Corgi Aviation Archive Collector Series AA38303
Fokker Dr.I Triplane Diecast Model
Luftstreitkrafte, Johannes Janzen, March 1918
Limited Edition

Janzen joined the German Air Force on 4 May 1916. Following pilot training he was assigned to Jasta 23 in November 1916 and scored his first victory with this unit before being reassigned to Jasta 6 in October 1917. He briefly assumed command of Jasta 4 on 28 March 1918 but just a week later returned to Jasta 6 as the new CO. Scoring his 5th victory on 4 May 1918, Janzen’s Fokker Dr1 was shot down five days later. He survived the crash and scored 8 more victories, giving him a total of 13 kills, before he was shot down again on 9 June 1918. On this occasion, the interrupter gear on his Dr1 malfunctioned during a dogfight with a SPAD and he shot off his own propeller. Janzen again survived but was captured and remained a prisoner until the end of the war.

Corgi's 1:48 scale Dr.Is capture the unmistakable lines of the real aircraft, including ailerons that extend beyond the upper wing-tips. Fine gauge wire represents the structurally significant bracing wires found on the actual aircraft. Additionally, the mold faithfully replicates the complex contours of the entire aircraft, simulating a stretched fabric covering. A detailed pilot figure sits behind the twin Spandau machine guns. Up front, the propeller and engine are nicely detailed and free to rotate in unison behind the cowling. The model rests on rolling rubber tires that accurately reproduce the gray color vulcanized natural rubber takes on after prolonged exposure to sunlight.