Sopwith Baby

The Sopwith Baby was a Sopwith Schneider mounting the 110hp Clerget engine (and later the 130hp model). The change of the engine also forced a change from the pointed nose of the Schneider to a horseshoe cowling. While early Babys used the same gun mount as the Schneider: a top-wing Lewis angled upward to clear the propeller, later Babys used a synchronized Lewis that made for easier aiming.

Like the Schneider, the Baby performed a variety of missions from naval bases and from seaplane carriers in most theatres of the war. Fifty-eight to eighty were still on charge near the end of the war.

Sometimes Rankin Darts or Le Prier rockets were used for anti-Zeppelin work, but such was the loading on this light plane that the machine gun had to be left behind on those missions.

Card Links

 * Italian NAS Trieste

Aircraft Chart

1:144 Scale

 * Shapeways: Kampfflieger, Reduced Aircraft Factory
 * Metal kit:

1:285/6mm/1:288 Scale

 * Shapeways: Reduced Aircraft Factory

1:300 Scale

 * Shapeways: Kampfflieger