Albatros C.I by Choroszy Modelbud
1/72 scale
Cost: $35.00
Decals: 2 versions: German Luftstreitkrafte (Imperial Germany Army Air Service), 1915; and Polish Air Force, 1920
Comments: All-resin kit with multiple delicate parts
History
The Albatros C.I was a multi-purpose, single engine, two-seater aircraft that appeared in 1915 as an evolution of the Albatros B.II. It was the first of the successful C-series of two-seater biplanes built by Albatros Flugzeugwerke during World War I. Based on the unarmed Albatros B.II, the C.I reversed the pilot and observer seating so that the observer occupied the rear cockpit, which was fitted with a ring-mounted 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum machine gun. It had a wooden frame with fabric covered wings and fuselage, and a wooden, two-bladed propeller. The type was employed by the Germans as a scout, employed in both reconnaissance and bombing missions. In addition to being manufactured by Albatros, it was built under license by other companies such as BFW, Linle-Hoffman, LVG, Roland, MERCUR and the Albatros Warsaw branch.
The wings, elevators and tail all have corrugated detail representing the internal ribs of the canvas-over-wood structure of the aircraft.
The Albatros C.I was the first of the successful C-series of two-seat general-purpose biplanes built by Albatros Flugzeugwerke during World War I. Based on the unarmed Albatros B.II, the C.I reversed the pilot and observer seating so that the observer occupied the rear cockpit which was fitted with a ring-mounted 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum machine gun. While the C.I was operated mainly in a reconnaissance and observation role, it also had some success as an early fighter – Oswald Boelcke claimed his first victory while flying a C.I with Lt. von Wühlisch as the gunner. Germany’s most famous World War I aviator, Manfred von Richthofen, also began his career as an observer in the C.I on the Eastern Front.
The Albatros C.I version was equipped with a Rapp 113-kW/150 hp and Benz BzIII engines of the same specifications. It contained outboard radiators on both sides of the fuselage. 
The Albatros C.Ia and C.Ib had Argus AsIII 156-kW/180 hp engines, and had the radiator positioned in front of the leading edge of the upper wing. The Albatros was employed on all World War I fronts, and later also in Yugoslavia, Romania, the USSR and Poland. Polish forces acquired 9 machines of this type, and assembled two more from parts, and a final 15 were purchased outright by the Polish government. The Polish Air Force flew the Albatros until 1924.
Specifications
Powerplant: Benz BzIII of 150hp
Armament: One Parabellum 7.7mm machine gun, small bombs
Dimensions: Wingspan – 12.8 meters / 41.9 feet
Length: 7.85 meters or 25.75 feet
Height: 3.14 meters or 10.30 feet
Weight, empty: 875 kg / 1,929 lbs.
Weight, loaded: 1190 kg / 2,623.5 lbs.
Performance:
The crisply detailed resin parts include a Benz engine, propeller and cowling.
Speed: 140 km/hr or 86.9 mph
Rate of climb: 2.7 meters/second or 8.85 feet/second
Ceiling: 3500 meters/11,482.9 feet
Range: 250 km / 155 miles
The Kit
The Albatros C.I is cast entirely in beige resin and consists of 54 parts. The fuselage interior contains molded detail in both cockpits, and there is delicate corrugated detail on the wings, tail and elevators, representing wooden ribs beneath a fabric covering. The kit includes an exquisitely detailed Benz engine, and the decals offer markings for either an aircraft of the Germany Imperial Air Service, or the Polish Air Force. The kit’s one drawback is that it lacks a machine gun for the rear observer position; this will have to be acquired from an aftermarket source.
References
- Albatros C.I instructions; Wikepedia.org