1:32 Benz Bz.III Engine w/Exhaust Pipe

A six-cylinder under the cowling

The Benz Bz.III inline six-cylinder was among the mainstays of the German aviation industry of the First World War. The liquid-cooled unit of around one hundred fifty horsepower powered a whole range of machines of the years 1916 to 1918, from single-seat fighters to two-seat reconnaissance types, and together with the competing Mercedes engines it formed the backbone of German production of the time.

The typical picture of an engine of that period: the cylinders stand exposed above the block, each with its own intake and exhaust port, and the exhaust is led into a single pipe taken up above the upper wing, so that the exhaust gases do not go into the pilot's face. It is precisely this manifold that is part of the casting in the set, so you do not have to bend it from wire.

When the accessory pays off

It makes sense where you are planning an open or hinged-up cowling, or a diorama with a dismantled aircraft and mechanics at work. The engine bay is one of the most interesting places on the whole airframe in period photographs, and in 1:32 scale the detail of the cylinder heads and the valve gear can really be brought out with paint and a dry brush. Period photographs often show how heavily the blocks were dirtied with oil and how the manifolds discolored with heat into rusty and bluish tones; both are a rewarding subject for shading.

The set is meant to be combined with a kit; on its own it does not make an aircraft. Wash the casting carefully before clear-coating, because the remains of the mold release agent can reliably prevent the base paint from adhering. The range also holds the same engine in a smaller scale, should you be building in 1:48.