Albatros D.V/D.Va at War
by Colin Owers

Windsock Datafile 151

Reviewed by Rob Baumgartner

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The Albatros series of fighters has always been popular with WWI aircraft modellers.

The elegant lines and diversity of colour schemes make them a firm favourite amongst enthusiasts.

In 1986 Albatros Productions published the third volume in their Datafile series. It focused on the D.V and it quickly sold out. Just as popular was the Albatros Fighters Special that followed 5 years later.

Since then a lot of new material has come to light. The recent restorations of the Australian War Memorial’s original D.Va and the The Vintage Aviation Ltd’s own exacting reproductions have uncovered new information about the structure of these machines. Adding to this is the appearance of contemporary images from long forgotten wartime albums.

This latest Datafile is the first of 3 titles on the D.V/D.Va, which will endeavour to pass on this updated and revised information.

The tried and trusted format of the series continues with 40 pages between the A4 sized covers.

Colin Owers provides the narrative and it’s an interesting and entertaining read. The history and physical characteristics of the type is discussed, with added accounts from the pilots themselves being interspersed throughout the text.

One of the hallmarks of this series is the photographic coverage and this trend continues with over 90 black and white period images. Unavoidably there is some duplication from the earlier publications but the printing here is of a much higher standard. Also included are another 39 close-up colour shots of the aforementioned masterpieces residing in New Zealand.

Marty Digmayer has been busy and presents 6 pages of superb scale plans. As well as the expected 1:72 and 1:48 scale renditions, many of the internal details have also been covered in the popular size of 1:32...for obvious reasons.

Ronny Bar supplies more of his inspiring artwork and provides the reader with 7 stimulating profiles. This includes upper and lower views of one of the options and all subjects show excellent detail and a good variety of livery.

So once again this popular format delivers on providing the modeller and enthusiast with an excellent all-round coverage of an iconic WWI combatant.

It’s the first of Colin’s 2-part treatment and is a very welcome addition to the Datafile series.

Thanks to Albatros Productions for the review sample

Review Copyright © 2012 by Rob Baumgartner
This Page Created on 26 April, 2012
Last updated 26 April, 2012

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