Rab_e_n's Dr.I was not blue and white, as some older paintings show.
It was a deep vermillion/red, with a white tail, and white raven
(which is what raben means in German).
>
> My questions are
>
> 1. What shade of blue was the fuselage?
I'm not really sure the exact Methuen for the _red_ fuselage.
Having just built the DML Dr.I in his markings, I ended up using one
of Testor's red - I think it was called "FireEngine Red". However,
this is a little too red, and some white (or even light grey) should
be added to tone it down.
> 2. What kind of crosses were used?
I believe they were standard for the time. The major difference was
the upper-wing crosses did not have the white border - nor were they
on a white field.
>3. Was the underside of the fuselage painted blue/white or "sky
>blue"? Any other info on this particular Dr.1 would be appreciated.
The entire foward portion of the fuselage (including underside) was
red. The entire aft portion of the fuselage (from about
"mid-cockpit" on) was white, including undersides. However, I have
seen references to where the underside of the fuselage was sky blue.
With German WW1 colors, nothing can ever be exact.
I used the SuperScale decals, found on one of their Dr.I sheets.
The raven on this sheet is very nice. Opaque enough so the red
doesn't bleed through.
>
> One other question, I saw the DML 1/48 Dr.1 (with Kempf's
> markings) at the local shop. I am curious about two things about
> this plane as well...
>
> 1. What color was the underside of this bird?
Although I don't have a reference in front of me - but keeping with
standard Fokker practice - most likely "Sky Blue". Again, I have no
Methuen reference available.
> 2. How can I best achieve the "streaky" green doping of this machine
> (in 1/72 please)?
I've done it in the following manner on an ESCI-converted D.VII.
First I sprayed on the Natural Doped Lined color (I tend to use
Polly-S'). Then, in keeping with Fokker practice, I used a brush
the exact 1/72nd size of the real brush (unfortunately, I can't
remember the size). Again, keeping with Fokker practice, I loaded
the brush with paint, then started "unloading" the brush, moving it
from top to bottom. I would do one pass, then start right next to
the area just painted, and make another pass. I did this until the
brush was empty, then reloaded the brush, and started from where I
left off. The D.VII I did got some comments, including some where
the people didn't think my green was enough, and I had too much
linen showing. Although I thought it was enough, it's still a good
idea to practice on something first. One thing also to keep in
mind, when doing the wheel coverings, Fokker would spin the wheel,
load the brush, then work outside to inside, letting the paint
dischard this way.
I will also defer you to Steven Hustad. He does such a wonderful
job, I'm sure his way has got to be better.
Matt Bittner
meba@cso.com
Omaha, Nebraska
"Yoddle-yay-hee-NARF!"