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Code: MU-PK0005

Status: Sold out - Discontinued
We regret this item is no longer available for sale. Please see the product description for links to similar items we still have available.

The Flying Mule Mule Pack PK0005
Mule Pack
WWI 3-Piece Bundle

1:48 Scale     Length     Width
Albatros D.V     6"     7.5"
Sopwith Camel     4.75"     7"
SPAD S.XIII     5.25"     6.75"

CG-AA37801 Corgi D.V Diecast Model, Luftstreitkrafte Jasta 11, The Red Baron, June 1917

Approximately 4,800 Albatros fighters of all types were built during WWI. They were used extensively by the German Air Service throughout 1917, and remained in action in considerable numbers until the end of the war. Many of the highest-scoring German aces achieved the majority of their victories while flying Albatros fighters. Although most often associated with the novel Fokker Triplane, the famed Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, won three-quarters of his 80 combat victories in Albatros aircraft. Richthofen's fame spread rapidly through the ranks of Allied troops. He had his Fokker Albatros painted bright red. Almost instantly, French fliers spoke of "le Diablo Rouge," the Red Devil. Others called him the Red Knight, or the Red Baron. Wild rumors sprang up about the red fighter; some even claimed that the plane was piloted by a woman. Morale soared in his unit, and before long Jasta 11 ruled the skies in their sector. Soon his men painted their planes red, although all but the Baron were required to display at least one other color.

CG-AA38101 Corgi Camel Diecast Model, RAF No.208 Sqn, Henry Botterell, 1918

Henry Botterell does not qualify as an air Ace – he had one accredited 'kill' whereas five are required for official recognition. However, he gained celebrity in his final years as the sole surviving Royal Naval Air Service pilot and the oldest FirstWorldWar fighter pilot of any nation. When he died in January 2003, aged 106, there were none left. Born in Ottowa, Canada in 1896, he applied to be a civilian pilot and was sent to England for training in 1916. He enlisted with the Royal Naval Air Service No.8 squadron in May 1917 but on only his second flight he crash landed and sustained multiple injuries. He was discharged from service on medical grounds but en-route back to Canada he met some old chums from No.8 squadron and was persuaded to re-enlist. His old squadron had become No.208 squadron of the newly formed RAF and Botterell flew a variety of aircraft including a staggering 91 sorties in a Sopwith Camel in just 60 days between July and August 1918.

CG-AA37903 Corgi SPAD XIII Diecast Model, US Army 94th Aero Sqn, Eddie Rickenbacker, 1918

Eddie Rickenbacker is the most famous US pilot of WWI and a recipient of the Medal of Honour. Following the death of his father in the early 1900s he supported his mother by working in an automobile company. He moved into motor racing and became hugely successful, racing three times in the Indianapolis 500. When the US entered WWI he suggested a flying squadron of racing drivers. His idea was rejected but he was posted to France as an army driver. With his mechanical abilities he soon obtained a position as engineering officer at a flight training school at Issoudun from where he learnt to fly. In March 1918 he was assigned to the newly formed 94th Pursuit Squadron. Initially equipped with rather outdated Nieuports Rickenbacker nevertheless proved his abilities and on May 30th he become an Ace. By August 1918 the squadron was re-equipped with newer, faster Spads and Rickenbacker continued his success. He became commander of the 94th 'Hat in the Ring' squadron and went onto amass twenty-six aerial victories, earning him the title of America's 'Ace of Aces'.

Albatros D.V

Designed by Robert Thelen then refined and lightened, the Albatros D.V was the preeminent fighter during the period of German aerial dominance- first flown in 1917. Fundamental version improvements in wing design such as mounting the radiator in the center of the upper wing section, improved pilot visibility- critical in dog fighting tactics. The Albatros could now attain altitudes of over 3,000 feet in only five minutes and with improved stability and firepower and the Albatros system continued to dominate the skies. The Allies responded to the success of the Albatros series with new fighters including the SPAD VII, Sopwith Camel, S.E.5a, Bristol F2B, and others.

Sopwith Camel

Designed as a heavier, more powerful refinement of the Sopwith Pup, the Camel was first flown in 1917. Earning its name from the distinctive humped fairing surrounding its twin .303 Vickers machine guns, the Camel's unforgiving flight characteristics claimed the lives of many students in flight training. In the hands of a skilled pilot though, it was an extreme dogfighter that could out-maneuver any contemporary with the possible exception of the Fokker Dr.I. Common for airplanes of that era, a fixed crankshaft configuration allowed the entire engine to spin with the propeller, creating strong gyroscopic forces that adversely affected the airplane's handling under power. Together with the S.E.5a, the Camel helped gain superiority over the German Albatros and is credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter.

SPAD S.XIII

Designed by The French aircraft company Société pour l'Aviation et ses Dérives (SPAD) as a refinement of the highly-successful SPAD S.VII, the SPAD S.XIII was first flown on April 4th, 1917. Essentially a larger version of its predecessor with a more powerful V-8 Hispano-Suiza engine, the SPAD XIII was a strongly-built wood and fabric biplane. It could reach a top speed of 135 mph—making it 10 mph faster than the new German fighters. It carried two Vickers machine guns, each with 400 rounds of ammunition, and the pilot could fire the guns separately or together.