Albatros D.V
Weekend Edition

Eduard, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Rob Baumgartner

Eduard's 1/48 scale Nieuport Weekend Edition is available online from Squadron.com
 

One of Eduard’s best selling items comes in for another incarnation.

It’s the Albatros D.V and arrives in the familiar “Weekend Edition” format. The idea is to provide the basic plastic parts for a “build” that can theoretically be completed in a couple of days.

In the box are two tan coloured sprues holding a total of 60 parts. The passing years have not diminished the quality of these mouldings. Each piece is still essentially flash-free with no pin or sink marks being visible on the finished model.

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Thumbnail panels:

Construction starts will the cockpit and there is plenty to add here. The fuselage interior contains moulded on structural details to which are added a collection of smaller essentials. These include the magneto and associated switch, sparking control, hand operated air pump, water pump greaser and mounting block for the various fuel/air selector valves.

Larger items such as the ammunition and cartridge belt bins are also catered for and the instruments come courtesy of decals. This is rounded off by the usual fare such as seat, control column, rudder bar and floor.

A 5-piece Mercedes engine completes the interior and the whole structure fits quite well between the fuselage halves. A little sanding of the bulkheads will help ease the two sides together.

The original kit was designed around one particular set of Ian Stair’s general arrangement drawings and the outlines of the various components match these very well. An error did slip into these otherwise excellent plans and this relates to an extra inspection hatch which Eduard has faithfully reproduced. This is found on the lower part of the starboard side just below the rearmost vent. It is easy to sand off however with no loss of detail to the surrounding area.

The misplacement of the footstep is another item the modeller may wish to relocate.

Both upper and lower wings are done as single piece affairs. Thus there is no messing around with dihedrals which greatly aids the building process. The ribs are represented by subtle ridges and the trailing edges are commendably thin.

The purest will no doubt add the missing “washout”, which was seen at the extremities of the upper flying surfaces. While you’re at it, include a set of the missing shrouds which covered the aileron actuators.

One area that does need serious addressing is the undercarriage. The legs are much too short which gives the finished model a squatting appearance. Fixing the problem will be problematical but not impossible.

After all these years it would have been nice if Eduard had supplied a correction set... either included in the box or as a separate item.

Markings

As befits a “Weekend Edition” kit, a single option is supplied on the decal sheet.

It is an aircraft in the markings of Oliver Frhr von Beaulieu-Marconnay, an ace of Jasta 15. His machine was decorated with the unit’s red and blue identification colours and wore a stylized “branding iron” symbol on the fuselage sides. This combined “4D” represented the 4th Dragoon Regiment of which he was once a member.

“Bauli” was a latecomer to the air war and downed his first enemy machine on 28 May 1918. The first 14 of his 25 confirmed victories were with Jasta 15 before he took command of Jasta 19 on 2 September of that same year. The frenetic scoring continued and was only halted when he was seriously wounded on 16 October, apparently by a fellow German machine.

The seriousness of his condition was such that the awarding of the Pour le Merite was rushed through officialdom. He died on 26 October 1918 at the young age of 20 years.

The decals come on a single sheet and were printed with perfect colour registration. The carrier film is very thin and was kept to a minimum around each item. Axial logos are provided for the propeller and as mentioned before, decals cater for the instrument faces.

The “Weekend Edition” series focuses on giving the purchaser an accurate kit at an affordable price.

With a few tweaks from the modeller, this aim can be accomplished. It is a “no frills” product which means it doesn’t contain any photo-etched parts, resin, or multiple colour schemes. However, the basic plastic items will still allow the builder to produce a quality result straight out of the box.
As such it’s an ideal choice for those wanting to cut their teeth on their first biplane kit.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2010 by Rob Baumgartner
Page Created 6 July, 2010
Last updated 6 July, 2010

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