Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Hansa-Brandenburg D.I















This Austro-Hungarian fighter was developed in 1916 for the Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen or K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppen, and it was the standard fighter of the remained in service with the Luftfahrtruppen until mid-1917. The Hansa-Brandenburg D.I was rather unstable, and recovery from spins were difficult while lateral stability was poor. The deep fuselage also limited the view of the pilot. There were also problems with armament synchronization within the Luftfahrtruppen, so the armament was limited to one Schwarlose machine gun firing above the propeller arc, which meant that the gun was inaccessible to the pilot. Nevertheless, several Austro-Hungarian aces used this aircraft successfully. most notably Godwin Brumowski and Frank Linke-Crawford. In all 122 Hansa-Brandenburgs were built.

The kit is painted as number 28.66, which may be fictuitous or undocumented. The figures are various WWI aviators, and the mechanic by the cockpit is loading the cockpit with flechettes - steel darts - that were thrown at ground targets.

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