*(104-100) ALBATROSS D-3, 1956
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AURORA KIT NO.104-GERMAN ALBATROS D-3
Very good example of a very early issue of Aurora's Albatros D-3 and one of the first in the series to feature their iconic oval logo on the box. Contains 32 parts in dark green and black with ground base, figure and nameplate. It has some well-known deviations from true 1:48 scale, and deep-bellied fuselage aside, outlines conform closely with currently-available general arrangement drawings. Despite being marketed as a D.III the over-cooked piscine fuselage marks it down as later D.V/D.Va versions which demand rounded rudders and extended tailskid fairings to complete the illusion. Wing and tail parts are slightly too large for true 1:48 scale but there is sufficient plastic for allowing them to be cut down to size relatively easily. This early issue bears one of Jim Cox's timeless art pieces with a pair of Albatrosse set against a deep yellow skyscape-so typical of the period and simply dripping in nostalgia!
SEVERAL wires must have gotten crossed when Aurora's design team began researching their fourth WWI aeroplane kit. Marketed as an Albatros D-3,the corpulent fuselage mouldings more closely resembled the later D.V/D.Va variants with their deeper, rounder sections.The mouldings are rather larger than the quoted 1:48 scale and most major components come in at 1:46 or thereabouts.So forget the D.III,this kit will build into its streamlined successor/s and you'll only need to replace the rudder, tailskid and shave off the bogus extra radiator from the main-plane to get a head start. Containing 32 parts in dark green and black, our early example is a little mixed up. Despite the box lid proclamation there are no 'instructions en Francais a l'interieur ' to be found: nothing to indicate year or manufacturer, although Aurora Canada is an obvious candidate.The Jim Cox artwork is in his usual dynamic style with vivid yellow sky, blazing 'Spandaus' and dramatic smoke plumes-the rounded rudders may be noted...
Surface detail is OK, with rib stations on wing upper-surfaces but plain beneath and the slot-in taiplane is equally devoid. There's an impressive five-piece Mercedes motor which provides excellent basis for super-detailing and the paired machine guns come with a tiny separately-moulded gun sight:usually one of the first items to go AWOL once the contents are unpacked! Twin wing radiators would be more appropriate to an aircraft serving in the Middle East: either way,the port one has to go and its opposite number narrowed and modified to present proper shuttering for Teves und Braun configuration.
Fuselage panel detail is composed of engraved lines with three forward louvres either side and will need working on. Most of the kit's outline issues can be addressed with a good file but that deep fuselage might prove problematic,although not impossible,to resolve.Like a curate's egg,the Aurora Albatros is good in parts and many examples have been built to high standards. Our kit is in very good shape: plastic is mint, the box almost as good with slight corner damage at one end carefully repaired.Decals offer six outlined Cross Patee with plain versions on a white red-bordered fuselage band-some items are cracked. Also in white, fin serial D.1941/17 is genuine,one of 100 D.III fighters ordered in October 1916 ( D.1910-2309/16). The ground panel incidentally features a full-width wheel chock of a style seen in a number of period photos. Well spotted Aurora!!
Albatros archiv: One of the best available references for the D.III is our WINDSOCK DATAFILE SPECIAL written by Peter Martin Grosz and published in 2003. Highly-detailed 1:48 scale drawings with over 20 colour profiles and a gross of rare archive photos make for the ultimate reference source.
*See also Albatros Fighters for D.III; D.V and Va with further photos; 1:48 scale drawings and more colour plates.First published in 1991,copies are now becoming scarce. Finally, there's Peter's first monograph on the D.III as Profile No.127 published in 1965 with photos and colour plates-all three titles are available in store-please see links below...
