Description
This is a full-color 1:144 3D print of Albatros D.III (Oeffag) 153.47 of Offizierstellvertreter [Deputy (non-commissioned) Officer] Josef Kiss of Flik 55/J. Kiss was born to Hungarian parents in 1896 and enlisted early in the war and served on the Russian front. After recovering from severe wounds, he volunteered for flight duty, starting on Hansa-Brandenburg C.I two-seaters. In November 1917 he transferred to fighter unit Flik 55/J, where his overarching goal was to become an officer, a significant mark of status in those days. He scored 19 air victories, including at least three in this aircraft. He was shot down in May 1918 and within a day was promoted to Reserve Second Lieutenant, achieving his goal only posthumously. It was a singular achievement: no other Austro-Hungarian NCO pilots were ever promoted to officer.
No painting is necessary — this model comes printed in full color, ready to use. It comes with an integral flight peg for mounting on game flight stands (not included), which can be carefully removed with a cutting tool, if desired. The peg is designed for a fairly tight fit; you can file it down slightly if you prefer a looser fit. The model does not come with a flight stand, maneuver deck, or plane card. You can find an unofficial plane card for this plane in this paint scheme in the gallery above or at https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/File:AlbD3Oef-153.47-Kiss-card.jpg.
