1/32 Wingnut Wings Sopwith Triplane Flown by Canadian Ace Raymond Collishaw
By Esteban Murador
Perhaps less famous than German Fokker Dr.I, the Sopwith Triplane was used in combat by the Royal Naval Air Service. The three wings reduced wingspan and increased wing area making it easy to fly and better climb than other biplanes. Visibility from the cockpit was outstanding but it was slower and less heavily armed than its German opponents. It is said that only 150 Sopwith Triplanes were built and over 50 of them were lost in combat.
The most famous group was No. 10 Naval Squadron “B” flight or better known as “Black Flight”. These fearsome pilots, with their distinguishable black painted cowlings and fins, were responsible for shooting down 87 German aircraft in just three months while flying the Sopwith Triplane. The commander and Canadian ace Raymond Collishaw, shot down a total of 34 aircraft with the Triplane.
I used Wingnut Wings’ 1/32 scale model kit and aftermarket decals to produce Lt. Raymond Collishaw’s Sopwith Triplane. Between June and July, he claimed 16 victories while flying N5492, ‘Black Maria’, including six Albatros DVs on July 6th, 1917. This is a great representation of Raymond Collishaw’s ‘Black Maria’.
More of my models can be found at my website: www.redleadermodels.com.
© Esteban Murador 2013
This article was published on Wednesday, August 07 2013; Last modified on Thursday, February 25 2016