DONE@p.3 +++ 1:72 Airco TR.2 of RAF 157 Sq., Battle of Amiens; July/August 1918

Dizzyfugu · July 05, 2018, 06:37:55 AM

I guess that such confusing efforts only make sense from above - from below, I´d rather suggest clear identification above anything else in order to avoid friendly fire. I'd also think that, due to longer distances of aiming, the detail effect of the asymmetrical roundels is not as effective as in air-to-air combat?

Dizzyfugu · July 05, 2018, 11:05:15 AM

1:72 Airco TR.2 - fake box art by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat biplane "pusher" aircraft which operated as a fighter during the First World War. Early air combat over the Western Front indicated the need for a single-seat fighter with forward-firing armament. As no means of firing forward through the propeller of a tractor aeroplane was available to the British, Geoffrey de Havilland designed the DH.2 as a smaller, single-seat development of the earlier two-seat DH.1 pusher design. The DH.2 first flew in July 1915.

The majority of DH.2s were fitted with the 100 hp (75 kW) Gnôme Monosoupape rotary engine, but later models received the 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône 9J. The rear-mounted rotary engine made the DH.2 easy to stall, but also made it highly maneuverable, since the aircraft's center of gravity was located in a highly beneficial position.

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The fighter was armed with a single .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun, which was originally able to be positioned on one of three flexible mountings in the cockpit and with the pilot transferring the gun between mountings in flight at the same time as flying the aircraft. Once pilots learned that the best method of achieving a kill was rather to aim the whole aircraft than the gun, the machine gun was fixed in the forward-facing center mount, although this was initially banned by higher authorities until a clip which fixed the gun in place, but could be released if required, was approved.

After evaluation at Hendon on 22 June 1915, the first DH.2 arrived in France for operational trials, but it was shot down and its pilot killed. No. 24 Squadron RFC, the first squadron equipped with the DH.2 and the first complete squadron entirely equipped with single-seat fighters in the RFC, arrived in France in February 1916. At the height of the type's deployment, the DH.2 equipped seven fighter squadrons on the Western Front and quickly proved more than a match for the Fokker Eindecker. DH.2s were also heavily engaged during the Battle of the Somme, No. 24 Squadron alone engaging in 774 combats and destroying 44 enemy machines.

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The DH.2 had sensitive controls and at a time when service training for pilots in the RFC was very poor it initially had a high accident rate, gaining the nickname "The Spinning Incinerator", but as familiarity with the type increased it was recognized as very maneuverable and relatively easy to fly.
The arrival of more powerful German tractor biplane fighters at the front such as the Halberstadt D.II and the Albatros D.I, which appeared in September 1916, meant that the DH.2 was outclassed in turn. It remained in first line service in France, however, until No. 24 and No. 32 Squadron RFC completed re-equipment with Airco DH.5s in June 1917, and a few remained in service as fighters on the Macedonian front and in Palestine until late autumn of that year. By this time the type was totally obsolete as a fighter, and new uses were found.

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

One role was as an advanced trainer into 1918, the other was armed reconnaissance at low altitudes, where the types high agility and the excellent forward field of view could be exploited. For the latter role, the Royal Air Force (founded in April 1918) converted roundabout thirty DH.2's into TR.2s. The machines received external armor plating for the pilot and an uprated Le Rhône 9Jb rotary engine with 130 hp (96 kW), driving a new four blade propeller, in order to compensate for the raised overall weight. However, the extra weight, nevertheless, hampered top speed and rate of climb, but the type's original high agility was retained.

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Originally, an armament of three machine guns was planned, with two additional, belt-fed fixed Vickers guns for strafing attacks. The two additional guns were placed behind the pilot and fired forwards and downwards through the cockpit floor. While the concept proved to be successful, the plan was quickly dropped since the weapons' extra weight (on top of the armor plating) and vibrations made the aircraft sluggish, nose-heavy and unstable – both in the air and on the ground. Consequentially, the idea was quickly dropped and only the original gun mount in the aircraft's nose was kept. As a compromise, the nose section was modified so that the Lewis gun could now be tilted downwards by up to 60° and fixed for strafing attacks. The drum magazines for the Lewis machine gun were retained, though, so that the weapon had to be raised back into horizontal position every time the pilot wanted to change the magazine (while flying the aircraft over enemy lines, of course).

The first TR.2-equipped unit, RAF 157 Squadron, was sent out to France with 24 aircraft in June 1918, but the machines only flew a limited number of missions until the end of hostilities. At this time, however, the DH.2s had already been progressively retired, and at war's end no surviving airframes of the total of 453 DH.2s and TR.2s produced by Airco were retained.

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: one
Length: 25 ft 2½ in (7.69 m)
Wingspan: 28 ft 3 in (8.61 m)
Height: 9 ft 6½ in (2.91 m)
Wing area: 249 ft² (23.13 m²)
Empty weight: 1,061 lb (482 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 1,630 lb (740 kg)

Powerplant:
1× Gnôme Le Rhône 9Jb rotary engine, 130 hp (96 kW)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 90 mph (145 km/h) at sea level
Range: 236 mi (380 km)
Service ceiling: 12,500 ft (4,100 m)
Rate of climb: 475 ft/min (145 m/min)
Wing loading: 6,55 lb/ft² (32 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.079 hp/lb (130 W/kg)
Endurance 2½ hours
Climb to 5,000 ft (1,500 m) 28 minutes

Armament:
1× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis machine gun, using 47-round drum magazines

1:72 Airco TR.2; aircraft "B" (s/n 6135) of the Royal Air Force 157 Squadron; Battle of Amiens, July/August 1918 (Whif/Revell kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

PR19_Kit · July 05, 2018, 11:56:16 AM

Terrific stuff Thomas old boy!

That really does look the part, and trying to work out where the truth ends and the Whiffness starts is very difficult indeed.

sandiego89 · July 05, 2018, 07:26:20 PM

Wow! And the fake box takes it to a whole nether level!

Well Done, Dave.

Dizzyfugu · July 05, 2018, 11:45:48 PM

Thank you very much, gentlemen!

The next one is already gathering on the bench, I try to work thorugh my ideas chronologically, and the next one belongs into the Munich Crisis era.

TheChronicOne · July 06, 2018, 02:32:31 AM

Heeeellll yeah, bud!! That looks great!! Nice and spindly, too.

Old Wombat · July 06, 2018, 03:00:58 AM

Nice one, Dizzy!

NARSES2 · July 06, 2018, 06:11:57 AM

I do like that Dizzy

DogfighterZen · July 06, 2018, 07:17:40 AM

Excellent model with a great backstory as usual!

Glenn Gilbertson · July 06, 2018, 10:49:37 AM

Good story, great paint job & a splendid moustache!

Dizzyfugu · July 07, 2018, 02:43:40 AM

Again, many thanks to everyone - glad you like it.

Captain Canada · January 08, 2020, 08:12:54 AM

What a neat little build ! And of course, your beauty pics and stories always bring them to life. Cheers !

Dizzyfugu · January 08, 2020, 08:33:08 AM

Thank you!