Pfalz D.IIIa
Weekend Edition

Eduard, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Eduard's 1/48 Pfalz D.IIIa is available online from Squadron.com
 

The Pfalz D.III was a fighter aircraft used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during the First World War. The D.III was the first major original design from Pfalz Flugzeugwerke.

Though generally considered inferior to contemporary Albatros and Fokker fighters, the D.III was widely used by the Jagdstaffeln from late 1917 to mid-1918. It continued to serve as a training aircraft until the end of the war. *

Eduard first released their 1/48 scale Pfalz D.IIIa around 2000 in their ProfiPACK boxing with photos-etched parts and four marking options. At the time of its release it was an accurate and easy to build kit, and nothing much has changed with the passage of time.

This latest incarnation of the Eduard 1/48 scale Pfalz D.IIIa is a Weekend Edition.

The kit comprises just 55 parts in grey coloured plastic and markings for two aircraft.

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Thumbnail panels:

Surface textures are a combination of raised and recessed panels and ports, with undulating fabric texture where appropriate.

Parts breakdown is conventional and simple. The upper and lower wings are both moulded as one full-span part each. The strut arrangements are pretty straightforward too, with each of the four pairs of struts moulded as one piece each, making alignment as simple as possible. Alternative lower wings are offered.

A rigging diagram is included in the instructions.

Cockpit and engine are made up of a few parts each but should both look good after careful painting and weathering.

Decals are supplied for two instruments and harness straps.

Two marking options are offered:

• A black and white aircraft flown by Oblt. B. von Alvensleben, Jasta 21, Boncourt France, June 1918, and

• A white aircraft with striking red and blue stripes on the top of the upper wing and the fuselage, flown by Oblt. W. Ewers, Jasta 77, Vraignes France, April 1918.

The decals are printed by Eduard and are mostly black and white. They are semi-gloss in finish and printed in register.

Eduard has released another welcome repackaging of an old favourite in the good value "Weekend Edition" series.

This is an accurate and easy to build kit of a colourful WWI subject.

*Historical summary from Wikipedia

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text Copyright © 2017 by Brett Green
Page Created 21 December, 2017
Last updated 21 December, 2017

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