Albatros D.V and D.Va Decals

Wingnut Wings Decals, 1/32 scale

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The Albatros series of fighters are some of the most colourful in the German Air Service.

As such, the combination of Jasta and personal markings make them a firm favourite for decal manufacturers. When Wingnut Wings released their kits of both the D.V and D.Va, they also promised a range of livery for these aircraft and we haven’t been disappointed.

Following on from their previous releases, this quartet also follows a theme. “Wooden Wonders” (#30013) represents aircraft that had the majority of their fuselages retaining the natural wood colour of the underlying ply. “Camouflaged” (#30014) caters for the machines that were predominantly finished in schemes that were vastly different from those of “factory fresh” examples. “Flying Circus” (#30015) is for those fighters that wore a particularly colourful combination of colours and “Black Beauties” (#30017) refers to Jastas 37 and 62 who didn’t mind identifying their steeds with black fuselages.

Each comes on an A4 sized sheet of decal paper (plus a smaller leaf for #30017) and is printed by Cartograf in Italy. As such the quality is up to the high standard found in the kits themselves. Every item is printed with perfect colour registration and is surrounded by a minimum of carrier film.

Despite their size, they do stand up to the rigours of pushing and prodding when being positioned on the model. Decal setting solutions will work well but it is advisable to stay clear of the stronger solutions.

A huge bonus with these sheets is the sheer number of extra items to be found. Not only do we get the usual national and personal markings but we also get a wealth of stencil data. Included in this lot are instrument dials, propeller logos, data plates, datum lines, rigging diagram, weight tables and much more. It’s all legible under a magnifying glass which is a credit to the printers.

The instruction sheet is very comprehensive and clearly lets you know where each decal should go. Ronny Bar’s superb artwork takes care of side, upper and lower views and is complimented by period photos of the subject under consideration. Another highly commendable aspect is the callout for optional parts that should be used from the donor kit. No second guessing needed by the builder here.

“Wooden Wonders”  Sheet 30013

for the 1:32 scale Albatros D.V

1. Albatros D.V, serial 1187/17, flown by Vfw Bansmer of Jasta 10, 1917. (2 victories)

   Fuselage – natural wood, Wings – mauve and green upper surfaces with light blue undersides.

2. Albatros D.V, serial 2122/17, “Lightning Bolt” of Jasta 19, 1917-18.

   Fuselage – natural wood, Wings – mauve and green upper surfaces with light blue undersides.

3. Albatros D.V, serial 2284/17, flown by Hans Waldhausen of Jasta 37, September 1918. (6 victories)

   Fuselage – natural wood, Wings – 5 colour lozenge with blue upper and lower rib tapes.

4. Albatros D.V, serial 4476/17, flown by Ernst Udet, of Jasta 37, September 1917. (62 victories)

   Fuselage – natural wood. Wings – 5 colour lozenge with blue upper and lower rib tapes.

5. Albatros D.V, flown by Adolf Schreder of Jasta 17, 1917-18 (1 victory)

   Fuselage – natural wood, Wings – 5 colour lozenge with pink upper and lower rib tapes.

“Camouflaged” Sheet 30014

for the 1:32 scale Albatros D.V

1. Albatros D.V, serial 2058/17, flown by Alwin Thurm of Jasta 31, late 1917. (5 victories)

   Fuselage –green and pale gray mottle, Wings – green and mauve with “ripple” camouflage on the former colour and carrying light blue undersurfaces.

2. Albatros D.V, flown by Hans Hermann von Budde of Jasta 15, 1917. (1 victory)

   Fuselage – green with silver-grey mottle, Wings – green and silver-grey mottle with light blue undersides.

3. Albatros D.V, flown by Heinrich Gontermann of Jasta 15, July 1917. (39 victories)

   Fuselage – green with silver-grey mottle, Wings – green and silver-grey mottle with light blue undersides.

4. Albatros D.V, flown by Karl Haustein, of Jasta 37, 1917- 1918.

   Fuselage – silver-grey with (possibly) black stipple, Wings – overall silver-grey with (possibly) black stipple on the upper surfaces.

5. Albatros D.V, flown by Kurt Monnington, of Jasta 15, 1917. (8 victories)

   Fuselage – green upper over grey, Wings – dark (green?) mottle over mauve and green upper surfaces with light blue undersides.

6. Albatros D.V, flown by Claus von Waldow, of Jasta 15, March 1918.

   Fuselage – grey with dark green spots, Wings – sponged grey spots over the mauve and green upper surfaces with light blue undersides.

“Flying Circus” Sheet 30015

for the 1:32 scale Albatros D.V

1. Albatros D.V, serial 1154/17, flown by Max Ritter von Müller of Jasta 28, late 1917. (36 victories)

   Fuselage – natural wood, Wings – mauve and green upper surfaces with light blue undersides.

2. Albatros D.V, serial 2329/17, flown by Otto Frühner of Jasta 26, mid 1917. (27 victories)

   Fuselage – black and white bands, Wings – 5 colour lozenge with blue upper and lower rib tapes.

3. Albatros D.V, serial 2359/17, flown by Otto Hohmuth of Jasta 23b, March 1918. $ victories)

   Fuselage – natural wood, Wings – 5 colour lozenge with pink upper and lower rib tapes.

4. Albatros D.V, flown by Otto Könnecke, of Jasta 5, July 1917. (35 victories)

   Fuselage – green, Wings –upper surfaces green with light blue undersides.

5. Albatros D.V, flown by Karl Meierdirks of Jasta 12, July-August 1918 (2 victories)

   Fuselage – natural wood, Wings – 5 colour lozenge with pink upper and lower rib tapes.

“Black Beauties” Sheet 30017

for the 1:32 scale Albatros D.Va

1. Albatros D.Va, “White 1”, flown by Karl Haustein of Jasta 37, late 1917.

   Fuselage – black, Wings – mauve and green upper surfaces with light blue undersides.

2. Albatros D.Va, “White 7”, of Jasta 37, late 1917.

   Fuselage – black, Wings – mauve and green upper surfaces with light blue undersides.

3. Albatros D.Va, “White 9”, of Jasta 37, late 1917.

   Fuselage – black, Wings – 5 colour lozenge with pink upper and lower rib tapes

4. Albatros D.Va, flown by Max Näther, of Jasta 62, mid 1918. (26 victories)

   Fuselage – black, Wings – mauve and green upper surfaces with light blue undersides.

5. Albatros D.Va, flown by Ernst Udet, of Jasta 37, late 1917. (62 victories)

   Fuselage – black, Wings – 5 colour lozenge with pink upper and lower rib tapes.

    

It’s obvious that a lot of effort has gone into the production of these sheets. This is reflected in the instructions, reference photos, and artwork, which is some of the best on the subject.

These releases capture a variety of schemes that are sufficiently different to suit all tastes. The quality of the printing is excellent and the level of research is first-class.

To keep costs down, 5-colour “lozenge” hasn’t been included in the package but is available separately as #32001 (upper), #32002 (lower) and #32005 (pink, blue and linen rib tapes).

So if you want a replica that’s different from those options presented in the box, then these sheets are just the thing.

Thanks to Wingnut Wings for the sample.

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2011 by Rob Baumgartner
Page Created 26 April, 2011
Last updated 28 April, 2011

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