Viking Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Sopwith F.1 Camel Sets for Wingnut Wings 1:32 Eduard Wingnut Wings recent release of six different Sopwith Camel kits seem to have been very well received by the modelling community, judging by the comments around the internet and the number of builds that have appeared on Britmodeller alone. Eduard have now released some neat little set to complement these kits, which will be useful on all six of the Wingnut Wings releases. It must be pretty difficult to come up with items that will improve a Wingnut Wings kit, as they are already very complete. However, Eduard have chosen wisely here and provided some very useful items. 32911 Sopwith F.1 Camel. One area that proved to be really fiddly on my first Camel build was adding the control wires to the rudder pedals and joystick. It is do-able with ‘invisible mending thread’, but the challenge is getting them all ‘double’ and neatly lined up. Eduard have provided etched versions, already correctly spaced, thus making this job simplicity itself. For other areas in the cockpit have a fine etched throttle assembly to replace the one molded on part A26, the port interior frame. The seat in the full size Camel had a woven wicker back piece, with a noticeable band of exposed ‘X’s of framework along the central part. Due to molding limitations part A34 does not have the gaps, but rather is a solid piece. The Eduard fret provides a replacement that will need to be rolled to a semi-circular shape and added to the rounded edging of part A34, once it has been cut from the solid plastic wicker work. The seat is then finished off with a very nice set of pre-painted seat belts, with very fine detail that I find almost impossible to paint by hand. Moving to the exterior, a very complete and moderately complicated looking bomb rack is provided. Some bending and folding is required, so a ‘hold and fold’ type of tool will probably be needed to help with shaping all the components. The plastic one in the kit is already an impressive piece of molding, but this etched version will no doubt give you a very fine and delicate rack. I expect it would look best if displayed without bombs loaded on, in order to show off all the fine detail. One of the best things on the fret is the tiny 5 bladed propeller vanes that fit on the bombs, to arm them as they fall. These are not on the WnW etched fret, so it is great to see these really useful items here. They would be almost impossible to scratch build, and almost all photos I have seen of cooper bombs have them fitted. If you are going to build a ‘bombed up’ Camel, then these alone probably justify the purchase of this set, with all the other items being a bonus. Finally, we get some very delicate little brackets and pulleys to go under the clear inspection panels in the wings. There are some molded in the kit wings, but these will make painting them a lot easier as you can do so before fitting them. You’ll need to scrape the kit detail away first though. A very well thought out set that provides some useful items that are either not in the original kit (Cockpit control wires, Bomb vanes), or will improve the kit parts (Throttle, Seat back, Bomb rack), or just make things easier (Seatbelts, Bracket/pulley details). You could probably use this fret to enhance more than one model, particularly if you purchased an extra set of a pair of seat belts to go with it (see below). I am not a fan of using etched brass for its own sake; rather I like to see it used where it is the appropriate material for the job. Happily this set does exactly that, and will definitely enhance any of the 6 Wingnut Wings Camels. Especially those bomb vanes! 33170 Sopwith F.1 Camel Seatbelts. I have often said that there seems very little that Wingnut Wings could do to improve their kits, but one aspect would be pre painted seatbelts. You do get a set of etched seatbelts in all WnW kits, but they are plain brass and need priming and painting. A pair of these is supplied here, appropriate for all the Wingnut Wings Camels (you did buy more than just one didn’t you?). They are virtually the same as the ones on the bigger fret mentioned above, with the same fine detail that is almost impossible to hand paint. JX202 Sopwith F.1 Camel Mask set. This die cut set of items comes on Eduards usual yellow kabuki tape. It will mask all those awkward areas such as the clear parts of the windshields (all three types - Parts C1, C2, & C3), the clear pulley inspection hatches, propeller boss, and the tyres. These are always handy sets to have in and if you are careful you can often use them a second or third time. I would advise gently burnishing the edges down with the tip of a cocktail stick, and spraying paint with an airbrush if you can. Spray or brush the paint lightly from on the mask to the model, and not the other way around, or you risk building up a ridge of paint along the mask edge, or worse getting paint creeping under it. Conclusion. A very nice set of three ‘extras’ that will be genuinely useful, and perfectly complement the gorgeous Wingnut Wings F.1 Camel range. Review sample courtesy of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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