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Rumpler C.IV Late 1:32 Wingnut Wings Two words why I like this hobby so much. 'Wingnut Wings'. I have really enjoyed this build, the kit is well up to Wingnuts high standard and goes together like a dream. The Rumpler C.IV is perhaps not such a well known machine, as I tend to think we modellers are more aware of First World War aircraft that were kitted by Airfix or Revell, and built when we were kids. The Rumpler C.IV was an early multi role aircraft, with similar characteristics to the WW2 Mosquito. It had high speed, long range, and a high ceiling, which enabled it to work untroubled by allied fighters. Equally capable at reconnaisence, artillery spotting, or as a bomber, it was popular with its crews. Entering service in 1917 some 2,000 were built and it remained in service right up until the end of the war. I was attracted by the markings on this one. 'Good People dont shoot' was seen written on many German aircraft of the period as was the same phrase in German 'Gute Leute nicht schiessen!'. Quite what the meaning behind it was seems hard to understand as it can be read in a couple of ways. If anyone knows, please tell! With the removable cowlings off; A couple of pictures of the fuselage interior during construction; The icing on the cake is that this (and several other Wingnut Wings German 2 seaters) come with a diorama accessory set. A step ladder, boarding ladder, tail trestle, 2 oxygen bottles, 2 wheel chocks, 4 cameras, 2 boxes of photographic plates, homing pigeon box, first aid kit, flare pistols, and teddy bear! Yes, a teddy bear! More than once seen in period photos as a mascot strapped to a wing. He is tiny. A note for anyone building this particular scheme - the white fuselage band decal was too wide and would have meant the fuselage crosses being pushed back too far. I had to remove mine and put it back on the paper and trim about 5mm off while it was wet. Do yours dry, or at least make a photocopy and check. Other than that, this was joy to build, and was one of the easier biplanes due to the inverted 'vee' centre/cabane strut arrangement which locked the top wing perfectly in line to place all the interplane struts. The engineering on these kits is just brilliant. Thanks for looking, John

Bristol F-2B Fighter, Post War Wingnut Wings 1:32 The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft that was able to hold its own against opposing single-seat fighters. Having overcome a disastrous start to its career, the F.2B's solid design ensured that it remained in military service into the 1930s, and surplus aircraft were popular in civil aviation. Post-war developments of the F.2B included the Type 14 F.2B Mk II, a two-seat army co-operation biplane, fitted with desert equipment and a tropical cooling system, which first flew in December 1919. 435 were built. The Type 96 Fighter Mk III and Type 96A Fighter Mk VI were structurally strengthened aircraft, of which 50 were built in 1926–1927. The Bristol fighter's basic design stemmed from design studies by Frank Barnwell in March 1916 for an aircraft intended, like the R.E.8 and the F.K.8, as possible replacements for the B.E.2c – the Type 9 R.2A with the 160 hp Beardmore engine and the R.2B, powered by the 150 hp Hispano Suiza. Neither type was built, as the new 190 hp (142 kW) Rolls-Royce Falcon inline engine became available, and Barnwell designed a new aircraft around the Rolls-Royce engine. This, the Type 12 F.2A was a more compact design, intended from the outset as a replacement for the F.E.2d and Sopwith 1½ Strutter two-seat fighters: it first flew on 9 September 1916. The F.2A was armed in what had by then become the standard manner for a British two-seater: one synchronised fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun, and one flexible .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun mounted on a Scarff ring in the observer's rear cockpit. This remained the standard armament. Only 52 F.2As were produced before production switched to what became the definitive Bristol Fighter, the Bristol Type 14 F.2B which had first flown on 25 October 1916. The first 150 or so were powered by the Falcon I or Falcon II engine but the remainder were equipped with the 275 hp (205 kW) Falcon III engine and could reach a maximum speed of 123 mph (198 km/h). The F.2B was over 10 mph (16 km/h) faster than the F.2A and was three minutes faster at reaching 10,000 ft (3,000 m). F.2Bs often carried a second Lewis gun on the rear cockpit mounting, although observers found the weight of the twin Lewis gun mounting difficult to handle in the high altitudes at which combat increasingly took place in the last year of the war. A number of attempts were made to add forward firing Lewis guns on a Foster mounting or similar on the upper wing - either instead of, or in addition to the Vickers gun. Unfortunately this caused interference with the pilot's compass, which was mounted on the trailing edge of the upper wing. Some F.2Bs were fitted with a Lewis gun offset to starboard to minimise this effect. The Model Don’t think I need to say anything here, other than it’s a Wingnut Wings kit, there you go, that’s all you need to know. Seriously though, and for those who have to yet to experience the loveliness that is a WNW kit then I will elucidate further. This kit is for the post-war version, WNW having released the WW1 version back in 2009, and this release is an extension of it with new parts. The kit comes in the usual WNW top opening box, very a nicely printed artistic impression of a pair of Bristol Fighters flying over the Pyramids near Cairo. Inside, you will find 8 sprues of light grey styrene, a small sprue of clear styrene, a small etch sheet and a large decal sheet. The booklet style instructions are probably some of the best you will come across. They are beautifully printed and not only include very clear diagrams of the build process but also photographs of each particular area for those who would like a detailed view of what the parts should look like. The styrene parts are superbly moulded, with exquisite detail throughout. There is absolutely no sign of flash or other imperfections and only a few moulding pips. The build process begins with the assembly of the 2 part 19 gallon rear fuel tank, onto which the pilots seat is attached. The seat is a masterpiece of moulding with the wicker work precisely depicted. The cockpit floor is fitted with the joystick, rudder bar and gunners control column, followed by the seat/tank assembly. The synchronising system grease pump is fitted forward of the pilots position, whilst the hand leaver for adjusting the tailplane incidence is fitted to the right side of the tank. Both cockpit side frames have three machine gun magazines glued to each side, the port side also having the hand pump for the petrol pressurisation. The frames are then glued to the cockpit floor with the gunners sear fitted between the two. The forward bulkhead/firewall, is moulded complete with the Vickers ammunition magazines onto which the instrument panel is attached and detailed with the decal instruments, which would be further enhanced with a drop of Kear or Aqua Gloss to act as the glass face. The single Vickers machine gun breech is fitted to the centre of the instrument panel, between the magazines, and detailed with the mounting handle, PE cocking handle. The completed assembly is then glued to the front of the cockpit, between the side frames. The cockpit is finished off with the fitting of the rear mounted PE screen which has the spent ammunition pockets included and will need some careful bending, and the PE seatbelts. The instructions do provide clear diagrams for the rigging of the cockpit structure so if you’re up for the rigging challenge then this is a good place to start practicing. Moving onto the fuselage, the four PE control line brackets are fitted to the rear fuselage. The fuselage is then closed up and the cockpit assembly is slid in from the underside. The engine mounts are then glued to the forward bulkhead, the tail skid added, along with the bottom fin. The forward underside of the fuselage is then fitted with the control column linkage elevator control horns, and four struts for the attachment of the lower wing. The undercarriage sub-assembly is then built up, using the two V struts, axle and spreader bar, a pair of wheels and their separate outer hubs. The assembly is finished off with the fitting of the Rotherham air pump propeller. Before fitting the wings, several holes need to be opened up for the Holt flares and lights. The centre section of the lower wing is then glued to the struts fitted earlier, followed by the undercarriage assembly, making sure of a proper alignment. The lower outer wing panels are then glued to the centre section. The modeller has a choice of whether to fit the centre bomb rack and its four bombs at this point, but it might be easier to fit after painting. Moving aft, there is a choice of tail fin and rudder to be used, depending on the scheme you’re intending to build. Forward, the fuselage mounted cabane struts are attached, along with the pilots windscreen. The interplane struts are then glued to the lower wing, after which the upper centre section is fitted to the cabane struts, followed by the upper out wing panels to the centre section and the interplane struts. The four ailerons are then attached, as are the elevators. The engine is a little masterpiece and a model in its own right. The two engine block halves are joined together, after which the gear housing, with propshaft fitted, is glued to the front. The two banks of cylinders, each of two halves are joined together and fitted to the block, followed by the four carb intakes. The two, twin carbs are fitted with the air filters, then fitted to the front and rear of the engine, attaching to the carb intakes. The cylinder heads are then glued into position, along with the ancillary gearbox/timing mechanism, the two magnetos, water pump, water pipes, oil pipes, and oil pump. The completed engine is then fitted to its bearers, as is the oil tank and the front radiator, which is made up from two styrene parts and a very nicely etched PE part. There are a choice of exhaust pipes which run from the engine down each side of the fuselage and will depend on the scheme being modelled. The auxiliary radiator, attached to only two schemes, is fitted to a panel that fits under the engine and detailed with the inlet and outlet pipes. The four engine panels are attached, with the two parts that make up the top panel requiring the seam to be filled. The build is finished, (well, apart from the rigging), with eth fitting of the gunners scarff ring, which is a complex mix of styrene and PE parts and will probably be the most taxing part of the build. The single Vickers machine gun is fitted to the elevating section, (although the accompanying photograph does show a twin gun layout, something for the scratch builders to do then), and the complete ring fitted to the gunners cockpit surround. Decals The large decal sheet is, as usual, beautifully produced, designed by WNW and printed by Cartograf. They are in perfect register, with good opacity and very little carrier film. The decals are quite thin and should settle down well over the ribs etc, without the need for softening solution. There are markings for five aircraft:- Bristol F.2B Fighter Mk.II, F4392, “B2”, Aboukir, Egypt, 1926 Bristol F.2B Fighter Mk.II, F4435, 208Sqn, Ismailia, Egypt, 1925 Bristol F.2B Fighter Mk.II, J6647, “K”, Gerad Combe, 31Sqn, Dardoni, India, 1923 Bristol F.2B Fighter Mk.II, “19”, Irish Free State Air Corp, 1925 Bristol F.2B Fighter Mk.III, 7122, New Zealand Permanent Air Force, 1930s Conclusion Wingnut Wings don’t seem to put a foot wrong, with excellent research, design, and a full control on the moulding of their kits, they have to be at least near the top of the best kit manufacturers currently in business. This kit is just superb, with great moulding, wonderfully clear instructions and a level of detail that means that it can be built straight from the box without the real need for any aftermarket gear. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Wingnut Wings is to release - in September 2015? - a 1/32nd Bristol F.2b Fighter new variant (Post War) - ref.32060 Source: http://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/3999-another-worldwide-exclusive-just-for-lsmwnw-fans/ Box art V.P.

Here's a health and safety warning .... "This thread contains images some viewers may find disturbing" Ignore this warning at your peril if you want to reach the end of this thread without feeling the need to vent your anger in any way, shape or form, particularly if you are an ardent Wingnut Wings fan or a rivet counter. This is an RFI of the WNW kit that is much sought after yet is no longer in production, but ... * It is by a distinctly average model builder of WW1 aircraft - in fact any type of model * It does not incorporate the use of turnbuckles - sacrilege to many for a kit of this scale - but it has been rigged - inside and out * It is brush painted (in a mixture of enamels and acrylics) and never been anywhere near an airbrush * It bears some resemblance to the aircraft it depicts - the person I built it for, SWMBO, is not concerned with historical accuracy * It has not been weathered to near death and destruction in the interests of "realism" * It was built for the pleasure of building a kit (I know, a bit odd these days) and not the masochism that accompanies the need to be 100% accurate to the last stitch and the desperate need for approval and inclusion. End of health warnings. So why have I posted this then? Well, it's because despite all of the above, it's a model, it's my hobby and I can. And there may be some of you who like it and it might bring a smile to your day. Okay, for those of you still with me, this is my version of N500, the prototype Sopwith Triplane - the aircraft that is replicated in the Great War Display Team and based at White Waltham airfield. Should you wish to replicate, or avoid replicating, the CDL effect is Precision Paints' Mid-Sandstone enamel, the wood-effect is Humbrol Wood base layer with artist acrylic browns of various shades layered over the top, metal is Humbrol rattle can aluminium, rigging is Albion Alloys silver-nickel wire for support struts and knit-in elastic thread coloured by felt pen for the control wires. Decals are from the kit. Vallejo matt varnish finish, but wing undersides were left with a glossy Klear finish to mimic the reflective dope finish it wore in real life (okay so I did look something up). Oh yes, the spots on the engine cowling were applied by a "Pilot Super Color" pemanent (silver) ink pen (which dries without the need for a protective varnish finish). So how did it turn out ... Comments welcome as ever. Viewers who have been affected by the images shown in this thread may wish to see more at here.

Albatros D.V & Sopwith Pup Instruments 1:32 Yahu models Yahu models of Poland specialise in pre coloured photo etched instrument panels in all the common scales. Received for review are a pair of sets for the 1:32 scale Wingnut Wings kits of the Albatros D.V and Sopwith Pup. Both sets are very simple and will mostly directly replace kit decals to give a more three dimensional look. The instrument faces are very finely printed and readable under a magnifying glass. The separate bezels can be glued on with Johnsons kleer, which will not only hold them in place but also act as the glazing. Set YML3202 contains instruments located at various places around the cockpit of the Alabatros. It had no conventional instrument panel, rather the compass was on the floor, the tachometer between the guns, fuel pressure gauge on the cockpit side, and a small panel holding switches for various valves. These switches are very finely reproduced on the second brass fret in this set, and will require that you sand off the moulded versions on part A39 in the kit. They should look extremely good, and give finer detail than is possible with injection moulding. Set YML3203 provides dial faces and bezels for the Sopwith Pup's instrument panel, part A13, and is suitable for both the RFC and RNAS releases. Again the detail printing is very fine, down to the individual screw heads on the bezels. It may be necessary to lightly sand the moulded bezels on part A13 to flatten them and enable fitting of the etched replacements. Again, Johnsons Kleer can be used as a combined adhesive/glazing. Conclusion. Wingnut Wings kits are already very complete, so people might ask why would you need to apply any aftermarket to them? The answer here is that the brass etch is extremely fine and offers enhanced detail over the injection moulded equivalents. Few of us would be capable of accurately painting in the screw heads on the bezels to a consistent and correctly spaced size. These sets therefore are aimed at the serious modeller who wants to take what are already very good kits up to an even higher level. (Yahu do some other lovely sets which are shown on their website, the one for the Revell 1:32 Spitfire looks spectacular). Highly recommended Review sample courtesy of

Jagstaffel 30 Volume 2 1:32 Pheon Decals Jasta 30 was formed in January 1917, and remained based at Phalempin in northern France until virtually the end of the Great War. For most of this time the commanding officer was Hans Bethge, a 20 victory ace. Bethge was a little unusual as he survived for fourteen months in this role, before being killed in action in March 1918. Few Jasta commanders lasted this long. The unit commenced combat operations with the Albatros D.III, progressing through the Albatros D.V and D.Va, the unloved Pfalz D.III and D.XII, to the much sought after Fokker D.VII. Examples of all of these are covered on this latest release from Pheon, with the exception of the Pfalz D.III which is covered on sheet 32026. These sets are only avaialble direct from Pheon at £15.75 + P&P (which is a one off charge per order, no matter how many decal sets are purchased), although prices may increase in the near future as they have been held down for several years now. Initially the Jasta left the choice of markings up to the individual pilot, so the D.III's showed a wide variety of markings. Bethge himself chose to paint the Mercedes three pointed star on the side of his D.III, in appreciation of the reliable powerplant in his mount. Other options I particularly like on this sheet are no. 3. Kurt Katzensteins Albatros D.V. A fellow pilot, Otto Fuchs, painted the cat on the fuselage side, but it came out looking more like a fox. Maybe this was no accident, as 'Fuchs' is German for fox! Hans Holthusen's red and white striped, Josef Heiligers black, Karl Weltz's pale blue and Emil Liebert's darker blue Albatros D.VA's all make for very attractive subjects. My favourites though are the Fokker D.VII's of August Hartmann (option 13) and the unknown orange / black & white striped machine (option 15). 1. Albatros D.III, Oblt. Hans Bethge, May/June 1917. 2. Albatros D.III, D2054/16, Ltn. Heinrich Brügman, April/June 1917. 3. Albatros D.V, Ltn. Kurt Katzenstein, August/October 1917. 4. Albatros D.V, D1012/17, Ltn. Paul Erbguth, June 1917. 5. Albatros D.V, Ltn. Otto Fuchs, September/October 1917. 6. Albatros D.V, D 2140/17, Ltn. Otto Fuchs, July/August 1917. 7. Albatros D.V, D1016/17, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, June 1917. 8. Albatros D.V, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, November 1917 to February 1918. 9. Albatros D.V, Ltn. Hans Holthusen, November1917/February 1918. 10. Albatros D.V Vzfw.Josef Heiligers, November/December 1917. 11. Albatros D.V, D4420/17, Ltn. Karl Weltz, November 1917. 12. Albatros D.V, Uffz.Emil Liebert, November 1917/January 1918. 13. Fokker D.VII, Ltn. August Hartmann, July/November 1918. 14. Fokker D.VII, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, September/October 1918. 15. Fokker D.VII, Pilot not known, Autumn 1918. 16. Pfalz D.XII, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, Summer 1918. 17. Fokker D.VII, Pilot not known, Autumn 1918. 18. Fokker D.VII, 370/18. Ltn. Hans Holthusen, June/September 1918. Conclusion. As with the previously reviewed set for Jasta 17, I really like these sets of decals that cover particualr units. They provide decals for several differnt types of aircraft and thus you get to apply them to several models, lowering the unit cost of the sheet per subject. The instructions are as informative as ever, I really appreciate the extra little bits of background information. I can well imagine why Hans Holthusen (option 9) applied for single seaters. Flying a Rumpler 2 seater in August 1917 he was first picked on by German AA, then attacked by a Jasta 37 Albatros and crash landed with a seriously wounded observer. The decals are printed by Fantasy Printshop, and are of excellent quality. The printing is pin sharp and in perfect register, on thin and minimal carrier film. The colours look right with good opacity, and the detailing is exceptionally good, as shown on this close up. This is another great release from Pheon, who are providing a steady stream of interesting and important markings for the enthusiastic modeller of the Great War period. There is always a mix of the well known and the obscure on their decal sheets which goes to enhance their appeal. The only problem with them comes in selecting which ones you are going to do! Review sample courtesy of

Jagdstaffel 17 1:32 Pheon Decals [Edit] Completed build of option 5. Albatros D.Va serial u/k, Hptm. Rudolph Freiherr von Esebeck, Douilly (?), March 1918. Here [/Edit] Jasta 17 is perhaps best known through its 36 victory ace, Julius Buckler, who rose through the ranks to become it's commanding officer in the last few months of the Great war. He was a popular and effective leader who instilled an esprit de corps amongst his men. Buckler wrote a book about his war experiences 'Malaula! The Battle Cry of Jasta 17' which can still be readily found via internet booksellers. Initially equipped with the Albatros D.II and D.III, the unit is know to have subsequently operated the Albatros D.V and Va, Pfalz D.XII, and the Fokker D.VII. This new set of decals from Pheon covers fourteen individual aircraft from this period. The Albatros D.III was, in my opinion, the best looking of the series so it is pleasing to see that as well as a D.II, there are three options for them. Bucklers 'Mops' is a personal favourite, and one I will be pleased to add to my collection. The D.V and V.a's have the lions share of attractive schemes. There are six to choose from, any one of which will produce a lovely looking model. Finally there are three Fokker D.V.II's and an update for a Pfalz D.XII from an earlier Pheon sheet 32030. The Fokkers are all new to me, with all three being Albatros built machines (which is the last of the D.VII kits still currently available from Wingnut Wings. Get them while you can). The yellow outlined machine of Ltn. Alfred Fleischer looks particularly attractive, especially if you select the yellow outlined black tail. 1. Albatros D.II (OAW) 933/16, Vzfw Jakob Wolff, Metz-Frescaty, February 1917. 2. Albatros D.III 2033/16 Vzfw Julius Buckler, St.Quentin-le-Petit, April 1917. 3. Albatros D.III (OAW) 1694/17, Ltn Alfred Träger, St.Quentin-le-Petit, June 1917. 4. Albatros D.III serial u/k, Ltn. Gunther Schuster, St.Quentin-le-Petit, June 1917. 5. Albatros D.Va serial u/k, Hptm. Rudolph Freiherr von Esebeck, Douilly (?), March 1918. 6. Albatros D.V 4408/17, Vzfw Georg Strasser, Rethéuil Ferme, Winter 1917/18. 7. Albatros D.V Serial u/k, Oblt Hubertus Freiherr von Rudno-Rudzinski, Wasquehal, October 1917. 8. Albatros D.Va (OAW) serial u/k, Ltn Alfred Fleischer, Ercheu, June 1918. 9. Albatros D.V serial u/k, Ltn Alfred Träger, Wasquehal, September 1918. 10. Albatros D.Va, serial u/k, Ltn Alfred Träger, Rethéuil Ferme, January 1918. 11. Pfalz D.XII 1416/18 Pilot u/k, Vivaise September 1918. 12. Fokker D.VII (Alb), seial u/k, Ltn Alfred Fleischer, Vivaise, late July 1918. 13. Fokker D.VII (Alb), seial and pilot u/k, Vivaise, late July 1918. 14. Fokker D.VII (Alb), seial u/k, Ltn. Gunther Schuster, Vivaise, late July 1918. . Conclusion. I really like these decal sets that cover squadrons or Jastas over a period of time. The variety of aircraft involved means that you usually get to use more of the decals than you do with a single type sheet. To increase the temptation Pheon only charge post and packing once per order, so ordering other sheets at the same time drops the unit cost per model even further. It is not just the model making that interests me, I also like to know the stories around some of the characters. It seems that Pheon share this interest, as their instruction booklets often contain little snippets of information about the personalities. For example, Ltn Alfred Fleischer (option 😎 was assisted to emigrate to the USA in 1961 by Colonel Cliff McElvain of the USAF, a man who had been shot down by Fleischer in WW1. McElvain's name appears again on the Fokker D.VII in option 14. He shot Ltn. Gunther Schustser down in this aircraft in 1918 The Instructions are clear and honest about any areas of uncertainty, of which there is no shortage in the art of interpreting old WW1 black and white photographs. Explanations are given to support particular interpretations, which all seem very plausible to me and I wouldn't disagree. Printing of the actual decal sheets is by Fantasy Printshop, so quality is assured. The printing itself is sharp and in perfect register on thin and minimal carrier film. No duplication is made with items that will be found in the base kit, so you only get national markings etc where they are needed. This leaves more room free for unique markings, and allows the fourteen options presented here to all fit. If you build Wingnut Wings and Roden kits, you will love these decals. They are clearly a labour of love for Pheon, and it shines through in the quality of the product and the originality of their subjects. The set is only £15.75 + P&P direct from Pheon, which is only charged once per order no matter how many sets you purchase, although a price increase in the range of Pheon's sets may soon be due as they have been held down for some time.. Review sample courtesy of

AEG G.IV Late 1:32 Wingnut Wings [Edit] January 2017 - kit now being built over in 'Work in Progress' [/Edit] Introduction. The AEG G.IV late first started to appear with front line units in early 1917 although it wasn’t until the summer that were available in useful numbers. Developed from an early concept of the heavily armed ‘battleplane’ which was designed to fight it’s way through enemy formations, it was the first of the line to be intended solely as a bomber. The battleplane concept was proven to be flawed after heavy losses were suffered, although it partly resurfaced in later years with the Me.110 ‘Zerstorer’. The G.IV is less well known than the Gotha series of bombers, but in fact was able to carry a heavier bomb load. It was also the most popular amongst aircrews as it was considered to be the easiest of the twin engine bombers to fly. At first it was used as day time bomber, but heavy losses soon saw it switched to night bombing raids. Another lesson that was re-learned in second world war. The aircraft commander was not the pilot, rather he occupied the nose gun position and presumably issued any instructions from there. Due to the high likelihood of the aircraft nosing over during the take off run or on landing, he had a temporary seat beside the pilot, which he used at the these times. Wingnut Wings have now released a model of this aircraft in 2 versions covering its early and late incarnations, of which we have received the ‘late’ boxing for review. Of all Wingnuts promised releases, this is the one I have been most eagerly awaiting since their series of Fokker D.VII’s came out. Packed in large (deeper and wider) box than most, the lid has a striking painting of a shark mouthed G.IV lifting off against an orange sunset. Compared to an Albatros box; Anticipation was high as the lid was lifted for the first time, to reveal a box absolutely filled to capacity with individually shrink wrapped sprues. First glances show that the wonderful level of intricate and detailed mouldings that are the hallmark of Wingnuts engineering are all there across 17 sprue trees. There are also 3 A4 sized decal sheets of night lozenge fabric, another of Balkenkreutz & individual markings, and a smaller one with interior lozenge and more exterior for the nose area, including the shark mouth. Also included is a small etched brass fret with 3 sets of seatbelts and some internal pulleys and chains. Finally we have the Instruction book/reference manual, in the full and complete Wingnuts style. Sprue A. This covers many if the detailed cockpit interior components, all very finely moulded. Internal bomb racks are provided along with seats and various ancilliary fittings. The construction sequences are accompanied by detailed photographs of both original machines and the one preserved at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. There are some fabulous pictures of the whole of the interior, showing a goldmine of information. close ups of the sharp and neatly defined mouldings; Beautiful finesse on the these parts; Sprue B. Here we have the upper wing outboard sections, and the fin & rudder. Sprue C. The small windscreens and glass door for the lower gun. Sprue D1. Here we have the engine mounts and associated strutting, along with a choice of 3 different propellers. The intricate frameworks are only needed if you choose to build fully or partly exposed engines. Otherwise there are all the panels that go to create anything from a partly to full cowled engine nacelle. Finely moulded radiators, pipes, and mounts are provided, and there are even small deals to fit to the tops of them. A pair of the larger 100 Kg PuW bombs are also supplied for mounting on the external bomb rack under the fuselage center. Sprue D2. The tailplanes, various bombs, the wing struts and wheels are the main components here. Again two sets are provided. A nice touch is the choice of weighted or unweighted tyres with separate outer hubs to ease painting. If you are going to build your G.IV bombed up ready for a mission, the weighted tyres are an obvious choice. Sprue E. Again there are 2 of these, for the Daimler-Mercedes D.Iva engines. Beautifully moulded detail with every nut and bolt, and easy assembly are standard on every Wingnuts engine I have built. I usually start all my builds with these as they are model in their own right and give you an early sense of satisfaction. They are little gems, with even the dataplates as decals to attach, the only thing you might want to add is some spark plug leads from fine thread or fuse wire. On the G.IV the engines can be left exposed, and will form a centrepiece of the model. I expect most will go for one or both engines exposed, perhaps just setting one fully or partly cowled. Sprue F. The fuselage halves, cockpit floor, and interior side panels with very delicate moulding are here. The instructions point out where various holes will need drilling to cater for the differences between the ‘early’ and ‘late’ boxings of the kit, and the different fittings that go in them. The rear cockpit has internal bomb racks on both sides, wheras the early version only has a rack on the starboard side, so this needs to be opened up as well. All is very clear shown in the instructions. Sprue G. There are 3 of these, with various machine guns on them. Only 1 type, the LMG 14/17 Parabellum is required. As usual these are crisply moulded with excellent detail. Sprue H. Here we have the upper and lower wing centre sections, and cockpit coaming. Beautiful detailing on the walkways between the fuselage and engines; Sprue I. The lower outer wing panels, engine ‘bath tubs’ and side panels. Lovely rib tape details are moulded on, with a gentle amount of fabric sag between them. They are quite large mouldings but there is not a trace of any sink marks anywhere on them. Large tabs are provided at the root end to locate them in to corresponding slots in the centre section, making it a doddle to line everything up. Sprue J. More strutting and the other halves of the tubular frameworks for the engine cowlings. These frameworks will not be required if you decide to fully cowl your engines. There is some complicated looking struttery to go between the fuselage sides and the engine cowlings, but these are moulded in pre-set units of 3 struts each, a forward and aft set, that again will make child’s play of setting and aligning everything up. Engine mounting struts and cowling framework for the uncowled engine option; Sprue L. A small sprue holding the gunners coamings and gun mounting rings that fit in them. Photo Etch. Lap type seat belts for each of the 3 crew positions, and some nice pulley & chains to affix to the control column/steering wheel assembly. The other items are not required, so those unneeded LMG.14’s from sprue G can all go into the spares box with etched jackets. Very useful! Decals. An impressive set of decal sheets are provided to cover virtually all of the exterior with night type lozenge fabric. All are in pre-shaped ‘cookie cutter’ format, and there are even lighter sections provided for the fuselage interior. Data plates, instrument faces, propeller logos and a mass of other tiny items are the sheet holding the individual aircraft markings. All are printed by Cartograf, so quality is assured. 5 Options are provided, all for night bombers. Option A. G.IV 848/17 ‘White 1’, Bogohl 8b, May 1918. Option B. G.IV 850/17, ‘White 2’ Bogohl 8b, June 1918. Option C. G.IV ‘White VII’, mid to late 1918. Option D. G.IV 567/18, ‘White 7’ Bogohl 8b, mid to late 1918. Option D. G.IV 574/18, ‘White IV’ Bogohl 8b, November 1918. Conclusion. Well what can I say? Every new Wingnut Wings release is eagerly awaited and nudges the bar higher each time. Who would have ever thought a few years ago that a 1:32nd AEG G.IV would ever be produced as a mainstream injection moulded kit. What we have here is just extraordinary in its depth of detail and completeness. The quality of moulding is faultless, and previous experience says that it will fit together with precision. These kits require careful building as the fit tolerances are so tight that you can’t have primer or paint on mating surfaces, particularly those in recesses or sockets. But that’s what we want isn’t it? Accurate models engineered so you don’t have to use filler and brute force to get them together. This one isn’t for beginners, but if you’ve got a couple of Wingnut Wings single seaters under your belt, it should be well within your capabilities. By every measure this is an outstanding kit. Simply fabulous. Very highly recommended Review sample courtesy of

Thought I'd share my latest completion. This is the excellent WnW Albatross. This was a 2014 Father's Day gift. I started in in November and finished last weekend. My first WnW kit and first WW1 build. I decided on this kit because I thought I owed it to myself to see what the hype was about with these kits. It's all justified. The best OOB decals I've ever used...by far. Rigged with EZ Line and Gastpatch turnbuckles. The woodgrain was done with oils. For my first WW1 I'm satisfied. There are some things I'd do differently next time around though. Thanks for looking!

I had it long time waiting till starting this wonderful kit..... the HANSA BRANDENBURG W.29 in scale 1/32 by Wingnut Wings. There is nothing unsaid about this amazing kit so that I do not want to loose time.... and start directly with the first pictures of it..... The engine.... I added some wire and replaced some parts with thin plastic pipes ..... and painted all in black / iron. The iron was polished aferwards before adding some oil paint, drybrushing and pigments to it ..... All interior parts got a primer with brown lifecolor, before making the wooden parts with oil colors. I wanted to give it a darker look on the inside and used mostly dark brown colors. The tanks and other metal parts were painted with Revell Aqua colors and received some polishing and oil color washing after it. Next I have added more and more parts to the interior ..... Do not wonder about the missing seatbelts... I am waiting for the lased cut parts from HGW right now ..... Hope you like it so far .... Cheers Michael

Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII The Seven Swabians. The Fokker D.VII probably needs no introduction, Germany's best fighter of WW1, and the only aircraft named in the Armistice as having to be turned over to the allies. Wingnut Wings have produced a brilliant range of D.VII's covering all three versions (Fokker, OAW, & Albatros) along with a superb range of aftermarket decals. Both were received and reviewed at Britmodeller, The kit here and The decals here It has taken a while to get this one on to the workbench, mainly because I just could not choose a colour scheme for it. All those in the box are very tempting, and I will do some of them, whist the aftermarket sheets offer more lovely ones! I have solved the problem by buying more kits, which enabled me to open the box and get started on this one without agonising about which one to do! This is 'The Seven Swabians' from the Brothers Grimm fairytail about a gang of seven foolish men who go hunting for a dragon, and terrify themselves by dicovering one in the forest which turns out to be a rabbit. Wilhelm Scheutzel of Jasta 65 had this design painted on his D.VII, and flew it in combat in late 1918, scoring 1 victory over a DH.4. The decal instructions point out that Scheutzel had a flare pistol mounted on the centre section in front of the cockpit, forunately it is one of the many extras that come in the standard kit. The kit is a joy to build, WIP Here On with the photos, I also bought a 'Wings cockpit' figure from MDC of a pilot taking a break with a mug of coffee, he seemd perfect as they guy looking at his aircraft and wondering what he was thinking when he ordered this scheme to be applied. What do you do when you finish such an enjoyable build? Get another D.VII out of the stash and start building it! D.VII (Albatros) engine and interior under way; Thanks for looking, John

Hi folks, this will be my entry into this GB; Sprues look fantastic of course; Doing the option with the red cowl and the 'Sopwith' Motif on the tail. Going to be using Bobs Buckles and fishing line for the rigging, looking forward to getting started.

DFW C.V Late Production 1:32 Wingnut Wings The Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke (DFW) C.V is one of those lesser known aircraft that deserves wider recognition. Upon entering service in the latter part of 1916, it soon became apparent that here was an exceptionally good aircraft. It was tough, easy to fly, had good rates of climb, speed, manoeuvrability, and was also comparatively easy to maintain. As experience was gained, the D.V showed itself to be a true multi role machine; it was used for reconnaissance, artillery observation, bombing, as a two-seat fighter/ground attack aircraft and trainer. Little wonder then that within a few months of reaching the front line that over 1,000 had been ordered. Production had to be shared between DFW, Aviatik, LVG, and Halberstadt in order to meet the demand. By the wars end the DFW C.V had become the Germans most produced aircraft, with close to 3,250 having been produced. There have not been many kits of this aircraft other than a few limited run examples, so Wingnut Wings latest release is very welcome. It comes packaged in their usual sturdy box with its classy silver edging, and a beautiful Steve Anderson painting of a C.V pursuing a Sopwith Camel. (I just love the presentation of Wingnut Wings kits, perhaps they could be persuaded to include or sell box art prints, so we could frame them). Two kits of the DFW C.V have been released, in 'Mid production' and 'Late production' formats. The differences are few, the most noticeable one being the move of the 'Elephant ear' radiators from the sides of the fuselage to the top of the forward cabane struts on the late production version. The box is satisfyingly weighty and absolutely packed to the brim with sprues, and so far I have been very careful to remove and replace them one at a time in exactly the order they came in. I'm sure that I put them back in out of sequence, I'd never get the lid back on! The instruction booklet is like no other manufacturer will provide. It has so much information backed up with period photographs, that it is a reference manual in its own right. [Edit 12/08/2014] I have just noticed that WNW have issued a correction to the instructions on their website HERE.It is worth looking at because it now recommends that the undercarriage must be fitted before the lower wings. It is always worth checking their website for details of the particular model you are about to build. They are very good about publishing any changes and/or corrections that might have come to light. [/EDIT] Time for a closer look. Sprue A. Mostly interior components, bulkheads and frames. All are moulded without flash or sink marks, and lovely sharp detail. It will build up into a very complete representation of the real thing, and the precise fit of all components is virtually guaranteed. Of the dozen or so Wingnuts kits I have so far built, completing the interior is one of the most satisfying stages (along with completing the engine), and it is almost a shame to close the fuselage around it. I particularly like the interior bomb rack in the observers compartment on this one, and will certainly be fitting it on my model. Sprue B. Here we have the fuselage halves and some of its external fittings. The real fuselage was largely skinned in ply with doped fabric covering. Apart from the nose area there were few lumps, bumps, brackets panels etc., and this is reflected in the smooth surface detail of the two halves. The mouldings are again sharp, and I am intrigued by the louvers on the cowling components. There are actually open louvers on them, and I can't see how you could make a mould to do that. Sprue C. The optional windshields. Crystal clear without any flaws. Perfect. Sprue D. Two are supplied to cover all the elements that are duplicated such as wheels and struts. Even the lettering on the tyres is finely moulded and easily readable. Sprue E and G1. The 230hp Benz Bz.IV is on this one, again featuring some beautiful moulding. There are two sets of cylinder mouldings, with and without moulded on pushrods. However the engine assembly instructions make a point of noting not to use the 'plain' (E10 & E11) ones, although I can't see why, if you fitted your own pushrods. Wingnuts engines always build into beautiful little models of their own, and I often start with them as they are so enjoyable to build. G1 supplies the Spandau guns in 2 formats. The high detail versions are fitted with photo etched cooling jackets and sights, but if you are not confident of building these, then solid plastic versions are supplied as alternatives. Sprue F. Here we have the upper and lower wings, all moulded as single components. All the rigging attachment points are moulded in, with sockets to accept the interplane struts and ensure you get nice strong attachment points. The scalloped 'wire' trailing edges are nicely done, and wafer thin. Sprue G3. Generic sprues contained in several of Wingnut Wings German kits. G3 is extremely useful, with propellers, ladders, flare racks and pistols, cameras, and all sorts of items to detail your 2 seater with, even a teddy bear! Sprue H, I, J, K, & O. Showing great attention to detail, Wingnut Wings have provided 4 separate sprues to deal with the variations on cowlings and inspection panels between the various manufacturers who produced the C.V. Sprue 'H' covers LVG, 'I' Halberstadt, 'J' Aviatik, and 'K' DFW. These are all noted in the instructions at the appropriate points. Sprue O provides 3 choices of propeller and the 'chimney' exhaust pipes appropriate for this 'late' version of the aircraft. And just to show Wingnuts attention to detail and clarity of instruction, here is how they show you how to deal with the options; Sprue L and N. These 2 small sprues hold all the parts that distinguish the 'Late production' version from the 'Mid production' version. The most obvious is are the cabane struts withe radiator support brackets, and interestingly one set of these is marked as 'not for use', so it looks like another version of this kit is in the pipeline. All the tail elements and ailerons are on 'N'. Like the wings these are single mouldings (i.e. not 'top and bottom' halves) with fine trailing edges. Again the mouldings are free from blemishes and sink marks, and I particularly like the way that the attachment points are located on faces that will not be seen on the finished model. It is a small point, but sometimes removing and cleaning up a part can damage a fine trailing edge, for example. Typical of the thought that goes into these kits, Wingnuts have greatly reduced that risk to the modeller. Photoetch. The previously mentioned machine gun jackets are here, with a choice of forward firing LMG 08 or LMG 08/15 for the pilot, and an LMG 14 Parabellum for the observer. Also included is a pair of lap belts for both crew members. Decals. Produced by Cartograf, they are in perfect register with minimal carrier film. Everything is covered from the tiniest stencils to various types of large wing crosses. The main sheet larger than A4 and in fact fills the bottom of the box. Markings for 5 options are provided with a section for those decals common to all versions, such as instrument faces and data plates. A full set of tapes are provided for lining out the leading and trailing edges of the wings and tailplanes, and edging the fin and rudder (used on options A and C). The fine printing on some the details is terrific to look at, and really needs a magnifying glass to see how good they are. A smaller sheet provides yet more Eisenkruez, with and without white borders, for the various options. Finishing options. Option A. DFW C.V 799/17, Albert Hahnel & Eugen Mann, FA 7, July 1917. Option B, DFW C.V (LVG), 2164/17 'Star', FA 10, July 1917. Option C, DFW C.V (Halb), 2523/17, mid 1917 to early 1918. Option D, DFW C.V (Av), 287/18,'Butterfly', FA(A) 219, May 1918. Option E, DFW C.V, 'Gretel - Lo', FA(A) 239, mid 1918. Conclusion. Yet again another beautiful kit from Wingnut Wings. I like them all but have a particular soft spot for the 2-seaters because you get so much exqisite detail in them, and most of it remains on view because the cockpits tend to have large openings you can peer into. The DFW C.V is an attractive aircraft, with that wonderful quirkyness so typical of the era. It has a nice streamlined pointy nose, and then a big clunk of a radiator bolted on, shaped like a housebrick. And the wings seem to have come from different aircraft, the lowers having very round tips and the uppers straight and swept back. It all adds character, and Wingnut Wings always capture it beautifully. The DFW C.V 'Late Production' is beautifully designed, manufactured, and presented. I am sure it will give many hours of modelling pleasure and result in a beautiful model. As always, this is a premier product from this world class model company, model kits just don't come any better than this. Highly Reccommended. Review sample courtesy of

Next Wingnut Wings 1/32nd kit will be a DFW C.V. (mid-production). Release expected in late July 2014 - ref.32040. Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202836124883273&set=o.115991888428471&type=3&theater V.P.

Yet another mystery model from WNW! It is to be announced at the of July. http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/2B7D3207A8D5926B21FB9E342CEFEBF3 Any guesses to what it might be?

Albatros D.Va (OAW) 1:32 Wingnut Wings The Albatros D.III and D.V's were the most numerous fighter in German Service on the Western front throughout most of 1917 and early 1918. They always suffered from structural weaknesses, most notably with the lower wings which were single spar. This provided insufficient strength to withstand some more extreme manoeuvres, and the lower wings could be torn from the fuselage. The D.Va was an attempt at a strengthened version of the D.V with deliveries beginning in October 1917. Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke received an order for 600 D.Va's in October 1917 and incorporated their own ideas for strengthening into their production aircraft. All of which helped to make the OAW produced D.Va's nearly 100 Kg heavier than the original Albatros built D.V. Nevertheless it soldiered on until the end of the war as the Fokker D.VII gradually (but not completely) replaced it. The latest release from Wingnut Wings comes as a welcome surprise, with a very striking painting of a Jasta 18 'Ravens' D.Va in action against a pair of SE5.a's. The box contains the familiar plastic parts and etched brass from the existing D.Va kit, with new decals and colour schemes. As the differences between the D.Va and D.Va(OAW) are mainly on internal structure, this is perfectly sensible. OAW specific parts such as wheel covers and fuselage lifting handle are also provided to take care of the few differences. The instruction manual is printed in full colour on heavy glossy paper and contains a wealth of information, both on how to build your model, and specific details of the full size aircraft. I particularly like the contemporary black & white photos, as Wingnut Wings seem to come up with ones I have never seen before, and the captions always seem to point out something to add to your personal knowledge store. Nobody does instructions as good as Wingnut Wings, in fact nobody else even comes close. The coloured assembly drawings are clear, with colours also flagged if necessary, and illustrations of complete sub assemblies have helped me to understand an assembly sequence many a time. Sprue A. This holds mostly interior and other delicate parts, and also the D.Va specific ailerons and control column with its aileron cable pick-up from the lower wings. The mouldings are first rate, with all the bulkheads featuring lightening cut outs, and there is no flash or sink marks at all. Sprue B. Here we find the upper and lower wings, tailplanes, and rudder. All are moulded as single parts, i.e. no halves to be joined, which enables very nice sharp trailing edges to be achieved. The wings are very nicely cambered and feature fine rib tapes. [ Anchor holes for the rigging lines are present, which makes me wonder how on earth they can do that on the master mould. Sprue C. A simple clear sprue with three options of windscreen for which ever version you choose. Crystal clear and flawless mouldings. Sprue D. Two are supplied, as they cover all the parts that are required in duplicate, such as guns, wheels, and struts. Also included are the OAW specific wheel covers, as well as the standard Albatros ones. Sprue E. Is for the Mercedes D.IIIa engine, along with a choice of four propellers. Being such a widely used engine, this sprue features in several of Wingnut Wings German kits and several parts are marked as 'not for use'. The detail moulding is superb, the crankcase, rocker arms, and intake manifold being particularly nice. Having built several of these already, I can vouch for the fact that they look stunning when made. The only thing I add is ignition wiring from either thread or fuse wire. Sprue F. Dominating here are the two fuselage halves, which have the finest detail inside and out. All the little brackets, clamps, louvres, and inspection covers are there. Also offered are a choice of a Daimler-Mercedes or Teves & Braun radiator for the upper wing, and various sections of pipes. Photoetch. The small fret offers fretted jackets for the twin Spandaus, which in my opinion are essential in this scale. Plus there is a four point seat harness, gun cover, and cowling retaining strap. Decals. Two A4 sheets provide a very generous amount of upper and lower 5-colour lozenge strips, more than enough for an Albatros, whilst a further A4 sheet contains a large range of rib tapes, with a choice of plain linen, pink, or blue. Impressive. The scheme specific options are printed on one and a half A4 type sheets. A huge range of items are supplied, for the fuselage spirals, tail stripes, badges, spinner rings, etc. Each option seems to have it's own version of the German crosses for the wings & fuselage, and all these are present on the sheets. As usual we have all the instruments as decals, which can be read with a magnifying glass, and my favourites, the propeller manufacturers logos This is as complete a package of decals as you are ever likely to find in a mainstream kit. Colour schemes; A) Albatros D.Va (OAW) 6553/17, Jasta 73, mid 1918 B ) Albatros D.Va (OAW)?, Jasta 18, May 1918 C) Albatros D.Va (OAW), Hermann Leptien, Jasta 63, mid 1918 (7 victories) D) Albatros D.Va (OAW), Hans von Gössel, Jasta 71, mid 1918 (1 victory) E) Albatros D.Va (OAW), Friedrich Ritter von Röth, Jasta 23b, early 1918 (28 victories) Conclusion. Although not a totally new release, this is still very welcome as it does give us another sub variant of the widely used Albatros, and therefore another canvas for the numerous schemes they wore. Wingnut Wings have cleverly provided the colourful boxtop Jasta 18 machine as an option, which as it does not require a natural plywood fuselage should be fairly simple to do. Having already built this kit from the 32009 D.V release, I can confirm that it goes together beautifully and makes a stunning model. It's another box of pure modellers delight. [EDIT] 30/05/2015 Review kit built and posted in Ready For Inspection [/EDIT] Highly Recommended Review sample courtesy of

Evenin' all, Last wedding anniversary Mrs Viking asked what I might like as a present, and as always I didn't have to look far. High on my list of wants for a while has been the RE.8, such a classic first world war aircraft. The RE.8 can fairly be classed as 'not the best, but available in large numbers'. It was an honest enough aeroplane and could give a reasonable account of itself in the hands of an experienced crew. Large numbers of them fell to the guns of the German air force, but then there were large numbers of them over the line. I love the Heath-Robinson look of the aircraft, as if it was designed by several people who all created their own bit and then they all got bolted together. The vertical stack exhausts, the Vickers gun bolted to the outside of the fuselage, and the interuppter gear for it being taken off the rear of the engine, fed outside via a drive shaft, and along the outside of the fuselage to the rear of the gun! Anyway, after severl month building she is finished. I seem to have been rigging for weeks and weeks, (Maxima Chameleon fishing line pulled through the top wing). Next model I build won't have any rigging! Looking at the photos, I realise that I've forgotten to put the windscreeen on. It's the only bit that is streamlined!. I'll fix it on tomorrow. Hope you like; Can you make out the see through image of the upper wing roundel on the clear doped linen on the reverse side? The lower cowling can be made removeable; A few pics of the interior before the fuselage was assembled around it; And one last one with it's Nemesis! [EDIT] I've put the windscreen on![/EDIT Having created the champion of all 'dragmasters' they then fitted a nice streamlined windscreen (or not if you were me making a model of it) And it is fitted now; Thanks for looking, John

Been a while since I did a build thread and I havnt seen one done for this kit on Britmodeller, so here goes. This is the Wingnut Wings LVG C.VI, one of the original 3 kits they released. Not much to show yet, ive only got a couple of hours work on it so far, just getting the interior sub assemblies ready for some paint and the wood grain effect. Im also towards the end of Wingnuts SE.5a, waiting on some rigging material and have a few little paint jobs to do to finish that. So far the LVG looks to be a really nice kit, but it is a bit daunting in its complexity. Ive built their Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 and Tamiyas 1/48 Swordfish, and this seems to be another step up in complexity. Should be a fun challenge though.

Roland C.IIa Late 1:32 Wingnut Wings After initially building Albatros two seaters under licence, the Roland company began to look at producing an aircraft of their own design. A lot of effort went in to creating as smooth and low drag a shape as possible, eliminating the cabane struts by mounting the top wing directly on to the top of the fuselage. The fuselage itself was an innovative monocoque construction of layers of thin plywood strips laid over a mould in a criss-cross pattern. Two halves were made (just like a kit!) and joined together around an interior framework. The join line was covered with tape and the whole unit covered with doped on fabric, creating a fuselage with an excellent strength to weight ratio. Nicknamed 'Walfisch' (Whale) the C.II proved to be significantly faster than most other two seaters, and the majority of single seat fighters. View above and behind was excellent, but downward was poor due to the positioning of the pilot high up near the wings, and made the aircraft difficult to land. The tail assembly also suffered from some lack of airflow due to the blanking effect of the fuselage. However, as long as it held on to it's speed advantage it was able to carry out its reconnaissance tasks in relative safety. The C.II and later C.IIa served from the spring of 1916 until mid 1917, latterly in an escort role or employed on troop support/ground attack. Once removed from front line service most Rolands were only to be found in use with training units. An attractive aircraft, many will be familiar with the vintage 1/72 Airfix kit, either in its single issue or 'Dog Fight Double' with wonderful artwork showing it slugging it out with an RE.8 (and what a rare treat it was those days to afford to buy one!). Blue Max and Eduard have both issued the Roland in 1/48 and such is my liking for it that I have examples of both in the stash. Joining them now are two releases from Wingnut Wings in 1/32 covering the 'early' and 'late' production versions. Principle differences were that the late versions had strengthened wings, a forward firing 1MG 08 Spandau, aileron control rods and tubes routed through the wings, a stick type control column, and most noticeably on the very late examples, an enlarged fin. The Kit. The 'late' edition of the kit has been received for review at Britmodeller. Arriving in it's classy black, silver edged box with Steve Anderson's evocative painting of a pair of C.IIa's high up over the western front, this one has been eagerly awaited by many. More than usual the box has a very weighty feel, and no wonder, because when you lift the lid it is absolutely packed with sprues. We already know that Wingnut Wings never disappoint, and anticipation is by now running at fever pitch, so lets take a look! The instruction manual is the familiar fully illustrated high quality document that Wingnut Wings always provide. The 28 pages offer a short write up of the subject, a parts map, 12 construction stages, 5 finishing options, and plenty of original period photographs. Think less 'construction drawings' and more 'reference document to retain after the model is built'. I have never seen better instructions than those provided by Wingnut Wings. And they back them up on their website with more period photographs, hints & tips, and any amendments. Sprue A. Covers the interior frameworks and fittings, all delicately moulded with fine detail from parts such as the dimpled and creased seat cushion, through the ultra fine matrix pattern on the radiators, to the finely fretted framework of the bulkheads. Every part is perfectly formed and free from any flash or sink marks. Sprue B. A real eye catcher this one, holding the fuselage halves and sundry fittings. The lovely shape of the fuselage is captured beautifully, and features cut out louvres on the nose, various other minor 'lumps & bumps' and louvres and vents that you may need to carefully remove depending upon which finishing option you choose. The tail fin will need to be fitted from a choice of the early or later and larger option. On the inside the angled plywood construction is represented and there are a selection of flashed over holes that you may need to drill out according to your chosen option. Several parts on this sprue are marked as not for use, but still the moulding quality of them is exquisite. Details; Sprue C. Two are provided, with the side window and windscreen options. Sprue D. Another double set, these cover the wheels, tail planes, inter plane struts, and smaller parts needed in duplicate. Again some are marked as not for use. Sprue E. Here we have the engine, a Daimler-Mercedes D.III. I have built several of these already as it is common to several other Wingnuts kits. It builds up easily and looks great when all the natural metal parts are finished in Alclad. The only thing I ever add is ignition wiring from the magnetos to the plugs, using fine copper wire. As indicated in the instructions, only two of the props are appropriate to this version - the Axial and the Wolff. Sprues G and G3. These are generic sprues also found in other Wingnut Wings kits. 'G' holds a small set of Parabellum options and ammo drums, whilst G3 is a 'general fittings' set. As well as more props there are various Recce cameras, ladders, flare racks and pistols, radios, a first aid box, and other useful bits and bobs. A lot of this can go to your spares box or be used in a diorama. It is the sort of really useful stuff that you just won't find anywhere else and is a definite bonus to buying this kit. Sprue H. One of two sprues unique to the 'late' version of this kit, this holds the wings, Spandau & roll hoop, bomb rack, and a couple of panels. The early wings had wire trailing edges (which would have produced a 'scalloped' effect) but the late wings did not. Such is Wingnut wings attention to detail that they produced a completely new tool to replicate this, and also moulded the control linkages in relief. Detail of the finely moulded bomb rack; Sprue I. The other one unique to this release. Here we have the cockpit floor, instrument panel, two more choices of exhaust pipes, the 'late' tailfin, and a small selection of levers, pulleys, etc. Photo etch. Pilots and Observers seatbelts, gunsights and jackets for the machine guns. Decals. Printed by Cartograf on an A4 sized sheet all the options are covered, with a section common to all and largely consisting of instrument faces, stencils etc. Various Eisenkreuz are provided with and without white square backgrounds according to which option you choose. A nice touch is that option A is provided with a choice of black or red fuselage bands, as it is not clear from the period black & white photographs which were used. As the instructions also include a photo you can make your own interpretation. The printing is beautifully sharp, and is especially impressive on the smaller stencils. Options. Option A, Roland C.IIa, "White 7", Kasta 2, Kagohl 1, Late 1916 - Early 1917. Option B, Roland C.IIa, (Li) "Black III", Vfw Hesse, Schusta 13, Early 1917. Option C, Roland C.IIa (Li) 3645/16, Hans Joachim von Hippel (1 victory), Beobachter Schule Cöln, Early - mid 1917. Option D, Roland C.IIa "White 21", Otto Burgermeister, Kasta 21, Kagohl IV, November-December 1916. Option E, Roland C.IIa "circles", Kagohl II?, late 1916 - Early 1917. Conclusion. I'm sure that the Roland C.II has been eagerly awaited by many of us, certainly I have been really looking forward it. Iti s well up to the high standards that Wingnut Wings have set and I have no doubt that it will fit together beautifully and look stunning when finished. One big advantage is that the wing arrangement should make it easy to build, in that both sets fit right on the fuselage with only two interplane struts. For a biplane, it hardly gets easier than this. There is a little bit of rigging, but it is minimal and simple. Given the attractiveness of the aircraft and what looks to be an uncomplicated assembly job, I can see this one becoming one of Wingnut Wings best sellers. Again there can be only one verdict; Highly Recommended Review sample courtesy of

I've been itching to make a start on this, but have needed to get the ongoing pile of builds on my workbench reduced. At last I've only got 5 (!) other things on the go so feel justified in getting this beauty under way. It is one of Wingnut Wings superlative kits, I always find them a complete joy to build and this one looks as good as ever. The Sopwith Snipe was a development of the famous Camel, and arrived on the western front in the last few weeks of WW.1, giving a good account of itself in the few combats it encountered. It went on to serve in the post war RAF into the 'silver wings' era. A full review of the kit can be found HERE I've decided to go for a silver doped machine. I like the 56 Squadron colour scheme but am less keen on it having an overall silver doped finish, including all the forward panels and cowling. I think I will do the 17 Sqn machine as it has bare metal panels and cowl, which I prefer. I have started by removing all the components needed for the cockpit interior and fuselage, cleaning off any moulding lugs and faint seam lines. Everything then received a coat of Halfords grey primer from the spray can. I get together as many parts as I can that will need a wood or clear doped linen finish, which includes the prop and the struts. These were all sprayed in one session with Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan, and have since had a coat of Johnsons Klear brushed on them. Parts at the bottom of the picture will have various other coloured finishes, but have been primed. The Instrument panel has a choice of wood or black finish, I went for black as there is already a lot of wood in the cockpit, and those two large pieces on its lower half are the ammo tanks and need painting in aluminium. It is vitally important with any biplane kits to make sure you get the correct struts in the correct places, or the wing alignment will go out. I have already removed the struts from the sprues as I want to do them with the rest of the woodwork. (Only the post war options need the struts in wood finish, war time machines had them painted grey). So to keep them all identified until needed I bag them up in pairs and label each bag with part numbers. When I paint them they are held in pegs and placed on their bags whilst drying, and popped inside when dry. Next the struts and other parts in XF-55 will get brushed coats of artists oils on them. Next update when I've got some of that done..... John

Roland D.VIb 1:32 Wingnut Wings Wingnut Wings latest release is for the Roland D.VIb, a lesser known but interesting little fighter developed in 1917. The most noticeable features are the 'clinker built' fuselage of overlapping plywood planks, with the lower wing attached via a stubby little pylon on the underside. With its stalky undercarriage the D.VI has a lean and delicate look, but it was actually a very competent fighter and an improvement over the Albatros D.V's it was intended to replace. Unfortunately for Roland, it appeared at the same time as the formidable Fokker D.VII and was largely outclassed by it in all key performance areas. Most of the early D.VI's were powered by the old Daimler-Mercedes 160hp D.III engine and classed as D.VIa's of which about 150 were built. These were followed by a further 200 with the 200hp Benz Bz.IIIa engine which were classed as D.VIb's. The later D.VIb's also introduced ailerons and elevators with increased balance areas that helped increase manoeuvrability. Wingnut Wings have already kitted the D.VIa (Kit 32022 In 'Ready For Inspection') , so it was a logical step to include a couple of new sprues to produce the D.VIb, providing the different engine and control surfaces. The kit. I'll never lose the thrill of seeing a new Wingnut Wings kit for the first time, and this one is most definitely a thriller! The box art is just gorgeous, showing a Jasta 59 D.VIb scoring a victory over a USAS Nieuport 28. Inside the weighty silver edged box are six plastic sprues, one etched fret, three A4 sized decal sheets, and the usual Wingnut Wings superb instruction /reference manual. Lovely! let's take a more detailed look. Sprue A. Unsurprisingly several of the sprues are common with the D.VIa kit, such as this one. Beautifully moulded interior parts, undercarriage legs and cabane struts are included, all with fine surface detail and free from flash. The fabric covered bulkhead behind the pilots seat even has wrinkles and stretch marks in it. Sprue B. Both wings are supplied here, along with the early tailplane, elevator and ailerons. The rib tapes are delicately and effectively done, and there is a very subtle sag effect of the fabric over the ribs themselves. It has that 'tight as a drum' effect typical of doped linen over wooden ribs. Sprue C. The smallest of the sprues, holding the two optional windscreens. Sprue D. Here we have the fuselage halves with a beautifully executed rendition of the clinker planking. Even the nail heads are present, showing the pattern of the bulkheads underneath.These are extraordinary pieces of moulding and dry fitting them together, the join along the top and bottom virtually disappears. Also included are the early (not required for this version) and late interplane struts, wheels, and LMG 08/15 Spandaus. 'Solid' Spandaus are provided if you are not confident of rolling the etched jackets to fit on the 'high detail' versions. One thing to note is the difference in inspection panels between the D.VIa and D.VIb. The instructions show where you will need to remove and replace the panels. Sprue E (Engine) and F (D.VIb parts) 'E' This holds all the parts for the Benz Bz.IIIa straight six engine, and 'F' is the 'new' sprue that holds all the parts appropriate to the 'b' version of the D.VI, and the interior bulkhead frames. The control surfaces with the larger balance surfaces are included as is a new tailplane to accommodate the reshaped elevator. Two sets of cylinders are provided, one with pushrods and ignition wiring moulded on;and another 'plain' set omitting these for if you prefer to do your own. Oddly the 'plain' option is marked as not for use on the parts map, and not referenced in the instructions. But I see no reason why you could not use them if you so wished. The 'moulded on' version is very well done, and I guess many of us will be happy to use them. If you are tempted to complete the missing wiring from the end of the carrier tubes to the magnetos, be aware that this area is pretty much hidden from view on the finished model. (Well it is on my D.VIa). Optional intake manifolds are provided for the Bz.IIIa and Bz.IIIaz 'high altitude' engines. The mouding on the crankcase is beautifully done and worth a close look; Photo etch. Essential in this scale are the jackets for the Spandau guns and their sights, which are supplied here along with the four point harness for the pilot. In addition this fret for the 'b' also has the two empty shell ejector chutes not found on the 'a' model. For the first time that I have seen on a Wingnuts photo etch sheet, the panel identifying it can be detached and used as label alongside the completed model. Decals. Richard Alexander points out in his notes for this kit that photographic evidence shows Rolands were frequently fitted with wings and tailplanes of 4 or 5 colour lozenge material. I.e the top wing might be in 4 colour, and one or both bottom wings in 5 colour, or any other combination. Thus you are supplied with an A4 sheet of each type to mix and match, or make a choice of using just one type on your model. Strips of rib tapes are also supplied in generous quantities, including a set of plain linen ones. The individual markings for each option are provided on a third sheet along with all the stencils and instruments. Some of the smaller details are exquisite, such as the propeller logos and the data plates. All three sheets are sharply printed with minimal carrier film, and in perfect register. The decals themselves appear to be very thin and the colours all look very good. Options. A) Roland D.VIb, 'Berg Wappen', mid 1918. 'B) Roland D.VIb, Jasta 59, mid to late 1918. C) Roland D.VIb, 7502/18, 'P132', McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, USA. May to June 1920. D) Roland D.VIb, 7504/18, November 1918. E) Roland D.VIb, 7535/18, 'Marie', Oskar Frieherr von Boenigk, Freikorps late 1918-1919. And a 'Bonus' is included for Roland D.VI, 2225/18, preserved in the Krakow museum in Poland. This is just the serial number, and folows closely the finish of option A, but without the shield marking on the side. Conclusion. Another beautiful kit from Wingnut Wings of an interesting and unusual aeroplane. The clinker built fuselage mouldings are exceptional and perfectly executed, the sharpness of the mouldings needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. Having built the D.VIa kit I can vouch for the fact that it all fits together with absolute precision and contains no pitfalls. I remember particularly how snugly the interior framework sat in the fuselage halves without interfering with closing them up. The choice of colour schemes offers something to modellers of all skill levels, with camouflage for those not confident with natural wood finish, to that stunning looking Jasta 59 example on the box top. I can see the post war example from McCook field holding strong appeal to modellers in the USA, with its experimental camouflage and early US roundels. Well up to the standard we have come to expect from this market leading manufacturer, and I'm sure it will be another box of pure model building pleasure. Highly Recommended Review sample courtesy of

The Albatros D.V was a development of the earlier D.III and featured a more streamlined looking plywood moncoque fuselage, but turned out not to have any significant advantages over its predecessor. It was still a potent fighter though, and saw widespread service from 1917 to the end of the war in November 1918. There is a huger range of potential colour schemes to finish any model of a D.V in, many of them wild and colourful and incredibly inticate. One of my favourite units is Jasta 5 which featured all green tailplanes edged in red on their aircraft, with pilots free to decorate the fuselage in any way they saw fit. Fritz Rumey was an NCO pilot with a fearsome skill for downing allied aircraft, gaining his first kill in July 1917 and going on to a final tally of 45 victories. As well as the Albatros he also flew the Fokker Triplane and D.VII. In September 1918 he suffered a mid air collision, and was killed when his parachute failed to open. I bought Wingnut Wings kit when it first came out about 3 years ago with the intention of doing Rumey's distinctive black & white striped machine. However, testing the scheme by winding strips of masking tape around the fuselage to represent the black, had me puzzled for some time. It just wouldn't work! An update on Wingnuts website solved the mystery for me, so I decided to crack on. Build log here This has been one of the most difficult paint jobs I have ever taken on, but I persevered as I really wanted this on ein my collection. There is a small amount of weathering and dirt on it, but not excessive as Jasta 5 kept their aircraft in very good condition. Anyway here is the result after several miles of masking tape have been used up; At Telford last year I picked up one of MDC's superb resin figures, designed specifically for this kit as he sits very neatly in the cockpit opening. I couldn't resist giving him a matching scarf! Thanks for looking, John

My current 'big build' is Wingnut Wings lovely Albatros D.V, which has been in my stash for nearly 3 years now. I want to do it in Fritz Rumeys black and white striped Jasta 5 machine as shown on the box top, but have been put off all this time! I have tried to figure out how to do the stripes by temporarily using strips of tape wound around the fuselage halves, but something just did not work with it. I could not make the pattern shown. Then recently I noticed Wingnut Wings have updated the instructions on their website with a 3 view plan, showing how the pattern splits on the underside. Mystery solved, so before Christmas I opened the box and got started. Engine; Interior parts; Fuselage zipped up now. Engine just dry fitted. I will prime and paint the fuselage before fiting it permanently. Got to deal with this next! Thanks for looking, John

My first effort posted to Britmodeller. I used stainless wire for most rigging.No margin for error on length, This of course ment installing each wire multiple times, Did full rigging inside cockpit, You can't see most of it..... It is also the fault of a friend of mine. I normally work in 72nd scale and not WWI. He brought in the Junkers J1 and now I own four. This is the first one to be completed.

Salmson 2-A2/Otsu 1 1:32 Wingnut Wings The newest release from Wingnut Wings covers the French Salmson 2-A2 and is available in two different boxings. The USAS version offers five different finishing options for machines in service with the United States Air Service Army, whilst the version received here for review offers four French and one Japanese option. The Salmson Company started off building Automobiles, and then aero engines, before progressing to designing their own aircraft, initially without much success. In 1916 they began work on a design to replace the Sopwith 1 ½ Strutters that they were then licence building, producing an aircraft that was both larger and heavier, but which incorporated interesting features such as a radial engine (in an age of rotary and in-line engines) and self-sealing fuel tanks. The initial Salmson A was not a success, but was developed into the 2-A2 utilising Salmsons own 9z water cooled radial engine of 260hp. This gave it a useful ceiling of 19,000 ft, range of 300 miles and top speed of 116 mph. Entering service in October 1917 with the French Air Force, it was well received and went on to equip 52 Escadrilles and achieved a production run of 3250 machines. Of these 705 were supplied to the USAS who also found it to be a useful and reliable workhorse, no doubt appreciating its self sealing fuel tanks in an era when fire was a very real and deadly risk. Built under licence in Japan as the Otsu 1 reconnaissance aircraft some 600 further examples were produced up until 1927, and remained in service until 1933. Other post war users of Salmson built machines were Czechoslovakia, both sides in the Russian Civil War, Poland, Belgium, Peru and Spain. The kit. Presented in Wingnut Wings familiar style with beautiful artwork in the silver edged box, the Instructions, decals, and all sprues are sealed in their own individual plastic bags. As ever, the instruction manual is in a class of its own that no other manufacturer has yet bettered, never mind equalled. Filled with CAD drawings showing the assembly sequences, further illustrated with drawings of completed assemblies, and supplemented by period photographs of both overall and detailed areas, it goes far beyond just showing you how to assemble your kit. Finished off with full colour profiles by Ronnie Bar, there are the usual five colour schemes to choose from, always difficult because they are all so appealing. Sprue A. This contains most of the detail items, many of which are for the cockpit interior. There is no flash or any sink marks to be found, and ejector pin marks are pretty much on non visible surfaces. The moulding technology is fantastic, the fuselage side frames being an example. The cabane struts will not only be as strong as possible, but also they are pre-lined up for you. Sprue B. The upper and lower wing panels featuring nicely done rib tapes and sharp trailing edges. As with all Wingnuts kits the strut mounting sockets are surrounded with pre made holes to anchor the rigging into. Depending upon your method of rigging these can be used as is or further reamed out with a micro drill. Sprue C. The smallest one, containing the clear parts. Sprue D. Two of these are provided to cover all the parts such as wheels and struts that need duplicating. Fine moulding is in evidence on the Lewis guns and lettering on the tyre sidewalls. Sprue E. The 9z radial engine. I always start my Wingnuts builds with the engine as they make up into beautiful little models in their own right. This one looks like it will be even nicer than most as it has lots of contrasting metal colours on it, including lovely copper jackets around the cylinders. Sprue F. This holds the fuselage and empennage mouldings. The drum tight fabric effect on the fuselage is very realistic, although hard to capture in a photograph. Sprue G. Larger detail items are on here, the cockpit floor being another example of the standard of moulding achieved by Wingnut Wings. Even more amazing are the sets of louvered panels. Look at them at the right angle and it clear to see that they actually are louvered! Photo Etch. Useful items are supplied here, such as the seatbelts, gun ring mounts, gun sights etc. All the items that would be too fine to do in plastic. Decals. Produced by Cartograf, the sheet almost equals the length and width of the box. Each design is sharply printed on minimal carrier film, in register, and with accurate looking colours. A common area provides all the fine detail such as the instrument faces, stencils and strut bindings. And being Cartograf gives the assurance that they will perform excellently when the time comes to apply them to the finished model. Finishing Options. A) Unknown serial, Col. Hamonic?, SAL 122, late 1917 to early 1918. 'B) 251, 4, SAL 16, 1918. C) 381, 4, SAL 28, 1918. (This possibly could be 581 rather than 381. Wingnut Wings point this out and give you the option of both on the decal sheet. Attention to detail!) D) 602 Le Gone, SAL 61, late 1918 to February 1919. E) Type Otsu Model 1 Reconnaissance Aircraft 1123, mid to late 1920s. Conclusion. The Salmson 2-A2 is probably less well known to British modellers although still an attractive subject, It will have extra appeal to our French and American friends due to its widespread use with their Air Forces. Other First World War enthusiasts will want one because of all the fabulous colour schemes that will be possible, particularly when aftermarket decals are available. And for those who like their 1:32nd Zeros, Hayates, Raidens, Shindens, and Claudes, how about an Otsu 1 to park alongside them? Wingnut Wings releases never fail to delight as they are so beautifully done, with obvious care and attention to detail from the team who produce them. You start to get your moneys worth from first opening the box, there are hours of pleasure to be had admiring the mouldings and working out the options to fit, and colour scheme to finish it in. Another flawless winner from Wingnut Wings. Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of