Albatros D.V

The Albatros D.V differed in only minor ways from its precedecessor, the Albatros D.III. And perhaps that was the greatest complaint against it: the D.V wasn't significantly better than a plane that had premiered in late 1916, and it did nothing to restore the air superiority enjoyed by the Germans in the early Albatros months. The D.V moved the aileron control cables to the top wing, rounded out the fuselage and rudder, angled the tailskid fin, and added a headrest (which was sometimes removed to improve rearward vision.) The D.V premiered in early summer 1917 and was followed by the Albatros D.Va, which returned the control cables to the lower wing and usually came without a headrest. Later D.Va's added a sub-strut in an attempt to stabilize the lower wing from twisting, a problem inherited from the D.III.

D.V's were produced in large numbers: at least 900 D.V's and 1600 D.Va's were ordered, and they were the most common fighters at the front from mid-1917 to the last months of the war, when they were eclipsed by the Fokker D.VII.

Miniatures and Models
Of course, a D.Va model can be substituted for a D.V. The differences are subtle:  The D.V more often featured a headrest and the D.Va sometimes had lower-wing sub-struts. The true difference -- placement of the control cables -- is usually invisible in a model.

1:144 Scale

 * Shapeways: ReducedAircraftFactory
 * Plastic Kit: Valom 14406, 14418

1:285/6mm/1:288 Scale

 * Shapeways: ReducedAircraftFactory