Albatros D series

[Jesters-Ink]

Just finish it already

[BLOWHARD]

I'm back at it. Just getting over a nasty cold
I've been putting off the main gear legs because I knew they'd be a pain. THEY WERE! Still a few more bits yet. I might not ever need spoke wheels on the D.V but I think I'll finish off the bungee details just in case I do need them later.

I also figured out how to fix the skid faring. It was smoothly molded into the tail unit but I had it chopped off as if it were separate. This is better plus I've got the correct paneling on there now.

Although the grain on the first section might stand out too much

[elephant]

Although the grain on the first section might stand out too much

I've just noticed it, after you mentioned it...
Not a big deal at all, It looks fabulous anyway...

[BLOWHARD]

At last, a wheel

[ratfugel]

I suppose you're going to go and spoil it now by putting wings on it? Just when we'd got used to the lovely shape. Incidentally, - all that wood flying about, no wonder nobody thought up radar till the next war. Must have been stealthy, (apart from the engine clatter, that is).

rat.

[BLOWHARD]

Yep Rat, I'm putting wings on it
BUT DAMN I'M SLOW!!!
I still haven't quite gotten it right yet but I'll make adjustments. Plus there's a king-post or some sort of attachment I need to put in at the leading edge of the stabilizer where it meets the fuselage.

[gamary]

D**n you, Dave. That's perfect! I'll have to work on that.

[inkworm]

Don't kill me and I'm being really really picky here but the highlight on the leading edge of the tail doesn't quite look right to me, the rounded part was right up on the edge and further back it tapered out at a very shallow angle so to me it looks like it either needs tightening up and moving forward, or expanding and softening.

Apart from that the work is amazing as you already know.

[BLOWHARD]

I see what you mean Ink, or at least I think I follow you. But what I see now is my highlight should expand back to the thickest part of the airfoil shape. I'll work on it more.
Things always look different the next morning

[JFM]

Hello,

Very nice profile so far! I like the wood.

One constructive criticism, if I may: the Albatros rudder logo is backwards. I'll opine that this is not your fault because most profiles and flight sim skins I've seen have the rudder logos backwards. Even the NASM "Stropp" has the logo backwards! (I suspect that's a big reason for all the wrong profiles.) Now, for your profile of Stropp (a museum plane cobbed together from parts of several machines) placing the rudder logo backwards is required in order to match the museum plane. But when depicting machines of the First World War, the overwhelming majority of Albatros D-types had their rudder logos facing ("flying toward") the spinner on both sides of the rudder.

Here are some photos I cropped as examples:


Albatros D.V


Albatros D.Va


Albatros D.III, with logos I made.

Even other Albatros models had their rudder logos oriented similarly, such as this Albatros C.IX (I lightened the photo to reveal the logo a bit more):



And this Albatros JII:



Now, there are always exceptions and the Albatros D.Va (OAW) had its rudder logo facing ("flying away") from the spinner, and many Albatros B.Is had the logo on the vert stab facing away as well, but the put-money-on-it majority of Johannisthal-built Albatros Ds had their logos flying toward the spinner. A minor yet significant detail. Join the few who have gotten it right and then spread the word!