In Progress - Roden Fok D.VII

[RAGIII]

Really nice build!!! I do not know why you don't like the streaks, they look good to me? Your detail work is beautiful, especially the engine bay! I have thought about doing this aircraft but I am hesitating now after seeing yours! One thing I have to mention is the tail surfaces. I have the AG decals and booklet, plus many references showing photos of this bird. According to Interviews with the pilot and pics this is an ex Jasta 6 aircraft. Dr. Merrill suggests that the white on the tail was first painted out and then the whole thing painted over in green grey. What bothers me is that the darker areas in photos correspond with the location of the white stripes on Jasta 6 aircraft. To me this suggests that the original black was thin and faded and when re-painted the white stripes were painted over with a more opaque black. If I were to be very critical( and believe me I don't want to be) there should be more overpainted stripes on your tail surfaces. From the DR1 to the DVII the stripe pattern was pretty uniform, Black at the tip, then white, black,white, black,white to the fin. Again, really impressive, thanks for the build article,
RAGIII

[Brad Cancian]

Thanks all for the good comments To answer some questions:

John - the brackets are photo-etched (actually they are from the Eduard D.VII.... is that cheating?? )

Stephen - good point on the brackets - I thought about this a little bit, as the PART set shows brackets fitted to the lower wings also. In the end I thought "these will help cover up my mistakes!!"

RAGIII - Excellent point, I didn't really think that the dark portions could have represented the white areas overpainted - I didn't really think to check against pics of other Jasta 6 fokkers to see if the stripes corresponded, I simply went with the AG instructions and the photo which confirms the supposed locations of the black stripes - however I can now see that the opposite may have been plausible.

That said however, if the white stripes were painted over before the whole tail was painted over in grey-green, why would they still appear darker in the photo? The only way this would happen would be for them to be painted over in a darker colour, and it don't get much darker than black - if the original black was faded and the white stripes painted over in a heavier black as you have alluded to, even with over-painting I don't think you would still end up with that much of a contrast. If the whole tail was painted in grey-green and THEN the previously white areas painted in black, then perhaps you would get the effect in the photo?

That all said, whatever the reason, these areas are darker in the photos, and I have painted my model according to the locations in the photo and the AG instructions - I am interested in your thoughts!

BC

[RAGIII]

Originally Posted by Brad Cancian

Thanks all for the good comments To answer some questions:

RAGIII - Excellent point, I didn't really think that the dark portions could have represented the white areas overpainted - I didn't really think to check against pics of other Jasta 6 fokkers to see if the stripes corresponded, I simply went with the AG instructions and the photo which confirms the supposed locations of the black stripes - however I can now see that the opposite may have been plausible.

That said however, if the white stripes were painted over before the whole tail was painted over in grey-green, why would they still appear darker in the photo? The only way this would happen would be for them to be painted over in a darker colour, and it don't get much darker than black - if the original black was faded and the white stripes painted over in a heavier black as you have alluded to, even with over-painting I don't think you would still end up with that much of a contrast. If the whole tail was painted in grey-green and THEN the previously white areas painted in black, then perhaps you would get the effect in the photo?

That all said, whatever the reason, these areas are darker in the photos, and I have painted my model according to the locations in the photo and the AG instructions - I am interested in your thoughts!

BC

Brad, There is no good answer on any of our questions. I agree that the pic seems to show the stripes in the location you have them in ( looked again this AM) Could be an optical illusion from the angle photographed? The only good answer I have is that perhaps the stripes are in fact stripes painted on as a personal marking as was originally surmised by some authors before revising their beliefs to painted out Jasta 6 stripes? Either way you have done an excellent job on this kit, thanks for sharing,
RAGIII

PS: Not just the location but the number of stripes differ from the standard Jasta 6 :-)

[Troy Raines]

Brad, I'm telling ya man, yellow and black tail stripes, yellow and black! Just kidding Seriously I've been reading the thread between you and RAGIII and it made me go back and study Jasta 6 pictures (mostly Dr.I). I agree with you guys, there is no clear answer. IMHO your model shows a plausible action: a newly received machine that was "seconded" and overpainted to remove the previous owners markings and the Jasta 4 black applied. Maybe the national insignia was changed at the same time? I'm still looking at that using two articles on DVII markings published in the WWI Aero journal as reference. You could have personal markings on the tail but you already have one on the fuselage so... Great model.
T-roy