Knights of the Sky (1 Viewer)

For those out there that are collecting the JJD WW1 aircraft, specifically the Triplanes, I have a few publications that would be of interest. These are soft cover and in print.
1- "Fokker Dr.I" No author. A Windsock Datafile Special by Albatros Publications, 40 pgs., heavily illustrated, some in color (including photo and color ill. of the Jacob's Tripe).
2- "von Richthofen's Flying Circus: Colours and markings of Jagdgeschwader Nr.1" by Greg VanWyngarden, Windsock Fabric Special No.1, Albatros Pub., 64 pgs., heavily illustrated, some in color (has color ill. of LvR tripe, along with 4 photos of the wrecked plane on pg.52).
3- Osprey Pub., Aviation Elite Units #16, "Richthofen's Circus: Jagdgeschwader Nr1" by Greg VanWyngarden, 128 pgs., heavily illustrated, color section (LvR tripe on cover, wreck on pg.66).
4- Osprey Pub., Aircraft of the Aces #40, "Fokker DrI Aces of World War 1" by Greg VanWyngarden, 96 pgs., heavili illustrated, color section (color ill. of Jacob's & LvR tripes in side view, and photos of LvR wrecked tripe on pgs.26, 27).

These are all good books and affordable. All of these contain pictures of the triplanes that JJD has chosen to do, so far. -- Al
 
Rivet counter alert! The new JJD Lothar von Richthofen Fokker Triplane #454/17, while accurate in paint scheme, has incorrect cross markings. Perhaps it can be corrected before leaving the factories. -- Al

John has notified the dealers that due to the incorrect cross markings, the June release of ACE 05 has been delayed, he was able to work with the factory and push back the release.

I will hold my preorders on this and let the customers who did preorder know when it will be released........................................
 
John has notified the dealers that due to the incorrect cross markings, the June release of ACE 05 has been delayed, he was able to work with the factory and push back the release.

I will hold my preorders on this and let the customers who did preorder know when it will be released........................................
Outstanding response from JJD. A manufacturer who obviously cares enough to get the details right. I'm impressed. George, I don't suppose John mentioned where his corrected info came from, did he? :wink2::smile2: -- Al
 
Very happy to know that
tomorrow i will preorder
I tip my hat to John
Maple Leaf
 
Very classy by John. I'm sure it's a lot of aggravation for him, but demonstrates a commitment to his collectors. Thanks again to Al for pointing it out.
 
Very classy by John. I'm sure it's a lot of aggravation for him, but demonstrates a commitment to his collectors. Thanks again to Al for pointing it out.

That's great customer service! Picked up my first JJD plane a month or so ago and it is simply stunning. The detailing is suberb!
 
George, I don't suppose John mentioned where his corrected info came from, did he? :wink2::smile2: -- Al

He said some Orioles/Yankees/Redskins fan rivet counter pointed it out....:p{sm4}:tongue::smile2:

Seriously, he said several people pointed it out to him, he did research and found the correct markings and decided to change the model as a result. He said he enjoyed doing the research and finding the correct markings. Shows you the kind of person John is and why he's so well thought of in the hobby.


As Doug mentioned, and far be it for me to speak for John, but I assume it has cost him a fair chunk of change for this as since the plane was scheduled for a June release, I assume it was at the factory in production at the time.

Thus, he would have had to halt production, correct the mistake on any planes that were finished and reschedule production.

So there you go..........................
 
He said some Orioles/Yankees/Redskins fan rivet counter pointed it out....:p{sm4}:tongue::smile2:

Seriously, he said several people pointed it out to him, he did research and found the correct markings and decided to change the model as a result. He said he enjoyed doing the research and finding the correct markings. Shows you the kind of person John is and why he's so well thought of in the hobby.


As Doug mentioned, and far be it for me to speak for John, but I assume it has cost him a fair chunk of change for this as since the plane was scheduled for a June release, I assume it was at the factory in production at the time.

Thus, he would have had to halt production, correct the mistake on any planes that were finished and reschedule production.

So there you go..........................
LOL. I see my secrets are out.:rolleyes2: Thanks for the answer. I think it is a tremendous kudo to John that he halted an expensive process to make the necessary corrections. A class act. JJD is the best. -- Al
 
Just some musings about late war German aircraft that JJD might do. The iconic Fokker D-7. Possibly the best fighter craft of the war and one of the most colorful, where-in lies the question, what will JJD do about the 4 color and 5 color lozenge camo fabric used on the vast majority of these planes? I do not see an efficient solution for the pattern other than the use of decals. D-7's came from the factories covered in these multi-color fabrics, wings, body, virtually everything but the wheels and metal panels around the engine. There are efficient and excellent looking decals for this camo in 1/48 scale, but 1/30 is much larger and would be difficult, IMO, to cover both sides of both wings and all sides of the body and not have it look like decals. Do the modelers out there have a solution? The Fok.D-7 is too important not to do so a solution for the lozenge camo will have to be found. In fact, just about all German aircraft carried some form of this camo during the last several months of the war so some answer will be necessary. -- Al
 
Al...

Your knowledge of WWI aircraft must be unsurpassed on this forum. Good for JJD to correct the issue
Mitch
 
Al...

Your knowledge of WWI aircraft must be unsurpassed on this forum. Good for JJD to correct the issue
Mitch
Thanks Mitch. I don't know about that as there are a lot of members that don't post. At any rate, it is a vast subject and I know enough about it to get into trouble, but there is a lot I don't know. Learn something new almost every day. It is great fun.^&grin -- Al
 
Just some musings about late war German aircraft that JJD might do. The iconic Fokker D-7. Possibly the best fighter craft of the war and one of the most colorful, where-in lies the question, what will JJD do about the 4 color and 5 color lozenge camo fabric used on the vast majority of these planes? I do not see an efficient solution for the pattern other than the use of decals. D-7's came from the factories covered in these multi-color fabrics, wings, body, virtually everything but the wheels and metal panels around the engine. There are efficient and excellent looking decals for this camo in 1/48 scale, but 1/30 is much larger and would be difficult, IMO, to cover both sides of both wings and all sides of the body and not have it look like decals. Do the modelers out there have a solution? The Fok.D-7 is too important not to do so a solution for the lozenge camo will have to be found. In fact, just about all German aircraft carried some form of this camo during the last several months of the war so some answer will be necessary. -- Al

He could do Goring's version - all white. That would be an easy one to paint and very marketable.

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/models/38827-1-48th-revell-fokker-dvii.html
 
He could do Goring's version - all white. That would be an easy one to paint and very marketable.

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/models/38827-1-48th-revell-fokker-dvii.html
True, and a very famous and marketable craft. This was a plane Goering flew at the end of the war and there is a good chance he never scored any victories in it. It is also probably a unique Fokker D-7 in it's solid, single color. The D-7 was an airplane of a most varied construction history as it was produced by Fokker (F), Albatros (Alb), Albatros East Works (OAW). Each had their own identifying construction idiosyncrasies. All applied the camo fabric differently, and OAW had at least four cowling and exhaust arrangements. Crosses were also applied in different form and location by each manufacturer, depending on early, mid, or late production. It gets really confusing, but the one thing all D-7's had in common was the factory applied lozenge camo fabric. Once at the front, the aircraft would be painted per pilot's request and staffel ID requirements but all the pictures of D-7's I have seen have some trace of the lozenge camo showing and in most cases, a lot of it. Only Goering's D-7 appears as a solid color, all over. Many pictures show solid body color and/or solid wing color but all seem to have at least the bottom of the wings or part of the body as it came from the factory. This is a long-winded way of saying that the lozenge camo problem is still going to have to be solved if the Fokker D-7 is to be made accurately. -- Al
 
If John ventures for something different, then maybe Immelmann or Boelcke's Eindecker. A monoplane would really be a striking contrast. Also I would like to see a Austro-Hungarian plane. Some interesting possibilities there. My wish list is growing daily:

1) Goring's white Fokker DVII
2) Rickenbacker's Spad 4523 (I bet the house this would be a huge seller!)
3) MvR's Red Albatross
4) Immelmann's Eindecker

And on and on....:p
 
True, and a very famous and marketable craft. This was a plane Goering flew at the end of the war and there is a good chance he never scored any victories in it. It is also probably a unique Fokker D-7 in it's solid, single color. The D-7 was an airplane of a most varied construction history as it was produced by Fokker (F), Albatros (Alb), Albatros East Works (OAW). Each had their own identifying construction idiosyncrasies. All applied the camo fabric differently, and OAW had at least four cowling and exhaust arrangements. Crosses were also applied in different form and location by each manufacturer, depending on early, mid, or late production. It gets really confusing, but the one thing all D-7's had in common was the factory applied lozenge camo fabric. Once at the front, the aircraft would be painted per pilot's request and staffel ID requirements but all the pictures of D-7's I have seen have some trace of the lozenge camo showing and in most cases, a lot of it. Only Goering's D-7 appears as a solid color, all over. Many pictures show solid body color and/or solid wing color but all seem to have at least the bottom of the wings or part of the body as it came from the factory. This is a long-winded way of saying that the lozenge camo problem is still going to have to be solved if the Fokker D-7 is to be made accurately. -- Al
Just a note, the all white Goering Fokker D-7 was, I think, a special purpose painted aircraft from Fokker for Goering, much as von Richthofen's all red Triplane #425/17 is believed by some historians to have been purpose painted for The Red Baron. The paint job for both of these aircraft is believed to have been a factory special, not field applied. Obviously, rank and fame had it's privileges. It is possible other solid color aircraft existed, but I have not read about or seen evidence of them, conceding that I have in no way seen all the many thousands of photos available or read all the material that exists. JMO on this subject. -- Al
 
If John ventures for something different, then maybe Immelmann or Boelcke's Eindecker. A monoplane would really be a striking contrast. Also I would like to see a Austro-Hungarian plane. Some interesting possibilities there. My wish list is growing daily:

1) Goring's white Fokker DVII
2) Rickenbacker's Spad 4523 (I bet the house this would be a huge seller!)
3) MvR's Red Albatross
4) Immelmann's Eindecker

And on and on....:p
I'm on board for any of those, (what a shock, eh?). The Eindecker is a neat choice.{bravo}} -- Al
 
I'm sure the thrust of future John Jenkins releases will be towards well known period fighter aircraft. Myself I am a bit partial to twin engined bomber types. Two circa 1915-1916 designs really stand out for me as I see them being great examples of the era and today there is still originals of both displayed in North America.

Residing at the Steven Udvar Hazy Center at the Smithsonian is a tremendously well refurbished circa late 1915, early 1916 French bomber called the Caudron G-4. An interesting two man cockpit that was powered by two 80hp Le Rhone rotary engines and armed with one or two 7.7 mm Hotchkiss machine guns, the Caudron just looks cool although it was a daytime slow, sitting duck it was relegated to nightime sorties as a light bomber-reconnaissance aircraft and I subscribe that JJ could sell a ton of these twin engined delights and the collecting public both in North America and Europe would devour a limited run of this unique aircraft.

Another neat twin engined aircraft is located at the RCAF Museum near Ottawa Ontario. The German built AEG G lV was the least known of German bombers with the famed Gotha, Friedrichshafen and later Staaken R Giant types getting most accolades as those three designs were the ones that flew the epic sorties of 1917-18 over the English Channel in bombing attacks on Britain. The AEG was a stubbier smaller type design. Powered by the venerable 260hp Mercedes D lVa engines and defended by a pair of splendid Parabellum machine guns but not rangy enough in flights to England, the AEG's were sent eastward to fight in the Eastern theatre including the Italian Front. There the AEG's were less vulnerable to fast Allied interceptors and the AEG proved its worth as a robust and dependable bomber. The AEG bombers however were different than the larger Gotha's and Friedrichshafens. It's fuselage was constructed of a tubular steel frame and its strength was unparrelled on both sides. The AEG represented the quintessential essence of high quality German design and engineering. Like a classic Porsche 911 the aircraft was way ahead of its time. The plane could land on a dime and was not susceptible to frequent crash landings like what afflicted the Gothas and Friedrichshafens. A jewel to fly and to land pilots spoke very complimentary of the AEG bomber. Often times the AEG's could fly three or four sorties a night on the Eastern and Italian fronts. The only surviving example of any German WW1 twin engined bomber in existence is the AEG G lV at the RCAF Museum. Again I stress this design would be clamored for by collectors and afficiandos like no other bomber. Never depicted in 1/32 or 54mm this aircraft would be a home run rollout. Besides it size is compact enough to fit on a shelf and does not take near the amount of space a Gotha would occupy much less a Staaken.

Only time will tell but it always helps to throw out a couple of ideas... gems that would make any den or hobby room or man cave just exude tons of conversation over either of these two mid war classic twin engined bombers on both sides of the conflict.
 
I'm sure the thrust of future John Jenkins releases will be towards well known period fighter aircraft. Myself I am a bit partial to twin engined bomber types. Two circa 1915-1916 designs really stand out for me as I see them being great examples of the era and today there is still originals of both displayed in North America.

Residing at the Steven Udvar Hazy Center at the Smithsonian is a tremendously well refurbished circa late 1915, early 1916 French bomber called the Caudron G-4. An interesting two man cockpit that was powered by two 80hp Le Rhone rotary engines and armed with one or two 7.7 mm Hotchkiss machine guns, the Caudron just looks cool although it was a daytime slow, sitting duck it was relegated to nightime sorties as a light bomber-reconnaissance aircraft and I subscribe that JJ could sell a ton of these twin engined delights and the collecting public both in North America and Europe would devour a limited run of this unique aircraft.

Another neat twin engined aircraft is located at the RCAF Museum near Ottawa Ontario. The German built AEG G lV was the least known of German bombers with the famed Gotha, Friedrichshafen and later Staaken R Giant types getting most accolades as those three designs were the ones that flew the epic sorties of 1917-18 over the English Channel in bombing attacks on Britain. The AEG was a stubbier smaller type design. Powered by the venerable 260hp Mercedes D lVa engines and defended by a pair of splendid Parabellum machine guns but not rangy enough in flights to England, the AEG's were sent eastward to fight in the Eastern theatre including the Italian Front. There the AEG's were less vulnerable to fast Allied interceptors and the AEG proved its worth as a robust and dependable bomber. The AEG bombers however were different than the larger Gotha's and Friedrichshafens. It's fuselage was constructed of a tubular steel frame and its strength was unparrelled on both sides. The AEG represented the quintessential essence of high quality German design and engineering. Like a classic Porsche 911 the aircraft was way ahead of its time. The plane could land on a dime and was not susceptible to frequent crash landings like what afflicted the Gothas and Friedrichshafens. A jewel to fly and to land pilots spoke very complimentary of the AEG bomber. Often times the AEG's could fly three or four sorties a night on the Eastern and Italian fronts. The only surviving example of any German WW1 twin engined bomber in existence is the AEG G lV at the RCAF Museum. Again I stress this design would be clamored for by collectors and afficiandos like no other bomber. Never depicted in 1/32 or 54mm this aircraft would be a home run rollout. Besides it size is compact enough to fit on a shelf and does not take near the amount of space a Gotha would occupy much less a Staaken.

Only time will tell but it always helps to throw out a couple of ideas... gems that would make any den or hobby room or man cave just exude tons of conversation over either of these two mid war classic twin engined bombers on both sides of the conflict.
Tremendous "outside the box" choices for aircraft. Any idea what the wingspan would be in 1/30 for either of these beasts? I'm no good at converting scale but I do know that the 1/48 scale Gotha I once owned had a wing span of some 19 inches. I'm guessing that a twin-engined aircraft is going to be quite large. Even some of the single engine two-seaters, like the Bristol F2B or the Halberstadt CL's, are going to be large. If a large model is possible, these would be great choices. Would also like to see a Voison. -- Al
 

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