Aircraft Info:

Designed by Robert Thelen then refined and lightened, the Albatros D.V was the preeminent fighter during the period of German aerial dominance- first flown in 1917. Fundamental version improvements in wing design such as mounting the radiator in the center of the upper wing section, improved pilot visibility- critical in dog fighting tactics. The Albatros could now attain altitudes of over 3,000 feet in only five minutes and with improved stability and firepower and the Albatros system continued to dominate the skies. The Allies responded to the success of the Albatros series with new fighters including the SPAD VII, Sopwith Camel, S.E.5a, Bristol F2B, and others.

Product Info

In the deadly life or death struggle for supremacy of the skies during WWI, many airmen wanted to make their association with a particular aircraft as successful as possible, not only a visual representation of their combat prowess, but also creating a psychological bond between man and machine. Once this practice had become established, there was an explosion of colour over the trenches of the Western Front, as aircraft were adorned with personal schemes and regional or family emblems, some being so elaborate that they had historians questioning how aerodrome personnel had the time, skill or basic materials to apply these schemes. Jasta 5 would earn a reputation as one of the units possessing some of the most colourfully presented fighters and were given incredible freedom when it came to painting their aircraft, something which reflected the combat prowess the unit had earned. Of all the distinctively decorated aircraft to have represented the ‘Green Tails’, perhaps none was more flamboyant that the personal aircraft of Leutnant R Wolf, a pilot who may not have been one of the most successful pilots of the unit, but certainly knew how to decorate an Albatros. His scheme was linked to his heritage and featured an elaborate fuselage of blue and white diamonds, a representation of the Bavarian coat of arms and crest. Wolf used this aircraft following the introduction of the Albatros D.V during the summer of 1917.

Corgi's 1:48 scale Albatros D.V series captures the unmistakable lines of the real aircraft with simulated stretched fabric covering and brilliant early cammo patterns. Fine gauge wire is used to represent the structurally significant bracing wires found on the actual aircraft. The water-cooled Mercedes engine is wonderfully replicated, with six cylinder heads, engine exhaust stacks and a liquid cooling system leading to the radiator on the top wing. A detailed pilot figure sits behind the twin LGM 08/15 machine guns. The model rests on rolling rubber tires that accurately simulate the gray color that vulcanized natural rubber takes on after prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Info:      Albatros D.V Biplane - Jasta 5 - Ltn.d.R Wolf