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1:72 Scale Diecast Metal – Airco (de Havilland)DH4 DH.4 WWI British Day Bomber, Belgium 1918 Length: 5″ Wingspan: 7

The model is a two seater. It has no pilot/crew figures included.A display stand is included.

This is really a “no-play” model or a “display-only” model. It is mostly metal and very heavy. It also has a number of antennas which look great but are very fragile. If you have small kids that like to play with your models, save yourself some frustration (and money) and wait till later to get a model like this one. The box is labeled as not suitable for children under 14.

The maker of this model, Oxford, did a good job with this model, specifically the color scheme and the markings are very crisp and clear. The panel lines and hatches are very nicely done (engraved).

The Airco DH.4 is a British two-seat biplane day bomber of the First World War. It was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland (hence “DH”) for Airco, and was the first British two-seat light day-bomber capable of defending itself.

The DH.4 was developed as a two-seat combat aircraft, for both day bomber and aerial reconnaissance missions. It was to have been powered by the new 160 hp (120 kW) Beardmore Halford Pullinger (BHP) engine, but problems with that resulted in numerous other engines being used, perhaps the best of which was the 375 hp (280 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle engine. The DH.4 first flew in August 1916 and it entered operational service in France on 6 March 1917 less than a year later. The majority were manufactured as general purpose two-seaters in the United States for the American expeditionary forces in France.

Following the Armistice of 11 November 1918, many DH.4s were sold to civil operators where it was found to be particularly useful as a mailplane. Early commercial passenger airplane service in Europe was initiated with modified variants of the DH-4. War-surplus DH-4s became key aircraft in newly emerging air forces throughout the world. The U.S. Army later had several companies re-manufacture its remaining DH.4s to DH.4B standard and they operated the type into the early 1930s.