BUSA Dr-1 1/4 Scale

Madman · July 08, 2014, 09:41:37 PM

Ha! Should have gone with lozenge like in Blue Max!

Seriously there has been a lot of electronic ink spilt on this topic over at theaerodrome.com. Two trains of thought. There were between 1 and 4 different colours applied in the streaks. The streaks were over clear doped linen, they were applied over the sky blue base. The streaks were dry brushed with a very dry brush or they were done as washes and the streaks came out as the brush(es) ran out of paint. There are as many theories as authors.

My guess is find a good picture of the plane you are replicating, or one whose finish is what you feel is correct. Then take a good look and decide for yourself which approach you felt was used. At that point I would make up a test panel or a few and try some different variations and see how they compare. You could photograph them and photoshop them into B&W to see how they look vs the picture(s) you are using. In reality it is you who is making the final call on what effect/look is 'correct'.

If you don't have it I have the Windsock special on Fokker Dr.I squadrons. There are good shots in there. Please note the only thing most agree on is that the streaks are straight or diagonal depending on which part of the plane you are working on. It appears to be the only consistent in the application.

There is also a theory that there was more than one person doing the final painting and each had their own approach, ie start with brush loaded with paint and go until dry, keep constant by having only a couple of brush strokes between paint loadings, etc. etc.... One wag has 'determined' the brush width. I don't remember but think they felt it was about 4" wide.

I hope this helps. I think every WWI fan has a Triplane in them somewhere/some time. If only GTM still kitted his 1/4 scale.. Oh well.

Stephen

electroflyer · July 09, 2014, 09:13:00 AM

Looking forward to some more pictures Greg!
By the way, you did not mention what happened last week at TEMAC. Last Friday we were treated to a flyby over the field by a full size Fokker DR1 Triplane (presume replica) all dressed in red. If that does not inspire you to get the job done, nothing will.
Glenn

Gregor77 · July 10, 2014, 11:54:05 AM

Thanks for the information Stephen. I got most of the base colour on. I am going to start to practice a bit on a piece of scrap material first to make sure that it looks right...

Another run to HD to get some of the brown olive mixed up. I hope it is the right tint.. I don't want them to be too dark either as a big Fokekr an get lost in the clouds and lose orientation rather quickly.

Gregor77 · August 09, 2014, 08:03:18 AM

Well after raiding all of southern Ontario for AS-5 tamiya paint. Ron, borgfeldt and kroegerinc finally got some more. Let me hope that is all that I need. Next time I am going with krylon. But the tamiya pigments are very light and will not add any weight to the model as other paints will. Plus it's a 99% match compared to the real plane. The hard part will be matching the dark green streaks. The colour used is called olive brown.

piker · August 09, 2014, 10:35:56 AM

Nice! You should aim to have it ready for the TEMAC Fun Fly!!!

Gregor77 · August 12, 2014, 09:57:53 PM

Working on it.

Gregor77 · September 18, 2014, 05:59:48 AM

I thought that I would add some updated shots. I had a minute or two after the presidents BBQ last night (great turn out and lots of fun) so I finished up the Werner Voss pilot figure. I used a Williams figure and chopped it up to get the right angle. Redid the face and made the helmet with tape and white glue.

Gregor77 · September 18, 2014, 06:02:29 AM

Some more shots.

Gregor77 · September 18, 2014, 06:07:18 AM

I just realized. No overall image.

Gregor77 · September 18, 2014, 06:09:41 AM

http://youtu.be/9RpiJL4_zRs

battlestu · September 18, 2014, 08:29:48 AM

very cool!

Gregor77 · September 18, 2014, 08:38:06 AM

If anyone has any thoughts on how to make a fake radial engine for this thing.

I was thinking the following:

Light ply and make a moon shape
Glue some old film cases (Round) and roll some wire around them.
Add some rocker details on the ends
Use a pin and slide the engine on the pin and lock with magnets.

This allows me to hide the batteries and wires. Hopefully it holds together.. lol!

This has been my greatest build to date.. I am already planning a more simplier build of the eindecker. But staring at the D7 BUSA kit beside it is tempting, but at 88" I might run out of workable space soon! I would really like to do the Urnst Udet D7 (White and red stripes).

wollins · September 18, 2014, 10:15:44 AM

That my friend, is absolutely stunning! Great job!

Colin