RAF_Louvert

. Beautiful job BH. I've added it to my collection. I can appreciate how tedious a skin like this is to create, (with 'tedious' being read as "mind numbing", "enough to drive a man crazy", "a reason to drink", etc). Many thanks for taking the time to put it together. .

. Sounds rather tasty. And no worries about the lack of carbs in it Olham, the doughnut I dunk in it will take care of that. .

. Fine work again there BH. Be sure to share that one with the rest of us once you have it all dialed in. If this keeps up we might actually be ready, at least paintwise, to move to the Italian front. .

. Itifonhom, I agree with the above comments. Historical accuracy be damned, that is stunning! Very well done Sir. .

. That is great WM! Full marks to Matt for wanting to learn the art of the joust. Be sure to post a video of his first tournament event. Very cool. .

File Name: Austrian Albatros D.III in Backhausen & Sohne Swirl Camo File Submitter: RAF_Louvert File Submitted: 20 August 2012 File Category: Aircraft Skins . Greetings All, After being inspired by Bullethead's D.VII in Austrian hex camo, I decided to skin up an Albatros D.III in the very odd yet somehow strangely compelling J.Backhausen & Sohne swirl camo pattern. After painting my own 'fabric' using an original factory printed template and notes on the subject found at The Aerodrome forums I got to work applying it on to an early OFF Albatros D.III, (which is as close as we can currently get to the OFFAG Albs). Hope you enjoy winging along in this kite high above the Alps. Cheers! Lou . Click here to download this file

. I'm all for open exchanges of differing opinions. Hell, I've even been known to jump into the odd bar fight and throw punches with the rest of them. But the latter were literally face-to-face confrontations where you could look into the man's eyes in front of you and get a better sense of where he's coming from before you bloody his nose and he yours. What I am not a fan of are the online mix-ups that degenerate into nasty attacks and mud-slinging. One of the reasons this little forum has survived as well as it has is because the former mods tried to keep things civil, even in heated debates. Continue with the name-calling and inflammatory langauge, regardless of how wide or narrow the brush, and this thread will likely be locked down as well. If you want a knock-down drag-out fight there are plenty of other online venues around to take it to, but please do not bring them here. Better yet, if you really want the full experience, get face-to-face with the fellow you have such a difference of opinion with and discuss the issue in person. Takes the exchange of ideas to a whole 'nother level. Thanks Gents. Lou .

. Was ist los?! You've thrown the bathtub out mit d'wasser! .

. A bit early in the day for absinthe, isn't it BH? .

. That looks very good Olham. It's also mentioned in The Aerodrome threads that there were likely two or more versions of this camo, (a 'Spring' and 'Fall' version were talked about). And it was tricky to get the pattern to line up in the repeats which is why I shared my efforts here so that others would not have to spend hours fiddling with the same thing. Hope you'll be able to make use of the 'fabric' on some of your own skins. Stumpjumper, glad you like the kite. Yes, I'm sure your job would have been much simpler way back when if you'd had the same resources to work from. .

. Pips, thank you very much for your time and efforts on this and for the detailed write-up supplied by the AWM. First-rate stuff, all of it! And thank you Olham for the link to Wingnut's super photo gallery. I've been there many a time doing research and it's always good to remind folks such a treasure is available. .

. Olham, the fabric image I created, (and posted the link for earlier in this thread), has been fitted and repeated, so you can simply clip out a piece that has all four "squares" and it will fit to itself on each edge. This way you can repaint it in any color combination you might like and use it to skin your own kites. Also, I have just uploaded the completed Austrian Alb D.III in swirl camo. Enjoy! Lou .

. Outstanding write-up, Bullethead. Just gave it a quick read at this point but it looks accurate as far as my limited knowledge on the subject goes. This will serve as an ideal one-stop shop when working on the Austrian skins in OFF. :yes: Well done, Sir. Lou .

. Here you go, fellow OFF skinners. Just click on the following link and save the image to your computer. I've done all the grunt work on this so you need only adjust the size and color and such and generally just go crazy with it. http://theambulancem...o_2600x2600.jpg Have fun! .

. Jousting and fishing! So then, you've figured out a way to combine the two sports I imagine. Have fun WM and we'll see you when you return. .

. That's nice Olham, however now give a try at repeating the pattern. It does not fit to itself without a LOT of work, (I found that out the hard way on Friday night). However, I will be making my fabric sheet available as well and is very large so you can do any plane you wish with it. .

. I remember watching a movie about this back in the 1970's. As I recall, in true Hollywood fashion, they flew the glider and escaped in the film version. Great stuff this! .

And certainly BH, you are more than welcome to use images of this kite in your paper Sir. .

. Olham, you are spot on about this camo being a printed fabric. Here are two photos showing a sample of the original fabric before installation: And here is an original factory artwork template I worked from to create the 'fabric' for the OFF Alb I am working on: I found this template being discussed by the late, great Dan San Abbott and others in the following thread over at The Aerodrome: http://www.theaerodr...an-lozenge.html Very informative. And yes, flying furniture ... stylish. .

. Thanks Gents, glad you like it so far. Olham, I've seen that photo before myself and I believe the damage was caused by a rough landing and scavengers afterwards, as noted by Bullethead, and not wing failure in flight. BH, there is no way on God's green earth to make this fabric pattern work on the top of the OFF Alb fuselage due to all the many wrap distortions, but that's OK as there are RL examples of the Austrian kites having either the natural finish or a painted color on the top cap, (the latter being what I've settled on). Here's a new screenie I snapped a few minutes ago to show the current status of this project: Cheers! Lou .

. My Lord! That is hideous! .

. Super! I will download it when I get home late tonight. You are correct about there being no Austrian D.VIIs operating at the Italian Front, at least from what I can recall. None-the-less, your camo pattern is first-rate and deserves the air time. .

. OK, so now I have to ask: What is the literal translation of "Drehzahlmesser"? SpinnyHowFastMeter? .

. Oy! Olham, that painting makes me verKlimt. I may be ill. On the other hand, BH, your Austrian camo job is outstanding. I'd like the file for that one so I could enjoy it over the Italian Front. .