Roden 1/48 Junkers D.I

[jumpinjan]

Originally Posted by StephenLawson

We tell the course of production by dates. Times and dates are what we do research by. I can not agree with you concerning your "hypothesis." It is simply not fact based.

I asked for a picture or whatever proof on your "one-piece" turtledeck theory. Did you duck out?
The turtledeck is what I call the top section of the fuselage behind the pilot. Are you including the vertical side panels too in your turtledeck definition? (maybe I misunderstood) The production D.Is used a "one-piece side panel", which would require more tooling & harder to produce sheetmetal stock, but would save time in assembly. Even the 4 long-fuselage D.Is also look to be one-piece, and the captured D.Is in Belgium were of all one-piece. The only two-piece corrugated side panels, is what I call the Jco prototype (on page 70). For some reason, most all 3-views are drawn and plastic models are of this example. The Blue Max Junkers D.I is modeled after this one prototype. Its like everyone copies all previous work and the misconceptions perpetuate.

[jumpinjan]

The belly pan is one-piece as seen in the only existing D.I and in a vintage photo of a wrecked D.I (not shown). A two piece covering will show a seam where the two pieces are joined & riveted, obviously.

[StephenLawson]

Ok let me try again. This is an image of a one piece spine. Note the corrugations and their paths. Front to rear not toward a center section. That would indicate two piece. This is the Jfa first production machine of the Ju. D.I . Jfa did not build a prototype, Jco did. Jfa began their production series using one piece turtledecks. The kit includes a control column that is a Fokker type by the way.

[Ross_Moorhouse]

Originally Posted by StephenLawson

....The kit includes a control column that is a Fokker type by the way.

Is this correct???

[jumpinjan]

Ross,
For Junk D.I 5185/18, which should be a Jfa production unit, yes, they should have the Fok D7 control stick by then.
I just purchased my kit, and I noticed there is no "Vee" bracing wire on the undercarrage. The prototype had a metal strut; Production units had wire. So, that the builder supplies it, is their intent?
The wing strut pass-throughs (through the fuselage) are all wrong, but really nobody can see them anyway.
Jan

[Ross_Moorhouse]

Originally Posted by jumpinjan

Ross,
For Junk D.I 5185/18, which should be a Jfa production unit, yes, they should have the Fok D7 control stick by then.
I just purchased my kit, and I noticed there is no "Vee" bracing wire on the undercarrage. The prototype had a metal strut; Production units had wire. So, that the builder supplies it, is their intent?
The wing strut pass-throughs (through the fuselage) are all wrong, but really nobody can see them anyway.
Jan

Please don't take this as being directed at you. But even if the stick was no right 99% of people who would see this kit on a comp table would not know this. I didn't thats for sure.

[StephenLawson]

Doing some research on this machine the serial D.5829/18 turned up. Not sure about the colours. I wonder if it has been repainted or this is the original factory scheme. Fabric seat cover looks like it has been replaced.




Here is what Jan was talking about concerning the landing gear.

[jumpinjan]

Stephen,
Its been repainted (one should not see brown & green in late 1918, right?).
Stephen, what else can you tell me about this D.I???
Jan

[StephenLawson]

Originally Posted by jumpinjan

Stephen,
Its been repainted (one should not see brown & green in late 1918, right?).
Stephen, what else can you tell me about this D.I???
Jan

1. On the museum machine, curiously the brown and green look like types seen on colourized images of French machines. But it is in a French museum. It seems like a late production type post the September 1918 amallgamation of Jco & Jfa.The engine cover over the exhaust is interesting as well.

Typically since mauve was so dominant in the German paint schemes (and because it was an easy colour to produce) You would think that mauve and green would be applied. If it has been repainted it may have been done so with existing French colours. Museums have done far more bizarre things to airframes.


2. The colours used in the field. The third colour from the b&w photgraph seems (as you mentioned) to hold a similar tonal value as the colour we would normal associate dk green already present on the scheme. I have a similar view of a standard CL (2 seater) it also has a similar lay out to the camouflage. The pesky third colour present on the pilot's left wing. Here is the single seat version with the possible three colour camouflage I referenced.

[jumpinjan]

Originally Posted by StephenLawson

The engine cover over the exhaust is interesting as well.

Interesting is all you can say??? It's faked! It is all corrugated sheetmetal that the museum must have added (they did get the corrugation pitch correct). The radiator vents are all wrong too. Look at all the holes in the radiator surround. The prop is wrong (should be a Fok D7) and I think the exhaust collector might be wrong as well. Where are the guns?
Stephen,
This D.I was "restored" in 1974, now do you really think they knew what they were doing then? Same goes for the Smithsonian's Albatros D.Va lozenge colors (about same time period), they butchered those colors too.
Museums don't have the time & money to do things right....as you well know?
Jan