colours for my aviatik berg D1 ?

[huberlu]

My project is the Aviatik Berg DI made by Flashback.




Rittmeister 194 :: Voir le sujet - montage Aviatik berg D1 suite



Aviatik berg D1






The decals in the kit is not easy to put on the wing and fuselage and colors iare not good and I want to paint hegagons. (Windsock p35p36 tell us which humbrol's paint to use)



The information I have (Aviatik D.I & D.II JaPo, Windsock - Datafile 045 p35 p 36 ) shows a very different colour scheme for the hexagons and photos show me something different, with more different colors....

On this 5 different hegagons:








but the profil show us 4 colours...





Can anyone tell me which is correct, or were there different patterns, or are they both wrong!

With thanks



Huberlu

[charlie bucket]

Huberlu,

Tres ravissant!

I just received this very same kit 10 minutes ago in the mail. Thanks for the pics; I'm going to use them as a guide to certain things I want to do with it. Again, you do beautiful work.

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to your question. I plan on building it with the incorrect color scheme because I like the aesthetic quality as is, as the colors they chose for the Flashback kit were what drew me to it in the first place.

I'm sure you know this already, but the only thing I know is absolutely wrong is the red vertical fuselage band, which should be black. I remember seeing one kit build of this where the builder also hollowed out the "L" on the top wing so the lozenge showed through, but I'm not sure of the accuracy there.

wwi-models.org has a number of examples of this kit-build. You might look there with their search function in the gallery, then get email contact info from the people who posted their models and ask them if they know anything about what to do. I would bet that the actual colors for the lozenge are lost in the ocean of history - though being a guess, it's worthless.

World War I Model Galleries

Bob Laskodi and Bucky Sheftall I know did nice jobs with this kit, though both went with the oob decals. They still might know something I don't. There are a few examples that don't use the same colors as the decals though.

Bon chance!
-Matt

[FOKKERJ]

Hi huberlu,

Welcome to the Aerodrome.

If I knew the answer to your question....I wouldn't tell you anyway.
Because then you would just close up the fuselage and continue with your build,
hiding the beautiful work that you have done on the interior!

I do know that from my references that there was two different bolts of camouflaged linen used on the same machine, one light and one darker.
With out looking I can't tell you the colors or how many of each. Also there is a random colored Hex called the "WILD CARD", I believe this came from the exaustive study done by Dr. Martin O'Connor. Again, with out looking I could be talking nonsense, but this is what I remember. If I get a chance, I will look later. All I have is an old PROFILE PUBLICATION and an AMERICAL/GRYPHON decal sheet, for what its worth.

Nice work, keep'em coming.

Best Regards, FOKKERJ

[Kirk R. Lowry]

Bonjour huberlu!

I would suggest that you peruse a copy of Cross & Cockade International Journal, Vol.17 No.3 1986 and read Markings And Camouflage Of Austro-Hungarian Aircraft - Part 3 by O'Connor. Several pages are dedicated to what is described as Pattern C - Lozenge Camouflage as applied to the Aviatik D.I and numerous photographs and diagrams reinforce the text. I doubt that anyone else had done as much research into those schemes as the late, and still lamented, Doctor.

Salut!
Kirk

[charlie bucket]

Update on my previous post: In Bob Laskodi's review of this model, in the "paint and decals" section he states that the Americal decals are "correct," even though he went with the Flashback ones.

Review: Flashback 1/48 Aviatik D.I

I'm not sure if he's correct in saying that, but you might use those decals for reference if you can find them, or contact him to ask how he arrived at this conclusion through the email given for him at wwi-modelgalleries.org: laskodi@launchnet.com

Again, good luck, and please post more pictures as you move along through your build.

-Matt

[huberlu]

Hi,

Thanks to all for compliments and your help.

I want to paint hexagons because decals are difficult to put on the wings and are granular when dry.

I will be very happy to see a copy of Cross & Cockade International Journal, Vol.17 No.3 1986 and read Markings And Camouflage Of Austro-Hungarian Aircraft - Part 3 by O'Connor. But ...I do not have these book. They are too much expensive
If somebody can send me a copy I'll be very very happy.


I know the site "World War I Model Galleries" and model them "introduced" but I did not want to make the same thing.

Thanks to all.

Good luck to Matt

[charlie bucket]

Check your PM, huberlu. I might be able to help out in some small way.

-Matt

[FOKKERJ]

Originally Posted by huberlu

Hi,

Thanks to all for compliments and your help.

I want to paint hexagons because decals are difficult to put on the wings and are granular when dry.

I will be very happy to see a copy of Cross & Cockade International Journal, Vol.17 No.3 1986 and read Markings And Camouflage Of Austro-Hungarian Aircraft - Part 3 by O'Connor. But ...I do not have these book. They are too much expensive
If somebody can send me a copy I'll be very very happy.


I know the site "World War I Model Galleries" and model them "introduced" but I did not want to make the same thing.

Thanks to all.

Good luck to Matt

Hello huberlu,

I concur with Kirk R. Lowry, because he is right!

I picked up the CROSS & COCKADE Journals for about $9.00 USD each.

Over a three year period there are twelve parts of "AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN CAMOUFLAGE" by Dr. Martin D. O'Connor. I'm missing #1 and #4.

I was reading up on the A-H lozenge:
There appears to be three basic color patterns.
Two of 3 colors each and one of 4 colors.
Also some random "Wild Card" colors, possibly two colors.
They were hand painted on the fuselage and apparently on the wings as well, although I did read something about printed linen.
There were so many variations from painter to painter, Manufacturer to manufacturer, Fliks, Fleks, and Flaks, a lot of the schemes were applied in the field! Not to mention the variations in colors from batch to batch and sources.
Many were symmetrical (even length sides), some were elongated (squashed).
Some register off of the pointy end, others off of the flat bottom.
Some patterns are vertical from the light to dark runs, some are 30 degrees off vertical.
The light to dark runs are three to seven hexagons wide.
The tails and rudders, if camouflaged, often had no real repetitive pattern, but a random one at that.

This is just a slight overview of what I remember from reading Dr. O'Connor's aforementioned work. I highly recommend it as I can not properly describe it better than I have!
I do believe it will give you most of what you are looking for and then some.
Lots of options!

If anyone has Cross & Cockade International Journal, Vol.17 Nr.'s 1 and #4, 1986, "Markings And Camouflage Of Austro-Hungarian Aircraft" - Part 1 and Part 4 by Dr. O'Connor, extras laying about, let me know!

Thanks Kirk Lowry. A very good read!

VBR, FOKKERJ

[StephenLawson]

Its good to see the late Dr. O'Connor still being quoted. When it comes to A-H he was the man. You may want to check the search engine here as well several threads in the archives deal with this subject.

[huberlu]

Hi

I see old article about camouflage on this forum. But it doesn't answer to my questions.
I read your answers attentively and I am going to use it to choise colors.

Thank you