Sopwith Triplane

 Sopwith Triplane 

An addition to my Canvas eagles collection, a Revell 1/72 scale miniature. A reasonably simple build out of the box. Airbrushed first then a wash, followed by a brush highlight to achieve the painted canvas dragged painted, decals were a little old, and were a little difficult with the red circle being separate.  

Cheers

Matt

Jasta 18 Raben Ravens

 Jasta 18 Rabens Ravens 

A project that has the aircraft built in some cases for 7 years or more, I finally decided to get this unit done in a mad rush of three days for the analogue painting challenge. Apart for airbrush undercoat white, all hand painted, the transfers are from Pheon Models range. the aircraft are 1/72 a mix of Airfix, Roden and Italeri I think......the pilots are a mix of Airfix and Wartime Miniatures ww1 pilots all ready for a Canvas Eagles or WOW clash!

Ltn August Raben, Montingen October 1915, Fokker drI

Ltn Hans Schultz, Lomme June 1918

Ltn Heinz Kuttner, Montingen 1918

Ltn Fredrich Hess Montingen August 1918

Hanover CII

cheers

Matt

Luftstreitkräfte Albatross W4

 Luftstreitkräfte Albatross W4

One of my last builds for 2021 was a 1/72 Roden Albatross W4, not a bad build but like most Roden kits I pinned the wings and made new struts to make it better for wargame handling! I opted for the simple brown natural and unpainted canvas wings, the transfers were again a problem being oversized for the kit. I painted them with varnish then cut to size. 

Albatross W4

cheers

Matt

Junkers D1 Luftstreitkräfte

 Junkers D1 (the furniture van)

Next build for canvas eagles collection is a Roden Junkers D1 and was a great build very simple and easy in comparison too its twin winged friends. I painted totally in purple and green, copying a similar build using the fabulous 1/32nd Wingnut models. The Roden 1/72 decals were delicate, so I switched to Pheon models decals to save the day, the pilot is a ww1 20mm Wartime Miniatures pilot. As it is a Canvas eagles model no wires were added. Really happy with my results

 

Junkers D1 1/72 Roden kit

One of the groundbreaking aircraft of WW1, the all metal monoplane with a thick cantilevered wing design creating extra lift and using duralumin pipes with aluminium riveted corrugated duralumin (alloy), it first seen frontline use in september 1917. I knew I had to build one when I seen the kit on a shelf at the local model shop.

The Junk D1 was nicknamed the furniture Van and only flew with the Luftstreitkräfte. The colour schemes are contentious, The Air Ministry report on Junkers D.1 5183/18 found abandoned at Evere, Belgium in January 1919 notes that “The wings are painted a pale green, with irregular patches of light mauve on top, and white underneath”. Close examination of photographic evidence shows that the “light mauve” and “white” were not sprayed on but applied with a brush or perhaps by sponge etc. The fuselage of 5183/18 had been overpainted ...“a chocolate-brown colour, except underneath, where a white pigment has been applied”. It also noted that “pale green” could be seen where the brown paint had come off. Interior duralumin surfaces and frames were left unpainted on the prototype J 7 and may have remained unpainted on the first few aircraft but a photo on page 12 of Datafile 33 shows the interior painted in a reasonably dark colour that was probably grey-green. Interior steel brackets and collars riveted with iron rivets appear to have been painted black or possibly with red-brown primer unless overpainted with grey-green.




cheers
Matt

Jasta 10 ww1 WIP 1

Jasta 10 1916-18 Part one

It has been a while since I have built any ww1 aircraft for my Flying Circus but during my three week painters block I watched two ww1 films and put together four kits. Two of these will join Jasta 10, the others are for another Luftstreitkräfte posts. 

In June 1917 Jasta 10 joined the flying circus along and was credited with 118 enemy planes and 33 enemy observation balloons destroyed. In turn, it would lose twenty killed in action, another killed in a flying accident, ten wounded in action, and four held as prisoners of war


First plane off the block is the most famous Pilot of the Jasta, Werner Voss credited with 48 kills, 14 with Jasta 10. I will paint his triplane in the familiar colours of Jasta 10, a yellow nose and tail (as per recorded his shot down aircraft), not sure if I will add the large white field to the cross pattée and yellow tail plane tops (not recorded for Voss)

"Capt. J. McCudden, No. 56 Squadron ... saw a S.E.5a fighting a triplane, so with others dived at it, and for the next ten minutes the enemy triplane fought the five S.E.5s with great skill and determination. Eventually, however, it was destroyed by 2nd-Lieut. Rhys Davids of the same squadron, who had previously driven down a two-seater. . .The triplane was seen to crash in our lines by other pilots and the other occupant proved to be Lieut. Werner Voss, who was killed." Royal Flying Corps Communique

The second aircraft is Lt Hans Klein, he lead the Hasta from the 17th September 1917 until he was wounded in February 1918 flying a Pfalz dxiii. a record of 22 victories, 1 unconfirmed. I have built the Roden kit for this, a lot of work......

lt Hans Klein Jasta 10

The third will be Adam Barth, one confirmed before he was shot down. 

Vizefeldwebel Adam Barth

And another ace Obt Erich Löwenhardt, flying a Fokker Dvii. The son of a doctor, Löwenhardt served with an infantry regiment before he volunteered for the German Air Force. He was wounded in action over Roulers on 20 September 1917. After scoring his 54th victory, he collided with Lieutenant Alfred Wenz of Jasta 11, on the 10th August. Both men jumped from their planes but Löwenhardt was killed when his parachute failed to open. Löwenhardt had 54 victories at the time of his death.

Cheers

Matt 

Jasta 2 Lt D R Wilhelm Prien 1917

first German aircraft off the table for some time, this is the partner to the SE5a I built in the twin pack from italeri, a easy build, I chose to do lt DR Wilhelm Prien aircraft for Jasta 2 in June 1917. Prien
also flew with Jasta 10.

Se 5a 25th Areo Sqaudron 1918

Italeri have released a range of 1/72nd models in twin packs, great value for money, I selected to do the Se 5a of Lt Joseph E Boudain whilst flying for the 25th areo sqn, the first plane for my Americans, the sqn did not see a lot of action as its Se5a 'S were retrofitted with different motors that proved problematic. The unit saw action only twice before the armistice.

Bertholds Jagdstaffel 18

First miniatures off the desk this year are these three completed 1/72nd aircraft, most were base coated but not completed. They consist of two Roden Pfalz DIIIa and a Revell albatross DIII all with wartime miniatures pilots. Theses aircraft represent the Jagdstaffel under the command of Rudolf Berthold who commanded from August to October 1917. There are two more aircraft to be completed before I move onto Rabens Ravens.

Cheers
Matt

Bloody April canvas eagles

The month of April 1917 was known as Bloody April by the Royal Flying Corps. The RFC suffered particularly severe losses — about three times as many as the Imperial German Army Air Service  during the spring offensive in support of the ground assaults. 

We played 5 games in four hours (with two coffee and one lunch brake in between) we tuned up the game mechanics a little as we played, the game was on a six by five table with four players and was normally over in 15 minutes although one did last less than three minutes. 

We had a good day out, the Germans however had the worse of it and this April ended up very bloody for them!  I was happy how the rules played, the key to convention rules is simplicity and speed so you can churn players through the game. A big thanks to Ryan, Boyd Ian and Greg For the great games

cheers
Matt

Allied aircraft

WOW Allied Aircraft

My first aircraft of the Allied airforce for 1/72nd Wings of War, these were put together by my good mate Chris who was up for the challenge of the Airfix RE8, and the Roden Se5 was a much kinder kit to build apparently. Both kits were painted with my trusty Aztek, then ink washed, then a combination of airbrush and brush highlighting and weathering, I don't know why but all allied transfers seem oversize so I have ordered some replacements for both of these aircraft, and I have some pilots (currently being sculpted, which I will put into production) on the way to fill the empty seats soon!

The trusty Aifix RE8, I ahve a second airfix kit that will be in Belgian colours

The Roden Se5, two more of these to build and paint!

cheers

Jasta 2 1917 WOW

A great many discussions have been had at the club over the last few years of moving to 1/72nd scale WW1 air combat. Mark had a head start and has been building fleets of aircraft for the last ten years mostly to play canvas eagles. Two years ago a few of the chaps started to get excited by Wings Of War and played a few club games using the rules and the aircraft available, a number of great games were had with lots of "dakka dakka" and sound effects provided by a snoopy toy plane!

Last Novemeber we all played WOW in 1/72nd scale for the first time, Mark had designed all of the decks and most of us decided to get a few kits and build some early war and late war planes, last month three of us at the club played WOW early war (see Gregs Post here).

I have decided to concentrate on late war so this is my first Jasta of my planned three Jasta's, each jasta will have around five aircraft. These two still need some wire work, and to be gloss then flat matt clear finish done. I have selected two historical colour schemes so far from Jasta 2, the other two or three will be made up I think.

Albatross DIII flown by Ltn Hermann Frommherz 1917 , I am the most happy with this Kite, all hand painted including the stripes.

Albatross DIII flown by Werner Voss, again hand painted, the cross in oakleaves should be a swastika, I will fix this before the gloss coat.

yet to do Paul Baumers Pfalz DIII

Cheers

Matt