Sorry bout that,should read the photos above and below

The above 2 pics...
represent two different cockpit views of 2 different Albatros D III's .It is the only views I have from my reference material that shows something beyond just a tachometer.
There were other instruments on board even during WW1.I suspect that maybe the aircraft in the Smithsonian doesn't have them installed therefore no one shows them being on board.
The first instruments would be just stuck anywhere struts ,tubes etc....During WW1 things became a little more organized and there was some indication of primary and secondary instrument placing :such as airspeed,altimeter,tachometer, VOR,ILS oops... got carried away there. Secondary instruments like pressure gauges,temp ,content etc only became important when the engine was about to quit or run out of fuel(then they became real important)

I grabbed a figure and put it near the model to better give you an idea of the the size relationship between aircraft and human,dogs of course come in all sizes.Fritz would be about the size of a bull mastiff.The wrecked Albatros will fit this space very nicely and will not be in direct competitionwith the other aircraft for the viewers attention.

Artwork by Mark Miller.

Mark has kindly allowed me to use his artwork here.The prints I have are from an old printer that had quality problems.

This is the general area that I am working in now.

This is the only pic that I have of the instrument panel on the original Albatros that now sits inside the hangar of the diorama.It was taken through one of the rear windows.Unfortunately I never took any pics of the build as it was underway.
There are many things that I would do differently today but this was my first 1/16th aircraft and I didn't have the same skills or reference library in those days.

Another pic

Another pic

Please note: this is a trainer type so I will not be installing the guns or ammo or cartridge boxes.I left the laser scorch marks on the wood as it fits in with my plans of there having been a fire on board.

nother pic

I am still looking for primary flight instruments on German Albatros's.They must have had something,especially on trainers

Another post

The plywood paneling has begun,(slowly).Measure ,cut and shape over and over until they fit,compound shapes and all!Not a lot of room for mistakes.Some of the lower panels I will leave off and/or show fire damage.
This will be a little tricky as I want to show enough fire damage to have caused a flashover of the fabric but not enough to have caused the explosion of the fuel tank.The fire that I am planning would have originated around the carburetor and its piping.
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It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)

There is your cause for the crash! Not enough fuel in the tank. Someone forgot to fill it up and the gauge was faulty.

Another pic