Cracking the Plastic – Wings of Glory Halberstadt D.III (Luftstreitkräfte)

As a long time fan of the precursor to this game, Wings of War, I was at Gen Con when the new aircraft were released and immediately got my hands on some of the new ones.  There are three miniatures of the Halberstadt D.III – this one (a dark maroon/brown Luftstreitkräfte), a camouflage green and maroon model, and Keudell’s light colored model.  

Why did I grab the Luftstreitkräfte model?  I found that the green on the camouflaged model was too bright for my tastes.  I’m sure members of the League of WWI Aviation Historians (good men all!) can tell if it is accurate or not.  I went for my model since it seemed, to my eyes, to be more authentic.  Take a look at the image and you decide. 

This model uses a P maneuver deck which was pleasing.  The maneuver decks is one of the ways that Wings of Glory makes the aircraft really stand out in terms of performance.  It can take fourteen points of damage, which is acceptable (and certainly better than the Fokker E.III which was released at the same time).  When you buy the pack you get the stand, four elevation pegs, the painted metal miniature and the maneuver deck.  

My only gripe with this kit was that the pegs were more loose than with others I’ve purchased in this series.  No big deal?  Think again.  I (and most people) move the miniature by gripping the elevation pegs.  If they are loose, you drop the base and are constantly having to put it back on.  Wings of Glory is all about fast play.  I don’t want to get my turn slowed down fidgeting with the miniature.  A little work with a match I was able to get the rouge pegs to stick better.  Bottom Line:  I want to get that enemy in my sights and get the guns blazing!   After all, that’s what this game is all about. 

Overall – this model doesn’t have a great deal of detail.  It’s generic – no insignia or detailing that give it personality.  If you’ve played Wings of War/Glory and you’ve seen some of the minis you know they can be very detailed in their paint jobs.  That’s not the case here.  Then again, this is not some ace’s airplane like some of the others portrayed in the game.  This is a “typical” airplane that I’m sure the true fans will repaint and customize as they deem necessary.  

My rating – 4.5 out of five stars.  This aircraft is a nice addition to your Wings of Glory collection.