Concluding the F6F Hellcat and SPAD S.VII and Albatros D.II / D.III (new project) - August 28, 2025
Hello everyone. It's me Antony, back with another Blog in 2025. We are now on August 28 - past the half of 2025.
The year is going by fast. The following days will be pretty long due to work and vacations are scheduled for October. At least it would be nice to have a month to rest after several days of work. I'll finally be able to get back to my other projects during the holidays.
And, again, new Nightwave chapter is still on, but my brother and I have reached level 30 after several performed challenges. As usual. (: /)
Let's go for what it's important than Warframe. For this Blog, I'm going to share you the recent images of the Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat and the SPAD S.VII.
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat:
After that, more lines were drawn to the fuselage's and wings' Bump textures. Minor change was the aerial attachment connected to the fuselage.
The following renders will show you the Hellcat in its conclusion.
Amazing. I added some rivets to the aircraft. Although the upper section of the engine cowling looked a bit too stretched, I may correct it later. Still, the American naval fighter looks good. Another change was the the smoke from the engine exhaustion ports and Browning barrels and shells outlets; the landing lights located on the plane's belly and the leading edge on the left wing.
Amazing. I added some rivets to the aircraft. Although the upper section of the engine cowling looked a bit too stretched, I may correct it later. Still, the American naval fighter looks good. Another change was the the smoke from the engine exhaustion ports and Browning barrels and shells outlets; the landing lights located on the plane's belly and the leading edge on the left wing.
The textures for the Weathering, Specular and Metal were also made. Despite the F6F has been a bit tricky to make - especially the wings, it was a fun experience.
Link to its 3D model at Sketchfab (F6F-5 Hellcat):
SPAD S.VII:
Like the S.XIII, the SPAD S.VII has been a fun experience to work with. Major changes after the previous Blog, the S.VII has the 'bulges' from the engine cowling stretched and repositioned a bit closer to the wooden struts. The engine outlet was also repositioned, along a rework on the forward windshield.
The Bump texture for the fuselage received a big update according to the blueprints and schematics, then the Weathering, Specular and Metal.
With nothing else to add, this French biplane is my next WW1 aircraft to be uploaded to Sketchfab and ArtStation. I plan to make the textures of Francesco Baracca (Italy), Alexander Pentland (Australia), Georges Guynemer (France), Edmond Thieffry (Belgium) planes.
Link to its 3D model at Sketchfab (SPAD S.VII):
Before concluding this Blog, I'm going to show you a new project I started yesterday. Yeah, I planned to conclude my other projects before starting a new one in this year. But my desire always take the best of me.
Prior to the Sopwith Triplane and Pup, I had plans of starting the Albatros D.III. But, as I looked at the D.III, the D.V and the D.II by its schematics, I saw some similarities between these three biplanes, yet differences could prevail from one model to another. For that, I decided to start by the D.II in parallel with the D.III.
In case you want to learn the story of these planes, I'll share it here.
The Albatros D.II and the Albatros D.III are WW1 biplanes built by Albatros for the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) and by under license the Austrian Oeffag (Oesterreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG) for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (Luftfahrtruppen).
Albatros D.II:
In 1916, the German Albatros designed the D.I - one of the first models of the series to retain aerial superiority over the Entente planes after the Fokker Scourge. The D.I was powered by a 120 kW (160 hp) Mercedes D.III six-cylinder water cooled inline engine and equipped with a pair of 7.92 mm MG 08 - firing synchronized with the propeller after improvements with the synchronization gear based on Fokker's design. Despite the good results, pilots complained about the lower visibility from the upper wings, with Robert Thelen, Schubert and Gnädig redesigning the aircraft with the upper wing being repositioned 36 cm closer to the fuselage and stagger it forward slightly. Rearrangement of the cabane struts also improved forward view. Still, the newer biplane: the D.II, retained the original D.I's design, engine and armament. The first models would come out from the factories in August 1916 after an order of 100 planes being issued by the Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen - Inspectorate of Flying Troops). The Windhoff "ear" radiators were retained until November 1916 after being banned due to leakages from battle damages - replaced by a new Teves und Braun "airfoil shape" radiator in the centre section of the upper wing. Still, this would also be problematic when damaged radiators could scald the pilot's face when hit. Oeffag variants (also known as the Series 53) were equipped with 138 kW (185 hp) Austro-Daimler engine and armed with two 8 mm Schwarzlose machine guns. The first Albatros D.II composed most of the fighter squadrons or Jagdstaffel, mainly the Jasta 2 in the Imperial Luftstreitkräfte. German famous pilots included Oswald Boelcke (Jasta 2 commander and father of the modern fighter tactics or Dicta Boelcke) and Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron), with the later one engaged in a prolonged dogfight with RFC's pilot Lanoe Hawker in his Airco DH.2. Aside from the Germans, the Albatros D.II would also equip the Ottoman Air Force and the Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrtruppen with the Oeffag variant. Despite the success, Albatros started on a redesigned model of the D.II: the Albatros D.III - arriving in late August 1916. Production of the D.II ended in late 1916 with 291 units built.
Albatros D.III:
Between July and August, the first prototype was in development by Albatros Flugzeugwerke, with the first flight occurring in between August and September. Following the success of the Albatros D.I and D.II, the newer aircraft retained the original design from its predecessors, with modifications related to the wings, armaments, engine and structure as part of specifications by the Idflieg. Like most of WW1 era planes, the D.III was composed of plywood, fabric, strings and metal. The upper wingspan was extended, while the lower wing was redesigned with reduced chord and a single main spar. V-shaped interplane struts replaced the previous parallel struts. Production started on September 26, 1916 after the Idflieg ordered 400 units. However, problems related to the oil radiator (the initial models were installed in the center, being moved to the right after a series of modifications) and the wings were evident - with the later issue being evident on the Nieuport 17 as well. On January 27, the Kogenluft (Kommandierender General der Luftstreitkräfte) issued an order grounding all D.IIIs pending resolution of the wing failure problem, forcing all Jastas to rely on the Albatros D.II and Halberstadt D.II. Although it was attributed to poor workmanship and materials at the Johannisthal factory, the real cause lay in the sesquiplane arrangement taken from the Nieuport. While the lower wing had sufficient strength in static tests, it was subsequently determined that the main spar was located too far aft, causing the wing to twist under aerodynamic loads. Pilots were advised not to perform steep or prolonged dives in the D.III until the issue was solved, but the design flaw persisted until the introduction of the D.V. While its successor was being developed, the D.III production shifted to Albatros' subsidiary, Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW), with the main difference between the two models being evident on the large rounded rudder from the OAW D.III. The Austrian Oesterreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG (Oeffag) obtained a licence to build the D.III at Wiener-Neustadt, officially designated as Albatros D.III (Oeffag), but were known as Oeffag Albatros D.III in Austro-Hungary Empire, and just Oeffag D.III in Poland. The major difference between the Austrian biplane and the German biplane being the engine: the 138, 149, or 168 kW (185, 200, or 225 hp) Austro-Daimler engine - providing improved performance over the Mercedes D.IIIa engine; the removal of the propeller spinner, the main armament consisting in two 8 mm (.315 in) Schwarzlose machine guns over the 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15, despite the issues related to its rate of fire and installation comparing the Austrian guns with the German ones. Still, the wing failures were solved after modifications with thicker ribs and spar flanges on the lower wing. The Albatros D.III was popular among German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman pilots thanks to its rate of climb and maneuverability, surpassing Allied planes like the Sopwith Pup, Nieuport 10 and 11 and the SPAD S.VII. This would change at the end of 1917 with the arrival of planes powered by 8 cylinder V-inline engines like the SPAD S.XIII, as well the Sopwith Camel, Bristol F.2 Fighter and Nieuport 28. The Albatros D.III remained in service until the end of WW1 with a total of 1,866 units built by both the German and Austrian companies. After the war, Poland acquired 38 series 253 aircraft from the Oeffag factory, ten more were rebuilt from wartime leftovers. They were used in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–20 in two fighter escadrilles (Nos. 7 and 13). Despite the lack of aerial battles, the D.III were used for ground attack operations until being retired in 1923.
Let me show you the images of the Albatros D.II / D.III
The biplane's main fuselage looks like a wooden fish with propeller and wheels. (lol)
Alright, jokes aside, the fuselage has been made from the scratch, along the propeller spinner, tail rudder, elevator and undercarriage struts. The wheels, MG 08 and the propeller blades were imported from the Fokker Dr.I project files. At least it's a good start since I can use these components to speed up development.
The Mercedes engine is still in development. Some pieces will be tricky if I don't rely on several photos for reference.
For the next components, I'll add the stick, pilot seat, the wings (both the D.II and D.III designs) and struts, concluding the engine, the cables, the Windhoff "ear" radiators, the tail skid and a nice texture. And yeah, I'll paint the D.III in red for Manfred's red plane, as well the other planes from the Flying Circus.
Another interesting fact is the rudder. OAW (Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke - Albatros' subsidiary) built-versions counted with a round rudder instead of a curved design from the main Albatros factory. And I'll included the Oeffag version of the D.III.
Well, that's it for now my friends. I hope you like this Blog. Let us hope this year bring us new content and something different from the usual. In case I have some spare time to enjoy, I'll be working on other things aside from Blender projects and my personal things. Until the time comes, you will be surprised to see them. See you next time.
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