The Seventeen current releases, sheets no 30001 - 30020 continues the growing line of products from Wingnut Wings, The new set #30008 give us a wider choice of subjects to portray than what is in their #32030 kit. Given the numbers of the current sheets, we can probably expect more releases of this line of products. A guess is that more of these will be forth coming for the current Fokker D.VII that also offers a wide range of about 70 of colourful profiles. The priced at $19.00 for each set and the Wingnut Wings current international free shipping policy also applies to these. For this scale we see that this is not as high as other aftermarket sets.
#30008 1/32 Fokker D.VII (OAW) Fighting Fokkers part 3 US$19.00
-4 page fully illustrated instructions.
-2 high quality Cartograf decal sheets with markings for 5 OAW built D.VII aircraft;
A. Fokker D.VII (OAW) 2052/18, Ltn. Des Res.Karl Thom, Jasta 21s, 1918 (27 victories). Son of a field hand Karl Thom’s story is truly one of heroism. Early he served in FFA 48, 216, 234 before going to Jasta 21s. To begin with his fighter career, Vzfw. (Acting sergeant) Karl Thom came from Jasta Schule I on 11 May 1917. On 23 December 1917 he was WIA. Offz Stv. (Officer Aspirant) Karl Thom returned from the hospital on 24 January 1918 but on 11 August 1918 he was again WIA. Ltn des Res. Karl Thom returned from the hospital on 6 November 1918. But three days later he was Injured with multiple wounds in a crash. On 13 November 1918 he was sent home and removed from frontline status. He died under obscure circumstances, on 3 March 1945 in Pillau, East Prussia,near the Russian border; the invading Russians overran the city on 25 April 1945.
B. Fokker D.VII (OAW) 4453/18, Ltn. Alfred Lindenberger, Jasta Boelcke, November 1918 (16 victories). While Lindenberger was an observer / rear gunner in FA 234, he shot down a Spad on 29 May 1917. Then he was teamed with ace pilot Vzfw. (Acting sergeant) Karl Jentsch, and they scored two more SPAD types in October. After pilot training, on 9 May 1918 Lindenberger was posted to Jasta Boelcke . Between 30 May and 1 November 1918, he downed nine more enemy planes, seven flying the Fokker D.VII. He went on to be come a Major in WWII and added 4 more victories to his credit. In the public domain, details of his death are unknown at this time.
C. Fokker D.VII (OAW) 4631/18 “Lot.”, Jasta 64w, post August 22, 1918. This machine was first discussed in the Over the Front Articles (in Vo.22 #4, 2007) because a section of the fuselage side panel of “Lot” was discovered and newly found images including their Fokker D.VII machines came to light. Mr. Terry “Taz” Phillips and I did articles on Jasta 64w. As the instructions mention D.4631/18 appears to have been a reserve machine and was not regularly assigned to any one pilot. The noses were predominately painted with an aluminum paint. This probably came from stores that were left over from their transition from Pfalz D.IIIa to the Fokker D.VII types.
D. Fokker D.VII (OAW) 4635/18 “U.10”, Ltn. Heinz Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay, Jasta 65, September - 9 November 1918. He came from Armee Flug Park C on 27 Aug.1918 to serve in Jasta 65. He landed on the forward airfield of the 95th Aero Sqn near Verdun on 9 Nov. 1918 and was made a POW. He told his captors that he had become lost. In truth he had just returned from a short leave to visit his younger brother (Ltn. Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay) who was dying in a hospital. Olivier had been wounded by friendly fire on 18 October 1918. But blood poisoning had set in and he died on 26 October 1918. Who can say why Heinz got lost that day. His aircraft was taken and is now a permanent display in the Smithsonian Museum(NASM.)
E. Fokker D.VII (OAW) 6441/18, Ltn. Max Näther, Jasta 62, October-November 1918 (26 victories). He was a fighter pilot noted for the destruction of ten enemy observation balloons and sixteen aircraft. He came from Jasta Schule I on 31 March 1918 and on 7 July 1918 he was named as Jasta 62 Cmdr. On 27 September 1918 he was lightly WIA. And returned to Jasta 62 on 2 October and served until EOW. He was probably the youngest German ace in World War I. His final three victories were scored on 29 October. Coincidentally, he was nominated for the Pour le Mérite on that same day; however, his was one of several nominations that was never completed due to the abdication of the Kaiser on 9 November. Thus ending imperial awards of the Blue Max. He was KIA in the German Polish border wars on 8 January 1919.
What you get in the package:
The decal sheets came "Zip-Loc" 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 instructions from their kits. Full colour profiles are complimented by archival images of the subjects. One fine detail in the instructions 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. Clean 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, gauge faces, weight tables and rigging instructions are also included on these sheets. Some of the crosses tend to duplicate what is already in the basic kit. Carograf utilizes overlapping with markings that are grouped as single decals.
Lozenge
Now that Wingnut Wings has released their version of their versions of factory printed intermediate day 4 & 5 colour lozenge (Farbenflugzeugstoff) these decals are even more relevant. While the basic kits have 4 & 5 colour decals for the wings. Five colour for the fuselage is not included in the this decal set or the WNW kit #32030.
When contacting manufacturers and publishers please mention you saw this review at Aeroscale
Highs: High quality, opaque where needed, Good colours over all. Design seems flawless.Lows: I disgree strenously with the interpretation of Lindenberger's light stripe colours on D.4453/18.Verdict: Good quality and decent price. Well worth the purchase.
Our Thanks to Wingnut Wings! This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.
About Stephen T. Lawson (JackFlash) FROM: COLORADO, UNITED STATES
I was building Off topic jet age kits at the age of 7. I remember building my first WWI kit way back in 1964-5 at the age of 8-9. Hundreds of 1/72 scale Revell and Airfix kits later my eyes started to change and I wanted to do more detail. With the advent of DML / Dragon and Eduard I sold off my ...
Now for a bit of photo interpretation here.
In my opinion the oblique banding (sash banding) were black and white originally. The lighter paint here appears to be thinly or unevenly applied and brush strokes seem evident. Noting the overcoat of varnish appears to be flaking off and worn. When freshly applied the tinted - translucent varnish was meant to add weatherproofing and it also subdued anything it covered. The nose, tail unit and the fuselage cross appear brighter and there is a slight border around the fuselage crosses. Often the national markings were added using an oil based paint. The fuselage crosses either were masked or repainted. Depending on the tint of the original varnish I see this as a more brownish tint over hand brushed translucent flat white and flat black. This tint would cover the wings as well. In the British venacular. "She probably looked a bit knackered".
Very interesting Stephen,
I am planning on doing this scheme as well as Jasta Boelcke is sort of my theme.
Is there any anecdotal evidence regarding the coloring of 4453/18?
I have seen it depicted as black/yellow before WNWs interpretation, so I am curious where that idea might have come from.
I gather then you would have it as a sort of dirty white in its "per-knackered" condition.
Cheers,
Bo Monroe
Greetings Bo,
Actually it was at one time thought to be green & black. But it was changed in a popular Osprey publication on the Jasta 2 "Boelcke" book. The truth is its just a guess on the approximation of colour shades in orthochromatic film. The Metheun handbook was designed with this kind of interpretation. But it is still just a guess.
The late Dan San Abbott wrote:
". . .I have looked at several photographs of this machine. The dark stripe where it crosses the horizontal arm of the fuselage cross does not match the tonal value of the black in the cross. It may be another color, red or orange would produce that grey value. However in studying the design, it is a ribbon that diagonally crosses the fuselage immediately in front of the cross. I then took a look at the ribbon on the Würtemberg Gold Military Merit Medal, it is a bright yellow ribbon with narrow black stripes near the edges. I must agree with Greg (VanWyngarden), the fuselage sash is yellow with narrow black stripes inboard of the edges the stripes fore and aft of the sash are equal width stripes about 100 mm wide in black and yellow. What an interesting scheme!"
Thanks Stephen,
Like so many of these puzzles, I'm left not being sure what to think.
Thanks for your thoughtful analysis. I agree that white is plausible, but I don't quite see how yellow is ruled out based on the photos. At least pale yellow as is often depicted?
As for DSA /GvW interpretation of the association with the Würtemberg GMMM -- is there any connection with Lindenberger and this award or province?
Cheers,
-- Bo
Here is a bit of fun on the subject of D.4635/18 "U.10".
". . .An ancient issue of the American Aviation Historical Society Journal had a piece about Paul Garber working late one night by himself in his old pre-NASM office in the 1950's. He heard a strange groaning, growl then a shriek. It spooked him, but he got up to investigate. This led him down the hallways to where U.10 was sitting. The sound had come from from her fuselage fabric suddenly ripping, her old brittleness giving in to the changing weather inside the old building. . ."
Here is a good bit on Heinz von Beaulieu-Marconnay.
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1144.htm
"Today, the last vestige of fictional war. The University of Houston's College of Engineering presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.
November 9, 1918, two days before the WW-I Armistice. The place, a tiny American airstrip near Verdun -- some sheds and three pilots playing cards. One of those pilots later became Governor of Maine, another, Vice President of Eastman Kodak. Now they hear a sputtering engine. A Fokker D.VII drops out of the low gray clouds and lands. They run out with pistols drawn and capture the German pilot. He's Heinz von Beaulieu-Marconnay, a Huguenot aristocrat. They invite him in for a collegial shot of cognac before they send him off to be processed. It remains unclear why he'd landed there.
The Fokker D.VII was eventually boxed up and sent to America. It wound up in the Smithsonian Institution. In the 1970's the museum restored it to its 1918 condition -- including a mysterious marking on its side: the letters U.10 painted three feet tall.
I was studying in the Smithsonian back in 1970 and was given the task of writing a museum label for the plane. I knew the Fokker D.VII was the best German fighter plane of the war. But what on earth did U.10 stand for? As I looked, the plot thickened. Two weeks before the Armistice, the pilot's brother, a German ace named Oliver von Beaulieu-Marconnay, died of wounds after he was shot down. His plane had carried the equally mysterious letters, 4D.
And why had Heinz landed? Was he broken by his brother's death - saving himself by surrendering? That was current Smithsonian thinking. I went looking for the meaning of the insignia and for the circumstances that'd brought Heinz's plane to an Allied airstrip on that overcast day late in the war.
I located the now-aging American interrogator who'd talked with the pilot just after he'd landed. It turns out they'd become close friends. After th e war he'd been godparent to the flyer's children. As to defection? Not a chance. The pilot was lost, his engine was dying and the Allied planes were in their hangars. After the war Heinz became an important figure in the Luftwaffe. He was captured again in WWII and died in a Russian concentration camp.
I also found the pilot's children. His daughter was living on Long Island. His son did drafting for Messerschmitt. Neither could say what Heinz's U.10 or Olivier's 4D stood for. Finally the daughter wrote to her aunt who said both boys had joined the cavalry when war broke out. Olivier went to the Fourth Dragoons, hence the 4-D. Heinz had ridden with the Tenth Uhlans. When they had the chance to fly, they took their cavalry insignias with them.
So my quest had taken me into a twilight zone, a last vestige of 19th century views of war, the thin tissue of a chivalrous war, a gentleman's war, a war that never was. Soon after the Armistice my father, also a pilot, flew over the empty trenches of Verdun. He wrote home about terrible destruction, far as the eye could see. He saw no chivalry, no shots of cognac, down there. This war, like all wars, had really been about killing people. I'd only caught a glimpse of a few decent people -- trying to make it otherwise.
I'm John Lienhard, at the University of Houston, where we're interested in the way inventive minds work."
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