Alongside their quarterscale sheets, Pheon also provide fresh inspiration for anyone building Eduard's and Roden's fine 1:72 Albatros D.V and D.Va kits (or even the vintage Airfix offering, which is still available some 50 years after its release), taking the schemes featured in the larger scale sets to produce one mega-selection of no less than 19 aircraft in 1:72!

The subjects included are:

1. D.V, D.4409/17, Uffz. Paul Bäumer, Jasta Boelcke, September 1917
2. D.V, D.2236/17, Vfw. Ludwig Webber, Jasta 3, September 1917
3. D.Va, Ltn. Kurt Monnington, Jasta 18, April/May 1918
4. D.V, Pilot unknown, Jasta 12, September 1917
5. D.V, D4618/17, Ltn. Carl Menckhoff, Jasta 3, autumn 1917
6. D.V, Pilot unknown, Jasta 4, August 1917
7. D.V, D.4578/17, Ltn. Erwin Böhme, Staffelführer Jasta Boelcke, November 1917
8. D.V, Oblt. Ernst Wilhelm Turck, Staffelführer Jasta 18, March 1918
9. D.V, Ltn. Viktor Schobinger, Staffelführer Jasta 12, September 1917
10. D.Va, Number unknown, Ltn. Otto Fuchs, Jasta 77b, March 1918
11. D.Va, Number unknown, Pilot unknown, Jasta 18, April 1918
12. D.V, D.2006/17, Ltn.d.r. Bernhard Kilian, Jasta 21b, September 1917
13. Number unknown, Ltn. Hans Auer, C.O. Jasta 32b, September 1917
14. D.V, Pilot unknown, Jasta 12, late summer 1917
15. D.Va, D.7352/17, Ltn. Lehmann, Jasta 59, September 1918
16. D.V, Ltn.d.r. Friedrich Hochstetter, Jasta 12, late summer 1917
17. D.V, Pilot unknown, Jasta 12, September 1917
18. D.V, Ltn. Arthur Rahn, Jasta 18, November 1917
19. D.Va, Ltn. Kypke, Jasta 41

The almost mind-boggling assortment includes wood and painted fuselages, lozenge-finished and painted camouflage wings (Note: lozenge decals aren’t included) and, above all, a spectacular variety of personal emblems. There really should be something for every taste here.

As usual, Pheon's decals have been custom-printed by Fantasy Printshop to their usual impeccable standard. The items are thin and glossy, with a crystal clear carrier film, and everything is in perfect register on the sample sheet. One thing worth noting is that Fantasy Printshop decals should snuggle down perfectly well with no need for decal solutions – and in fact there's a real danger of damaging them with some commonplace products such as Mr. Decal Softener.

Just as with the 1:48 releases, Rowan Broadbent provides an excellent set of instructions. The A-5 booklet shares the ready-reference overview of full-size Albatros camouflage and lozenge applications – the only real difference obviously being the greatly expanded section that deals with all the colour schemes featured, resulting in 14 pages overall. Each aircraft is clearly described and the details of the pilot are given where known. If the original colours are open to debate, Rowan highlights this, offering alternative suggestions along with an extensive list of references to allow you make an informed choice.

As well as the written descriptions, all the schemes are treated to high quality full colour profiles and plan views printed on glossy card. It almost seems a shame to scrap these after the decals have been used, and I suspect a good many will be framed and mounted on the walls of modelling dens.

Conclusion

Pheon's decals make the perfect accompaniment for any 1:72 Albatros. With nineteen schemes to choose between, I suppose you could argue that the only problem is going to be deciding which to build! For an average individual modeller there's probably a lifetime's worth of Albatros builds here, so the set would be ideal for a club build – and the resulting line-up would look amazing. Highly recommended.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.