Sopwith Aircraft Models, Sopwith Camel, Sopwith Pup and the Triplane, World War 1 Fighter Model Airplanes. 

  Sopwith Camel WWI Historical Research Notes: 

Sir Thomas Sopwith
a contemporary of the Wright Brothers whose 101-year life spanned aviation history. You'll read of his Camel and Pup that revolutionized aerial combat in WWI; of his Hurricane and Lancaster, which were amongst the most successful designs of WWII; and of the remarkable Harrier "jump jet," which emerged from an industrial empire that employed up to 127,000 people.

The Camel was perhaps the best Allied fighter of WWI, successfully downing 1,924  aircraft in only 16 months of fighting. It was known for being extremely agile and for  having a fast rate of climb, and perhaps most notably, the great Baron von  Richthofen fell to the guns of a 209 Squadron RAF Camel flown by Canadian Roy  Brown in 1918.

 "Black Maria," the famous Triplane flown by 60-victory ace Lt. Col. Raymond Collishaw (the highest scoring RNAS ace and the second highest scoring Canadian ace) in 1917.

The Camel had great agility in combat because of the fantastic torque of its rotary engine and because the engine, pilot and guns were all located in the first seven feet of the wooden airframe.

the most successful Camel in the history of the RAF! Wearing the 1917 markings of Canadian ace William G. Barker, who used it to shoot down more than 40 aircraft and observation balloons.

unlicensed Russian copy of the Sopwith Tabloid scout biplane

Sopwith Schneider, the floatplane version of the Sopwith Tabloid scout aircraft introduced in 1914

Camel flown by Royal Flying Corps 54-victory ace Maj. Donald MacLaren.

Sopwith Camel - Britain's biplane fighter that shot down more than 1,200 enemy aircraft during World War I.

Perhaps the single most famous Allied fighter of World War I, this is the Sopwith Camel flown by Capt. Roy Brown when he chased Manfred von Richthofen (the "Red Baron") over the Somme in 1918 - the flight from which von Richthofen did not return.

the famous Sopwith Camel F.1 flown by 27-victory ace Lt. Clifford MacKay "Black Mike" McEwen (who went on to become an Air Vice-Marshall in the Royal Canadian Air Force) of No. 28 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, when he recorded four of his final six victories in the skies over Italy.

No.10 Squadron was formed in February 1917 as part of the rapid naval aviation expansion program on the Western Front.

Sopwith Camel F.1 - This model wears the 1917 markings of Canadian ace W.G. Barker, who used it to shoot down more than 40 aircraft and observation balloons, making it the most successful Camel in the history of the RAF.

Fokker Dr.I - This triplane, flown by 17-victory ace Leutnant Rudolf Klimke of Jasta 27, includes the anchor that Klimke painted on his aircraft (for good luck) at the insistence of his mother

an unlicensed Russian copy of the Sopwith Tabloid scout biplane

Captain Elliot Springs, 16-victory WWI ace and one of the most colorful American flyers of the war, leads the 148th Aero Squadron.

British and Empire Aces of World War I, Shores. While the Allies and their adversaries raced to outdo each other in the creation of genuinely effective fighters in WWI, it was not until 1917 that the British developed a truly effective interrupter gear, paving the way for the Sopwith Camel, S.E.5 and Bristol F.2B.

The 17th Aero Squadron in World War I. Reed & Roland. The 17th Aero Squadron flew Sopwith Camels under British command along the Western Front during the summer of 1918.

The last of the famous Sopwith fighters to enter service during WWI, the Dolphin and the Snipe built on the strong scouting heritage of the Pup and Camel. The Dolphin, a heavily-armed, negative-staggered-wing biplane, provided the pilot with the best possible tactical view for seeking the enemy. The Snipe succeeded the Camel in August 1918 and proved its superiority over virtually all other fighters.

Sopwith Camels, each carrying 250-pound bombs, take to the skies from HMS Furious - the first dedicated aircraft carrier in the world - on a raid against the German Zeppelin sheds at Tondern. Carried out on July 19, 1918, this was the first successful bombing raid ever to be launched from a carrier.

The Sopwith Camel is widely recognized as the most successful allied fighter of the Great War. Of the men who flew them exclusively, one name stands out above the rest - Major Donald R. MacLaren, who achieved 54 victories, the final nine of which were scored in this machine.

Captain R.A. Little, the RNAS' highest-scoring ace with a total of 47 victories, achieves one of the 15 attained while flying a Sopwith Triplane with No. 8 Squadron RNAS between April and July 1917

The Camel was the most successful fighting scout employed by either side in WWI, responsible for destroying 1,294 enemy aircraft. Requiring highly skilled pilots, many pilots were lost learning to fly the nimble aircraft.

The family of Sopwith fighters served England, France and the U.S. throughout World War I, with the 1 Strutter, the Pup, the Camel the Snipe and others becoming classics of the period.

Sopwith Pup, the first proper British fighting scout that - though achieving much success after it arrived on the Western front in 1916 - saw its final combat at the end of 1917 when it ceded the skies to the even more famous and successful Sopwith Camel.