SPAD S.XIII US Army 94th Aero Sqn, Eddie Rickenbacker, 1918

Wings of The Great War  1/72 - WW15001

Eddie Rickenbacker is America's most famous World War I pilot and Medal of Honor recipient. After the death of his father in the early 1900s, he supported his mother by working in an automobile company. He then took up motor racing and enjoyed immense success, participating in the Indianapolis 500 three times. When the United States entered World War I, he suggested the creation of a flying squadron of racing pilots. His idea is rejected, but he is assigned to France as a military pilot. Thanks to his talents as a mechanic, he quickly obtained a position as a mechanic officer at the pilot school in Issoudun, where he learned to fly. In March 1918, he was assigned to the brand new 94th Pursuit Squadron. Initially equipped with rather old-fashioned Nieuports, Rickenbacker nevertheless proved his abilities and on May 30 he became an Ace. In August 1918, the squadron was re-equipped with newer and faster Spads, and Rickenbacker continued to achieve success. He became commander of the 94th "Hat in the Ring" Squadron and accumulated twenty-six aerial victories, which earned him the title of American "Ace of Aces".

SPAD S.XIII

Designed by the Society for Aviation and these Derivatives (SPAD) as a refinement of the highly successful SPAD S.VII, the SPAD S.XIII first flew on April 4, 1917. Essentially a larger version of its predecessor with a more powerful Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine, the SPAD XIII was a solidly built wood and fabric biplane. It can reach a maximum speed of 135 mph, which is 10 mph faster than the newer German fighters. It was equipped with two Vickers machine guns, each holding 400 rounds, and the pilot could use them separately or together.

The Wings of The Great War range features affordable, ready-to-use, resin WW1 aircraft models. Each model is handcrafted and painted and features a unique swivel stand that allows the model to be displayed in a variety of different attitudes.

Wings of The Great War display aircraft have the following features:

• Cast resin construction requires no assembly.
• Fixed and non-rotating propellers and impellers.
• Pivoting display base for displaying the aircraft "in flight".