Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $34.00 Review items graciously supplied by Eduard- www.eduard.cz . This is the first kit by Gavia that I've seen, much less built, and my initial reaction is very positive. The kit includes a fret of P.E. parts manufactured by Eduard, and the detail on the seat harnesses and machine gun jackets are very well done. The decal sheet, printed in the Czech Republic, is relatively small even though it carries sufficient markings for four different aircraft. One can build D.435/16, D.446/16, D.391/16 and a fourth aircraft that represents what, to at least some historians, is the "death plane" of Crown Prince Friedrich Carl of Prussia. This aircraft is presumed to be DI 410/16 but there are no photographs creating an historical record. Nonetheless, markings for this particular aircraft are included on the decal sheet and specifically the "totenkopf" symbol. One of the outstanding features of this kit is the instruction booklet. The instructions are printed on 5"x7" glossy pages, in full color. This is particularly helpful when laying out the color scheme. We've all experienced some confusion when the instructions use shades of gray to depict colors on the painting guide. No such problem exists with this kit. Even more helpful, the Painting Guide Chart uses Gunze numbers and color names, and Gunze is a readily available paint. Step 16 of the instructions presents an outline rendering of the aircraft with the rigging printed in blue. This drawing makes it fairly simple and straightforward to locate the attachment points for the rigging. There are, as with many kits on the market today, some extra parts that are marked on the instructions with big red "X"s. There is an extra upper wing with a radiator grill that is not used, as well as some extra struts. The struts for the D.1 are carried on a separate sprue designated as "C". The extra, or unused, parts in the box and on the sprues indicate that there is another Albatros already available or on the way, but I'm just guessing. A quick internet search produced no evidence of another Albatros by Gavia.

Not including the small P.E. parts, the D.1 kit has about 70 parts. The parts are well molded, with one part being the exception, and display very little or no flash along the edges. The attachment points are all very small and easily sanded away, and are located in places convenient for a small pair of nippers. The only part that displays any deformity is the pilot figure. It appears that our fearless flyer is in big trouble as he has a hole the size of his fist in his left abdomen. This may be a problem on just the one kit that I received or it could be an issue with other kits of the D1 as well. Since I almost never put the pilot figure inside the aircraft it is of no consequence that he is 'imperfect". The most complex aspect of this kit is the interior. Fortunately Gavia provides some very useful illustrations of this process found in steps 5 and 6 in the instructions. There are two side-profile illustrations showing each of the interior pieces in their final configuration. The interior ribbing molded on the interior of the fuselage half is also visible in these profile drawings and that is extremely helpful in attained the proper placement and alignment of the various interior pieces. Unfortunately some of this wonderful detail will not be visible, but without the pilot figure in the seat enough of the detail will be visible to be very impressive. One photoetched part is misidentified in the instruction booklet in step number 7. P.E. part number 18 is incorrectly identified as P.E. number 19. This is of little concern since the part is easily identifiable in the illustration in the instruction booklet, and since its shape is unique. Thus far this kit has been trouble-free and a joy to build. The level of detail molded on the parts, the parts themselves, and the overall "fit" has been very good. In the next part of the "build review" we will look at the engine, assembly of the airframe and wings, and application of the decals.

Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®.