Hey Stephen - I know that this is one of your builds:




What is the story behind this particular Albatros? I am quite intrigued as I am looking at finishing my current albatros DV project in a late war scheme and this one has perked up my interest - What references did you use? Is this the same aircraft as that on page 36 of the Albatros in Action book? If so, what did you base the colour choices on (including lozenge)?

Thanks!

BC

Wow Brad you really picked an old one. I discussed this briefly on the WWI pilot and mechanic figure thread about page 3.

Summarily, when the members of Bogohl 4 ( a bombing unit) moved to a new airfield they found a derelict Alb. D.V on the outer borders of the runway. They used 150 cigarettes to barter parts from a nearby Jasta and flew the machine as a unit hack in the summer months of 1918. I have two images of this machine during June - July 1918. The fellow that discussed the "hack" was a Vzfw or unteroffizier at the time. Herr Bartels gave his interview in an older Cross & Cockade USA issue. New components were landing gear and lower wing and one set of interplane "wing" struts. They evidently attempted to "black out" the previous owner's personal markings and early "Balken cross" on the fuselage. Why they painted two more successive "Balken crosses" where they did is beyond me but they did. Sorry folks I misspelled Balken and had to go back and fix it...AMS



This is the The early 1998 issue Eduard kit and Jaguar figure again with slight modifications. The lozenge on the lower right wing, both ailerons and elevator were OOB from the Eduard kit. The lower left wing is AeroMaster 5 colour. I had if memory serves wanted to show a patchwork of repair. The left side of the lower wing being the newer component compared to the lower right. Even the rib tapes were to represent different manufacturers. If done today I would go with the Salmon Pink and lt blue variation.

This was when the Aeromaster lozenge was unavailable and Eagle Strike had not brought out their version. (They were just talking about it to me and several others.)

Many thanks for the reply Stephen - any chance of getting a scan of the photos?? Pleeeeeeese

BC

I'll see if I can scare up the photos. Think I know where they are. And yes by the way, its same aircraft as in Albatros Fighters in action.

Hey Stephen

Balkan cross ..... my posts are surely also very "funny" from time to time, but this beats much of what I've seen.

Balkan is a geographical region .. roughly everything between the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea

Balken Kreuz means bar/balk/beam cross to seperate it from the earlier used "Tatzenkreuz" or "Eisernes Kreuz" (iron cross)

maybe just a typo, but very funny

cheers

Steffen

And not just once I did it twice...gadzooks its 5:25AM...

Hang in ther Brad I just dug them up.

Here we are Brad. Since you have the one in the Squadron in Action (taken in about May -June 1918) book here is the one from Cross & Ccokade USA Vol.3 #4, p.320. Taken in about August 1918 with the fuselage cross, tail cross altered and the engine cowling bare metal? Since the 'narrow" cross change came in about June - July, that is what I represented in my build.

Many many thanks Stephen! I have started a thread over at the Aerodrome about this one:

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?p=321424

BC

Greetings Brad and all;

Along with the earlier information I can provide that the component unit of Bogohl IV that actually "owned" the Alb. D.V "hack" was FFA 223. They did not have a unit emblem or insignia but their dinner or party attire included a "green tie." With the German stand up collars this may be a reference to the piping on their "dress jackets". Translators were not clear on this point.

The black I chose for my original build (lo! those many years ago) was an attempt at a worn look with just a touch of grey. This attempt to void out the previous owners personal and national insignia on the fuselage may have been an attempt to nullify the bad luck associated with flying a previously wrecked machine. Pilots were a supersticous lot what with Gremlins and all. Good luck Brad I am sure your 1/72 build will be a beauty!