Airco DH-2

[Mike]

Airco DH-2

1:48 Eduard

The Airco DH-2, designed by Geoffrey De Havilland was powered by a pusher prop, so had the ability of firing directly forward, giving British pilots the same capability as the opposing German flyers, until the British could develop functional interrupter gear to allow the pilots to shoot through their props without blowing the blades off!

It flew for the first time in 1915, and was successful until it became out classed in 1916, although it continued in front-line service until the following year, after which it was relegated to training duties. In total over 430 were built.

The kit arrives in Eduard's familiar orange striped box, with a crisply painted picture of a DH-2 pilot watching his victim make the long dive to the ground with smoke and bits of fabric trailing him. Inside the box are three sprues of light brown/sand colored styrene, a fret of Photo-Etched (PE) brass, a sheet of masks (not pictured), a medium sized sheet of decals and of course the instruction booklet, printed in full color.

A quick peruse of the sprues shows that the detail overall is good, with the wings moulded as single parts covered in nicely restrained rib detail. The fuselage also has fine stitching detail on its sides, with the internal framework depicted as raised ribs on the other side. In order to give the lower wing strength the forward cockpit floor is moulded into the lower wing part, onto which the pilot's seat and joystick is installed. The prominent zig-zag demarcation between the sides and underside of the fuselage is handled by the inclusion of a shaped mask, saving lots of tricky cutting of tape - an excellent touch.

The rest of the cockpit is built up from styrene and PE parts, with decals for the instrument faces. The spare mags for the Lewis Gun have PE edges to give them extra detail, and bezels for the instruments are also included. The same goes for the extra mags mounted in the external caddies, which are formed from PE, with a couple of choices of style, so care is needed in your choice. The Lewis gun has its mounting included, with PE parts providing the small details and the holder for the small "windscreen" mounted to the top of the gun, presumably so that the pilot's aim wasn't spoiled by any incoming debris.

The cowling for the Gnome Monosoupape engine has PE strapping, and the engine itself has PE detail for each cylinder. The main engine parts are styrene, and again detail of the cooling fins is crisp. The large centrally mounted tank on the upper wing has styrene pipework supplied, with a before & after diagram aiding in placement. A choice of two or four bladed props is provided, and masks for the central boss and the shaped brass tips are on the sheet.

The 12 interplane struts are installed into small depressions in the wings, and some small PE details are provided for the inner pairs. The rear of the aircraft is simple in construction, consisting of two ladder sections that affix securely into slots in the wings, and terminate in the cruciform tail, with styrene skid and PE actuating tabs. Rigging looks like fun, and four diagrams from various angles give the modeller enough information, with the rigging wires depicted in blue that contrasts nicely with the rest of the diagram. Patience, some fine thread and a handful of Bob's Buckles will be the watchword here.

The landing gear is keyed so that the angles should be easy to maintain whilst building it, and the completed assembly installs into depressions on the underside of the wing/fuselage area. The wheels have moulded in tyres, and covered hubs, with impressions of the spokes showing through. A set of tyre masks and decals for the manufacturer's markings are included to add to realism, plus a small rigging diagram for the bracing wires.

The decal sheet is bright and well printed, although one tail code decal has a slight blemish on one digit. From the box you can build one of the following:

• No. 6011, No. 24 Squadron, RFC 1916, (green over linen, with grey fuselage top)
  
• No. 7851, No.32 Squadron RFC, Flight C, France 1916 (green wings, linen undersides & fuselage with grey upper surfaces)
  
• No. 5998, Capt. John Oliver Andrews, No. 24 Squadron RFC, France 1916 (green over linen)
  
• No. 5967, Robert H M S Saundby, No. 24 Squadron RFC, 'A' Flight, France July 1916 (linen with grey upper fuselage and green upper tail)
  

Conclusion

A great little WWI fighter, with lots of detail included in the box, that really makes the purchase of the Profipack a worthwhile exercise. All but the most hardened super-detailers should find pretty much everything they need in the box, and the instructions are clear, concise, and helpful. The potential pitfall of a weak tail area has been solved by suitably substantial mounting points, and sensible moulding of each ladder section, removing possible weak spots.

Probably not a first timer's build, because of the delicate rigging, but anyone that has a couple of WWI subjects under their belt, or a lot of confidence should find it no problem. It's an attractive little aircraft, and the four decal options should appeal to many.

Recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[Doug Rogers]

Looks like an interesting kit Mike, not for the faint hearted though. Think I will get it one day, but need a bit of practice first.

Are you planning an online build of this one?

Edited April 9, 2011 by Doug Rogers

[Antoine]

Thanks, Mike.

I'd certainly get myself one, but I'll wait a little bit to get some practice with another kit, where wiring is less difficult.

[Mike]

Thanks, Mike.

I'd certainly get myself one, but I'll wait a little bit to get some practice with another kit, where wiring is less difficult.

Oh, don't get me wrong - it's not massively difficult, just might be a bit taxing for a novice

[Peter Marshall]

The booms are tricky - I ended up replacing them with brass rod as the plastic was a little brittle, but it builds up nicely ( I built the weekend edition one a while ago - post below, it was great fun to build and the rigging isn't too bad if you do it in sections and then walk away)

DH.2 Weekend Edition

[Antoine]

Hello Peter,

Nice build.

In fact, I see that both of you are right, and it shouldn't be so difficult.

I was believing that there was some rigging between the two rear booms, but it seems not to be the case, making it not so difficult to build.

The wing wiring shouldn't be a problem in itself.

[crookedmouth]

Simply getting those tailbooms off the sprue without breaking them has got to be a job in itself!