Author: greatwarplanes_qv52wz

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Grey Miniatures Moving

The printing partner for greatwarplanes.com has discontinued their Grey Nylon material, which was favored for non-full-color miniature prints. With that change, Grey Resin has also been removed from this site, leaving only full-color prints here. That makes greatwarplanes.com more focused, providing the best quality affordable full-color 3D prints of WWI aircraft.

A new solution for Grey Nylon prints is available at https://thangs.com/designer/ReducedAircraftFactory. So far the test prints from Thangs have come back well-printed and well-shipped, with no broken parts. As a bonus, the first batch of test prints arrived in less than two weeks after they were ordered, despite being shipped from the Netherlands to the USA. The uploading of all Reduced Aircraft Factory designs that existed on greatwarplanes.com is expected to be complete by mid-April 2026.

In addition to having them print Grey Nylon for you, if you have your own 3D printer, you can also gain access to Reduced Aircraft Factory prints on Thangs through a choice of monthly-download plans. One plan is very affordable but has access to only the most popular WWI types; the other plan is more expensive, but it offers access to the full Reduced Aircraft Factory library. Both plans’ models are only for personal use — see their license for details.

For Grey Resin prints, another solution is in the works. Watch this space.

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New Miniatures: The Junkers D.I

The revolutionary all-metal Junkers D.I was derived from two Junkers prototypes: the J.7 and the J.9. Test pilots described it as “at least as maneuverable as the Albatros D.III or D.V”, but front-line pilots were skeptical of a low-wing monoplane. This may by attributed to built-in prejudices, but it may also be a reflection of the D.I’s limited downward visibility. In the latter half of 1918 the Germans were usually outnumbered and frequently resorted to quick diving attacks on Entente formations with a quick zoom away without becoming entangled in a dogfight. Limited downward visibility would be a limitation to such tactics — a limitation not suffered by the contemporary high-wing Fokker E.V.

After the initial batch was built, vibration problems forced Junkers to shorten the fuselage, and D.Is trickled their way to the front in both configurations. Though forty were ordered from the parent company, twenty seven were completed by the time production stopped in early 1919. Junkers-Fokker completed another thirteen (of an order of twenty).

It is still a point of debate on how many — if any — of the D.Is saw combat service during WWI, but they did serve in Poland during the conflicts with the Bolsheviks, where their weather-proof and robust construction was greatly appreciated.

Three new full-color and two new paintable Junkers D.I miniatures are now available at Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory.

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New Miniatures: The Nieuport 28

When American aero squadrons entered the war, they were desperate for functional fighter aircraft. While the SPAD 13 was an excellent choice, all SPAD-producing firms were fully engaged in trying to produce aircraft for French escadrilles. The Nieuport firm, however, had excess capacity, since their Nieuport 17-27 designs were being replaced by the SPADs. So America turned to Nieuport and their newest design, the Nieuport 28.

While the Nieuport 28 had avoided the twisting of the lower wings of its predecessors, it suffered from its own problems: shedding of fabric from the wings during fast dives and problems with problems with catching fire due to the poor venting of fuel fumes. It was never popular with America units, but it was better than nothing, and it provided valuable experience to American pilots until the Nieuport 28s could be replaced with SPAD 13s after four months of service.

Six new full-color Nieuport 28 miniatures representing all four aero squadrons that used it are now available from Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory, as well as a paintable model in grey resin and grey nylon.

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New Miniatures: The Phönix D.I

Orders for the Phönix D.I arrived in March 1917, but it wasn’t until October that the first batch was accepted, and the planes trickled in all the way through May of 1918. There were three series built, Series 128, 228, and 328, differentiated mainly by the manufacturer of the 200hp Hiero engine. The machine guns were mounted well-forward and unfortunately out of reach in case of a jam. Flight reports said it was faster than an Albatros D.III(Oef) and better in flight than the Aviatik D.I. Reaching the front in Winter/Spring 1917-18, it flew with at least eleven Fliks.

Forty D.I series 128 were sent to the K.u.K Naval Air Service to defend Trieste and Pola in 1918, where they were renumbered J.1-40 and brightly repainted, usually fighting Italian flying boats and bombers. Reportedly they were fast and climbed better than a Camel, but they were a little too stable.

Three new full-color 1:144 Phönix D.I miniatures and one paintable miniature are now available at Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory.

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New Miniatures: The Fokker E.I and E.II

The Fokker E.I as Germany’s first fighter aircraft, with a synchronized machine gun firing through the propeller arc. Its successor, the E.II, featured an upgraded 100hp Oberursel U.I engine to give a bit of extra power over the original 80hp U.0. Many of Germany’s top aces started on the E.I or E.II or their more-common successor the E.III.

Six full-color 1:144 Fokker E.I and E.II miniatures are now available from Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory. They make great additions to an early-war collection for WWI airplane gaming.

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New Miniature: The Breguet-Michelin 4

The Breguet-Michelin 4 (BM4) was developed from a 1915 design, but production delays and problems in testing delayed its debut until April 1916. Being somewhat obsolete by 1916, they were not well-liked by their crews. But that did not prevent 200 of them from being built and deployed and used extensively until they could eventually be replaced by Breguet 14’s or late-model Voisins. Remarkably, it was not until May 1918 that the last unit gave up their BM4’s.

While it started as a day bomber, its limitations rapidly became evident, and it was soon relegated to night bombing.

A paintable 1:144 Breguet-Michelin 4 is now available from Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory.

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New Miniatures: The Airco D.H.4

The Airco D.H.4 was one of the great planes of World War One. Serving widely and in great numbers, its excellent Rolls-Royce engine gave it speed enough to outrun many enemy fighters, and power enough to overcome the drag lost through maneuvering. DH4s served from March 1917 through to the Armistice, performing bombing, observation, photography, anti-Zeppelin, and anti-submarine duties.

Overall, the D.H.4 was one of the great designs of World War One. It served on the Western Front, Italy, Aegean, Macedonia, Palestine, Mesopotamia, and during the Russian Revolution. An RNAS DH4 took down Zeppelin L.70 in August 1918. Belgium equipped six escadrilles with D.H.4s.

The D.H.4 also has the distinction of being the only fully American-built landplane to see action, serving with the U.S. Air Service starting in July 1918. American D.H.4s used twin Marlin/Browning synchronized machine guns, twin flexible Lewis guns, and the 400hp Liberty engine.

Three paintable Airco D.H.4s are now available from Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory: a standard version, and R.N.A.S. version with twin fixed Vickers, and a Liberty-engined American D.H.4.

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New Miniatures: The L.V.G. C.VI

Now that my informal “Naval Aircraft Month” is over, time to get back to the normal work of restoring full-color miniatures to availability.

Luft-Verkehrs Gesellschaft m.b.H. (L.V.G.) produced aircraft throughout the war, including the excellent L.V.G. C.V of 1917. The LVG C.VI was a refinement of that aircraft, using the same Benz Bz.IV engine. Servicing was simplified and the view from the cockpit was improved. It was found to be an excellent two-seater, and roughly 1,000 were produced. 400 were in service in August 1918. By the end of the war, it was on track to become the most common German two-seater.

Three full-color 1:144 miniatures and one paintable miniature are now available for the L.V.G. C.VI at Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory.

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New Miniature: The Friedrichshafen FF.33e

The Friedrichshafen FF.33e was another in the long line of seaplanes, this one using the reliable 150hp Benz Bz.III engine. It is the first FF.33 model with a rear under-fin rather than a rear float. Like about half the FF.33 models, this plane was fitted with a radio (transmitter only) rather than a rear gun, though sometimes the radio was replaced with a rear flexible Parabellum. The FF33 was said to be easy to fly and it handled well on the water as well, and the FF.33e was the most common of the Friedrichshafen seaplanes.  The most famous FF.33e was number 841, the Wölfchen, which accompanied the SMS Wolf on its long raiding voyage through the Pacific and Indian oceans of November 1916 through February 1918.

The first three prototypes, where were ordered in March 1915, were originally named the Friedrichshafen FF.33c, but they were subsequently renamed as FF.33e’s as the production run began. In May 1917, 121 FF.33e seaplanes were in service.

A paintable 1:144 Friedrichshafen FF.33e miniature is now available from Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory.

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New Miniatures: Curtiss HS-1L and HS-2L Flying Boats

The Curtiss HS flying boats were operated with great success by the US Navy during WWI, starting with the Curtiss HS-1L. They were powered by the 330hp Navy Liberty engine (providing the “L” in the name). HS-1Ls operated out of several bases in France as well as seeing extensive use in the States.

In order to increase the bomb load, the six-foot panels were added to each wing, the rudder was enlarged, and minor changes were made, creating the Curtiss HS-2L. The HS-2L was deployed near the end of the war, and it saw extensive use afterwards. Most HS-1Ls were eventually converted to HS-2Ls.

The original HS-1 (without the Liberty “L”) was driven by a 200hp Curtis VXX engine. The first to be reassembled and flown in the European theatre were on 13 June 1918. Gradually they replaced the Tellier T.3s previously in use by the US Navy in Europe. Mainly they were used for anti-submarine patrol, but they also performed mine-spotting and convoy escort.

Some HS-1Ls and HS-2Ls were flown by the US Marines out of Ponta Delgada in the Azores on anti-submarine duties. HS-1Ls and HS-2Ls formed the backbone of the newly-formed Royal Canadian Naval Air Service, with patrols flying out of Nova Scotia.

Paintable 1:144 miniatures for the Curtiss HS-1L and HS-2L are now available from Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory.

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