2 replies to this topic

[Rowan Broadbent]

Emerging into the daylight blinking......

Well the Austrian Albatros design work is done. It turned into a bit of a marathon and we now have three sets going to the printers in 48th scale for the new Eduard kit, as well as for the Blue Max version, of course (always one of Chris Gannons best, I thought and still available from Freightdog Models).

A total of 43 different schemes made it onto the three sets, covering all versions of the Oeffag D.III: 53 series, 185 and 200 hp (including one D.II for the conversion addicts) , 153 series and 253 series. All of which can be built from the parts included Eduard 253 kit. The only slight modification needed will be to represent the two-valve arrangement for the 185hp engine which features in a few of the subjects.

48014 and 48015 are very colourful (up to nine different colours) A.5 decal sheets.

48016 will have an A.5 size decal sheet for the markings and another A.5 sheet with two variations of the painted mustard yellow shapes used in camouflage over dark green, contained on a separate A.5 size sheet. The camouflage decals are 'cookie-cut' to fit the Eduard kit and there will be enough camouflage decals to complete two aircraft in this attractive finish. This sheet will also be available separately as 48016b.

The eisernes kreutz have been drawn in the specific Oeffag style - notably thinner and more elegant than the design specified by the Austro-Hungarian authorities and which are apparent in almost all photographs of these aircraft. After much tinkering and trial and error, I now believe that all Oeffag did was to take the specification for drawing the crosses and change the ratio of the cross ends from the specified 0.4 of the cross height to 0.33 - all other dimensions seem to be as laid down in the official document. Enough crosses in both outlined and plain designs have been included on each sheet to complete four models.

Prices (all plus P&P) will be:

48014 £(GBP) 12.75
48015 £(GBP) 12.75
48016 £(GBP) 17.50
48016b (Camouflage only) £(GBP)7.50

For pre-orders for all three of these sets, placed before 27 September 2010 we are offering a discount of £8.00, which takes the total full price of £43.00 down to just £35.00.

As usual, each set will be accompanied by a carefully researched booklet, detailing aircraft production and operation and information on the individual pilots as well as detailed full-colour profiles on glossy photo paper. The profile plans are entirely new and I believe are amongst the most accurate yet produced. (though I’m sure someone will know more!).

Here’s the aircraft included on 48014:









And the decal sheet



Note that the tail stripe decals for the first option have now been changed on the decal artwork to reflect the profile.



Set 48015









And the decal sheet:





Set 48016:



Just noticed that one of the profiles is repeated on this sheet, so it's only fourty-two......







And the decal sheet:



These should be available in eight weeks or so and we’re open for pre-orders now at the usual email address;

Pheon.models@hotmail.co.uk

It is intended that 1/72nd versions for the Roden kits will follow soon!

Whilst I always give full recognition for references used in the booklets, I thought I’d list the principal ones here.

My interest in Austro-Hungarian markings goes back to the mid-eighties and the late Dr.Martin O’Connor’s articles in Scale Models, illustrated by Ray Rimell and his subsequent book on the Austro-Hungarian Aces in 1986, a well-thumbed, signed copy of which is one of my favourite books!

I had for many years sought his ten Cross and cockade articles on A-H colours and markings, and thanks to the most generous assistance of Kirk Lowry in Canada, I finally secured copies last year. It is fair to say that I wouldn’t have attempted this opus without them. The fact that some of his research was tainted by Rodney Gerrard’s misinformation takes nothing away from his work. I have been careful to try to avoid as much of this bad gen as I could identify. I also am sceptical of Gottfried Banfield’s description of the light green paint he claimed was used on the Flik 42J Albatros he flew on a few occasions (Franz Graser’s 53.27 on set 48016).

Other main refs consulted were:
Windsock Datafile 19
Petr Tasar’s Albatros D.II & D.II book from Japo,
Grosz, Haddow and Schiemer’s Austro-Hungarian Aircraft of World War One
Plus many other articles from a variety of magazines. and not forgetting Koloman Mayrhofer's fantastic build of new replicas - see his thread on The Aerodrome:

http://www.theaerodr...d-iii-news.html

Edited by Rowan Broadbent, 27 August 2010 - 01:22 AM.

[Rowan Broadbent]

As promised, here are some scans of the decal designs for the Austro-Hungarian painted designs. These took the form of small mustard yellow painted shapes applied on top of dark green. Two of the most representative designs, allegedly produced at the instigation of Godwin Brumowski when he was CO of Flik 41J, were spiral "sworls and simpler "curlicue" shapes.

The decals provide two complete aircraft sets of these , one of each design. In order to ensure opacity of these decals over the dark green paint, they will be "double printed" The shapes have been tailored to fit Eduard's kit parts, though I am confident that the will also fit the Blue Max kit with some minor adjustments.

They are included as part of 48016, volume three of the Oeffag Albatros sets and will also be available separately as 48016b, as mentioned above. I had hoped to be able to include them all on a single A5 sheet, but there just wasn't room, so the lower wing surfaces are catered for by another small sheet, shown in the second image (which has resized itself, so looks much bigger than the other scan!):

[ollieholmes]

Those are gorgous sheets Rowan and i am very tempted.