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Kit: Omega (1:72)
This aircraft has long been misidentified as the V.23 until P.M. Grosz used clear photographs and Fokker records to correct this in WW I Aero 104, April 1985. It competed so poorly at the second Aldershof competition that none of the pilots even mentioned it in their debriefings. An anemic rate of climb and dismal view down and forward condemned it to curiosity status. Grosz followed up on the above article with further information in WW I Aero 121, Sept 1988. He discovered that there had actually been another V.21 in a biplane configuration and presented speculation on what may have happened to cause the confusion. No clear idea of what the actual V.23 looked like had surfaced by that time, but it could have been a straight-winged monoplane. I like the look of this aircraft, it reminds me of the Gee Bee R-2 racer.
The model is the Omega resin, modified with a Roden engine. The cockpit was drilled out and detailed with scratch built items, Americal interior lozenge and Eduard seatbelts. The cowls were vacuformed over a mold derived from the kit prior to removing the kit cowlings.
The lozenge is Americal and the wings represent my first attempt with the Gunsight Graphics streaky camo, which I found worked very well and stood up to strong blotting pressure. The metal areas were also a first for me, in the use of the Hawkeye's Talon acrylic metalizer, aluminum shade with their powder/polish finish.
Kit: Airfix (1:72)
This is the Airfix Hannover Cl III, in a color scheme from the Munson books. Decals probably Micro Scale over ABT lozenge.
Kit: Airframe (1:72)
This is the Airframe Phonix D.I vacuform. I think the wings are from an injection molded kit modified to fit. My first real job was at the Squadron Shop (now Squadron Mail Order) in suburban Detroit, so I come by my AMS honestly. I seem to remember building this one sometime before they fired me (age 15???). I attempted an open engine compartment with the results you see here. Bumpy finish though...
Kit: Scratch (1:72)
I guess this isn't really scratchbuilt, more of a kit-bash. The wings are glued-together sections of a Revell Camel. One of my older brother's models donated the engine nacelle from a Navy twin jet of some kind for the fuselage. I think I can blame the old Profile series of references for the funny hand-painted lozenge... The rib tapes have held up fairly well for the last 35 years, considering that they are Chart-Pak tape.