design, Kissenberth joined the German Air Force in 1914. Toward the end of the year, he completed his training as a reconnaissance pilot and was posted to FA 8b. On 21 March 1915, he was wounded in action over the Vosges Mountains. When he recovered, he joined FA 9b on 8 July 1915, serving in Italy and on the Vosges front. In 1916, as a fighting pilot with KEK Einsisheim, Kissenberth was credited with his first three victories on 12 October 1916.

Not until the summer of the following year would he score again. This time, as a member of Jasta 16, he downed two SPADs and flamed a balloon. On 4 August 1917, Kissenberth assumed command of Jasta 23. One of only three German aces to wear glasses during the war, he most often flew an Albatros D.V with yellow and white Edelweiss painted on its fuselage.

After scoring more than a dozen victories with this aircraft, he scored his final victory flying a captured Sopwith Camel. Less than two weeks later, on the evening of 29 May 1918, he was seriously injured when he crashed this British fighter. Ltn.d.R. Otto Kissenberth is severely IIC N. Epinoy at 21.30 hours in a captured Sopwith Camel when the motor quits at 40 meters height,sent to hospital.

Returning to duty later that year, he served as commanding officer of the Schliessheim flying school until the end of the war. In 1919, Kissenberth was killed in a climbing accident while mountaineering in the Bavarian Alps.

Thanks for the info and input Stephen. Not that I intended building this profile, more that it just caught my eye so to speak.

Will probably (upto now.) go for profile D or E and will be practicing different woodgraining techniques in readiness. Though the humbug optin is appealling to me most.

The paint on the fuselage looks very thin, too.

Modulla