Orion 1/72 Pilots of the First World War

Orion, Dark Dream Studio DDS 72003 World War I

As the first shots were fired in World War I, flying was mostly seen as a sport, and the only military role was for reconnaissance. By the war's end ten of thousands of aircraft were taking photographs, dropping bombs and leaflets, guiding artillery fire and machine-gunning enemy forces, and those machines, and the tactics they employed, had developed enormously in those four years. For many years such machines have been available to modellers in 1/72 scale, but until this set was released almost no personnel were available except occasional pilots.

This substantial set includes 24 different poses which are described by the manufacturer as follows:

Row 1

British - Pilot dropping a 5-pound gas bomb

British - Pilot firing

British - Girl visiting the airfield

British - Mechanic listening to the engine

British - Armourer with Lewis 7.71 machine gun

Row 2

British - Pilot after the flight

Russian - Pilot making a gesture to the enemy

Russian - Officer in parade dress

Russian - Pilot after the flight

Russian - Pilot sitting in the cockpit

Row 3

Russian - Pilot standing

Russian - Armourer with a 100-pound bomb

German - Mechanic lifting the plane's tail

German - Pilot receiving the flight mission

German - Pilot sitting in the cockpit

Row 4

German - Pilot climbing into the plane

German - Ernst Udet

German - Mechanic rotating the propeller

French - Armourer loading plane with bagged steel arrows

French - Pilot smoking

Row 5

French - Pilot sitting in the cockpit

French - Pilot greeting his comrade with victory

French - Rene Fonck

French - Pilot explaining the tactics of a fight