The additional good news about the DVD...The organization I volunteer for "The Lafayette Foundation" will be part of the special features selections.

I'll buy the DVD just for that reason....

Greetings all;
Proceeding with this build I have closed up the fuselage and drilled all required pilot holes for the simulated rigging and control cables. Noting that this build is meant to show off the basic kit and predominately the decals. Also I am taking the opportunity to embelish this build with some left over Eduard photoetch.

Since serial numbers have been applied to the movie birds and are present in the kit I decided to do a bit of digging. There is no biographical detail provided in the kit as to the colour schemes and personal markings. As a matter of fact even if you have seen the Flyboys website it is difficult to understand except if you have seen the movie what aircraft belonged to who. For our European builders this is a bit unfair so hopefully the following will help a bit.


"A" scheme is Cassidy's machine N1723. The red striping on the engine cowling is reminiscent of No. 1 Sqdn RFC in about August,1917. The "W" on Cassidy's top wing was copied from Harold Willis' SPAD VII of the original Lafayette Escadrille. In the line up image at the beginning of this article you can see that they tried to employ every cowling marking variation they could on the Nieuports. The Cassidy character was the embodiment of Raoul Lufbery from the original Lafayette Escadrille. The markings of R. Soubiran were replaced with the two tone inverted “V” with the #2 at its interior. These personal emblems on the Nieuports were vinyl stick-ons and were changed regularly. Also it is unknown as to what machine this serial (N1723) was originally assigned to in 1917, but probably a Nieuport 17 acording to where it falls in the production batch.


“B” scheme is the "early in the movie" version of Blaine Rawlings’ machine N1653. (This number may have been on a Nieuport 11 originally.) Note his wing markings are similar to the French ace Ltn Charles Nungesser. The tricolour wing stripes were added to his aircraft in June 1917 after an accidental combat where his black and white personal marking was mistaken for a German aircraft. The double “R" marking on Rawlings' Nieuport is similar to Charles Dolan's CHD monogram on his Lafayette Escadrille SPAD VII and his SPAD XIII used in 1918 when was in an American unit.


“C” scheme is N1074 was used for Porter's machine. The Flag / pennant should be black and white with a Bible verse from 2 Timothy quoted. (This number may have been assigned to a 2 seater Nieuport 13 originally.) and instead of the aluminum cowling this movie machine is also known to have red stripes on the metal cowling similar to the Cassidy machine during the filming.


“D” scheme is supposed to be the William Jensen’s N1407. But should have a black knight's helmet instead of the blue falcon. (This serial number was assigned to a Nieuport 16 in the Belgian Air Service and named “Fox - Trot”.)

Eduard has done the correct markings for the Nieuport N1407. Built by a modeler named Lee at another forum.

Images done of the completed build today. Finally had a break in the weather from 60 -70 mph winds ...yahoo! The decals went on nicely but care must be used to slide them directly onto the surfaces. Since I went with the kit rotary It will look more like a WWI aircraft than a movie prop. But I decided to alter the Lewis gun mount. The kit Lewis gun is a Mk.III and should either be a Mk. I or Mk. II. So I modified it as well.

Greetings all here is the first of several images to post. The Flyboys Nieuport 17 in the spurious markings of N1723.

Here you can see i offset the Vickers machine gun. This was a feature of the Nieuport 23 but the guns were offset on the Nieuport 17 type replicas for the movie so the pilot's faces could be seen in the closeups from the front.


Note the box art is slightly different from the movie screen version. The see through center section, lack of Lewis gun and insignia blue use for the black on the eagle's head insignia.

Top notch as always Stephen.....

Thanks Jan, I enjoyed this flight of fantasy build.

Note the kit Lewis gun item has been back dated from a Mk. III to a Mk.I version seen in 1916-1917.

Flyboys Features slated for the DVD :
Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Audio Commentary by Director Tony Bill and Producer Dean Devlin
"Real Heros: The True Story of the Lafayette Escadrille" Featurette
"Life of a Minature Stunt Pilot" Featurette
"Whiskey and Soda- The Lion Mascots" Featurette
"Taking Flight- The Making of a Flying Sequence"
"The Real Planes of Flyboys" Featurette - featuring some models aircraft by some plugger.
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Flyboys Squadron DVD-ROM Game

Looking at this picture again.....remind me WHY you'd buy a Cessna to fly for fun when you can have one of these???? Or Albatros, or a Fokker D. VII, or a Fokker Dr. , or a.......

Greetings all;

In the features on the Flyboys DVD Disc 2 please note that I did indeed castigate the Lafayette Foundation prez. Andy Parks for saying Iroqoius in stead of Seminole. Also the models in the display boxes are my builds. I think the Lucas people did a great job of showing off our main hangar. Yes, the Fokker E.V is almost finished and can be seen without covering.

Well, well... Guess who wound up with two collector's edition copies of "Flyboys"? Now I don't mind having two but I think I smell an opportunity here. Maybe a give away? But what should I require for someone to earn said copy? Maybe a simple question? A scavenger hunt? Searching the web for vital clues to a query? I could ask a question but maybe a jeopardy question? I give the answer you provide the question? I am going to have to mull this over... more later.

I'll wash your car and mown your lawn for a year...... And the a years supply of drinks at the bar!

this film is due for release Tomorrow down here in the Antipodes. That's the cinema release you understand...
I can't understand why the distributor would want to wait till after the DVD release to give it a theatrical release.
Any Ideas?

Ok folks here is the question to be answered to win the Flyboys collectors series DVD set.

Who was the eigth person to be inducted into the the Lafayette Flying Corps as an "honorary" member. And where did you find that information?

I hope, i've got the question right...you want to know the 8th honorary member of Lafayette Flying Corps?
Ok, i will give it a try...

Charles Lindbergh

Look here

May be this is right...at least it is stated in the text i quoted...If not...well...it was a try;)

Jan

Well, I'm taking a shot in the dark here, but I found reference to Amelia Earhart being inducted as an Honorary member in Paris in 1932. Doesn't specify if she was #8 or not, but I think thats kind of cool. Info found here.

earchives.lib.purdue.edu/.../earhart&CISOBOX1=honorary - 33k

Thanks, "Q"

WOW! Jan that is impressive. And correct by the way. PM me your address and I'll send you the DVD set. Congratulations!


The fellow at left is the ninth and the fellow at right is the 26th. There were only 29 honorary memberships from the original charter.

Certainly. After a less than great profit in the original premier they are trying to make as much money as they can as quickly as they can.

Seriously folks since MerlinV has opened this can of stew please allow me to elaborate. Aside from certain reservations on the plot this was a pretty good movie in my book. But I am a bit prejudice.

I have heard beau coup critics compare it to the Blue Max and yet they don't remember that the Blue Max was panned by cirtics as well back in 1966. In the new Red Baron movie most of the aircraft are marked as anything but Jasta11 machines. It does not detract from the over all feel of an entertaining movie experience.

The only scene in Flyboys I have the slightest critique about is the Nieuport that slows down and shears the top wing of the pursuing Fok. Dr.I off without damaging the Nieuport landing gear or propeller. That aside This movie is destined for a solid place in WWI aviation cinema.

To be truthful we should be as glad to have these new movies as we are to be able to have a forum to discuss them. If you want a real conglomoration of mixed up story lines try "Von Richthofen and Brown" ...eagads folks... Or if you want cliche' try "Aces High"! Flyboys is just good entertainment. Its not the first in 40 years its just the best in 40 years. Now I might change my mind when the Red Baron hits the theaters but until then... I'll be at the head of the conga line.

I always thought that Snoopy did for the red baron - are you telling me this is untrue???

You'll be denying the Easter Bunny next :-) :-) :-) :-)

Andy

ps. Congrats jan. I ran out of time to search t'interweb yesterday lunch time