Albatros D.V.a: Recommended colours

Welcome everybody!

Once again, just come back from the model shop and bought a pile of Airfix WWI Fighter Classics. Four of these kits were the Albatros D.V.a. It would seem that Airfix have done a slight revision in their colour scheme which is recommended on the instruction sheet.

On the first box that I opened, the instructions for painting the top-wing were: dark green, German camouflage red-brown, dark green. (Matt colours)

On the second box, the instructions for the top-wing are: dark green, wine, dark green.

What I don't understand is, this particular Albatros is so well-documented now by modern research, why hasn't Airfix got this plane's correct colour-scheme? Surely all they have to do is look at one of Mark Miller's renderings of this classic airplane. It's a shame they can't get this right. I'm also surprised that they don't give some alternate markings: it would just give a little extra to the kit.

Best Wishes, Ken. *

Paint it Red

[Terry_Crisp]

Ken,
I would be wary of any color scheme from a model box. Eduard seems to be the best in this respect but with so many good reference sources available you are selling yourself short to work from a boxtop.
I highly recomend Dan-San Abbotts profiles which are reasonably priced or any of the Windsock puplications.The old Profiles are pretty good also.
Best regards,
Terry

Its always a good idea to do a little bit of research before you actually build a model. Box-top arts and kit manufacturers painting instructions are seldom accurate, unless one is building a kit from Eduard or Blue Max.
An excellent source of information are the Windsock Data Files. Another good source of information are the Archives on the present Aerodrome. (this one is free!). If you search through the Archives under "MODELS" and "AIRCRAFT" you will find a gold-mine of information on camouflage and markings on German aircrafts. Written by experts such as Dan-San Abbotts, you can be sure the information is accurate.

As for your Albatos D V. the following may help.
The camouflage of the top-wings on Albatos D V's varied according to the year of operation.
Generaly speaking early Albatos D V's had the top-wings finished in a wave pattern of Dark Green and
Red Brown. Beginning in April l917, the colors were changed to Dark Green and mauve/lilac. The undersides of the wings were in sky-blue color.

Hello again everybody!

Yes chaps, I do use the Forum a lot for model information. I'm just surprised the major manufacturers don't! Let's face it, I'm sure they have the same access to information that we do.

To be honest, I do actually like the Airfix Albatros D.V.a. It's cheap! I BUY IN LARGE QUANTITIES! No joke, you ask my wife! And if you're not too fussy, it does look quite good when painted-up. At present I have 10 built so far, all of them painted in the styles of famous Aces, apart from one which is finished as a factory-standard machine, which I had help with from fellow Forumites, to get it right.

Oddly enough, I haven't painted one in an all-red scheme, but I intend to remedy the situation just to have a laugh.

All the Best to everyone, Ken. *