Sopwith Camel, WW I Fighter (1:20)

Span: 16.75"
Length: 11.25"

The Sopwith Camel is remembered as the most successful British single seat fighter of WW I and is credited with 1,294 kills. It was Capt. Roy Brown of the RAF, flying a Camel, that shot down the Red Baron in a dogfight over the fields of France in 1918.

The Sopwith Camel was manufactured by Sir Thomas O.M. Sopwith and his Sopwith Aviation Company in 1916. The aircraft was designed by Herbert Smith. The Camel was the first British fighter plane to be equipped with two fixed synchronized forward Vickers machine guns. The Sopwith Camel is remembered as the most successful British single seat fighter of WW I and is credited with 1,294 kills.

The Sopwith Camel, WW I Fighter was created as replacement for the Sopwith Pup. The aircraft prototype first flew in December 1916, powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z. It is also called the "Big Pup" during its early development. A fairing surrounding the gun installation created a hump that led to the figure Camel.

On May 1917, the Sopwith Camel arrived in the Western Front and went into action after two months. The aircraft quickly reached the reputation as a deadly trench-strafer. With its fixed guns, pointing downwards through the floor of the fuselage, it could rake enemy troops with fire while flying fast and level above their trenches.