Special Hobby 72122 Lloyd C.V Series 82 (WKF) — 1:72 Plastic model aircraft kit

Manufacturer: Special Hobby
Kit number: SH72122
Aircraft: Lloyd C.V Series 82 (WKF)
Scale: 1:72
Barcode / EAN: 8594071085957
Kit type: Short-run injection-moulded plastic with resin and photo-etched details
Country of manufacture: Czech Republic
Release: 2017
Status: Discontinued / currently out of stock
Manufacturer and kit history

Special Hobby, based in the Czech Republic, is particularly well known for producing unusual aircraft that are often overlooked by larger manufacturers. The company announced the Lloyd C.V Series 82 as a new 1:72 and 1:48 project in 2017, with the 1:72 kit carrying catalogue number SH72122.

This is a substantially more sophisticated kit than some of the older Eastern European kits in your collection. A contemporary review describes it as a combination of short-run injection moulding, resin and photo-etched metal, with two main plastic sprues plus a smaller sprue, resin detail parts and a busy photo-etched fret. The review also notes that the instructions are in colour and clearly presented.

The kit's subject is specifically the WKF licence-built Series 82, rather than the earlier Lloyd-built Series 46.
Kit contents and detail

This is one of the more interesting WWI kits from Special Hobby because there is quite a lot packed into a relatively small box.

The kit contains:

Two principal injection-moulded sprues

A smaller supplementary plastic sprue

Fuselage halves

Upper and lower wings

Tailplane and rudder

Cockpit components

Resin engine

Resin radiator

Resin cockpit floor

Additional small resin detail parts

Photo-etched metal fret

Machine-gun components

Fuselage fittings and inspection panels

Undercarriage

Propeller

Windscreen/clear parts

Decals

Colour assembly instructions

The contemporary Scale Aircraft Modelling review specifically identifies the resin engine, radiator and cockpit flooring, together with additional small resin parts and a detailed photo-etched sheet. It also confirms four aircraft marking options on the decal sheet.

That combination makes this considerably more detailed than a simple vintage short-run kit.
Particularly notable details

The photo-etch is used for many of the Lloyd's small structural and external fittings, including fuselage metalwork and inspection hatches. The resin components allow Special Hobby to reproduce the engine and radiator with much finer detail than would have been practical using the short-run plastic tooling alone.

The wing construction is particularly important. The real Lloyd C.V had plywood/veneer-covered flying surfaces rather than conventional fabric-covered wings, and this unusual construction is one of the aircraft's most recognisable characteristics.

The kit therefore makes an especially interesting project for a modeller who enjoys WWI aircraft with unusual construction.
Markings

Special Hobby published detailed information about the marking choices before the kit's release. One documented aircraft is 82.13 of Flik 3/D on the Russian Front in autumn 1917, carrying a forward-firing machine gun mounted in a distinctive box on the upper wing and a flexible gun in the rear cockpit.

The decal sheet provides four aircraft options, giving considerably more choice than many limited-run WWI kits.
The full-size Lloyd C.V

The Lloyd C.V was an Austro-Hungarian two-seat reconnaissance aircraft developed during WWI.

Its most unusual feature was its plywood-covered wings. Instead of the fabric covering used by most contemporary aircraft, Lloyd used thin wooden veneer over the wing structure. This gave the wings a smooth aerodynamic surface but created serious maintenance problems when exposed to moisture or combat damage.

The aircraft was produced in several versions. The Series 82 was built under licence by WKF (Wiener Karosserie Fabrik) and used the 220 hp Benz engine.

According to detailed production records, WKF originally received an order for 16 aircraft, followed by another 48. Engine difficulties subsequently resulted in the final production total being reduced to 48 aircraft, numbered 82.01–82.48.
Service history

The Lloyd C.V entered service during 1917, with Series 82 aircraft primarily associated with the Eastern Front.

The more powerful Benz engine did not automatically make the aircraft successful. The additional cooling equipment increased weight considerably, and the Series 82 suffered from difficult handling and engine-related problems during its early service.

Most of the WKF-built aircraft went to units on the Russian Front from September 1917. Some later served in the Albanian/Balkan theatre, while others were retained as trainers.

The aircraft was not a long-lived front-line success, but surviving examples continued in secondary roles after the war. Lloyd C.V aircraft were subsequently operated in Poland, Hungary and Ukraine.
Aircraft specifications

For the Lloyd C.V family, published figures include approximately:

Crew: 2

Engine: 220 hp Benz

Role: reconnaissance / artillery observation

Configuration: single-engine biplane

Length: approximately 7.22 m

Wingspan: approximately 11.2 m

Maximum speed: around 170 km/h

Loaded weight: approximately 1,185 kg

At 1:72 scale, the real aircraft's large wingspan translates into a model approximately 15.5 cm across, making it a surprisingly substantial model despite its relatively small scale.