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G'day all; Here's my just finished SE.5a from the Roden 1/32 kit. In brief, this is my first WW1 rigged biplane and I enjoyed it very much. The kit built up well with no significant fit issues. There are no decals on the model, I painted all with masks made on my Silhouette cutter. I marked mine as "Schweinhund III" rather than the conventional "Schweinhund" because in his book Duncan G-M says he had three aircraft of that name and I wanted to model his last one. I have no photographic evidence for this, but it's a bit different and I like that. Here's the WIP if you're interested in the how's and why's of the build. The finished photos: Cheers.

Started this build today. After building a Mosquito, this aircraft seems tiny. I usually use Eduard PE seat belts, but this kit doesn't come with them, so I used the supplied decals instead. Not a bad result. So far, the parts fit has been good, with only a minor bit of work to improve the fit.

SE.5a Night Fighter 82133 Eduard (ProfiPACK) - 1:48 Eduard have already produced four previous boxings of their SE.5a kit in Hisso, Viper, and Royal Class forms. Now we have the 'Night Fighter' version, which is the most unusual of all the releases. It contains all the optional parts to build either a Hispano-Suiza or Wolsely Viper powered machine, with wooden or metal undercarriage legs, and a choice of three different propellers. The easy way to tell if an SE.5a was Viper powered is that the propeller is exactly midway between the top and bottom of the front radiator, whilst on the Hispano the prop is mounted more like two thirds of the way up. A second clue is that they rotated in opposite directions, so the Viper prop rotated anti-clockwise and the Hisso clockwise when viewed from the front. Adapted for use a night fighter late in the war to tackle raids being mounted by German bombers, the basic SE.5a does not appear to have been altered very much. Noticeable differences are the addition of various exhaust flame damping devices, and the mounting of Holt flares under the fuselage (an early form of landing light). Very likely some form of illumination was provided for the instruments as well. The Kit. Presented in Eduard's familiar Orange banded 'Profipack' box, the artwork features what looks to be a Zeppelin-Staaken machine being shot down by B658. Inside are two large sprues, one clear sprue, two etched brass frets, two sheets of decals, a pack of resin details, a small sheet of kabuki tape masks, and the instruction booklet. Sprue A. Crisply moulded in Eduards standard dark grey plastic, this sprue holds the wings, struts, tail, and undercarriage. The rib detail is nicely done with very fine stitching just visible on the rib tapes. I particularly like the way that the leading edge riblets are done, they really do look as if they are wooden frames covered by taut fabric, with a subtle amount of sag between. It is nice to see that the triangular openings for the wing pulley inspection covers are represented, with miniature pulleys inside. These were present on several British aircraft of this period, but this is the first time I can recall seeing them done in this scale. The struts have really lovely detail on their end brackets and are commendably thin. Both the 'wooden' and 'metal' undercarriage legs are supplied, with options A,B, and C requiring the 'metal' ones, and option D using the 'wooden' set. Sprue B. Equally finely moulded are all the fuselage parts, the engine, and numerous little details. The stitching work on the fuselage is possibly the best I have ever seen in this scale, it is really lovely. There are some very small detail parts such as trim wheels, footsteps, brackets, pipes etc that will need to be carefully cut from the sprue, because if the carpet monster gets them you'll be unlikely to ever see them again. Both the Hispano-Suiza and Viper engines are provided as separate crankcase + cylinder units, although both share the same ancillary parts. A four blade and a pair of two bladed propellers are supplied, and if using a two blader be careful to select the correct one as one is for clockwise rotation while the other is anti clockwise depending upon which engine you choose. Although I have not had a chance to build one of Eduard's SE.5a's yet, based on previous experience I have no doubt that it will all fit together beautifully. Sprue C. This is one of Eduard's circular clear sprues, with optional windscreens and covers for the pulley inspection covers in the wings. Etched frets. Two frets are supplied, the larger of the two is the 'standard' set provided in the other SE.5a kits (except the 'weekend' edition). Two styles of pre painted seat belts are provided, the more common wide lap type and the later four point type. Among the forty four parts are various cockpit details, including pre painted instruments, ammo drum boxes, and details for the guns. Also useful are the aileron and elevator control horns, complete with the cables. These save a very fiddly job! The second brass fret is much smaller, and provides night fighter specific items to form various brackets and mountings for the exhaust pipes and flame dampers, as well as the under fuselage flares. A nice little bomb rack is also on the fret, but obviously not required for the night fighter, nevertheless it will be very welcome in the spares box for other projects. Resin. Three sets of different exhaust flame dampers are supplied in resin, only one of which will be used according to which option you select. The detail is very fine, and the exhaust pipes have recessed openings at their ends. Masks. A small set of pre-cut kabuki tape masks contains items for the windscreens, inspection panels, and tyres. Decals. Two sheets are provided, the larger of them consisting of the diamond pattern for Option A, Cecil Lewis's machine. The slightly small sheet covers the other three options, including the multiple red striped option C. All the individual decals look to be very thin with minimal carrier film. The colours are good and in perfect register with sharp edges. As noted in the instructions, the main colour is not the usual dark green/brown PC10, but the green/black 'Night Invisible Varnish Orfordness' (NIVO). This is probably one of the first uses of what became a familiar colouring between the wars, and further adds to the interest. Marking Options. A. B658, flown by Capt. Cecil Lewis, No. 61 (Home Defence) Squadron, Rochford, United Kingdom, January 1918. B. C1805, flown by Lt. W. R. Oulton, No. 143 (Home Defence) Squadron, Detling, United Kingdom, May 1918. C. Flown by Capt. Gilbert Insall VC, No. 50 (Home Defence) Squadron, Bekesbourne, United Kingdom, May/ July 1918. D. D5995, flown by Lt. L. Lucas, No. 50 (Home Defence) Squadron, Bekesbourne, United Kingdom, summer 1918 Conclusion. This is a very well presented package by Eduard, and is without a doubt the best 1:48 scale SE.5a available. The addition of the resin and etched brass to make a night fighter is a clever move by Eduard, and as far as I know this is the first time that such an option has appeared for the SE.5a in any scale. The choice of marking options makes it almost impossible to choose just one, I will have to obtain another kit as I need do at least two of them. (Option A, Cecil Lewis was a truly extraordinary gentleman, who only died in 1997. Obituary here. and remarkable BBC interview here) Highly Recommended, a really superb offering from Eduard. Review sample courtesy of

SE.5a Hispano Suiza (82132) 1:48 Eduard ProfiPACK edition The SE.5 was a huge improvement on early WWI fighters, although it originated in 1916 as an experimental scout aircraft, designed by Henry Folland amongst others, who went on to found Folland Aircraft. After some rather serious design problems that resulted in the death of one of the designers, the kinks were ironed out, and coupled with the powerful Hispano-Suiza engine, it became arguably the most capable fighter of the Great War. After a short run of the original SE.5, the A variant appeared with the 200 hp Hispano Suiza engine turning a large 4 bladed prop. There were a number of aces that flew the SE.5a, and coupled with the Camel, the aircraft helped the Allies to gain air superiority over the battlefield, with more American built aircraft scheduled to join the fray that were cancelled by the Armistice reducing their usefulness to nil. After the war many were sold into private hands and the type continued to be seen in the skies for years to come. The Kit This is a new tooling from Eduard, and that shows in the details that are immediately apparent when perusing the sprues. Arriving in one of their smaller kit boxes with the familiar orange ProfiPACK branding, inside are two sprues in medium-dark grey plastic, a circular clear sprue, two frets of Photo-Etch (PE), a sheet of kabuki-style pre-cut masks, and a decal sheet with 5 options. The quality of the kit is outstanding, the parts are crisply moulded, with lots of finley executed stitching, ribs, hinges and fasteners depicted in a mixture of engraved and raised forms. The cockpit is also well detailed, with additions in PE to bring the detail level up where needed. The kit comes with PE belts and instrument panels, which are pre-painted with fine details to enhance the finish. The cockpit framework is inserted into a representation of the inner structural framing along with the seat, fuel tank, controls and cross-braces, which once painted in your preferred manner to simulate wood, are laced with bracing wires to further enhance the detail, but you will need to provide the necessary wires/thread. The cockpit floor is moulded into the lower wing, and here additional ammo cans are stored for the overwing Lewis gun, with another above the instrument panel, which has its plastic details removed before installation of the improved PE version. The dials are raised, so individual PE faces have been supplied on the fret, and great care will be needed to ensure these don't ping off into oblivion. With the cockpit installed in the lower wing, which is a one-piece arrangement by the way, the fuselage is then closed around the assembly, trapping a number of formers within the front section under the engine bay. The engine is then built up, beginning with the sump, banks of pistons, rocker covers and exhaust manifold, to which some additional plug wires and other details could be added if the modeller wishes. The pilot's cockpit decking is also built up at this time, with a clear access panel on one side that is fitted with a PE surround, and a small winder with a PE handle at the joint with the main fuselage. These are both installed later after the upper fuselage section between them is added, and the separate ailerons and elevator fins are glued into their positions. At this point a number of clear triangular inspection windows are inserted into the wings and elevator fins, to show off the moulded-in control detail that will need painting beforehand. A choice of two types of elevator are offered, and the fuselage mounted machine gun is installed just prior to the top decking being closed up. A choice of curved or straight windscreen glass is given, and a simple sighting device with PE mounts is fitted to the top after filling in the slot for a simplified plastic version of the mount. The radiator is mated with the cowling as it is fitted, after which the upper wing is prepared for fitting. Another set of clear inspection panels and PE surrounds are fixed into the wing before it is lined up with the struts and glued in place, usually after much of the painting and rigging is already completed. The ailerons are repeated on the upper wings, and PE arms are fitted, replacing the simple plastic pegs moulded into the parts. The fixed landing gear consists of an aerodynamic triangular frame on each side of the lower fuselage with an axle between them with an aerofoil section. Once complete, it can be installed on the underside of the fuselage in sockets that should hold it firmly in position, and a similar attachment scheme is used for the tail bumper at the rear. The rudder is also fixed at this late stage, with a PE actuator rod replacing the plastic nub that is moulded in. Tail-wheel steering is the order of the day, and another actuator is added under the tail, again replacing the nub on that part too. The Lewis gun and its mount is added to the upper wing right at the end with the circular magazine receiving a PE carry handle and outer face, while the muzzle gets a tiny iron sight. As one decal option doesn't carry the wing mounted gun, it should be filled, but as early in the build as possible to make life easier. A two blade prop or 4 blade prop is fitted depending on the decal option being made. A full page of wiring diagrams are included on the last page of the instructions, with the wires picked out in blue against the airframe to make spotting them easier. Markings The basic colour scheme of most SE.5as was green/olive drab with a linen colour underside, and whatever additional markings the pilot applied. There are quite a variation on the theme with the provided options, with the exception of the camouflage scheme from the 40 Sqn machine. From the box you can build one of the following: D3511, Maj. R. S. Dallas, No. 40 Squadron, Bruay Airfield, France, May 1918 C9539, Capt. H. G. Forrest, No. 2 Sqd, Australian Flying Corps, Savy - Berlette, France, March 1918 C5303, Lt. L. N. Franklin, No. 56 Squadron, Baizieux, France, March 1918 F5910, Lt. W. G Claxton, No. 41 Squadron, Lealvillers, France Feb 1918 D5969, Lt. C. H. R. Lagesse, No. 29 Squadron, St. Omer, France, June 1918 Decals are in house by Eduard and should pose no problems. Conclusion This is a great model from Eduard which has the same Superb detail and some really nice decal options, PE and masks as the Wolseley Viper release. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

SE.5a 1:48 Lindberg One of the most famous of all British fighters of the Great War, the S.E.5a entered service in 1917, and stayed on the front line until the end of the war in November 1918. It was a much easier aircraft to fly than the tricky Sopwith Camel, and given that many pilots were arriving with as little as 20 hours flying training, a much more suitable mount for the inexperienced. Designed by H P Folland, it's characteristics can be readily seen in the post war Gloster Grebe and Gamecock which Folland also designed. Other of his notable works were the Gloster Gauntlet and Gladiator, and he went on to found the Folland aircraft company.The earlier aircraft were powered by the 200 hp Hispano-Suiza 8b geared engine, and later on the 200 hp Wolsely Viper direct drive engine was introduced. In simple terms, the drive shaft of the Hispano Suiza drove a gear wheel, which then drove another gearwheel above, attached to the back of the prop, which rotated clockwise when viewed from the font. Visually this raised the prop higher in the nose, and often these machines had 4 bladed propellers. The Wolsely Viper was a licence built version of the Hispano-Suiza, and dispensed with the gear mechanism. The prop was bolted directly to the drive shaft, so that visually it sat in the mid position of the nose, and rotated anti-clockwise. This is a quick way to spot the difference between a geared Hispano Suiza, and a direct drive engine, probably a Wolsely Viper, although to complicate things, Hispano Suiza started to produce direct drive engines as well. The Kit Using the way back when machine this kit in fact dates back to 1958 The kit arrives as a bag of parts, most of which are on one central sprue. There is also a length of wire to rig the kit. The engine detail is basic and the interior consists of just a seat, control column and rudder pedals. The wheels attach over the axles and then the end of the axle must be melted down with a hot nail/screw driver etc. The fabric detail on the wings is reasonable, and they have managed to capture the large exhausts & seams down the side fairly well. A length of steel wire is provided to rig the aircraft. Decals The decal sheet is well printed, however the colours do seem a little muted to my eyes. Decals for two aircraft are provided; No. 35 Sqd Royal Flying Corps C Flight, 25th Aero Sqn, Air Service, US Army. Conclusion This kit is a product of it's age. Recommended only if you fancy some nostalgic modelling. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for