The following are photos of a 1/72 scale vacuform kit by Classic Plane of a WWI German scout aircraft that was used by Poland from 1919 to about 1925. This kit I finished over several years, just got frustrated and left it alone. Added to it is an engine, prop, wheels and exhaust stack from Aeroclub. There weren’t any kit decals, and the ones used came from Blue Rider for an aircraft based at Lwow before the national insigna was standardized. This aircraft had a unique strut and wing arrangement that may mislead someone to think that an error in building was made. Enjoy the pictures and I would like comments, I learn from them
1/72 vacform biplane? My congratulations, Mike. Everything looks straight and square on it. I can understand the need for long breaks building it, but it looks like your patience paid off. Nice work, thanks for sharing.
Mike, it is a very nice build. This kind of build is totally out of my reach maybe after 2 years what means I can not make any other comments than WOW ! [B)]
As far as Polish markings standardization according to the information I have, the official markings were established in December 1918 by the order of General Headquarters dated 12.01.1918 - item 204. It described the official markings for Polish Air Force as a square red/white “checker board” as it is today.
This idea came from Stefan Stec, who had very original paintings on his two Fokkers (DVIII). In Nov 1918 Stec flew his plane to Warsaw and his markings catched attention of col H. Lassowski - chief of the Air Force. He decided to persue with this idea to all Polish Airforce planes. I do not know how long it took to implement this order
Congratulations on a very nice build. Looks perfect to me. Any chance of few more photos? A little bit brighter would be good as well. (I have awfull problems photographing my stuff)
Absolutely outstanding! You appear to be either a sadist or an extremely talented modeler (or both). I can’t even imagine building a vacuform biplane in 1/72!
Thanks all for the comments. Vacuform kits sometimes get a bad rep, people are reluctant to try them. With all types of kits there are some basic techniques to learn. The techiniques that I have learned with vacuforms has helped me alot with other kits.
I find short run cold injected kits and most resin kits harder to work with. Vacuforms are styrene which helps with the use of glues, adding strip plastics and the use of after market products. This kit turned out to be a little gem, the diffilcutly was primarily with supporting the wing attachments to the fuselage, but I couldn’t imagine doing it in resin as the wing weight would have been a strong problem.
I would recommend finding an easy subject in vacuform to help learn improvisation and just general skill improvement. Over the years I have build about a dozen vacuform kits. On my shelf is a Falcon vacuform conversion of the Fujimi 1/72E-3 Hawkeye into the C-2 Greyhound. One of the things stopping me is refernce pictures for the C-2 as flown off the USS Nimitiz around 1989. During that year I flew from Alameda NAS to the Nimitz and back as part of my job. The catapult takeoff in the C-2 off the Nimitz was something I’ll never forget.
The Brandenburg, serial 27.10, was restored by the Lewandówka workshop in Lwów in November 1918. Poland arose from different regions that established their independence separately. In the beginning each region marked their aircraft differently. Warsaw used a shield divided diagonally into red and white. Kraków a red Z on a white square. Lwów red and white wing tips and rudder and fin. Even after the chessboard was introduced they still painted the rudder and fin red and white. I am a little sceptical of the red and white tailplanes as this was not done at Lwów.
The first chessboards that were applied did not have contrasting borders and were usually applied across the full cord of the wings. Often they were mirror images on each wing. Later instructions were issued that they be painted with contrasting borders and always with the red squares in the top left and bottom right corners. Poland had inherited many German aircraft and the chessboard was a suitable device for painting over the crosses.
The story that the chessboard was adopted from the personal emblem of Stec is very likely true but I am not sure that it was a Fokker E.V that he flew to Warsaw and that it was the same one he flew at Lwów in the Polish-Ukrainian war. Perhaps because the E.V he flew is so well known it has been assumed that this was the aircraft he flew to Warsaw.
Stec was pilot in the Austrain Air Force with Flik 3/J whre he flew an Albatros D.III (Oef). Each pilot painted a different symbol on the fuselage of their aircraft. The first symbol that Stec used was a horizontal S shape with star superimposed on the centre.
Stec’s Albatros is right of the centre in the photograph.
Later he adopted the red and white chessboard.
Far left in the photograph. You need to click on the image to see it.
Red and and white are also the national colours of Austria and red and white chessboards can be seen on other Austrian aircraft. Did Stec copy the idea? Was there some sophistry involved? Did everyone know that it really represented Poland but could not prove it was not Austria? Austria did not have any E.Vs so I would like to know where Stec acquired an E.V to fly to Warsaw. Or was it his Albatros?
During the Polish-Ukranian war Stec’s E.V was again adorned with the original S symbol while Bastyr’s had a very similar horizontal 8. Obviously heavily influenced by Stec. These two E.Vs were assembled at Lawica from parts at hand and presented to as a gift from the province of Wielkopolska. So highly unlikely that one of them was the aircraft from which the chessboard was adopted.
“Initially a military pilot in Austria-Hungary during the Great War. From 1916 he served as a observer in Flik 3 reconaissance squadron on the eastern front. In February 1918 he himself trained as a pilot and from May he was assigned to Flik 3J fighter squadron, flying on Oeffag D.III on Austro-Italian front. Shortly, between June 17 and July 4 he commanded Flik 9J. He participated in shooting down 3 aircraft (plus 4 probable kills) and ended the war as Oberleutnant.”
I am surprised that he became a pilot so late. Elsewhere it said that he used the chessboard emblem from 1917. So maybe the dates are not correct. Also I thought the photos of his Albatros where taken in Romania. Nevertheless in November 1918 he was in Lwów and took part in the Polish-Ukrainian War from the beginning.
On 2nd November 1918 Polish airmen took possession of Lwów’s Lewandówska air field and 25 aircraft, 18 Brandenburgs, a few Oeffags and Aviatiks and a single Spad VII. By 4th November two Brandenburgs had been made serviceable. On 5th November Stefan Bastyr and Janusz de Beaurain took off for the first combat mission against Ukrainian troops. The same day one more combat mission was flown. This time the aircraft carried the first Polish markings, red and white stripes. No stock of red and white paint had been available prior to this.
On 13th November, Stec left with a report for Warsaw. He stopped over at Krakow picking up Stanisław Nazarkiewicz who carried a report from General Roja. On 15th November they left for Warsaw. Both were met by Piłsudski. On 16th November Stec returned to Lwów. On 1st December 1918 the chessboards were adopted as the markings of the Polish Air Force.
So it looks like the aircraft that Stec flew to Warsaw was a two-seater and very likely one of the Brandenburgs. Some sources only say that Stec is believed to be the inspiration for the Polish Air Force Insignia. At one extreme the story may have been invented from a series of coincidences. On the other hand it is plausible that he had his personal insignia painted on his aircraft at Lwów and that when it was seen at Warsaw it put ideas in peoples heads. For certain Fokker E.Vs were not involved. There were none at Lwów until three arrived in spring 1919. Two, 185/18 and 187/18 were flown by Stec, the other, 193/18, by Bastyr. Because the two E.Vs are the best known of Stec’s aircraft they have been added to the myth along the way. They are so similar in appearance that some people even mistake all three for being the same aircraft.
Greg and Antoni thank you for the information on the development of the polish National Insignia. Insignia Magazine has some articles about these early Polish aircraft with the associated decals by their Blue Rider subsidiary. I have some other Poilsh publications as well.
Its always interesting to hear about subjects like this, it makes me appreciate the subject models even more.
Karaya have some high quality resin models of early polish subjects. Ardpol and Choroszy many more but only 1/72. The Kagero famous airplanes series often have free decals for Polish aircraft. Fokker E.V/D.VIII has decals for Stec’s E.V and another. You need the Eduard kit with decals for Bastyr’s E.V (there are a couple of errors).
maybe after 2 years 
what means I can not make any other comments than WOW ! [B)]