WW1 aircraft

[Deleted User]

I’m advising a pal on his WW1 project (the blind leading the blind):

WW1 for the New Chums

I have no great desire to build armies with him but whilst reading his rules (‘Great War Spearhead’), I was struck by the possibility of providing aircraft for his games.

It seems to me about 2 British/French & 2 German fighters would meet the need.

I have never gamed with planes before & I know relatively little about WW1.

Can you help?

1. Late war, Western Front……..what typical planes would be appropriate for a ground attack role?

 

2. 20mm………who makes suitable models (I thought model plane kits but I don’t think these would be robust enough?)

 

3. Aircraft stands……………they’ll need to be able to “fly” over the battlefield. What can I use for stands?

 

Any help will be appreciated.

 

donald

 

[Etranger]

Using 20mm means you’re mostly looking at plastic kits, unless Del Prado or someone similar make a built up range. Such things exist for WWII but I don’t recall seeing a WWI equivalent.

If you can cope with the different scale then the WOW/WOG 1/144 ‘planes are a quick & relatively cheap fix. At around $20 for a scout, they’re around double the cost of an unbuilt & unpainted 20mm kit. Milisms carry them if no-one local has them BTW http://www.milsims.com.au/catalog/3309

I’ll add more here later on the other 2 questions – I have to go shopping.

 

[Deleted User]

Etranger wrote:

If you can cope with the different scale then the WOW/WOG 1/144 ‘planes are a quick & relatively cheap fix. 

 

I’ve heard it said that using a smaller scale for planes makes sense as it suggests perspective.

However, given that the planes will be skimming over the troops, I’d prefer 1/72 or 20mm.

I’ll have to check out what the LHS has in terms of WW1 biplanes but I’m not convinced they’ll be robust enough.

 

donald

[Autodidact-O-Saurus]

For the most iconic late-war fighters I’d go for the Sopwith Camel for the Brits, the SPAD 13 for the French and Fokker D-7 for the Germans. I’m fairly certain that by the end of the war, all three had developed specific ground attack aircraft but I’m not sure how common they actually were.

Don’t worry too much about the robustness of 1/72 plastics.  They should be fine. In fact, depending on your modeling skill you might even consider using card models. http://www.Fiddlersgreen.net has some attractively inexpensive options.

As for bases, if you’re portraying trench strafing, etc, I’d suggest using some sort of tripod because you don’t really need to be too concerned about height variations. For the amount of time in which the plane is interacting with ground troops, the plane’s going to be at a uniform height. Most aircraft bases (at 1/72 scale) will need at least a 4×4 inch base to keep the plane from toppling over. That’s fine if you’re doing air-to-air and not concerned with the ground surface but inconvenient if you have modeled terrain populated by tiny plastic troops. Using a tripod avoids having to move the ground troops to make space for the aircraft base. In addition, if you’re using card models the weight is so slight that it drastically reduces the chances of the plane toppling over. (Not to mention, you can simply print out another card model and re-make the model if it is damaged.) With light-weight card models the tripods could be made out of long pipe-cleaners. I’d be leery of using pipe-cleaners to support 1/72 plastics, though.

Self taught, persistently behind the times, never up to date. AKA ~ jeff
More verbosity: http://petiteguerre.blogspot.com/

[Don Glewwe]

1. Late war, Western Front……..what typical planes would be appropriate for a ground attack role?

Sopwith Camel for the British/French – it wasn’t designed for it but got ‘stuck in’ for the job more than others.

The Germans did have a specific aircraft for the role, so may as well use it: the Junkers CL.1  (edit: Looks like the Junkers isn’t that common in kits – the Halberstadt CLII would be my second choice.)

 

2. 20mm………who makes suitable models (I thought model plane kits but I don’t think these would be robust enough?)

In 1/72 anything can be found kit-wise.  Being ubiquitous (common scale in gaming using ‘Triplane’ or ‘Watch Your Six’ rules) you may even be able to track some finished kits down if building isn’t in the cards?  As mentioned, there should be no problem with being robust enough.  The same is true of cardstock kits, though the fiddlybit nature of construction is well above that of plastic kits.

 

3. Aircraft stands……………they’ll need to be able to “fly” over the battlefield. What can I use for stands?

Wholeheartedly agree with the tripod suggestion mentioned – something constructed out of florist’s wire (a bit stronger than pipe cleaners) may  serve?

[Abwehrschlacht]

For German ground attack aircraft use any of the CL series or J series planes as this was their dedicated role, but any plane could be pressed into ground attack roles really.. The Brits used Bristol Fighters, but also anything availabe like the Germans, so Camels, SE5a, etc.

I would also vote for the Wings of Glory aircraft, although they are 1/144th they are robust, prepainted and easily available. The small size can be explained away through persepctive. I use them with my 15mm, here is a 1/144th Brisfit attacking some 15mm Germans:

 

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[Jim Jackaman]

The plastic kit option is definitely the way to go. I’d suggest the old Revell Sopwith Camel which is readily available and has a four rack Cooper bomb included in the kit, together with the Airfix Hannover CLIIIa for the Germans, which is also available having been rereleased. They are both easy to assemble and bomb proof for gaming purposes. For stands, I would use either the tripod approach or acrylic rod and magnets, so that you could have planes at different heights.

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.co.uk

[Jim Jackaman]

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/100236-airfix-a01050-hannover-cl-iiia

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/104256-revell-04111-sopwith-f-1-camel

 

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.co.uk

[Dave Crowe]

As far as stands goes I’d also highlight that due to the nature of the game you’re playing I’d imagine a tripod may work best as terrain and other miniatures on the ground will likely obstruct a standard one point base.

If you had a tall tripod or two with magnets on top you can measure and place the centre of the tripods wherever the planes need to be (including directly over targets and obstacles) and place the planes on top.

It also means you won’t need a base for every plane you have. Just enough to play.

[Deleted User]

Could anyone post a photo of a tripod? I gather it’s just 3 lengths of some sturdy wire but, you know, a picture is worth….

 

donald

[Don Glewwe]

This is the sort of ugly I got with 5 minutes twisting some florist wire:

8-inch long legs double-strands. It’s not pretty. Taking more than 5 minutes would produce something a bit more attractive, but it works.

In action (holding up a 1/48 air racer since I didn’t have a 1/72 handy…) over some 15mm figs:

Troops in the open!

[Etranger]

Or if you want to go VSF…

[Don Glewwe]

[Deleted User]

Thanks, Don. I know from camping furniture that 3 legs can stand on uneven surfaces.

 

“Thanks”, ET!!!!!!

cheers, donald

[Patrice]

Excellent idea this tripod!! Thanks.

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https://www.anargader.net/

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