. If they are complete as JJ or K/C, then they might be looked at.:smile2:.IMO MichaelVery good, enthusiastic post. WW1 aviation is the best. I will, however, be sticking to the JJD aircraft as my days of building kits are long past. Still, I find WNW's site a fascinating site and I love seeing what they are bringing to the hobby. If only they had been around 30 years ago... ^&grin -- Al
Got my Jacobs Fokker yesterday and am very pleased with it, as I knew I would be. Haven't been disappointed yet. The Richthofen tripe and the Jacobs tripe look great on the shelf together and I am just waiting for the Richthofen figure (and Jacobs down the line?) to complete the set-up. I am very interested to see what is next in line from JJD in the way of aircraft. Would love to see the Lothar von Richthofen tripe but another tripe so soon might be unrealistic. I'll be thrilled with whatever comes out though. -- Al
It would be nice.:smile2: -- Al
Wolfram's tripe would make a neat little trio. The cap band color is correct as it was the color of Lothar's former cavalry regiment, thus also his triplane color. -- Al
Rivet counter alert! The new JJD Lothar von Richthofen Fokker Triplane #454/17, while accurate in paint scheme, has incorrect cross markings. The cross pattern should be the earlier Maltese cross (Cross Patee). LvR was injured on March 13, 1918, when the upper wing of #454/17 collapsed in combat. The tripe was seriously damaged and probably written off in the resulting crash. Photos of the crashed tripe show the Maltese cross pattern on the craft, with the thin white outline. Triplane #454/17 never carried the straight edge cross. It was destroyed March 13, 1918, before the order of March 17, 1918 came down to change the cross from the Maltese to the straight edge design on German aircraft. It is an unfortunate marking error but not one that will keep me from buying the model. Perhaps it can be corrected before leaving the factories. -- Al
The site is a good one. Lots to learn. As to the subject, there is lots of room for speculation on WW1 aircraft colors, especially German planes. Some claim that LvR top wing was factory camo; some claim it had a light wash of yellow with the camo showing through; some claim the yellow was very prominent. All that means is there is leeway for color schemes and that one pick is as reasonable as another, as far as available research allows. The JJD scheme, if crosses are corrected, is a good choice as a color scheme, and the more colorful selection. I like it. Color scheme speculation is one of the great joys (!) of WW1 aviation research. The Voss cowling color controversy and the Udet Fokker D-7 upper wing stripping color controversy have been going for ever. Was Voss' cowling factory green or was it yellow? Was Udet's wing red and white stripes or black and white? Take a pick. One is just as likely to be correct as the other and unless some undiscovered written record appears, the controversies are likely to stay unresolved. But it is fun to speculate, as long as research and common sense are applied. -- Al
Not a bad reconstruction. Pretty accurate except for the crosses. I don't know why the cross error occurs. There are readily available photos of #454/17's crash that show the plane and the Maltese crosses from different angles. Before anyone gets the idea that LvR's tripe would have been repaired and flown again, with the straight cross pattern, it would not have happened. LvR was injured in the crash on 3-13-18 that wrecked #454/17 and was out of action until mid-July, 1918. On his return, LvR got a Fokker D-7, which now equipped the Jasta's, not a rebuilt triplane. As you pointed out, the colors are often open to interpretation because it is very difficult to determine correct color schemes from b/w photos. Different film produce different tonal values, so written testimony and other written sources such as official reports and observations are necessary to fill in gaps. Quite honestly, I think the pilots and crews just had more important things on their minds than the recording of aircraft color schemes. The Red Baron's aircraft color has always been the subject of discussion as the red paints used would have varied in shade and quality on the different aircraft he flew. MvR flew a lot of different aircraft and it is probable only his last one, Fokker Triplane #425/17, was entirely red. WW1 aircraft color discussions can be a black hole. -- Al
Must concede, anything is possible. I just don't think #454/17 would have been or could have been rebuilt. It was pretty well wrecked. Even if rebuilt and re-issued, it would have been repainted to the new "owner's" specs. LvR got the D-7 on return to duty and I assume, lacking evidence to the contrary, that he never returned to the triplane. But it is within the realm of possibility that LvR, being who he was, had access to triplanes after his 7-18 return, just not #454/17. -- Al