Introduction

The nine current releases, sheets no 30011 - 30020 continues the growing line of products from Wingnut Wings, These new sets give us a wider choice of subjects to portray than what is in their #32006 kit.

The sheets are priced at $19 and the current international free shipping policy also applies to these. This may seem a bit high to some when a full kit costs $59. However, I think this reflects the cost of what these sheets cost to produce. In fact I suspect a pretty large chunk of what you pay for the kits, goes into producing the decals in the boxes." ( Comments by Mikael Terfors edited to fit current issues ).

Sheet #30020 Pfalz D.IIIa of various Jastas

This sheet is dedicated to various machines from different Jastas. This includes five known profiles.

A. Pfalz D.IIIa 5895/17, Haupt. F. Hailer, Jasta 29 Late 1917 – early 1918. Haupt. Hailer flew only in two-seater units. So was this a Pfalz from neighboring Jagdstaffel 29 he was simply trying out. Or was it an ex-Jasta 29 machine that was assigned to him as a personal mount for his personal use?
Born 25.06 1886 Munich
Died 07.10 1967 Munich
08.03 1907 Leutnant
01.07 1911 Döberitz Flugzeugführer-Schule
01.04 1914 bay. Militär-Flieger-Schule Schleißheim
02.08 1914 Feldflieger-Abteilung 3b
09.08 1914 Oberleutnant
20.12 1914 C.O. Militär-Flieger-Schule Schleißheim
13.04 1915 C.O. Feldflieger-Abteilung 1b
26.04 1915 bay. Militär-Flieger-Schule Schleißheim
04.05 1915 C.O Armee-Flug-Park von Strantz
30.05 1915 C.O. Feldflieger-Abteilung 9b
21.06 1916 FEA 1b Schleißheim
19.07 1916 C.O. bay. Militär-Flieger-Schule 3
01.08 1916 FEA Schleißheim – C.O. bay. Militär Flieger Schule 1 Schleißheim
27.09 1916 Hauptmann
22.01 1917 C.O Fliegerabteilung (A) 292b, Wasquehal airfield late in this year is probably when the Pfalz D.IIIa 5895/17 was available to him.
01.02 1918 FEA 1b Schleißheim
28.06 1918 bay. Militär-Flieger-Schule
31.01 1920 C.O. Polizeifliegerstaffel 1
Of note this is the fellow that supposedly witnessed (from the ground) the fall of Capt. Albert Ball on 07.05 1917. See: C&C USA Vol 10 No.3 (1969).
B. Pfalz D.IIIa 8170/17 Ltn. H. Böhning, Jasta 79b, June 1918. (17 victories). After serving in combat with an artillery regiment, Böhning transferred to the Fliegertruppe in 1916. He was injured in an accident on 17 July 1917. On 20 Sept. 1918 he was wounded in the hip when his Fokker D.VII was shotup in an engagement with a D.H.9 over Soriel. When he recovered, he assumed command of Jasta 32b eleven days before the Armistice was signed. Böhning was killed in a glider crash in 1934.
C. Pfalz D.IIIa serial unknown, Hauptman R. Berthold, JG II, June 1918 (44 victories). Berthold joined the infantry in 1910 and learned to fly by the end of 1913. When the war began, he transferred to the German Air Service as an observer. In 1916, he began flying single-seat fighters with KEK Vaux and was credited with five victories before crashing a Pfalz E.IV on 25 April 1916. Injured and wounded several times throughout the war, Berthold earned a reputation for returning to duty before he had fully recovered. In August, he formed Jasta 4 before turning command over to Hans Buddecke. Berthold then assumed command of Jasta 14 until badly injured in an accident on 23 May 1917. Recovering from a broken nose, fractured skull, thigh and pelvis, he returned to duty the following August and assumed command of Jasta 18. He was wounded again on 10 Oct.1917 when a bullet shattered his right arm. When he returned to duty, he assumed command of Jagdgeschwader 2, remaining in command until wounded on 10 August 1918. Credited with downing two D.H.4s that day, his career as a fighting pilot ended when his crippled red and blue Fokker D.VII crashed into a house after colliding with his second opponent. Murdered by rioters in 1920, some sources claim Berthold was strangled with the ribbon from his Blue Max.

". . .slain in the struggle between brothers for Germany’s freedom." Inscription on Rudolf Berthold's headstone.

D. Pfalz D.IIIa serial unknown , Ltn C. Degelow, jasta 7, March 1918. (30 victories). When the war began, Degelow joined the infantry and served with distinction in France and Russia. In 1916, he transferred to the German Air Service and began flying artillery support missions in Albatros two-seaters. Briefly assigned to Jasta 36 for single seat fighter training, Degelow was reassigned after wounding a man on the ground during gunnery practice. He gained his spurs under Ltn. Josef Jacobs of Jasta 7. He was the last German pilot of the war to be awarded the Orden Pour le Mérite (Blue Max). His book, With the White Stag Through Thick and Thin, was published in 1920. Degelow was a Major in the Luftwaffe during World War II. Died: 09.11.1970 in Hamburg Germany.

E. Pfalz D.IIIa serial unknown, Ltn W. Hertel, Jasta 40s, July(?) 1918.

What you get in the package

The decal sheet came sealed in A4 sized plastic zip locked bag, making it easy to reseal, and keep the decals safe until you use them. A folded A4 sheet printed in full colour serves as a four page booklet that gives you the instructions on application and also the bio of the pilots that flew the planes. The style of the monograph is similar to what we have seen in the instruction booklets from the kits. Full colour profiles are done by Ronny Bar and they are complimented by archival images of the subjects.

One neat detail in the instructions are hints as to which optional parts to use from the kit and which engine option to choose.

The decals are of the same quality and style of what we have gotten used to from their kits. Cleanly and crisply printed by Cartograf of Italy, my samples were in perfect register with a glossy sheen and clean opaque colours.

Small decals such as the prop, weight tables and rigging instructions are also included on these sheets. So are some of the national crosses, that in some cases duplicates what is already in the basic kit.

Lozenge or no lozenge is no longer a question

Now that Wingnut Wings has released their version of the intermediate factory printed 5 colour lozenge (Farbenflugzeugstoff) these decals are even more relevant. These sheets that have been released don't have any lozenge included in the package. Notably this is what many other manufacturers have done in the past, Microscale & Superscale being the most memorable. Remember the WNW Palz D.IIIa kit comes with 5 colour lozenge and rib tapes.

As with every WNW sheet this set includes some profiles that have the standard over-all Silbergraü camouflage, and does not need lozenge to be finished.

The instructions for the Pfalz sheets does state that the lozenge decals are available separately. Decals no 30001 (5 colour upper), 30002 (5 colour lower) and 30005 (rib tapes). So if you fancy doing one of the lozenge covered profiles, you either have to purchase them separately. Though the rib tapes on the Pfalz D.IIIa type all appear to be lozenge fabric cut in strips. Remember the WNW Palz D.IIIa kit comes with 5 colour lozenge and rib tapes.

Conclusion

With so many great liveries coming from WNW we really need "export versions" (without decals) of their kits So we can build all of these great schemes. Model On!

My thanks to Michael Terfors for allowing me to use some of his text from his WNW decal reviews.

When contacting manufacturers and publishers please mention you saw this review at AEROSCALE