Siemens-Schuckert D.III

The revolutionary Siemens-Halske Sh.III engine was the foundation of the Siemens-Schuckert D.III fighter, but the engine proved troublesome and the type was frequently grounded. The engine was an eleven-cylinder engine with the crankshaft rotating in one direction at 900rpm and the crankcase and cylinder rotating in the other at 900rpm, which was supposed to reduce the gyroscopic forces and allow the propeller to run at a lower, more efficient speed. All good in theory. Then engine ran hot (since it was rotating at half speed compared to a conventional rotary) and frequently seized due to poor-quality lubricant.

When its engine was working, the D.III had outstanding climbing characteristics and it was quite nimble.  The followon SSW D.IV traded off a little on the climbing ability for a better turn of speed.

This product comes in several scales: 1:144, 1:200, and 1:285/6mm/1:288.   At 1:285 there are two aeroplanes.  They come with a seperable, translucent propeller disk rather than propeller blades, which are difficult to print at this scale.  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 gaming information, see https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/Siemens-Schuckert_D.III.