Painting

It is easy to do a single color scheme, especially when the plane being used is made of high grade material and takes paint so well.



I decided that I wanted honor my Bavarian heritage by painting up a solid blue Fokker Dr.I. I ordered a few planes from Mike at Table Top Flights, including a wonderfully printed triplane. A little work on the prop was about all the prep I had to complete. I thought I would prime the plane before painting the Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue, but I was so eager to get started that I went forward with the blue, sans primer. After a second coat the plane was really starting to pop.



Once the blue was completed, it really was a simple process of adding the details, such as guns, skids, prop, and a white rudder. Tiny brushes made short work of the smaller parts (the Army Painter Detail, Insane Detail, and The Psycho), and now the decision had to be made...what sort of national insignia - eisen or balken crosses? I had both in hand, having a sheet of the Aviation Wing decals for the Dr.I (having used a few to enhance the Reduced Aircraft Factory Werner Voss). As this project was inspired by the incorrect August Raben triplane (should be red, not blue) I went with the later balken crosses. After applying a coat of Vallejo gloss varnish I added a spot of decal fix and then the decals. The upper wing decals are a hair too large, but workable for a gaming piece. I also wanted to add some character to the plane with a personal insignia so I pulled out a sheet of Russian skull and cross bones from Miscellaneous Miniatures, found a nice size for the fuselage, and with a coat of decal softener in place, let dry overnight. A coat of mat varnish "sealed the deal." I am rather pleased how The Blue Devil turned out.







Plane - Table Top Flights. Base and climb counter ring - Rival Sky Games. Colors - Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue (73B), Vallejo flat brown for propeller, pilot, outer struts, and wing and tail skids, Vallejo natural steel for machineguns and pistons, Vallejo white for rudder, and Vallejo black for tires. Decals - Aviation Wing crosses, Miscellaneous Miniatures skull and crossbones. Varnish - Vallejo gloss acrylic and matt acrylic. Gaming mat - GripMats. And I have the base upside down!