Aeromaster D.VII Hippert "Mimmi" decals

charlie bucket · 6 February 2008, 05:48 PM

I'm building an Eduard 1:48 D.VII right now (the one with

Paul Aue's plane on the box cover), and I would like to do the "Mimmi" plane.

I saw in past threads that the Aeromaster decals were designed for the DML kit, but wouldn't work so well on the Roden kit without adjustments and apparently not at all on the Monogram one.

The thread was before Eduard released their D.VII, and I was wondering if anyone has tried to use those decals with this kit? Or maybe it's just the wrong type of D.VII for Hippert's plane entirely?

Jimmaas · 6 February 2008, 06:21 PM

The bad news is, the checkers won't fit on the Eduard kit.

The worse news is, they wouldn't work even if they did fit. The starboard side decal is a mirror image of the port side. That's easy to do for the graphic artist that did the layout, but wrong. The starboard side should have been the a reversed mirror image of the port side, with black checks where the white ones are, and vice-versa. The way the decal sheet is done, you will have black checks on the top piece mating with black checks on the side.

There are some Microscale stock decal sheets you can find which have black checkers on clear decal film, although a close inspection of the Hippert D.VII indicates that top and bottom rows have checks that are elongated (not perfect squares) so even this wouldn't be a 'paste and trim' solution.

charlie bucket · 6 February 2008, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmaas

The bad news is, the checkers won't fit on the Eduard kit.

The worse news is, they wouldn't work even if they did fit. The starboard side decal is a mirror image of the port side. That's easy to do for the graphic artist that did the layout, but wrong. The starboard side should have been the a reversed mirror image of the port side, with black checks where the white ones are, and vice-versa. The way the decal sheet is done, you will have black checks on the top piece mating with black checks on the side.

There are some Microscale stock decal sheets you can find which have black checkers on clear decal film, although a close inspection of the Hippert D.VII indicates that top and bottom rows have checks that are elongated (not perfect squares) so even this wouldn't be a 'paste and trim' solution.

Oh boy, wow. I had no idea it was that bad. Thanks for the heads up.

I may do the Microscale sheets and damn the torpedoes on the accuracy if it remotely approximates the look of the airplane. I really want to have "Mimmi" sitting on my digital piano.

I wonder just how hard it would be to mask the checkerboard design?

StephenLawson · 6 February 2008, 07:28 PM

Actually about a year before Aeromaster / Eagle Strike was sold to Squadron, Gaston Bernal (the original owner) took someone's advice and did an errata sheet to add to the set to correct the one side where the checkers are misplaced. The stocks that Squadron is selling may be from Gaston's last printing. (Having the corrected side added on a small separate sheet.) The problem with the DML kit is that the fuselage was about .040 too shallow (thin in profile) at the bottom longeron. The Aeromaster set is useable with a bit of addition at the top and bottom of the fuselage sides. Or you could just use some of the various Microscale cheker pattern decals.

StephenLawson · 6 February 2008, 07:32 PM

Hippert's Jasta 74 machine was an early Schwerin (parent company) type with the three long louvres. Your kit is in the ball park. Use the late fuselage with all the louvres and shave off whats not needed.

charlie bucket · 6 February 2008, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephenLawson

Actually about a year before Aeromaster / Eagle Strike was sold to Squadron, Gaston Bernal (the original owner) took someone's advice and did an errata sheet to add to the set to correct the one side where the checkers are misplaced. The stocks that Squadron is selling may be from Gaston's last printing. (Having the corrected side added on a small separate sheet.) The problem with the DML kit is that the fuselage was about .040 too shallow (thin in profile) at the bottom longeron. The Aeromaster set is useable with a bit of addition at the top and bottom of the fuselage sides. Or you could just use some of the various Microscale cheker pattern decals.

Well that's encouraging, because I'm still going to have to order that sheet for the 'Mimmi' decal anyway, and I can find out then what to do with it. When I get going with it, I'll try to submit a report on my misfortunes.

I've never worked with decal paper before, but it will work with printers, right? Could a person theoretically create or revise the design in Photoshop and then print it on a blank decal sheet? EDIT: If so, how to print to scale?

And thanks for the info on Hippert's bird. I'll look into whatever adjustments need to be made now that I know this.

alan giles · 7 February 2008, 01:14 PM

...Charlie,there are harder things to mask than checkers! Give it a go,you'll feel prouder than you would after slapping a decal on.

charlie bucket · 9 February 2008, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alan giles

...Charlie,there are harder things to mask than checkers! Give it a go,you'll feel prouder than you would after slapping a decal on.

I may do that, actually. I'm looking at getting a 'square' template, and if I can't find one, just cutting one out of a plastic peanut can lid or something, then marking and cutting the little squares from masking tape from the same template so they're somewhat consistent. You're probably right about feeling better about it, and who knows, it might even look better than whatever I can do with decals.

We'll see how it goes. I'm still working out what I want to do with the cockpit before it ever comes to that, so I have some time. I just needed the skinny on those decals as is.

Thanks for the suggestion.

cduckworth · 10 February 2008, 05:10 AM

I modeled 'Mimmi' years ago before the decal set came out - I sprayed the fuselage gloss white and the determined the size of the squares running the horizonal length if the center of the fuselage side. I used a Microscale sheet of black decal paper and cut each square out and moved it into position. The black decal is thin enough that if the square was too short I merely overlapped another piece of decal to get it right. The squares on the top and bottom of this center strip were then reduced in size to match the photos. It wasn't all that tedious as it may seem.

Here's a url to Mimmi (and a couple of others).

Charlie Duckworth : Central Powers Aircraft Model Images

charlie bucket · 10 February 2008, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cduckworth

I modeled 'Mimmi' years ago before the decal set came out - I sprayed the fuselage gloss white and the determined the size of the squares running the horizonal length if the center of the fuselage side. I used a Microscale sheet of black decal paper and cut each square out and moved it into position. The black decal is thin enough that if the square was too short I merely overlapped another piece of decal to get it right. The squares on the top and bottom of this center strip were then reduced in size to match the photos. It wasn't all that tedious as it may seem.

Here's a url to Mimmi (and a couple of others).

Charlie Duckworth : Central Powers Aircraft Model Images

Beautiful job(s) Charlie! I've actually seen your work before when browsing through the WWI-models.org gallery. I've been wanting to do that same Lohner Berg kit ever since I first saw it. That hexagonal pattern is beautiful.

On topic, I also like that you took matters into your own hands with the 'Mimmi' lettering. I'm a decent free-hand renderer and was wondering about doing that same thing with a rapidograph, since the only reason for me to buy the Aeromaster decals at this point would be for the 'Mimmi'.

Out of curiosity though, some questions if you don't mind:

1. Did you just draw a grid on the non-decal side of the sheet in pencil and cut them from that?
2. Any problems with squares being slightly 'out of true' with each other?
3. How/where did you decide to place the crucial first decal, and how did you maintain even alignment? Did you check it with a ruler or was it all sort of hand/eye?
4. I have the Osprey book "Fokker D.VII Aces of WWI, Part 2," and the color plates show Hippert's plane having blue interplane and cabane struts, and I noticed yours are green. Do you happen to know if there is anything remotely definitive on which it should be in order to be accurate? Or is it another of those things to disappear into the WWI correct color vortex?