Wingspan: 8.25" and 9.5"
Model Length: 6.5" and 8"
Height: 8.5"
Base: 7 3/4" x 12 3/4"
Code: AS06008 

ALL NEW FROM MASTERCRAFT AND NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE: The AIR SUPERIORITY SERIES SPAD XIII vs. Albatros DVa desktop model planes! You get two historic desktop model planes for the price of one regular desktop model plane. This collectible shows a handcarved 9.5-inch wingspan Albatros DVa, handpainted as Hermann Goering's biplane, vis-a-vis a handcarved, handpainted, 8.25-inch wingspan Spad XIII of the famous Hat-In-The-Ring squadron. This combination measures approximately only 13 inches at its widest - great for display anywhere! Get Big Bang for your Bucks, only here at Master Class Modeler!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SPAD S.XIII 

The SPAD S.XIII was a French biplane fighter aircraft of World War I, developed by Soci�t� Pour L'Aviation et ses D�riv�s (SPAD) from the earlier highly successful SPAD S.VII. It was one of the most capable fighters of the war, and one of the most-produced, with 8,472 built and orders for around 10,000 more cancelled at the Armistice.

The S.VII had entered service in September of 1916, but by early 1917 it had been surpassed by the latest German scouts, leading French flying ace, Georges Guynemer to lobby for an improved version. SPAD designer Louis B�chereau initially produced the S.XII, which had limited success, and finally the S.XIII.

The S.XIII differed from its predecessor by incorporating a number of aerodynamic and other refinements, including larger wings and rudder, a more powerful Hispano-Suiza engine, and a second Vickers .303-cal. machine gun for added firepower. All these improvements led to greater increases in flight and combat performance. It was faster than its main contemporaries, the British Sopwith Camel and the German Fokker D.VII, and was renowned for its ruggedness and diving ability. However, its manoeuvrability was inferior, especially at low speeds. Poor gliding characteristics and a very sharp stall made it a difficult aircraft for novice pilots to land safely.

The S.XIII was flown by famous fighter pilots such as Italy's Francesco Baracca and the United States Army Air Service's Eddie Rickenbacker, who became leading aces with 34 and 26 confirmed victories, respectively.

It first flew on April 4, 1917, and the following month was already being delivered to the French Air Service. Other Allied forces were quick to adopt the new fighter as well, and nearly half of the 893 purchased for the United States Army Air Service were still in service in 1920. It was also exported to Japan, Poland, and Czechoslovakia after the war.

Albatros D.V

The Albatros D.V was a German fighter airplane used during World War I. In April 1917, Albatros received an order from the Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen) for an improved version of the D.III. The resulting D.V featured a new fuselage with an elliptical cross-section. The flat fuselage sides of the D.III were eliminated. The D.V also used the enlarged rudder of the Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW) D.III. The upper wing was repositioned 4 inches closer to the fuselage, while the lower wings attached to the fuselage without a fairing. The wings themselves were similar to those of the standard D.III, except for a revised linkage of the aileron cables. Early examples of the D.V featured a large headrest, which was typically removed by pilots because it obstructed the field of view. Aircraft deployed in Palestine used two wing radiators to cope with the warmer climate.

The D.V entered service in May 1917 and, like the preceding D.III, immediately began experiencing structural failures of the lower wing. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that the D.V was even more prone to wing failures than the D.III. Furthermore, the D.V offered very little improvement in performance. This caused considerable dismay among frontline pilots. Manfred von Richthofen denounced the D.V as "obsolete" and "ridiculously inferior" to Allied scouts such as the Camel and S.E.5a. Nevertheless, 400 D.Vs were ordered in May and 300 more in July.

In October 1917, production switched to the D.Va, which reverted to the D.III's aileron cable linkage to provide a more positive control response. The wings of the D.III and D.Va were in fact interchangeable. In an effort to resolve continuing problems with wing flutter, the D.Va also featured a metal sleeve to strengthen the lower main spar, as well as a small brace connecting the interplane struts to the leading edge of the lower wing. These modifications increased weight while failing to cure the flutter problem.

While most D.V aircraft were equipped with the 170 hp Mercedes D.IIIa, late D.V and almost all D.Va aircraft used the high-compression 180 hp Mercedes D.IIIa.

The D.Va was the final development of the Albatros D.I family, and the last Albatros fighter to see operational service during World War I. Despite its well-known shortcomings and general obsolescence, Albatros and OAW produced approximately 900 D.V and 1,612 D.Va aircraft. Service numbers peaked in May 1918; 131 D.V aircraft and 928 D.Va were on the Western Front at that time. Numbers declined as production ended and the superlative Fokker D.VII entered service, but the D.Va remained in widespread use until the Armistice.

Today, two D.Va aircraft are preserved, one at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., and another at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia.