Aviatik D.I

The Aviatik D.I was produced in sixteen different series by six manufacturers, so there was a wide variety of differences between planes in armament, radiators, engines, and minor details.  The prototype, designed by Berg, was first sent to the front for evaluation in May 1917 where it was found to be fast and maneuverable.  It was sometimes known as the "Aviatik (Berg) D.I",    At first they were armed with a single top-wing machine gun firing over the propeller, but as soon as reliable synchronization was available this was replaced with twin guns mounted alongside the engine.  These were inaccessible to the pilot, so by mid-1918 the guns were relocated to be accessible by the pilot in case of a jam.

Almost 1,000 D.I's were produced, but many of them never saw combat due to shortages of engines, guns, or various other problems of logistics.  Even with these problems the D.I accounted for 43% of Austria-Hungary fighter acceptances during the war.  [Grosz, Haddow, and Schiemer].

This model shows a D.I with a nose radiator and embedded machine guns.  The 1:285/6mm/1:288 scale product comes with four aeroplanes.  Since propellers cannot easily be printed at 1:288, each comes with a detachable, translucent propeller disk instead.  They are joined by disposable links to keep the price down, since single-part models are more affordable.  You can break the links with nail clippers, wire cutters, or similar.

DESIGNER NOTE:  Models at scales smaller than 1:144 may no longer be available.  Shapeways discontinued the material for which they were designed, and the newer materials require that each and every model be adjusted to thicken surfaces like wings.  If you are interested in a particular model in a small scale, please let me know and I will prioritize it higher in the queue.

For more details and game information, see https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/Aviatik_D.I