[Serpiko]

Box picture found in the web, all rights reserved to the owner

PROS

- Cheap
- Good decals

CONS

- Old kit
- No cockpit

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE



THE PLANE

The Albatross D.III started being delivered to German Jagdstaffeln in December 1916. In order to improve performances over the earlier D.I and D.II series, it introduced a new wings design, whose curvy tips also gave the plane an even more graceful look. Unfortunately, early production machines had a single-spar lower wing, prone to structural failures in fast dives and hard turns, thus claiming the life of several pilots. Despite this, Albatrosses became the most produced German fighters, with many German aces scoring most of their victories flying these planes (i.e. a certain Manfred Von Richtofen :wink: )



THE KIT

By looking at the sprues, it is clear that this is another one of Revell's reboxed old kits. Luckily, in this case, that's not disappointing: the detail level, though not exceptional, looks good enough, featuring (limited) engraved panels and a decent looking engine, while the sprue itself shows little flash (although many edges may need a little refiling) and, thankfully, there's a pilot figure that, once in a while, doesn't look like an Egyptian mummy. :mrgreen:
On the other hand, there's no internal detail at all. The fuselage is completely empty, so the pilot is a mandatory component, or the cockpit will just be a wide hole on the fuselage.
Decals are a new print and they look very fine. The only option is Werner Voss's mount fron Jasta 2 "Boelcke", in June 1917.

I should mention that I paid € 4,90 for this kit (in local shop), so all in all, the quality/price ratio is positive.




BUILDING

As you may expect with a WWI biplane model, the most difficult part isn't building, but rigging. This said, the limited number of components (23 pieces in total) makes the job relatively quick. One "atypical" step is positioning the pilot: since there's no seat whatsoever, it is "spiked" in its place by two pins protruding from the cockpit walls. This apart, you only need to take care when positioning the upper wing and the gear, since most of the final appearance of the model relies on the correct symmetry. Engine and MGs fit easily and steadily into their slots on the nose.
I built the kit just out of the box, with the only addition of rigging made with fishing strings.




PAINTING AND DECALS

This livery may not be as colourful as those of the later "Flying Circus", but it stands out nevertheless. As usual, I used handbrush only; given the limited details, I favoured vivid colours over weathering.
The decals proved themselves as good as they looked: fine, thin and quite elastic, maybe a little fragile (one of them ripped a bit, but that's probably my fault).




CONCLUSIONS

Although this kit clearly shows its age, it has no serious flaws as well, and at such a low price it's a good deal anyway.
It can be either a beginner's choice to approach the world of biplanes, or a good starting point for experts who like to enhance or scratch-build extra details.
Revell is also selling other similar 1/72 WWI cheap kits; after this one, I think I'll give them a try.

GREEN LIGHT!