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bughunter
The weather was ok today to try some outdoor pictures of the finished Pfalz D.III.
The pictures were taken 65 kilometres away from the airfield of the "Bayerische Militärfliegerschule 5" in Gersthofen - the place where the original photo was taken.

Alec K
Beautiful! And what a cool historical tie-in. 👍

Martin Oostrom
Your biplane shrinking machine is working as well as ever Bugsy. Another one to be proud of.

Dieter Bihlmaier
Wunderbar! Great build and fantastic pictures.

Doubtingmango
Another masterpiece!

Zbynek Honzik
A true masterpiece! 👏👏👏

bughunter
Thank you very much mates!
Dieter, the pictures are taken outdoor with two tripods.
I just added some pictures made in light tent.

Dieter Bihlmaier
Thank you!

Pietro De Angelis
WOW!

Kyle DeHart
This is a stunner Frank!! A gorgeous airframe and I absolutely love the paint scheme as well. Your typical eye for beautiful detail in all the right spots push this to your usual next level build. It is truly always a pleasure to watch one of your builds

Guy Rump
Following. 👍

bughunter
After a health problem, I stopped modelling for a short time. I didn't want to continue the projects I had started because I wasn't in the mood for scratch modelling. I wanted to make a quick project - almost oob. Of course with a wooden propeller, because building one is just fun.
Working on two Pfalz D.IIIa (one as a triplane conversion) a long time ago was great fun and there was still a special kit waiting in my stash: a Limited Edition Dual Combo Pfalz D.III. No, I haven't forgotten the "a", this really is the forerunner of the D.IIIa. Eduard has re-released the D.IIIa kit often, but this Edition is from 2005 and was never released again. I hear some voices: Limited Editions are for collecting, not building. Never mind, I'm building the kit now!

I'm building the machine from the cover picture - and because there's a heart on it, I'm dedicating the build to my wife, who always supports me!

John
Looks great!

Nathan Dempsey
Following. Welcome back!

Kyle DeHart
Excellent to see you Frank!! I can't wait to follow along with this. Which is sure to be another beautiful build. Any edition…Limited, or otherwise sounds like something to build to me!! But maybe I'm doing things wrong. Ha!!

Erik
Zum Glück bist Du wieder fit! 👍
Sieht mal wieder klasse aus, die kleinen Steuerseile sind geil. 🙂

gorby
Looks like an interesting project Frank. I must admit that I don't know much about WWI aircraft and your builds are often a lesson about the real machines as well as a lesson in modelling.

Robert Podkoński
Taking a seat, of course!

bughunter
Thank you very much mates! Great to know that you are following 👍
Yeah Kyle, all kits can be build. But some collects rare kits as investment and hope to sell it later for higher prices. Once started the value goes near zero. But we have fun building them and that is invaluable!
@gorby You will see later that the Pfalz fighters are elegant planes!

Kyle DeHart
Indeed. I take a great pleasure in opening up and building valuable kits. I would be a really horrible collector. Lol.

Martin Oostrom
I have a few rare ones. But I'll gladly build them when the time comes. That's what kits are for!

KyMustang
Charming little airplane and great job on the build so far.

David Taylor
Watching.

Marcel Klemmer
I am in

Zbynek Honzik
Taking a seat!

Ben M
watching!

bughunter
A warm welcome to the show also for the new visitors!
I hope to have it ready for our next club meeting, so it will be a quick build (for my standards).

Michael Kohl
Good to see you back at the bench. I consider the Pfalz DIII one of the most elegant WWI planes and have two in my stash too. So I won't miss this build.
Keep it coming.

Kyle DeHart
The Pfalz really does have a lovely shape.

Ludvík Kružík
I'm also glad you're back on the bench. I really enjoy watching you build models.

... by the way... I really like to buy Eduard limited edition models. They include lots of extras and often a publication with photos and information about the type whose model is in the box. I still have some of the limited edition models in my closet. Not because I just collect them, but because I haven't managed to build them yet. 🙂

Bruce Huxtable
I'm sorry to hear that you had a health scare, and hope that all is okay again for you. Your projects are always inspiring and a joy to follow. Have fun bringing this special one to life 🙂

bughunter
Thank you very much mates! Your nice comments are highly appreciated!
I hope to show later new pictures showing the elegant lines even more.
@Ludvik Since this is an older kit in this case not a single word about the type! Only a ink jet printed manual, and one colorful, nicely printed sheet showing the six markings including decal placement. Anyway, the kit parts and PE are nice, a mask is also included.
@Bruce Ageing is not for cowards! But at least the fun is back with this project so I made also good progress.

bughunter
Now some colour comes into play! I drew some masks and had them cut by the plotter.

Christoph Kunz
Happy you're back, but what the heck???
This is a speedbuild, never seen one made by you.
And it's going to be an elegant one 👍

bughunter
Yes Christoph, that was exactly the reason why I selected this kit/project from my stash! Due to my two Eduard D.IIIa I was fully aware of the kit and I know what have to be done where. For the paint I used here Alclad and Mr.Paint so I could do all the masking and painting on one afternoon 🙂 MrPaint is the "modelling turbo"!
Even the rigging is not very complicated, no crosses inside the struts, and a single-bay biplane 👍

Christian Bruer
Another masterpiece in the making 👍

Ludvík Kružík
The speed with which you have progressed on this model is admirable. The paintwork turned out great and the different shades of silver depending on the material the paint was applied to look very good.

Kyle DeHart
Beautiful progress!! You're marching your way right through this one!!

John
That is a lovely machine with a lovely scheme as well. I really do need to do a few WWI subjects. Camo was in its infancy and making a reputation seemed more important at the time so what better way than to add a garish (some would say "striking") paint job? Though, I do NOT need to add more to the stash, I will be 100+ before I finish what I have. As you note, getting older is not fun, but it's preferable to the alternative! Good to see you back. 👍

Skyhiker
Gosh, that's beautiful bughunter.

J35J
Amazing work again bughunter! You're builds are great inspiration👍🏻

bughunter
Thanks to all for your wonderful feedback!

@Ludvik That is only one thin common layer of Semi Matt Alu. The underground shines through, like a preshading.

@John There are many very nice schemes available in my Pfalz references, especially in the "Pfalz D.IIIa at war" books (I have another D.IIIa Profipack in my shash). Regarding the second kit of this Dual Combo: The six Eduard markings are nice, but I will try to replicate a beautiful blue/red four-view profile painted by Ronny Bar in the Kagero book.
Regarding camo and colorful markings: The German printed fabric known as Lozenge had to task to avoid the detection of the aircraft type from far away (blur contours). The colorful markings were needed during dog fights with many fighters for quick detection of enemy, friends and leaders, as there were no radios yet (ok, some air-to-gound radios with morse code in two seaters; but no communication between fighters).

@J35J Then I hope the further steps will fulfill your expectations!

Mr D
Nice ... very nice choice 👍👍👍 been considering one soon... Has it been a good kit ??

bughunter
Oh yes, the Eduard Pfalz D.III series are great kits! There are small things which can be fixed and I mention them in my build reports. If you click on my Pfalz Collection you can see also my other builds of this kit.
The kit has also optional parts, e.g. for the D.IIIa two lower wings in different shapes. There was also a PE sheet for the IIIa with many more nice parts than on the little Profipack PE.

Alec K
Taking a late seat. The subtle variation in aluminum color is excellent. I also like the painted-on insignia and markings 👍

Mr D
Thanks 👍👍 the kit does look really precise, will check out build,
I have an RC version from E-file, as always loved the look of the look of them..l put photo in my main Album.
Thanks for Advice 😁

bughunter
That huge RC bird looks nice, but is an Albatros and not a Pfalz 😉

Mr D
Thanks, 😃👍 calm weather flyer....looks great in the air.
Ok....your better informed on the WW1 stuff , l tend to watch vids n research an aircraft on and around the building ....for ref n learning.
It's mainly been ww2 n cold war I've built so far.
Best of luck with rest of build it's brilliant job so far.

bughunter
New pictures are uploaded with the prepared undercarriage. At first I wanted to use the kit parts, but I checked my other Pfalz in the cabinet: the legs are very flexible. In this new case my legs had also a mould offset (that is something I hate on filigree plastic parts!) so for fix this it would made the legs more weak.
As many of my newer models has metal legs now I decided to do it here too. As other advantage they are finer and looks more scale.

Ben M
Those offsets are so frustrating.

Pepe
as usual..... superb!!!!!

Ludvík Kružík
I was waiting to see how long your determination to build a model as an OOB would last. That's exactly how my builds are going. Every time I decide to build a model as an OOB, there is always some thing that needs to be adjusted. 😉

Kyle DeHart
Outstanding work on that undercarriage. It looks wonderful

Michael Kohl
Do you just wrap the stretched sprue around the struts of the suspension or do you soften it before by any means?

bughunter
Another set of nice comments - thank you very much!
Michael, I have different colored sprues for such tasks. Some short run plastic do not work, but typically the Eduard ones and some others works nicely. They are very flexible if thin so I no not soften them. You just have to be careful not to create a snare when wrapping, because then the material can break. I secure it with CA.

bughunter
The decals are applied. Only the wheels are not yet done, because I have to repaint them.

Alec K
Superb work. For the legs (pic 32), do you first bend the brass tube and then squeeze it to shape?

bughunter
Good question Alec! I squeezed at first and bend it after that, slowly and careful. I keep the brass between two plates and one leg in a vice to avoid that it moves outwards. See also pic 30.
Have not tried it, may be other way around works too?

Alec K
👍

bughunter
Small progress on different parts. Most of the rigging is prepared now 🙂

Jakub Fiala
Really great work, which is not surprising at all.😄 👍 Since I'm just starting my very first WWI project (Eduards Pfalz D.IIIa), your builds are a great inspiration for me.

bughunter
Thank you very much! Good decision - it is a great kit! I need some fixes to be correct, e.g. the engine is a different 180hp Mercedes.
My D.III here is now a biplane. May be I can show some pics later.

bughunter
Ok, today this build is running for exactly three weeks! I'm not yet finished, but many things are done already - including the rigging! Only two wires for control of the ailerons needs to be added. Also the airscrew and the spinner needs some attention.

Although this is a speed build by my standards, it remains incomprehensible to me how one is supposed to build such a model from an Eduard Weekend Edition in a weekend?

Kyle DeHart
Yes gorgeous work, as usual. Looks like it is getting closer and a very quick build for you. I'm really liking it.

Nick Dragone
Very nice work. A clean build with very nice details. WWI aircraft are a labor of love. This one is exceptional

bughunter
Thank you mates for your very kind words!
Nick I think others of my biplanes are more "exceptional", as this is here a near oob build without that much scratch work 🙂

Christoph Kunz
Happy, that you don't do real oob 🙂

Dietmar Bogatzki
Awesome build and paintjob so far, Bughunter 👍

bughunter
Dankeschön! 🙂
I slowly work towards the front to finish this project.

Ludvík Kružík
Pfalz with the added details looks very good. Also the tiny red arrows on the engine covers and the small lettering on the fuselage give the model a realistic look. Very nice progress. 👍

bughunter
Thank you very much Ludvík!
Now to the next pics ...

bughunter
With adding the last pictures the project is finished now 🙂 Thanks for watching and commenting!
After s little weathering I will try to take the final shots.

Mr D
Prop finish looks good, thanks for your uploads n sharing project... Much appreciated 👍👍

bughunter
Thank you Mr D! I forgot to take pictures of some details like the mirror and the aileron levers, but you can see those in the album of the finished model - don't miss it:
Pfalz D.III 4056/17 | Album by bughunter (1:48)

Alec K
This thing is a beauty, and you finished it in record time! 👍

Martin Oostrom
A great job Bugsy. I hope your recovery is complete now and we can enjoy loads more of your beautiful builds.

Kyle DeHart
Brilliant!! I shall go now to drool over the finished photos.

Ingo F
Amazing models. 👍

Spanjaard
niiice

Dave Norman
Photos of the completed model before I start work on the base. Eduard's 1/48th "Desert babe" plus additional accesories from Eduard including, AIM-7s, Boz pod, Skyshadow pod, paveways. Also added Master's pitot probe and some 3d printed intake and exhaust blanks purchased from a nice chap on Ebay. Paints used were mostly MRP-243 US Desert Sand (FS30279) with some MRP-185 Desert Pink RAF used to post shade and add some variation.

Paul Moore
Fantastic weathering! Looks like a photo.