“Fokker” E. III ir Sopwith „Pup“ – the German and British I World War fighters

The Fokker E.III was Fokker's most-produced monoplane fighter, unlike the earlier Fokker E.I and Fokker E.II, which were produced in the dozen or so units and distributed to individual squadrons as reconnaissance aircraft. The E.III became the first aircraft to be armed with fighter squadrons. The first squadron, fully rearmed E.III in August 1916. The Fokker E.III was essentially a version of the E.II with increased wingspan, the aircraft fitted the same Oberusel U.I rotary engine as the E.II, but the E.III was fitted with a larger fuel tank, which also increased the aircraft's flight time. The aircraft was armed with a single synchronized 7.92 mm IMG 08 machine gun. However, the E.III quickly became obsolete. Their main advantage over the fighters, adopted by the allies in 1916, was the synchronization of the machine gun. When the French Nieuport 11 and the British AIRCO DH-2 appeared on the battlefield, the Fokker E.III began to be withdrawn from the Western Front and used in less responsible areas of the front. The main reason for the rapid obsolescence of the E.III was its wing design and its low critical angle of attack. 249 units of E.III were produced and further reworked to their standard 49 E.II.

The Sopwith "Pup" was built at the beginning of 1916 by order of the British Admiralty, which at that time was looking for innovative machines to arm the RNAS (Royal Navy Air Service) squadrons. It turned out to be a very good fighter with good flight characteristics and maneuverability. Therefore, the pilots, who flew it, liked this plane very much. In 1917 "Pup" was intensively used in tests of take-offs and landings on ship decks. On August 2, 1917, Captain Edwin Dunning landed for the first time on the specially equipped deck of HMS "Furious".

Simple, well-detailed and well-designed models are suitable for modellers of all experience, but beginners are better off sticking them under the supervision of a more experienced colleague. Antiquarian publication