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| Sopwith F.1 Camel |
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Length: 12 3/4"
Wingspan: 19 1/4"
Scale: 1/17.8
Includes desk stand.
The Sopwith Camel was a British World War I single-seat fighter biplane. Introduced on the Western Front in 1917, the Camel F.1 shot down 1,294 enemy aircraft during its combat service. It had a combination of a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. The Camel was credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter in the First World War.
Intended as a replacement for the Sopwith Pup, the Camel prototype first flew on 22 December 1916, powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z. Known as the "Big Pup" early on in its development, the aircraft was armed with two .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns mounted in the cowl, firing forward through the propeller disc. A fairing surrounding the gun installation created a "hump" that led to the name Camel. The bottom wing had dihedral but not the top, so that the gap between the wings was less at the tips than at the roots. Approximately 5,490 units were ultimately produced.
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