Tag: Two-seater

Posted on by — Leave a comment

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.

Computer render
Computer render

.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

New Miniatures: The Ago C.I

The twin-boom Ago C.I and Ago C.II pushers were instantly recognizable, just as their spiritual brethren the P-38 Lightning would be in the next world war. Small numbers of them were used for reconnaissance in 1915-1916, tailing off after summer.

The Ago was one of the very few single-engine pushers used by the Germans, and it holds the distinction of being the first German plane armed with the Parabellum LMG14 machine gun, where the prototype was used in combat evaluation in April 1915. Around sixty-four of them were built in several small batches between February and October 1915. The maximum at the front was a little under two dozen in Spring to mid-summer 1916 (with an unexplained dip in numbers in April). Air crews found it easy to fly and robust, and its lifetime was extended even though it was never seen in large numbers. Once pilots grew accustomed to its characteristics, the forward nose-over wheels were frequently removed. While the forward field-of-fire was excellent, the lack of rear protection eventually turned into a major limitation.

Two paintable Ago C.I miniatures are now available from https://greatwarplanes.com — one with a 160hp Mercedes D.III engine and the other with a 150hp Benz Bz.III engine.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

New Miniatures: The Albatros C.I

Three full-color and two paintable 1:144 Albatros C.I miniatures are now available at https://greatwarplanes.com.

The Albatros C.I was the company’s rapid response to the German directive to provide defensive armament to two-seaters. It was provided with either the 150hp Benz Bz.III or the 160hp Mercedes D.III engine, both which gave it good performance. It arrived at the front in spring 1915 and by the end of the year comprised around 42% of all German two-seaters at the front. As better machines appeared, it was moved to less active fronts, where it served into 1917. It was exported to Turkey and Bulgaria and served as a trainer (as the C.Ia through the end of the war). Around 630 Albatros C.I’s were built for combat use. Roland-built C.Is cleaned up the aerodynamics by switching from side radiators to a top-wing leading radiator, and this was carried forward in the C.Ia variant.

From early to mid 1916, it was the most common German two-seater in service, eclipsed by its successor, the Albatros C.III, in the summer of 1916.

Computer render
Computer render
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Airco D.H.9/D.H.9A

The Airco D.H.9 was a fine airplane design held back by an underperforming engine. Designers were expecting 300hp out of the Siddeley Puma, but in practice it only delivered 230hp on a good day. This left the D.H.9 — a successor to the D.H.4 — with less power than the plane it was supposed to replace. While everyone, including high command, recognized that the D.H.9 wasn’t the two-seater they really wanted, there was no way to stop production or introduce a better engine (such as a Rolls-Royce), given the demand for high-performance engines on existing models.

A reprieve finally happened with the arrival of the 400hp Liberty V-12 from the USA. When installed in the D.H.9 airframe (modified for the larger engine), the D.H.9 gave excellent performance and was well-liked by its crews. Unfortunately the supply of Liberty engines never kept up with projections or schedules, so the supply of D.H.9As was limited as well.

Three paintable D.H.9/D.H.9A models are now available at Great War Planes as well as three full-color D.H.9s.

Computer render
Computer render
Posted on by

New Miniatures: French Voisins and Austro-Hungarian Brandenburgs

New miniatures! Reduced Aircraft Factory has recently added a host of French Voisin bombers (3,4,5,8, and 10, with both cannon and machine gun armed variants), as well as five paintable and four full-color Hansa-Brandenburg C.Is. The Voisins served the French Air Service from the beginning of the war through the end. While they were slow and not very maneuverable, they were sturdy and reliable. The Brandenburg C.I was Austria-Hungary’s most common aircraft type by far, and if you encountered an Austro-Hungarian two-seater, it was most likely a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I.

Hansa-Brandenburg C.I
Hansa-Brandenburg C.I