Aviatik Berg D.I by Flashback
1/48 scale
Kit No. KLH8923
Retail: $65.00
Decals: One version – Imperial German Air Force
Comments: Engraved panel lines, stressed fabric over frame effects, includes resin engine, photo etch details
History
The Aviatik Berg D.I, often known as the “Berg Scout,” was the first Austrian-designed fighter plane ever built. It entered service in May 1917, and by the end of the war, 677 D.I aircraft had been produced, built by Aviatik and five other manufacturers. The D.I represented over 40% of fighters in use by the Austro-Hungarian Air Force in the last year of the war. The first D.I prototype flew on was flown on January 24, 1917. Of wooden construction with a plywood fuselage skin and fabric covered wings, the D.I entered service with the Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrttruppe in the autumn of 1917.
The D.I suffered early difficulties before proving itself a competent aircraft. Early D.I aircraft incorporated two side radiators, which proved inadequate. Over time, several large, car-style designs were installed in the nose to improve cooling. Gun synchronization, which allowed firing through the propeller arc, also proved problematic. For this reason, early D.Is had a top wing-mounted gun that was difficult to aim while maneuvering in combat. Another odd design quirk was the use of an automobile-style control wheel for pilot input; this was soon replaced with a more conventional control yoke, or “stick.” Upgraded D.1s also incorporated strengthened structural components that had been implemented to address wing problems with its sister-type C.I.
The D.I ultimately found favor with most pilots. Its fuselage was constructed narrow and deep, with the pilot sitting high in the seat with good visibility in most directions, in part due to the upper wing being mounted very close to the top of the fuselage. It had excellent flying characteristics and superior climb performance. In its final configuration, D.I armament consisted of two 8mm Schwarzlose machine guns with improved interrupter gear, thus resolving the synchronization issues of firing through the propeller arc.
The design is interesting in that the upper wing is just inches above the fuselage, providing pilots with greatly improved visibility compared to most contemporary biplane fighters. Initial D. I’s had the 185hp Austro-Daimler six-cylinder inline engine, some 140 were built with the 160hp Austro- Daimler, and 200 and 225hp Austro-Daimlers were progressively introduced. Some 700 fighters of this Berg type were manufactured by the parent concern and under licence by Lohner, Lloyd, Thone und Fiala, MAG and WKF. After the war, the aircraft was apparently rebuilt in a two-seat civil configuration to avoid confiscation by the victorious Allies.
The Kit
Flashback’s Aviatik Berg D. I is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 31 plastic parts, including two clear parts for small windows on either side of the forward cockpit, three resin parts for the engine, and two wheels of actual rubber for the main landing gear tires. There is a modicum of internal framing for the cockpit molded into the fuselage halves, as well as photo etch parts for seat straps, rudder pedals, and front and rear cockpit bulkheads. PE parts are also provided for the main panel instrumentation, and spokes for the wheels of the main landing gear.
The cockpit features a separately mounted seat, PE rudder pedals, main instrument panel with a film insert and additional PE details, and a rather large, automobile-style control wheel atop a conventional control yoke. The resin parts include seven long, cylindrical parts that based on the apertures at one end are exhaust pipes, and the instructions initially appear to direct modelers to disregard them — but a single overhead illustration of the completed engine assembly indicates the exhaust pipe are to be cemented to the right side of the engine.
The lower wings each contain tabs corresponding to openings in the lower fuselage halves, so the kit is engineered to have decent contact points when the time comes to attach the wings — a feature that some biplane kitss lack. There are four main interplane struts attaching the upper and lower wings, and these appear barely large and thick enough to do the job. “N” struts attaching the fuselage to the upper wing will help with structural strength, but these parts also appear to be a bit spindly and modelers may benefit from scratch-building their own replacements. The landing gear struts are far more rugged, and the propeller is to scale and nicely shaped. Small support struts are provided for the horizontal stabilizers in the form of PE parts, and a rigging diagram is also provided.
Markings
Decals are provided for one aircraft, Aviatik 138.107, for which a sheet of color plates is provided showing right and left profiles and a top view of the plane. It was assigned to Fliegerkompagnie 56 J, and was flown alternately by Offstv. Josef Seigel, Korporal Franz Fuchshuber, and Zgsf. Martin Pfeifer. The latter pilot was shot down in this aircraft by friendly flak batteries and perished on May 21, 1918. Aviatik 138.107 was painted in a “scumble” camouflage scheme of dark yellow with dark brown and dunkelgrun splotches with linen under surfaces. During the winter of 1917-18 it was employed as a fighter escort for reconnaissance flights.
Conclusion
This is a fascinating kit of a late World War I fighter, with an economy of parts that nonetheless has the makings of a detailed kit. Highly recommended.
References
https://www.museumofflight.org/
https://www.aviastar.org/