I started this kit, like most others by removing all the parts from the trees and cleaning up any flash.  I painted the cockpit and assembled it.  The instructions say to mount the cockpit to the lower wings but this didn’t work for me so I mounted it to the side of the fuselage in a more conventional way and glued the two halves together.   I found that the engine was easier to put into the fuselage after it was assembled, however I did need to trim the carburetor to make it fit.  The engine does not have supports so after I got it in to the right position I took tiny pieces of spue and glued them to either side of the engine thus making my own engine mounts. 

 All the D.XIIs lower wings were smoothly contoured into the fuselage so after fitting the lower wings in to the fuselage I used a little model putty to make this joint look smooth. 

 Also there is a bit of a controversy over whether or not the insides of Pfalz aircraft were just lacquered or if they were painted a light gray.  As of the time that I painted this model I believed that they were lacquered now I believe that all Pfalz and Roland aircraft, Except for the Roland D.VI were painted light gray on all internal surfaces.  Of course this is just my opinion and does not reflect the opinion of your publisher or this webzine. 

 Another problem that I ran into was the fact that the cut in the rear of the fuselage for the horizontal stabilizer was too long and a little too narrow.  So I fixed this by using a flat jewelers file to widen it and a little green to shorten the cut.  I didn’t want glue in the stab at this time, so I put appropriate amounts of green putty in the front of the cut, just enough to slightly over fill the portion that I wanted to fill.   Let this sit for about five or so minutes just long enough to let a good skin to form on the putty.  Now push in the stabilizer till it is in the correct position ant now you can remove the stab.  What you now have is a perfect fit for the stabilizer and you can conform the putty to the fuselage contours with a few swipes of a sanding stick.  Now I finished getting ready for Decals and painting by drilling all the holes that I would need to rig the kit. 

 I like to drill the holes only about half way through the under side of the upper wing and all the way through for the bottom wing.  I find that this makes it easier for me.  I glue the lines to the upper wing and pull them through the lower wing this allows me to very easily and evenly tighten the rigging lines without fear of warping the wings.

 After painting the model and all the decals but the lower wing crosses were finished and applied.   I put the upper wing on.  It went on with only the slightest glitch.  The cabane struts need to be adjusted.  They take the shape of an inverted W.  The front legs need to be adjusted out.  It is hard to say how far but I would say about 2 millimeters.    

                I start this step by painting all the surfaces that will be covered with lozenge.  I like to use a light color like tan or white.  After letting this dry I applied the lozenge decals.  This is somewhat tedious but it sure looks cool when you are done.  First you cut the strips of decals out, then cut them to the cord length of the wing. Some wings were covered cord-wise and others were covered span-wise and still others were covered diagonally.  You will have to research the aircraft you intend to model to know which method to use.  I do the bottom of the wings first and then the top.  You start in the middle and work out on ether side carefully butting the next decal against the one first placed.  Let the decals dry before the next decal is placed.  This is not an easy project because the decals shrink ever so slightly.  This can cause a line at form at the joint and if you overlap the decals you get a lump there.  So you have to lay the decals just right and that comes with a little practice.   

 I’ve found a process that makes my life easier and still gives you the nice looking rib tapes on the lozenge decals.  I don’t use those little decals to do rib tapes, I draw them on with paint markers.  I’ve found that DecoColor opaque paint markers work the best for me.  I like the Extra-fine tipped for the rib tapes and Fine-line to reproduce the tapes that marks the border of the top surface from the bottom.  You can find them at most art supply stores.  You will also need to find yourself a strait edge that will bend around wing surfaces.  Also I’ve found that you will need to elevate it slightly so that the paint will not travel under the edge.  I use a metal draftsman eraser template that I’ve put enough tape under one edge to keep it from actually touching the model.  It took a little practice but I think it is worth it.  Now it takes me about 1/100^th the time to put rib tapes on my models, That does not include drying time, I like to let it dry for a day or two at least before I like to handle the parts.

 What I do is lay the wing on an old piece of terry cloth, like an old towel.  This helps to keep the part from moving and rolling when you work on the under camber.  Now, I work from right to left to keep from marring the newly drawn ribtapes.  I line up the straight edge with the rib and while holding the marker vertical simply draw the line.  When I get about one inch from the end of the wing I stop and let the part dry.  After a reasonable time I turn the wing around and finish the other side.  After the top surface has dried you can turn the wing over and do the other side.  I use a wider marker to make the tape that divides the upper surface from the bottom. 

                It took me some time and practice but I found a system that worked for me.  I think that with a little practice just about any one can master this process.     

                 I painted the model in one of the standard paint schemes for the D.XII and gave it the distinctive white and black striped tail of Jasta 23b.  The reason that I didn’t want to glue the tail in place was to make it easier for me to paint the striped tail.  The individual aircraft that I am modeling was Pfalz D.XII 2486/18 flown by Ltn. Paul Vogel.  There is a lot of information on this aircraft.  It was captured on 18 September 1918 and became the subject of an extensive study by the British Ministry of Munitions. 

                This was a very rewarding kit for me to build.  The rigging was not that hard.  The lozenge decals were a challenge, but much easier then painting by hand.  Also if you bend the cabane struts prior to the wing attachment, I think you will avoid a lot of grief.  The Pfalz D.XII was individualized very often, so you should be able to find an interesting color scheme.