Specifically, it is a Pfalz DIIIa. Notice the exposed machine guns. The D-III had the machine guns buried in the hull, which made servicing them a pain and clearing jams a real problem for the pilot. The D-IIIa attempted to correct this problem by putting the guns back in the open, on top of the fuselage. The Pfalz were excellently made aircraft and were so strong that they became favorites for the very dangerous job of balloon-busting. The D-IIIa, along with the relocation of the machine guns, was up-engined to a 175hp Mercedes engine, compared to the D-III's original 160hp Mercedes, which slightly improved it's original top speed of around 102 mph. By April 1918, the number of D-IIIa's at the front peaked at 433 machines at the front. Their numbers fell off after that as the Albatros D-Va and Fokker D-VII's replaced them. Even so there were still some 166 still in service as late as August 1918. It was a good aircraft that never quite gained the reputation it deserved. -- Al
Knights of the Sky (1 Viewer)
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Jack
Major
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You got me.:redface2::tongue: But it was a good fighter, though underated.:wink2: -- Al
Not strictly JJD related but WW1 aircraft related, 2 new books I have recently acquired. The titles are "The Blue Max Airmen: German Airmen Awarded the Pour Le Merite". They are written by Lance Bronnenkant. Consists of 2 volumes, oversize softcovers, each 112 pages. Volume 1 covers Boelcke and Immelmann, and Volume 2 covers Buddecke, Wintgens, and Mulzer. Covering the flyers by date awarded the medal, these books are well done and illustrated, with info on the specific aircraft each man flew. These are so well done I am really hoping that there are many more volumes on the other winners to come. They cost about $27 each. -- Al
ivanmoe
Command Sergeant Major
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"Knights of the Sky," did someone say Knights of the Sky?:wink2:
Well, while we're on the subject, you gotta love the RFC ground-crew:
View attachment 126184
Well, while we're on the subject, you gotta love the RFC ground-crew:
View attachment 126184
Finally, after many delays, I have been able to order ACE-17, the Albatros known as the "Blue Mouse". Should be here by Friday and I am really looking forward to it because of all the great photos I have seen posted. It looks a real beauty. Now to work on Barker's Camel, unless a Spad or two should get in the way.:wink2: -- Al
A very nicely done figure of Capt. Eddie. I like the new half-pilot with the 'grin'. He looks like the evil Baron from "Dawn Patrol". -- Al
It has landed! Once again I find myself deeply impressed with the job JJD has done on a model. This Albatros is very attractive. The photos I have seen of it were great, but having it in my hands has really brought home to me just how well done the paint scheme is. A very distinctive blue, with excellent weathering, as always. As much as I like the Lowenhardt Albatros and it's outstanding paint job, I think this blue Albatros is even more striking. It is just superb. -- Al
Terp152
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Congrats on a fine addition to your collection Al. I recently rec'd mine as well and second your accolades on a fine rendition. Love the color scheme on this model. Where do we go from here, a Rickenbacker subject? :smile2: Chris
Just a matter of time. Capt. Eddie has to be close to landing. :wink2: I actually need another month or so to enable me to get the Barker Camel. But I really want a Spad.^&grin -- Al
JJD has now produced many of the most famous fighter aircraft types of WW1. The German side is represented by the Fokker Dr.1 Triplane, the Fokker D-7, and Albatros D-3. The Allied types are the Nieuport 17, the Sopwith Camel, and the SE-5. We know there is a Spad 13 on the way. That means we have 3 German and 4 Allied planes. I am just curious as to what you all may think the next aircraft type to be done might be. Allied or German? And which plane would you like to see? Fighter or two-seater? I know everyone has their favorites, be they famous or obscure, but I don't think anything of really large diminsions, like multi-engine aircraft, is going to show up anytime soon. On that note, I feel likely Allied aircraft could be a Sopwith Triplane or a DH-2. I would like to see a Bristol F2b, but that is a pretty large plane compared to the single-seaters. On the German side, my choices are more restricted as German aircraft were dominated by the Fokkers and Albatros fighters. I think the Pfalz D-3 or D-3a would be a good choice or maybe something a little later like the Fokker E-5 (D-8) monoplane. There are some very colorful E-5 naval squadron aircraft that could be done. What would you all like to see? -- Al
ivanmoe
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Hi Al,
Based solely on how "common-place" an aircraft was, there are plenty of excellent possibilities, such as the Airco D.H.2, Bristol F2B and Nieuport 28. However, an important question arises. Will JJD run out of well-known aviators before it runs out of well-known warbirds? I raise this concern because I've been buying pilot figures as compliments to my model collection. If the supply of said persona dries up, a healthy segment of the profit may go with it. For that matter, JJD may have already cannibalized much of the Imperial Air Service. Sure, Voss and Boelcke are still on the bench, but the talent is getting short over there. To an extent, the same thing can be said of the RFC! I'm unsure of what the practical ramifications of all this are. Perhaps the Yanks and French can bail JJ out, celebrity-wise.{sm2}
Moe, I don't think I can agree that the German Air Service or the RFC are running short of celebrity pilots that can be done. Just of the top of my head, in the RFC, is Hawker, McCudden, Beauchamp Proctor, Dallas, Collishaw, Andrews, McElroy, Rhys Davids, Jones, Caldwell, Cobby, Chidlaw-Roberts, and that's just the surface. These names are all recognizable to WW1 air war fans. The Germans have just as many famous names with Immelmann, Wintgens, Buddecke, Baumer, Loerzer, von Tutschek, Bolle, von Schleich, Stark, Buchner, Berthold, Veltjens, Laumann, Gabriel, and on it goes. No danger of running out of famous names or aircraft, and throw in the French, Americans, Belgians, Italians, Austro-Hungarians, and the pool to choose from grows to huge proportions. I think it becomes a matter of how many types of the same plane can be sold to collector's, ie., do I stop at 3 Fokker tripes, 4, 5, 6, ...? For me, I love them all, so multiples are not a problem from a 'Do I or Don't I' viewpoint. The problem becomes one of money and space, as always.:wink2:^&grin -- Al
chalklands
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Hi,
I'd like to see a pusher aircraft of some sort, or a Sopwith Triplane. The Pfalz D-3 would be good, such as http://www.wwiaviation.com/popup/pfalz-d3-Walther_F_Kleffel.html. Where there any famous Italian, Russian or Austrian Aces?
I think my problem is not lack of aircraft or pilots but space!!!
Pete
I'd like to see a pusher aircraft of some sort, or a Sopwith Triplane. The Pfalz D-3 would be good, such as http://www.wwiaviation.com/popup/pfalz-d3-Walther_F_Kleffel.html. Where there any famous Italian, Russian or Austrian Aces?
I think my problem is not lack of aircraft or pilots but space!!!
Pete
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Hi Pete. That is a good looking Pfalz. All the nations you mentioned had their own aces, many of them famous outside of their own countries. The most famous of them all is probably the Italian ace Franceso Baracca, who shot down 34 confirmed kills. The most famous of the Russian aces was Alexander Kozakov, with 20 confirmed kills. The Austro-Hungarians had several fine fighter pilots of whom Godwin Brumowski is most well known with 35 kills, many while flying his famous skull-marked all-red Albatros. Other famous A-H aces include Arigi, Kiss, and Linke-Crawford. I would suggest the Osprey Aircraft of the Aces series books as good introductory info on the Aces of WW1. There are titles that cover all the nations and most of the fronts, although the volumes are heavily westfront oriented. Russian, Italian, A-H aces all have their own volumes. -- Al
Terp152
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Pete, I second the request for a pusher type and a Rumpler. Arizona Luke the Balloon Buster would be a nice fig to have. Chris
The new JJD Rickenbacker Spad is a corker. From the pictures it looks to be very accurate in the paint and physical features. JJD has even captured the correct shortened exhaust pipes of S.4523. This Spad was built by Kellner.
The USAS received it's first Spad 13's in March, 1918 and had 893 in 15 squadrons by November, 1918. Spad S.4523 came on charge at 94th Squadron on July 7, 1918, when the 1st Pursuit Group began replacing their Nieuport 28's with the Spad. At this time, Rickenbacker was out of combat with a bad ear infection that almost ended his flying career. On his return to combat, S.4523 became his aircraft. From September 7, 1918, thru October 30, 1918, Rickenbacker scored 20 confirmed victories in S.4523. Of 94th Squadron's 70 confirmed victories, Rickenbacker had 26, making him the USAS's top ace. Rickenbacker scored his first 6 victories while flying Nieuport 28's in April and May, 1918, prior to his ear problems.
A classic aircraft and one that I will be thrilled to add to my air force.^&grin^&cool -- Al
The USAS received it's first Spad 13's in March, 1918 and had 893 in 15 squadrons by November, 1918. Spad S.4523 came on charge at 94th Squadron on July 7, 1918, when the 1st Pursuit Group began replacing their Nieuport 28's with the Spad. At this time, Rickenbacker was out of combat with a bad ear infection that almost ended his flying career. On his return to combat, S.4523 became his aircraft. From September 7, 1918, thru October 30, 1918, Rickenbacker scored 20 confirmed victories in S.4523. Of 94th Squadron's 70 confirmed victories, Rickenbacker had 26, making him the USAS's top ace. Rickenbacker scored his first 6 victories while flying Nieuport 28's in April and May, 1918, prior to his ear problems.
A classic aircraft and one that I will be thrilled to add to my air force.^&grin^&cool -- Al
Just some thoughts on KotS aircraft and availability of them. Looking at the JJD website, I see 2 of the planes are listed as Sold Out. Ace-04, the Maclaren Camel, and Ace-11, the Kempf triplane are both gone from JJD and dealers. Two others, Ace-07, the Lowenhardt Albatros, and Ace-12, Nungesser's Nieuport, are listed as OOS (out of stock), indicating that further supplies will be available at some future date. I would be surprised if Ace-07 is restocked. From conversations I have had, this was a difficult paint job to produce, ie., the wood grain fuselage was labor intensive. John was very pleased with the result but mentioned he did not think he would do it again because of the difficulty. My thinking is that once Ace-07 goes from the dealers that still have it in stock, it's gone, just like the equally complicated to paint Ace-11 (Kempf).
There are 4 other aircraft listed as Low Inventory at the JJD site. They are Ace-02, Bishop's Nieuport; Ace-03, Jacob's tripe; Ace-05, Lothar von Richthofen's tripe, and Ace-09, the Goering D-7. Whether these will go OOS, to be replinished, or SO, and be gone, is a good question but if I had to guess, I would venture that Ace-05, the yellow tripe, might make the endangered species list, again because of the relatively complex paint job. I'm also guessing that the new Rickenbacker Spad, Ace-16, is going to be a hot seller, very popular, and might also make the endangered species list, eventually.
Of the 16 planes issued (or announced) so far, 2 are SO, 2 are OOS, and 4 are low in stock. No real point here other than to say that some of the planes are getting rarer.
You will also notice that there is still a gap in the number line. Ace-13 is still to be announced. -- Al
There are 4 other aircraft listed as Low Inventory at the JJD site. They are Ace-02, Bishop's Nieuport; Ace-03, Jacob's tripe; Ace-05, Lothar von Richthofen's tripe, and Ace-09, the Goering D-7. Whether these will go OOS, to be replinished, or SO, and be gone, is a good question but if I had to guess, I would venture that Ace-05, the yellow tripe, might make the endangered species list, again because of the relatively complex paint job. I'm also guessing that the new Rickenbacker Spad, Ace-16, is going to be a hot seller, very popular, and might also make the endangered species list, eventually.
Of the 16 planes issued (or announced) so far, 2 are SO, 2 are OOS, and 4 are low in stock. No real point here other than to say that some of the planes are getting rarer.
You will also notice that there is still a gap in the number line. Ace-13 is still to be announced. -- Al
chalklands
Sergeant First Class
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I think you'll find that John has never released a set numbered '13' in any series!
Pete