I've always liked the Albatros two seaters, so when Chris asked if I wanted to try another Marek model after I finished the Morane, I saw that this beauty was available. As soon as I opened the file I realized that this was lot more detailed then the Morane, with quite a few more parts.
The Kit...
The model consists of a cover sheet, plus 10 pages of parts and diagrams.. Noticeable right off is the number of very clear diagrams for all the sub-assemblies. The coloring IMO is some of the best I've seen for a WWI subject. I have most of the paints for all the camos left over from my WWI plastic days, and they match up well with what was printed out. Very impressive. Nice thin outlines on all the parts. Like the Morane, I printed this out "scaled/fit to page" on US letter size 65# Bright white stock. So what this scales out too from 1/33, I'm not sure?? And I don't really care, as long as everything fits.
History..from a Google search.
The C.XII succeeded the C.X and began to emerge from the Albatros production lines in the autumn of 1917. Few two-seaters surpassed it for nicety of proportion and profile. Yet the refinement of fuselage design did not produce any great improvement in performance. This was largely due to the inadequate wing sections in use, a really efficient lift/drag ratio having not yet been attained.
The fining down of the C.XII fuselage resulted in a considerable reduction of the keel surface, and to retain adequate directional stability a small under fin was incorporated in the vertical tail surfaces. To retain fore and aft sensitivity, the fixed tailplane was reduced in area. The wings were almost identical to those of the C.X and of the same construction.
The C.XII came into quite widespread service on the Wertern Front during 1918, and remained in operation until the cessation of hostilities.
Conclusion..
A first class kit, and I think a big inprovement all the way around compared to the Morane I did.. And the Morane was a very good model. We shall see how she builds....
