World War One Whifs

[NARSES2]

A Spad  looks very very nice matey 
Might be time for me to hunt one down..hopefully someone does one in 48th.

Eduard do a 1/48 scale one and Revell did. Could well be others. Just make sure you look for a SPAD XIII as there were a fair few earlier types and there are some kits of those out there as well.

[Wardukw]

Well thats lovely to know Narses matey   
I read in some mags that alot of the Eduard do some rather nice kits ..their Mig21 ..not sure of the verison ..is pretty damn good ..ill be hunting one very soon 
Spad that is  even tho i do like the Mig .

[Wardukw]

I kust put a bid on a Eduard Xlll Spad in 48th.
Starting bid was $45nz..good price ..seen $36.95 us ..so yeah happy 

[stevehed]

Thanks Guys. Eduard is said to be the best Spad XIII in 1/72 so it probably is in 1/48. Good hunting, I hope you get it.

[Wardukw]

Oh trust me Steve ..it will have to sell for silly money for me not to get it  and your right about it being a great build..ive read a few reviews and pretty much all great ..strange but im looking forward to this plane..ive already got a PDF of the plans   

[stevehed]

My second build in the recent ATF Whif GB. I returned to the Temeshenko Company who designed the Rumpler based type posted earlier in this thread. Further research discovered an earlier design based on the DFW B type, a sample of which had passed through the company's hands at the end of 1915. This aircraft had banana shaped wings but the company's engineers modified the wing layout. The new structure did not require rigging wires and the designers improved on the original fuselage. New tail surfaces completed the company's interventions but the available engines lacked sufficient power. Russian engine production was  unable to match demand and most were low powered. The only engine available in quantity was a copy of the 100hp Mercedes supplied by Duflou and Constaninovich. Aircraft so powered were only suitable for training duties by the end of 1916. A similar fate was in store for the company's Rumpler design until good fortune came when D & C announced an improved version of the Russian Mercedes. It now produced 160hp and examples were sent to Temeshenko for further flight tests. By the end of 1916 both the engines and designs had passed IRAS acceptance procedures and the aircraft were accepted for delivery to IRAS aircraft parks on the southern front. It appears that three DFW "trophy" planes were sent along with the Rumpler types. Shortly after the factory was closed due to Bolshevik agitation and the equipment was sent to Moscow.







The build was described as a Frankenstien build because of the different colours of plastic of the various kits. The fuselage is a union of an abused Hannover front section and the rear section of a DH4. The Hannover supplied the lower wing while the tail unit came from an Albatros DV. The undercarriage legs are former Roland C and the axle from the DH4. All these parts are Airfix to satisfy the 51% rule for ATF GB's. The top wing was formed from the Airframe Bristol Bullet that supplied the fuselage for the recent MS29. The engine, exhaust was scratched, the prop is white metal, the wheels KP, the gravity tank from an Emhar Anasal and the observer's gun is a Vickers from the AModel Spad A4. I've managed to use some bit's and pieces before they started to gather dust.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/2021-airfix-what-if-group-build-stevehed-s-2nd-wha-t56232.html

The build thread

[NARSES2]

Very nice sir 

[Wardukw]

Seconded 
Lovely build 

[stevehed]

Thanks Guys. Here's another one. This is the build I dropped last year. It is a Russian recce type designed and built by the Anatra Company of Odessa. It had started to enter service with the Tsarist forces in mid 1917 before the Bolshevik Revolution.  When the Central Powers advanced deep into Russia during March 1918 Odessa fell under Austro Hungarian control. A large quantity of aircraft composed of several types were discovered in the Anatra works. Most were considered obsolescent but the AH liked the Anasal and ordered 200 for use as trainers and liason aircraft by the LFT. Over 100 had been delivered when the Central Powers withdrew from Russian territory. Some of these aircraft ended up in Czechoslovakia and Hungary post war. So far all real world.

In an alternative time line the Bulgarian lines started to give way to the Allied offensive on the Salonika Front. The Germans and Austrians were compelled to withdraw from occupied Russian territory to reinforce the weakest sectors. The German 11th Army managed to plug the gap which was developing on the Vardar sector while AH reinforcements began to construct a stop line several miles to the rear of the current front line. The Serbo-Italian and French forces were maintaining great pressure at several points and the line was in grave danger of breaking before the new line had been completed. However, a weakness had been spotted and exploitation could gain the AH forces vital time. Much of the ground commanded by the Allied Forces was swamp or badly drained. This had more or less compelled the supply lines to take predictable routes. The main hub was Station X where the rail lines concentrated. The LFT commanders saw an opportunity of a surprise mass air raid to disrupt the supply of the front line troops long enough to allow the completion of the AH defences in the rear. The air units had received replacement aircraft and additional aircrew and these were concentrated into groups for the attack on Station X.

At dawn, the fighters, Albatros DIII and Berg DI's, fitted with bomb racks, attacked the Allied fighter bases. A second wing followed half an hour later to prevent the surviving aircraft from either taking off or concentrating in the air. Some aircraft of this second wave headed for Station X. Because of the marshy ground most of the anti aircraft guns were mounted on trains and these had been identified and were attacked. Not far behind were thirty Hansa Brandenburg CI bombers who were able to accurately drop the ordnance into the marshalling yard. Twenty minutes later another wave comprised of twelve Anasals bombed Station X. These latter machines had been sent to this theatre of operations to act as temporary night bombers but had been sent to back up the day units. The success of the airfield attacks saw no attacks on the bombers by enemy fighters.

Although successful another raid was always intended and the aircraft were turned around as quickly as possible. A German Jasta, equipped with new Albatros DVI machines, had carried out fighter sweeps over the Allied bases and engaged with any fighters that had got airborne. This meant when the AH units returned they caught most of these survivors on the ground again. The bombers had a clear run and inflicted further damage on the railway hub. Three aircraft, one HB CI and two Anasals, were damaged by anti aircraft fire but managed to force land on the AH side of the lines.

Significant damage had been done and supplies to the front dropped dramatically. The units involved now returned to normal duties over the front line except for the night fliers. The Anasals were steady aircraft and well suited for the role. The Austro Hungarians also had a secret weapon. A small incendiary based on a tar-like substance had been sent in numbers to the Balkans. It proved to be an ideal pathfinder device as it proved difficult to totally extinquish. Some aircraft carried racks of these weapons and dropped them around the selected target to help other less experienced colleagues find the target. A constant bombardment of Station X was continued but other smaller satellite stations were bombed as the Allies tried to circumvent the hub. It was in identifying these smaller targets that the incendiaries proved invaluable. The raid and subsequent night bombardment helped to gain the time the Austrians needed to complete the stop line. The Anasals continued in service well into the new year when they began to be replaced by better Hansa Brandenburg types and the survivors were reallocated to the FLEK training units.

The kit kit is the current Emhar issue of an original Frog design. I built it largely from the box which represents a post war Czech machine. This has modified radiator water tanks and an exhaust which encircles the forward cowling. The extra tank wasn't fitted and I installed Russian type exhausts on the lower fuselage. These are end pieces cut from small drop tanks and rod. The forward machine gun ports were filled and I scratched a Schwarlose look alike mg for the rear cockpit. Bombs are spares from Roden and Airfix. It represents a machine from Flik 78 which were to be sent to the Balkans.

[PR19_Kit]

Amazing stuff. 

But which FROG kit was it originally?

[stevehed]

Thanks. From what I can gather this kit along with the Mig3, Lagg and Yak, can't remember the type numbers, were issued by Red Star. My original Anasal was in a Red Star blister pack. Frog went out of business before they could issue them.

[NARSES2]

Neat model 

I like your take on the Eastern Front Campaign as well  Just finished reading the series of books by Pritt Buttar. Excellent history of the subject through to 1920/21.

[stevehed]

This is my entry in the ATF Whif GB. It is part of the Bulgarian 3rd Aviation Unit storyline whereby part of this squadron was equipped with refurbished British aircraft that had come down behind the lines. This was one of the first aircraft to be given such treatment. It was a late production BE2c and sported the later curved rear fin. A quantity of 155hp Salmson radial engines had been captured when the Central Powers had marched into Russia. Some were sent to Bulgaria and the first reciptients were BE2c's in store at Bourjisti, the air park at Sofia. As well as a more powerful engine the crew positions were reversed which put the observer in the rear cockpit. At least two, possibly three, aircraft served with the newly formed 3rd Aviation unit which operated in the sector opposed by Italian, Serb and French forces. The Allies possessed numerical superiority in the air and the BE's were often employed on night bombing duties.

The kit is the Airfix BE2c. The main difference is in the engine compartment. I chopped off most of the section forward of the bulkhead, only leaving a couple of mille proud. A scratch radial engine was cemented to the bulkhead and exhaust pipes fitted to run behind the cylinders. A couple of short strips were secured to pass through the lower heads for the base for the frontal radiator to sit on. The four bladed prop was replaced by a white metal twin from the spares. A pair of small side radiators are remnants from a vac form as the early Salmson radials seem to have had cooling issues. The rear seat was reversed and a PE gun ring installed. Bombs are ex-Matchbox and I used HU113 to represent PC12. The British markings were overpainted with German grey and the PC12 was left intact. I've added green in the past but left this one as it was the first conversion and was issued this way.
Build thread https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/2022-airfix-what-if-group-build-stevehed-s-build-t56984.html

[PR19_Kit]

My flabber is totally gasted!   

[Flyer]

Thanks. From what I can gather this kit along with the Mig3, Lagg and Yak, can't remember the type numbers, were issued by Red Star. My original Anasal was in a Red Star blister pack. Frog went out of business before they could issue them.

I have that set that came without it's box, I cannot remember the biplane type either, I simply remember being put off by it's double wheel landing gear...

The MiG, Yak and Lagg will be forming the backbone of 'the bad guys' of my storyline, the biplane I was simply going to part out over time, I may just change it's landing gear now that I have seen how it looks completed.