[WWI] Gratuitous posting

[Andy Bannister]

> 
> No Andy its not the fact you are wrong that I was stating 
> it's the fact that 
> the rhinebeck Version isn't wrong. it is the version they 
> CHOSE!!!. thats 
> where the purist thought is what irks me. Just because someone models 
> something in a scheme others believe is not accurate doesn't 
> mean it is 
> incorrect as it is painted in the way they CHOOSE to paint it. 

No, sorry, in this case it is wrong. It is not a version, it is a paint
scheme and in this particular case the photographic & historical evidence
(ie: the documented colours of the aircraft's unit) is completely at odds
with what Rhinebeck has painted their D.VII. By your logic I could enter a
Dr.I painted in metallic purple with racing stripes on and call it
Richtofen's and I would be correct. If I enter a red Dr.I and someone tells
me it isn't the correct shade of red then that's a different story and in
that case I believe I'm perfectly within my rights to tell them to go
fornicate with themselves, but to go way off base so it doesn't even
remotely resemble the original is just fantasy. If that's what you want to
do then fair enough, all power to you; it is just a hobby for our own
personal gratification after all. Just don't get upset when people tell you
it's the wrong colour, because you're just asking for it if you enter a
model with a paint job based on your own personal preference rather than any
resemblance to the real object. Again, if - for some bizarre reason - you
want to model the Rhinebeck aircraft rather than the aircraft it's actually
supposed to represent then it's prefectly reasonable for you to tell someone
the colour isn't wrong because it's based on an incorrect modern
reproduction rather than the original aircraft. 

Having entered a good many competitions myself - admittedly in the plastic
model field and not R/C - I have to say I think you're talking complete
bollocks! If every model entered had to be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt
that it's colours are absolutely correct then there would never be any WWI
aircraft entered; in fact, there might not be any aircraft entered from any
era - ever. All the 'proof' you'd need in this case would be documentation
stating what the colours of the seven swabians D.VII are BELIEVED to have
been and why - and there is plenty of that kind of 'proof' available. I
don't think there's a judge alive - at least I hope there isn't - who would
state, "I'm sorry Joe, you've lost the competition because you tried to
represent the original aircraft. Had you chosen the modern reproduction you
would have won, despite the fact that it bears no resemblance to the
accepted colours of this aircraft". 

Andy