Continuing my experimentation with options for kits, here's my latest a Reviresco Pfalz DIIIa - Alois Heldmann Jasta 10
Comments:
1) Due to confusion on the Reviresco website as to whether or not the decal numbering went top-to-bottom and then left-to-right or the other way around, I ended up with Alois Heldmann instead of Ltn Wunsch. I wouldn't have chosen Heldmann because violet on gray isn't a great contrast - or so I thought. It actually is okay.
2) The decals are full model wrap for the fuselage and the wings. Okay for lozenge or other complicated patterns but in this case it's not my preference as I like to choose my colours. In this case I thought the gray was too dark and violet to much a dark blue. So I ended up mostly overpainting the decals. One other problem with the full wrap decals is that you have to be careful to scrap it away or cut away parts where you'll should be gluing metal on metal and not metal on decal or worse decal on decal. It was a problem for the horizontal stabilizer. I should have cut each side in half so that the centre section was bare metal for gluing to the fuselage....but it got fixed.
3) Painting a metal model is always challenging as the paint tends to rub off where the model is held - by whatever means. So I put on the decals, varnished, painted, varnished.
4) The model is too heavy for a gimbal mount but okay on a regular WoW/WoG stand.
5) The model went together fairly easily but, of course, it's not as finely detailed as a valom model. However, it's more detailed than a 3D print.
6) I'll wait until I've done the Reviresco Albatros DIII which doesn't have the full wrap decals for my final view on metal models. However, I am leaning towards Valom - after all I just ordered 20 more Valom models (8 Fokker DVII, 6 Albatros DVa, 6 RAF SE5a). It doesn't take long to build a Valom. You do need to be patient with the photo-etched bits but I find them a joy to paint.
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