Im a new guy here,...but have been reading in ghost fashion for a while. I'm primarily a ship builder but have wanted to do biplane for a long time,...got my courage now and bought a Nieuport XI, 2 @ type 17 kits,..a Spad XIII, an SE 5A and an Albatros D.III. I am familiar with resin and PE parts due to building warships so I thought id like to trick out the Nieuport's and the Albatros with resin or White Metal engines.

Now. . . What type of in-line did the Albatros use?...and where would be the best source for aquireing these parts?

OOpps sorry about the bad spelling boys!

BTW,......I LOVE THIS SITE!!!

Greetings Gott_cha;

Welcome. The engine used in the Johannistahl Alb. D.III was the Mercedes inline six 1466. This type had the 170hp output. The Eduard kit has a reasonable representation of this. For the Schneidemuhl (OAW) Alb. D.III type you will see that this engine was upgraded to a 180hp out put and the main difference above the cowling was the placement of the rocker boxes. On the 170hp the rocker springs appeared at the middle of the boxes. On the late model 170hp and all 180hp the rocker boxes were move further back so that the springs were at their leading edges. For good images check out any of Brad Cancian's builds posted in our corner of the Aeroscale Hangar.

His 1/32 scale Roden Albatros or his 1/48 Roden Junkers D.I will give you good versions of what I mean. Brad's "studio" images are great and inspirational.

Pavala resin Merc. 180 -200hp engine is available through Jadar Hobbies or you can pull one from a Roden 1/48 Fokker D.VII or Junker D.I. Roden usually provides two inline engine types for their kits. the Mercedes D.IIIaü 180hp and the BMW IIIa 185hp. The BMW was never used on the Albatros D type fighters.

Hey....mucho info for sure...Thanx!!!


I do believe I just purchased these kits from you I think!?

[email protected]?


if so,..I didnt know that was you,...if so even better!

Some say it is my angelic twin . . . me I am the evil "Eyegore" heh heh!

Hi there Gott-cha , Hi tech has the Mercedes D.IIIa 180HP in 1/48 which is in resin and white metal the kit number is 148517 . The address is Philippe Jourdan Modeles 18,rue Fernand Collot-BP.07 77100 Nanteuil-les-Meaux-France

And http://www.squadron.com usually carries the Hi-Tech line.

thanx to the both of you!!