"Hey Stephen what are da doohickies on the top wings of Albatros D. type fighters? Strut ends?. . ."
Greetings Sire ; Da doohickies are the ends of the struts and a locking nut that appear on the top surface of the upper wing only. Check images of the real aircraft in your references. These are minor details but really set your piece apart from other models on a contest table. especially when a judge asks what are those for? I believe I use Grandtline hex head nuts type 99 or 100.
Here is a Jasta 11 line up at La Brayelle in about Feb - March 1917. The red circle is highlighting a repaired piece of wing tip fabric on Emil Schaefer's Alb. D.III. On the first machine in this image you can see at least three of these clearly.
Here is the overall line up.
Quoting my good freind Dan San Abbott, ". . .The airfield in this photo is LaBrayelle, a little west of Douai. The building in the background is a laundry. . . MvR took command of Jasta 11 on 14 January 1917. Jasta 11 moved from La Brayelle on 15 April 1917 to Roucourt Airfield. The Alb.D.III machines in this line-up are from the first production batch of Alb.D.III machines,serial numbers, D.1910/16 to 2309/16. The machines with the central mounted radiator, placing them in the serial number range of D.1910/16 to D.2199/16. The nearest machine, has the round footstep which brackets the range to before D.2099/16. This photo was taken most probably in March 1917. The order for 50 Alb.D.III machines, serial number D.600-649/17 was awarded in February 1917 and deliveries commenced in April 1917. The third order was anoth 50 Alb.D.III machines, serial numbers D.750 799/17 was awarded in March 1917 and deliveries commenced in May 1917. With this date it precludes MvR 's Alb.D.III 789/17 from being at LaBrayelle. Blue skies, Dan-San. . ."
