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Albatros DIII (Oef), Pegasus 1/72
This was my first try, and Pegasus is probably not the best start for a complete tyro. They are excellent quality kits and highly recommended, but as they are limited run they need a fair degree of skill and patience in assembly. Definitely not shake and bake (which is really about all I can manage). Youll notice there are no shots of the engine this sits way too high. I attempted to detail the cockpit, hence the close up shot. It would be clearer if I had a tripod instead of shaky hands! The aircraft is finished as the plane flown by Oblt Friedrich Losert of Flik 2D.
The wood grain is done with watercolour pencils, and the Brumowski camouflage is done using small pieces of close-grained washing up sponge dipped in paint and then splodged onto the model. The stripes are handpainted on clear decal, and the RITTA personal marking was applied with a Rotring pen. Rigging is invisible nylon thread (and its so thin it is nearly invisible!).
Albatros DV, Eduard 1/72
This is the Eduard 1/72 kit done as Manfred von Richthofen's Albatros that we was flying during the Battle of Cambrai. According to "Von Richthofen's Flying Circus," the serial was unknown although the colours were similar to similar to 4693/17. MvR had been flying this machine when he was shot down and wounded on July 6th, 1917, and started to use it again after the Fokker DrIs were withdrawn from service on 2nd November 1917 due to structural problems.
The kit is out of the box with some minor cockpit additions. The figure of MvR is the CMK figure from the recently released set of three (the other two being a mechanic and another officer).
Done as Hans Waldhausen's machine of Jasta 37. Full build described on the Albatros cookup site. I put this plane into a small diorama with some figures from New Hope Design. It turned out ok, although the composition of the diorama leaves something to be desired. I think the base shape was not a good choice. Also, the photos aren't that good as my digital camera gets thrown by the base and focuses on that instead of the centre of the diorama, leaving too much out of focus.