PEG2017 - Pegasus 1/72 Albatros W4 Seaplane - WWHP111343

PEG2017 - Pegasus 1/72 Albatros W4 Seaplane - WWHP111343

Preowned, Original seal, Mint

The W.4 is essentially the Albatros D.I land fighter transplanted onto twin floats — same Mercedes D.III engine, same plywood-skinned fuselage, stretched wings and tail to handle the extra weight. The Imperial German Navy commissioned it in 1916 to defend coastal seaplane bases at places like Zeebrugge and Borkum from British flying boats and seaplanes. It handled well against most enemy seaplanes but struggled against the heavily armed RNAS flying boats out of Felixstowe. 118 were built in total, serving the North Sea and Baltic through 1917 before being superseded by two-seat floatplane fighters.

Pegasus's 1/72 kit is a short-run British effort — plastic sprues, white metal parts, and a waterslide decal sheet for an early North Sea scheme. A niche WWI naval subject with limited alternatives in the scale.