Actually the decals are for the camouflage but - they can be used as patterns for the .005 plastic disc / dougnut. I could scan mine 1:1 and send them to you. Or just compass the plastic with an educated guess.

Rowan I've som Part of Poland etched spoked wheels you could make use of, theyre for other models obviously but adaptable I imagine.

Keith

Cheers Stephen and Keith

I really appreciate the offers of help. I think Wingnuts' photo should be clear enough for the outer disks (it actually makes me question the cross-section of the tyres, but I'm not going there!...), but the etched spokes would be a real time-saver.

Keith - coincidentally, I'd done a hunt on the Internet for 1:32 spokes but had no joy. In true Italian Job fashion I had a classic "Hang on a moment lads, I've got a plan!" vision today of how to do the wheels. I have got an old etched set of Akita (yes, I know - that dates me! ) 1:48 WW1 accessories that includes wire wheels - but they are really pretty poor - so I'd love to try the Part spokes if you can spare them.

Thanks again and all the best

Rowan

Of course Rowan, hit me with your addy in a PM and I'll send tyhem off, Theyre Albie, Dr.I or Camel wheels but you only need the centres of the worst comes to the worst.

Just gathering dust so why not donate em...

Ya gotta love the people that really contribute here.

And if you by chance mess them up , you can have the ones I have in the stash .....




Terri

Hi Keith

Thanks again - and thank you too to Jessie.

Those wire wheels are just stunning - almost too good to hide away like the ones in this case.

All the best

Rowan

Hi again

Sorry for the delay - I'm starting to think modelling again after a bout of illness at home.

Thinking ahead to my chosen colour scheme, the more I look at Wingnut's reference photos for "Bowke!", the more I keep returning to the conclusion that the nose wasn't plain blue as shown in the profile:





The two tones are more than can be accounted for by shadows - and you can even see a what appears to be a crudely hand-painted devision on the right side of the nose in the instructions' close-up shot.

The painted panel behind the cockpit doesn't seem to fit in with the darker colour simply being a factory-applied dark green (or maybe it does?), so I've butchered Ronny Bar's beautiful artwork (sorry Ronny!) and concocted a couple of alternative schemes to see if any of them seem feasible:







I haven't tried red on the lower cowl because the mouth painted around one of the ventilation holes presumably had red lips (it seems logical, anyway...) and you can faintly make out a change in tone against the background colour.

So... any thoughts as to what could be a likely colour combination for Jasta 17? All help will be much appreciated.

All the best

Rowan

Now you've opened up a mix.... laughs

Looking at the close up of the nose, not only has it lips but to my eye I see a beard beneath or perhaps blood or flames?

I love it when questions are raised about accepted schemes that can lead us to rethink things.

I agreee totally; the little questions such as this are a large part of the enjoyment of the Hobby for me. The PC 10 debates included!
Cheers,
Lance

Hi Keith

I see what you mean about the mouth. It does look like there's something dripping from it. The outlines of the eyes and nose are lighter than the black used on the decals too...

Trust me to go looking at the photos rather than just following the painting guide!

All the best

Rowan

Hi again

After scanning the close-up, I'm fairly sure the "blood/flames" around the mouth are actually just the effect of pale stains on the negative or print - notice how a prominent one on the left of the mouth obscures the division between the dark and light areas:



But you can also see the rough brush strokes where the colour of the side cowl has been painted - and it actually looks like the darker colour might have extended onto the side panel at some point...

All the best

Rowan

Jasta 17 used black & white for Jasta identifiers. The top upper deck cowling was dark green per (Alb.) use of metal surfaces. Chin pan was black. The sides of fuselage were painted in 2 different variations of chrome yellow (orange yellow). One was for metal surfaces the other for fabric. The rear Hakenkreuz and broad cheveron were more a lemon yellow Bright yellow & white mix. Paints were often mixed with white to extend their area coverage. Facial features were red or black.

Cheers Stephen

Your mention of black ties in with an answer about Jasta 17 by the late Dan-San Abbott on the Aerodrome that I stumbled across when web-hunting for info:

"With the receipt of the Fok.D.VII(Alb) in late June 1918, the radiator shells was painted white. The forward fuselage to the front of the cockpit, struts, wheel covers and tailplane were painted black. Individual markings were painted on the after fuselage in black and /or white."

The idea of all-black forward fuselage tallies with that touch of very dark paint visible on the side panel, presumably after being over-painted with the pilot's personal colour.

I'll have another play with Photoshop, and it's all going to look radically different to the original Wingnuts interpretation.

All the best

Rowan

Hi again

So, combining all that lot, it may have at some point looked something like this:



before being repainted along these lines:



All the best

Rowan

Note also that the lower colour (black IMHO) overlaps the lower edge of the side cowling.

I like this interpretation. and would only vary the right side cowling and the adjacent fabric "yellow". Please note that the pilot's right side would be considerably more "stained" than the pilot's left. So the right side yellow the left side black.


Thanks for letting me comment.

Cheers Stephen

Looking at the close-up again, there's also maybe a suggestion of paint worn off the louvre, exposing a darker colour (black) underneath.

All the best

Rowan

WNW does infact provide 5 colour lozenge(sheet #9132011g) for the fuselage in this kit - Fokker D.VII (Alb.) kit #32027. If you do any kit with the 5 colour profile on the fuselage #32027 is the only one currently that has this. Though they maybe included in a future issue as well.

So if you have that kit and the decals #30006 and kit #32011 D. 402/18 can easily be done plus #32027 can still be built with the 4 colour sets in it.

Some years ago Pete Grosz and Brian Flanagan compiled a list of all known German aircraft supplied to the Turkish units. The serial numbers are listed as Albatros built Fokker D.VII with Mercedes D.IIIaü 180hp.
seial number 5203/18 : werke number 5749
s/n 5291/18 : w/n 5980
s/n 5297/18 : w/n 5996
s/n 5303/18 : w/n 5902
s/n 5331/18 : w/n 5950
s/n 5333/18 : w/n 5981
s/n 5336/18 : w/n 5935

(5303/18 and 5336/18 are listed with Ottoman Fl.Abt.9 in October 1918.)
These all began service in 4 or 5 colour lozenge on all fabric sufaces and were from a production order to Albatros for 400 Fok.D.VII aircraft, serial numbers D.5200/18 to 5599/18.