Search the Community

I’ve been sorting my stash lately and two things struck me. Firstly I have a lot of WWI aircraft and AFV kits and secondly (KUTA notwithstanding) I haven’t actually built a WWI subject in a long time. So the proposal is pretty straightforward:- Any vehicle, aircraft, shop figure or diorama of same that was in service between 28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918 in any scale. and of course I completely forgot this one.. 1. me 2. @ArnoldAmbrose 3. @Morantbay 4. @Corsairfoxfouruncle 5. @AdrianMF 6.

Hi everyone! Following on from the good experience with the Lanchester, a week ago I opened a new Copper state model box with this Belgian machine gun car. It's the same simple design that doesn't sacrifice much in the way of detail. On the other hand, the vehicle without a roof and the presence of the engine in the kit is more time-consuming, with a little detailing of the latter in order to present the bonnet open. Similarly, I had to change my assembly/painting method with the interior being coloured before the body was fitted for obvious reasons of access to all the nooks and crannies. some pictures : Once the body is in place and a black/grey/brown basing is applied, the idea is to have a base that will ‘liven up’ the monochrome grey livery of the vehicle: more to comes later, I've been working hard on it this weekend. Fabrice

Hi ! Last week I launched my first Copper State Model self-gunning machine, a box that I'd had for a while and which immediately interested me. It was while examining the contents with a friend that I realised how simple the model was, and having just finished one of my many projects, decided to make this little vehicle. it's very pleasant to assemble and as there's no interior, it takes a few hours to do so: Only additions : - wheels from Peaks Model, which offers a special set and is the best there is at the moment in terms of finesse, and which I find more realistic than the flat PE supplied in the box; - the machine gun and various fittings, all found in the spare box. see you Fabrice

Hi guys !! So I'm off to build the 1/72 Pompom RR from the excellent Peaksmodel brand, a new commer in the market. I won't hide the fact that I extorted a kit from the manufacturer by kidnapping his three-year-old daughter and demanding a kit as ransom. But in the face of his silence, and after a few days that were quite painful for the peace and quiet of my home, I threatened to give her back to him, and he sent me four kits (but I'm still stuck with the kid...). Anyway, here I am in front of this jewel. For those of you who were able to admire it at the exhibition in Saumur and/or Herve, you already know that we have in our hands the finest kit produced on this scale in 3d printing to date. The box itself is beautiful, with foam that cradles the contents just right. But of course, and more importantly, the parts are exquisitely fine, with a level of detail that would be the envy of many 35mm models. What's more, they can be removed without a hitch thanks to a secret process developed the conceptor. I won't lie and pretend to have discovered this point, as I was a crash tester for the brand on the ‘classic’ RR, but I wasn't familiar with this model and the superior quality is still there. The resin is pleasant, both rigid and flexible enough to facilitate assembly extremely precise assembly. The assembly plan is well thought out and clearly illustrated with three-star instructions. In short, nothing but good things (and don't think I've got any shares in the company or that I'm desperately trying to get rid of a particularly dynamic and noisy three-year-old...). Enough chit-chat and let's get back to the heart of the matter with the assembly of the chassis/engine/floor/wheel assembly, which is a pleasure. The result : What a gem !! Isn't it ? Well, I'll leave you with this, because a three-year-old child, thoughtlessly kidnapped, has just started a drum solo in a room in my house, and from the sound of the commotion, she's obviously made this drum kit out of all the pots and pans she could steal from the kitchen cupboards... See you Fabrice

Morane-Saulnier MSAI Other Services (KPM0455) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Morane-Saulnier AI was an evolutionary development of the earlier AC, taking technical and aerodynamic cues from their Type-N monoplane fighter, but using ailerons instead of wing-warping to control direction of a parasol wing above the fuselage. Orders were forthcoming due to issues with the engine that had been selected for the competing SPAD XIII, which may lend a little credence to “unlucky 13”. It was powered by a 160hp Gone rotary engine at the front of a traditional wooden rib and fabric fuselage, topped by a distinctive swept wing and a single 7.7mm machine gun for offensive operations, later upgraded to a twin mount. Its service was brief during WWI, as technology was moving at breakneck speed as each side sought an advantage that would allow them to shift the stalemate and thus win them the war. Structural problems were identified early, shortening its front-line service to a mere three months before it was withdrawn so that the issues could be fixed. When it returned, it was used as an advanced trainer, many sold off after the war where it found favour in aerobatic displays, some owners replacing the Gnome Monosoupape 9N with a less powerful Clerget 9Ba rotary engine. America was a post-war customer for the revised aircraft, buying 50+ to use as pursuit trainers at the end of WWI. The Kit This is one boxing of four from a new tooling in 2024, so is essentially brand-new. The kit arrives in a compact end-opening box with artwork of an AI climbing over broken cloud on the front, and profiles of the three decal options on the rear. Inside is a single sprue of grey styrene (it’s a comparatively small aircraft), decal sheet, and instruction booklet printed in black and white on a folded sheet of A4. Detail is good, extending to a few engraved panel lines, lightly scalloped fabric surfaces over the wings, tail and aft fuselage, and a rendition of the Gnome rotary engine that will just be visible within the close-fitting cowling. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with the floor, adding a seat on the raised section, fitting rudder pedals and control column before fixing a five-part framework around the sides, a frame with circular cut-out around the top, and an instrument panel, taking care to align the parts carefully before the glue has cured. The cockpit is trapped between the fuselage halves on a pair of raised guides, covering the top of the forward fuselage with an insert that has the outer cockpit cut-out, and two troughs that receive a pair of machine guns that fire through the propeller. There are no internal details to the fuselage, but there are a couple of raised ejector-pin marks that you may wish to remove if you think they’ll be seen. The tail fin is moulded into one side of the fuselage, slipping an elevator into the slots in the either side of the tail, aligning them carefully. Turning the fuselage over, the main gear axle is supported by three V-shaped struts, adding a wheel to each end of the axle, fitting a pair of support struts under the elevators. Unusually, the third step shows the addition of some cross-braces fitted to the struts that support the wings that are detailed in step four. The main supports are H-frames, adding several V- and Z-braces, plus the afore mentioned cross-braces to the sides of the fuselage, referring to the recesses under the single-part wing to ensure correct alignment when the main assemblies are brought together. The final assembly is the engine, which is a single part that is attached to a back-plate with a pin from the rear, surrounding the motor by a single-part cowling that has holes in the front, some of which will need cleaning out to remove a little flash, which can also be found in other locations. The two-bladed prop is glued into the centre of the rotary engine, and if you have been careful with the glue when attaching the pin and the assembly to the fuselage, the entire engine should rotate on the pin at the rear. Markings As usual with Kovozávody Prostějov 1:72 kits, there are three decal options that are shown on the back of the box. You can build one of the following from the decals supplied: The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion An unusual parasol monoplane from KP Models, with good exterior detail, a little flash to scrape off, and it builds up surprisingly small, like many WWI fighters at this scale. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Pretty straight forward this one. If it flew between August 1914 and November 1918 and was employed as a fighter in any scale it’s in. So all the classic fighters, any prototypes that flew during the period, the two seaters that could be fought e.g the Bristol fighter and the two seater fighter conversions like the Sopwith comic, BE2c and Avro 504 single seaters. A vast range to choose from. list of types: ( far from comprehensive) Britain: Bristol Scout Sopwith Pup, Camel, Comic, Dolphin, Snipe. De Havilland DH1, DH2, DH5/5a RAF Se5a Belgium: Hanriot HDI France: Nieuport 11, 17 SPAD VII, X, XII Austria Hungary: Phoenix DI Oeffag Albatros DIII Germany: Albatross DI, DII, DIII, DV, DVa Pfalz DIII, DIIIa, DVI, DIX Siemens Shuckert DI, DIV, DV Fokker EI, EIV, EV, DI, DII, DIII, DIV, DV, DVI, DVI, DVII, DVIII Junkers DI Italy: Ansaldo AI And many more…… Just a few examples from my collection… 1. Me 2. @ColonelKrypton 3. @Jb65rams 4. @2996 Victor 5. @Ngantek 6. @oldman 7. @dnl42 8. @Andwil 9. @Corsairfoxfouruncle 10. @Mr T 11. @dnl42 12. @DaddyO 13. @AdrianMF 14. @Ray S 15. @Peter Lloyd 16. @DaddyO 17. @Old Man 18. @R T Fishall 19. @John Masters 20. @nimrod54 21. @tangerine_sedge 22. @Andwil 23. @Torbjorn 24. @RC Boater Bill 25. @Bertie McBoatface 26. @Courageous 27. @Richard Humm 28. @MRMRL 29. @mark.au 30. @CarLos 31. @stevehed 32. @marvinneko

Place holder for my entry for when I get around to it. The ancient Bristol Fighter which I will attempt some improvements on. The 2 bay wings with individual struts is a bit intimidating if I’m honest. Not Roy Cross box art unfortunately. I must say that I’m not a fan of digital art, it always looks a bit fake to me. A painting is a painting and can be appreciated as such and a photo is an image of the real thing, these digital illustrations are neither and have to my mind, no soul. AW

Hello all. This is my first time posting anything on this site so I will try and get things right. I have started making the 18Pdr filed gun and limber from the Tommys War resin kit. This is what I have so far: The detail is fantastic but the instructions are a little bare. The gun sights I had to figure out from online photos of the real thing and then figure out how to attach it. I also have a bit of a problem with the carriage of the gun being a bit warped. The I've added some extra detail on the limber with a rifle, handles and strapping up what I believe is called a "swingle tree"

I love the Renault FT and I have two in 1/72 scale in my collection, however as you can see they are about the size of a postage stamp. So doing the various calculations 1/24 gives me an 8.2 inch long model so a nice size. This is going to be a slow off project build and I’m intending to build it with all the hatches open. So next step scale some plans up and start cutting styrene

FWD Type B Ammunition Truck (35656) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Built by the Four Wheel Drive (FWD) company, this was a very early truck used by the military of Britain and the US during WWI, beginning in 1915 with a small order from the British Army. It was full of curious technology from a modern standpoint, but then vehicles of this type were still in their infancy, so it’s hardly surprising that there were a few technological dead-ends. It was originally supplied with solid rubber tyres and the front wheels had a strange toed-in look due to the suspension geometry that was set up to give a light steering load. Its T-head engine produced a monstrous 36bhp for rice-pudding skin removal, and it could be connected to all four wheels, or either the front or rear in the event of necessity or damage to either drive-shaft. It also had a distinctive turned-up nosed front because the engine was mounted below the cab, with only the radiator housed in the front and precious little (read: zero) protection for the driver and crew from the elements. Over 12,000 were made before the end of WWI, with them finding a ready market in the post-war period in the civilian sector, sometimes with pneumatic tyres added to improve the ride quality, and a cover for the crew cab to increase creature comforts. The Kit This is a reboxing with new parts of a recent tooling from ICM, widening their WWI vehicle range once again. Arriving in their usual top-opening box with captive flap on the lower tray, there are five sprues in grey styrene plus a tiny clear sprue, a similarly small decal sheet and the instruction booklet with colour cover and spot-colour inside. It benefits from the same attention to detail that they have lavished on their other WWI kits, and you get a full model that includes engine and chassis details not supplied in some other manufacturer’s kits. Construction begins with the double ladder chassis with suspension and cross-rails included and adding the axles, brakes and drive-shafts, most of which are broadly familiar but a little odd looking into the bargain, especially the drum in the centre of the assembly, and the additional cross-mounted leaf-spring on the rear behind the back axle. At the front the steering linkage is added to the front axle, with the rear axle having a distinct offset to its differential housing, before the wheels are made up from three layers each plus hubcap, then fitted to each corner of the vehicle. The two-part radiator core has additional sides fitted then it is dropped into the front of the chassis, joined by the peculiar engine, which is very well detailed with almost 30 parts devoted to its construction. Once it is painted and in place a two-part linkage under the engine, and exhaust are threaded through the chassis and attached to the manifold outlets, with the diagram helpfully ghosting one of the wheels to improve your view. Chunky power transfer boxes are suspended from the underside of the chassis rails on a carrier with drive-shafts going to each of the axles, then up at the front the chassis is widened by adding tread-plated running board to the sides before beginning work on the cab and snub-nosed bonnet. This assembly also includes an engine cover that ends up with the crew sitting on it and in the gap between the cowling and radiator the crew have a small footwell with driver controls and a fire extinguisher present, louvered side panels to the cowling and cooling fan for the radiator that is surrounded by a shaped cowling that plugs into the back of the radiator later, bringing the cooling fan and belt into play. The fuel tank is made up from four sections plus two supports, then the lovely deeply upholstered crew bench-sofa is put together with moulded-in buttons giving it a Victorian drawing room feel. The steering wheel and control levers are added to the sides of the cowling, then the seat is dropped on top with a nice cosy fuel tank right behind it. The perfect cab - Exposed to the elements, high up and with extra heating in the summer, plus a big flammable tank right behind your seat if anyone takes pot-shots at you as you’re driving along. The old-skool carriage-style front lamps and U-mounted searchlight are put in place on the front and a stowage box is placed on the left foot-plate, presumably tied down so you don’t lose it on the corners, and the hand-crank starter can optionally be inserted into a socket on the front chassis rail if you wish. The 3-ton load bed begins with the floor and has five cross-beams slotted into position underneath, a front panel and two side panels that have braces moulded down the sides, adding stowage cubbies down the sides, for lantern-like parts, surrounded by a few pioneer tools on each side. The tilt on this boxing is of a different style to previous issues, and most of the parts can be found on the new sprue. The canvas is supported down the centre and forms a pitched roof to the area from one part, adding two ends, and drilling out several holes along the lower perimeter for tie-down ropes, which you will need to make from your own supplies. The completed cover is placed over the open load-bed, which can then be mated to the chassis by two lugs at each end, adding U-shaped carriage bolts from under the chassis to give the impression of a sturdier connection, finishing off with three brackets on each side of the chassis rails. Markings There are three decal options on the small sheet, two in green, one in a mixed camouflage with black dividers. From the box you can build one of the following: American Expeditionary Force, 1918 American Expeditionary Force, May 1918 US Ordnance Department, 1918 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion An early truck that became a staple of the battlefield in WWI and beyond in injection moulded styrene with plenty of detail. It’s a nice kit and a further broadening of what’s available for WWI military modellers in 1:35. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Hello, this will be my 2. attempt to build this model. This time i will use a wooden deck (genuine 1:350 deck from ARTWOX), a new challenge!, I used only a few parts from the ICM Koenig kit. the hull, main decks, gun turrets, boats and casemates. All the rest has been printed by shapeways. I have to print all the little tiny deck details in 3D and glue them on the wooden deck. Does anybody have experience with not pre-cutted genuine decks? I use the hull and the turrets of a Koenig 1:350 ICM Kit, turning the main aft deck upside down, to avoid removing all the molded on deck details. The 2 superstructures will be 3D printed. Regards Andreas

I'm curious if someone would know what kind of lozenge fabric was used on Josef Müller's Fokker D.VII (Alb) 646/18 of Jagdstaffel 23. In color profiles, I see it illustrated with 5-color lozenge fabric, but from a photo I have of it (specifically on p. 251 of Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 23, Aeronaut Books), I'm unable to tell if it is 4 or 5 color lozenge. All other photos are too blurry to make out the lozenge fabric. From my understanding, some early batches of Albatros built D.VII's used 5-color lozenge, but in general, most used 4-color lozenge. Perhaps someone with a better eye for lozenge fabric type, or more knowledge of the subject, could tell me. Thanks again in advance for you help!

Moving along to my next project, I had intended to start the Asuka Sherman III in my stash, but I saw this going at a very reasonable price in the local hobby store, which has clearly had a restock since I last checked in. From a quick look around on line it looks like a straightforward build, and as I am travelling again in a few weeks, it may be something I can finish before I head off. It will also be the first Meng kit I have built. @Mike posted a useful inbox review when the kit first came out; One slight change is that Meng have replaced the string for the towing hawser with a length of braided wire. Still only two colour schemes formally provided, however there are clearly other ones on the decal sheet (captured German one, a Russian one and perhaps a couple of other British ones?). Having read around I’ve decided to paint mine a brownish colour, using Vallejo 70.988 Khaki, which from the little swatch I’ve painted appears brown with a green tinge. I’ve got a couple of days off this week - so let’s see how far I get.

Bristol F.2B Fighter & Fokker Dr.1 (A02141V) 1:72 Airfix Vintage Classics The Bristol F.2B Fighter, colloquially known as the Brisfit was the definitive version of the F.2 fighter during WWI that was well-liked, and continued service until well after the war was over, bearing more of a resemblance to an interwar design than the stingbags we typically associate with aircraft from the Great War. Once the teething troubles of the F.2A were resolved, it was found to be an agile, fast fighter that could be flown against other supposedly more light-weight fighters without disadvantage. In fact, the flexible rear mounted gun was a bonus when it came to rear attacks, a feature not present in most fighters of the day. The Fokker Dr.1 was a response to the British Sopwith Triplane, and was a small, lightweight triplane that was highly manoeuvrable, entering service in 1918 and most famously being flown by the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen during what was to be the last part of his career, and was also the aircraft that he was shot down and killed whilst flying. One of its weak points was the wings, which were prone to failure, even after the issue had been identified and attempts had been made to correct the deficiency. The Kit This is a re-release of a truly ancient dogfight double boxing by Airfix under their Vintage Classics banner, the Brisfit fuselage having a copyright dated 1957, and the Fokker released during the same year as a bagged kit with cardboard header. Both kits are sixty-five years old at time of writing, and are most definitely products of their time, the parts found on open-sided trees, rather than sprues as we know them, and some noticeable ejector-pin marks on the wings of both kits that will need to be dealt with if you plan on creating realistic models of the types. The wings also have a fabric texture moulded into them that appears a little rough, possibly from mould wear, and an overall light sanding should improve that, but in other places, such as the stitching on the fuselage of the Brisfit, the detail is still pretty good for its age. Cockpits are of course simple platforms on which you place the pilots, the Brisfit faring better, while the Fokker has an anachronistic WWII style pilot, complete with Mae West and RAF style uniform plus flying boots. We’ll discuss the models separately, even though they arrive in the same top-opening red-themed box, with the kits separately bagged, as is the clear sprue that contains two classic Airfix stands for your dogfight double. The instruction booklet is shared between the kits, as is the decal sheet, with four sprues in the Brisfit bag, and two for the Fokker. We use the term sprues advisedly here, as they’re open and sometimes contain only a few parts each, or even one in the case of the Brisfit’s wings. Bristol F.2B Fighter Construction begins with the fuselage, installing the two half crew figures on their perches, one facing forward and the other to the rear, with a Lewis gun mounted on a simplified Scarff ring, using no glue so it can be elevated, in the typical toy-like fashion of the day. Two exhaust extensions are applied to the sides of the fuselage in sockets, taking care to use the lower of the two holes at the front, the top one being the location for the bottom end of a cabane strut in the next step. The tail fin is moulded into the fuselage halves, and the elevators plug into slots in the sides. The lower wing is full span, and has ejector-pin marks between the twin holes for each interplane strut, presumably in a none-to-successful attempt to hide them. These will need some work before you add the struts if you think they’ll be seen, as it will be impossible later. The wing itself plugs into the underside of the fuselage on four pins, then two pairs of interplane struts are installed in each wing, plus two pairs of cabane struts in the area between the engine and cockpit. Once the glue is set, the upper wings, which have their ejector-pins on the lower surface, again between the holes for the struts, can be installed on top of the struts, with a scrap diagram showing the correct angle of 14° of the struts between the two wings. Up front, the rounded radiator housing, which was shaped that way to improve the pilot’s view over the nose, is fixed to the fuselage after pinning the two-bladed prop to it, which can remain mobile if you are sparing with the glue. Flipping the model on its back, the two A-frames that support the landing gear axle are mounted on holes in the lower wings, adding wheels to the ends of the axle, which should allow the wheels to rotate, again if you’re not too liberal with the glue. The tail is supported by a single skid, which finished off the build. Fokker Dr.1 The Fokker starts the same way, gluing the two fuselage halves together around the time-travelling pilot, although the instructions show one more appropriate for the era, confusingly. The lower wing inserts under the fuselage, and is then joined by the other two, pushing the large interplane struts through the centre wing, and adding cabane struts to the forward deck of the fuselage that is moulded into the centre wing. Incidentally, the interplane struts weren’t structurally necessary, but were added to reduce wing-warping during flight, giving the aircraft crisper handling characteristics. The wings should form a 17° angle with the perpendicular once completed, which is again shown in a scrap diagram nearby. The fin is moulded into the fuselage, and the triangular elevators are a single part that is inserted into a recess in the top of the fuselage in front of the fin. At the front, the cowling with a couple of the rotary engine’s cylinders showing at the bottom is fitted to the nose after securing the two-bladed prop from behind with a styrene pin. The usual caveats about leaving it mobile by being careful with the glue apply. Inverting the model allows fitting of the two wing protecting skids near the tips, another skid in the tail, and the two V-shaped gear legs that have the aerodynamically faired axle, onto which you glue the two wheels with impunity, as there’s no easy way to allow them to remain mobile. Markings Each model has just one set of markings on the sheet, depicting the types in action, although they are several months apart and in different locations according to the instructions, which would have made dogfighting a little difficult. From the box you can build the following: Bristol F.2B Fighter, No.39 (Home Defence) Sqn., North Weald, Essex, England, September 1918 Fokker Dr.1 Dreidecker, flown by Manfred von Richthofen, Kommandeur Geschwader 1, March 1918 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion If you like a challenge, or just fancy building these relics from a bygone era of modelling, this could make an interesting project, and at a very reasonable price, with the Vintage Classic banner forewarning you that you may have some work ahead of you. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

WWI is very definitely not my thing - I have build the odd Airfix kit back in the distant past, like a Camel I seem to recall being particularly fond of as a young kid - which gradually shed parts and finally disappeared in a tidying spree. I do however have a very good friend who is not a modeller and who loves WWI aircraft and in particular the SE.5A. I decided to surprise him on his birthday and built him this example from the Eduard Royal Class kit. Not being an expert at all did in fact help to some extent - I was on a winner from the start with the colours. I did loads of research on the colours - well - in reality nobody seems to know what the colour should be anyway and after reading "eye witness accounts" who describe the colour variously as Green, Brown, Green Brown or Browny Green I settled for a base of Mr Hobby H52 Olive Drab which seemed to fit the description for me. The undersides were based on H85 Sail Colour. The wooden interior and prop were painted in the time honoured fashion with oils over Tamiya Khaki/clear orange - a technique which I enjoyed although most is hidden inside. I was very nicely surprised by the quality of the Eduard kit with was superb with great detail and excellent fit and I chose Mick Mannock's aircraft because I had heard of him. The hard part, and the part which I was most worried about, the rigging, actually turned out reasonably well - I used pre-stretched monofilament fishing line. It wasn't until I took the photographs that I realised that I have missed some fairly prominent rigging lines but since my friend does not know - this is unlikely to be rectified. I managed to fairly easily pre drill tiny holes and superglue the ends of the lines in place and stretch them slightly with a red hot pin. I even quite successfully (in my mind anyway) modelled the double lines here and there All in all, I have to say that I quite enjoyed the whole thing but that was in part because I was able to give my friend something which he really liked. I certainly will not be building any more WWI aircraft in a hurry but I can recommend this kit! Cheers Malcolm

Ever since I finished my Oertz I’ve been itching to build one of these a triplane floatplane what’s not to love. Now there are one or two issues. I can’t find a scale plan view of the triplane however it was based on the biplane for which I do have full plans and I know the wing surface area and chord width so between that data and the pictures of the plane I can make a good guess at the span or the three wings. Next step scale the plans and figure out the wing details. Well first up clear out some of my wip and wait till January the 7th

British B-Type Armoured Lorry (39006) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Born in Manchester, Charles Samson was a Naval aviator (stay with me) who saw action commanding an RNAS squadron by the beginning of WWI, but due to a frustrating lack of functional aircraft to fly against the enemy, he and his cohorts took it upon themselves to take the fight to the Germans using their personal vehicles that they had shipped across from Blighty, initially arming them with machine guns, then shipping more vehicles across the Channel that had been up-armoured with steel plate in the Royal Navy workshops. The shipment included a few trucks that had been similarly hardened and fitted with loupes that permitted the crew to fire on the enemy from the relative safety of the vehicle. This was the beginning of the RNAS Armoured Car Squadron, and they were nicknamed Samson’s Motor Bandits, a typically WWII-style name, reminiscent of a character from Biggles. They were shipped Type-B buses as part of their consignment, which had been stripped of their civilian bodywork and fitted with an armoured cab and a similarly armoured open-topped load-bed that had sloped sides with a recurved lip to deflect any rounds striking the vehicle’s sides, leaving the gunners without an additional nostril. The solid tyres could handle hits from small-rounds too, and the driver was protected by a frontal panel, part of which could fold back to afford him a better view when the precipitation didn’t include lead. Speaking of precipitation, the top of both compartments were open to the elements, but also grenades, so keeping moving was key to their survival. As the Germans became more used to these raiders visiting them around the Dunkirk and Antwerp areas, they deployed light field guns where they were expected, which led to the fitting of at least one Type-B with a cannon to counter them, also adding heavier fire support to their raids. The Kit Sharing a few sprues with the original Type-B Omnibus on which it was based, this is a predominantly new tooling from MiniArt, depicting these brave and reckless lunatics from WWI. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of the subject on the front, and inside are nine sprues in various sizes in grey styrene, a small clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE), decal sheet, and the usual A4 instruction booklet, printed in colour on glossy paper, with a full colour painting guide on the rear page. Detail is excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt, with a smattering of slide-moulding going on to improve detail without increasing the part-count unduly. The kit is also a full rendering of the vehicle, including chassis, engine and both crew and passenger compartments. Construction begins with the engine, which is typically Heath-Robinson in accordance with style of the era, depicting the cylinder block, sump, paired cylinders that have tappit springs running down the outsides, plus a surprisingly spindly exhaust manifold, and the usual accessories that make things work. There are also diagrams for the advanced modeller to add wiring from the cylinder heads to the ‘sandwich box’ that is more likely some kind of predecessor to a distributor. A large fly-wheel and clutch assembly is made up and added to the first-motion shaft at one end of the motor, building a transfer box and short drive-shaft for later use. The chassis is made from two outer rails with a surprising ten cross-members and two side-mounted L-beams to the topside of the rails where the engine is to be installed next. It fixes to two of the cross-members on lugs, then has the fan and its belt inserted on one of the beams with an A-frame holding it above the chassis. The chassis is kept inverted for the time-being, adding leaf-springs beside the motor, and two more at the rear with a pair of suspension cones outside the rails. An armoured surround is mounted around the fly-wheel, and after righting the chassis, the three-part steering box is mated with the right rail next to the fly-wheel. The armoured bulkhead and front cab wall are fixed to the chassis with a choice of open or closed driver vision-ports, then the radiator is built up, starting with the two-part core, plus top, bottom and side covers, closing it up with a curved header and filler-cap assembly. The mounting brackets are added to the sides, and a set of protective railings are glued to the front, installing it at the front of the engine bay, linking the feeder hose from the top of the cylinder head. Beneath the chassis, the rear axle is built with a differential bulge at the centre, fitting three linkages to brackets on the chassis once it is in place on the rear leaf-springs. The front axle with steering arm is installed on the front springs, with a pair of linkages threaded through the rails after it is in place. The transfer box made earlier is mounted in the centre of the chassis on two cross-members, linking the rear axle to the back of it with another drive-shaft and protecting it with an armoured cover. A double linkage is made up and inserted between two members, with two diagrams showing how it should look from both ends. The steering wheel is mounted on a long column and slipped into the steering box, adding the horn and gear-shifter to the bulkhead, another lever in the floor and two pedals in the floor after it has been glued to the chassis behind the bulkhead. The centre support is added between the radiator and bulkhead, supporting the two-part cowlings on the side, which have optional plaques or vehicle numbers on the PE sheet. These can be glued closed or open by following one of the two diagram choices, and you can mix and match open and/or closed as you like it. Inverting the chassis again, the exhaust downpipe, muffler and exit pipe are joined together with PE rings between the parts, fitting it in place on the cross-rails, and mounting the hand-brake for the front and rear axles to the right rail on the outside, with a linkage included for the rear brake. On the left side a foot-step is installed on a bracket, and a fire extinguisher that does a creditable impression of a milk churn is mounted on the bulkhead on a platform and held in place by a PE belt. The rest of the cab is built with asymmetrical sides to include an access door, and a bench seat with stowage box underneath, adding the rear armour before fixing it to the chassis, with a dropped front armour plate below the radiator that allows a pass-through hand-cranking handle. More armoured sheet in the shape of a plough is installed to protect the radiator, with the option of folding up the lower front portion to increase ventilation to the radiator that is held in place by a pair of PE clips. The passenger compartment is built on a flat wooden planked floor, adding trapezoid front and rear bulkheads, and sloped side armour, then fixing U-shaped supports for the three bench seats to the insides of each side, which can then drop into position, securing them with glue if you want. Five cross-braces are installed under the floor, and when it is glued onto the chassis, the twin bolts are topped off with straps in a similar manner as U-bolts. A curved fender is fitted to the sides of the engine compartment by a pair of brackets, to which a highly-detailed lamp on a Y-shaped bracket with a PE top and clear lens in the front, attached to the front of the cab by a PE bracket. The wheels are spoked, although the rear wheels are twin-wheeled to take the extra weight, and made from stronger designs that give them a more modern ‘Lamborghini’ appearance (if you squint). The front rims have two wheel halves assembled around them, while the rear wheels have fatter double tyres and a large two-part boss inserted into the centre, all of which slides onto the axles. The vehicle is finished off by adding grab handles on the sides and rear of the fighting compartment, plus three short ladders hanging down below the floor for easy access. Markings This was a very niche vehicle type, and as a result only one scheme is provided, which is a neutral, possibly Admiralty Grey, the codes for which are given in Vallejo, Mr.Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya and generic colour names to assist you in picking the correct shade. From the box you can depict the following vehicle: Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion An interesting conversion of a Type-B bus into an early armoured car used to carry out some seat-of-the-pants derring-do by this larger-than-life character and his cohorts during WWI. The kit is well-detailed, and all those grey panels are begging to be weathered and splattered with mud. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Lloyd C.V Lukgraph 1/32 The model has been really pleasant to build. The woodgrain is Lukgraph's decals. I've added some minor details like the binoculars or the anemometer. The propeller has been laser-cut by my friend Michał Jakś and carved by me. Overall I'm quite happy with the result. I hope to see more Austro-Hungarian subjects coming from Lukgraph.

This is going to be my student build in response to Martian's Hawker Horsley Vacuform Tutorial. Thanks for looking in. Stephen

This was posted in the WWI discussion thread by RichieW so I have to give him credit for the scoop but I thought it would be nice to get it on this thread. Copper State Model posted on their facebook page on April 2nd that they are to release a 1/32 Bristol Scout in 2021. Below is a link to their posting (should not need to be a FB member to see it). https://m.facebook.com/copperstatemodels/posts/2720441618244580

American Expeditionary Forces in Europe 1917-18 (DS3518) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The American forces were late to WWI due to isolationist concerns back home, but when they did finally arrive following the April 1917 declaration of war, their troops began flooding Europe, and although they were relatively inexperienced, they put the realistic fear of defeat into Germany and their allies, despite the problems America was having with initial mobilisation and logistics. Once in theatre, they used a combination of equipment imported from home and European kit where convenient, and their troops wore similar uniforms to the British and other allies, including the flat-brimmed battle-bowlers that lingered in British service until after WWII. By the time the Armistice was signed and enacted on the 11th November 1918, the American Army had morphed into a well-rounded, efficient fighting force through experience, some of it bitter. The Set This boxed set arrives in a standard-sized top-opening box, with the usual captive flap on the bottom tray. Inside are three truck kits, three identical driver figure sets, a set of marching infantry figures, and an accessory set containing a plethora of weapons and equipment for the figures and to dot around in the vehicles should you wish. The kits are as follows: Model T 1917 Ambulance (35661) Based upon the first real mass-produced chassis, the ambulance variant was outfitted with an overhanging box body at the rear, and a canvas roof that extended over the driving compartment, with space inside for patients either on litters or seated. By the end of the war, over 4,300 of these useful emergency vehicles were shipped to Europe for use by the Allies, although some enemy casualties were probably transported on occasion. The Kit Arriving on two sprues of grey styrene plus a clear sprue and small decal sheet, this kit is a full representation of the vehicle, and starts with the simple four-cylinder inline engine. The block is in two halves with a separate sump, cylinder head, pulleys, fan and hoses, with an integral transmission to the rear. The chassis is a single part that has the front wings moulded-in, between which the front axle and radiator are fixed so that the engine and two-part fuel tank can be inserted onto the flat area between the wings. The exhaust is joined to the left side of the engine, finishing under the support for the floor, then the rear axle with drive-shaft is laid over it, adding two diagonal struts between the axle and the transmission, and two more on the front axle plus the steering rack. The wheels are all single parts, and slot onto the ends of the front and rear axles to finish most work on the chassis. The body is built on the floor, adding the divider between the cab and rear compartment with a little window in the centre, plus the two sides with slatted benches down each side that should hold everything square. A pair of stretchers are made up on short supports with cross-braces, one of which is slipped into the floor bed before adding the lower rear section of the body. The top section has an entryway in the centre, then the rear bench seat is fixed into the outside front of the body before it is mated with the chassis and work on the cab can continue. The tapering floor has the foot pedals and handbrake inserted in the front, and a cushion that stretches across the width of the cab is glued to the floor so that it matches the rear cushion on the back wall. The firewall has a wide-framed windscreen moulded to the top of it, which can either be fitted with a trapezoid window, or can be removed entirely, depending on which variant you plan on building. A rack of fuel cans is made up to be fixed to the right side, and a steering column stub is attached to the left side of the engine, as this is an American vehicle, so once the cab floor is installed, the rest of the column, steering wheel and stalks can be slotted into the left side. Two side walls are supplied that fit in position against the space under the seat, and the engine is cowled over by a two-part set with a handle on the left side, leaving the possibility for an open engine bay if you wish. A set of running boards have a wooden box added to the front on each side, which mounts on the dropped side panel of the cab, then a C-shaped brace supports the windscreen against the body. The canvas roof that extends over the cab and body is a single part that has slat detail moulded onto the inside, and another stretcher is inserted into the body on the supports inside. The exterior is detailed by adding what looks a bit like a cooler box on the left, a rolled-up canvas door on the back of the body, a spare tyre and a locked box on the right running board, old skool lamps on the front of the cab, and two more modern circular units with clear lenses either side of the radiator at the front. A set of eyelets screw into the area next to the cowling. Another old-timey lamp is added to the rear corner next to a pair of stowed shovels on the left side, plus a hand-cranked horn on the side of the cab next to the driver. Markings There are four options on the small decal sheet, three of which are American, the last one is in French blue if you feel like breaking the theme. From the box you can build one of the following: Ambulance, USA, 1917 Ambulance, 524 SSU, AEF, France, 1918 Ambulance, 625 SSU AEF, France, 1918 Ambulance, 36 SS, French Army, France, 1918 The decals are by ICM’s usual partners, and are predominantly white, while the decals with multiple colours are in good registration, and all have good sharpness and colour density. FWD Type B WWI US Army Truck (35655) Built by the Four Wheel Drive (FWD) company, this was a very early truck used by the military of Britain and the US during WWI, beginning in 1915 with a small order from the British Army. It was full of unusual technology from a modern standpoint, but then vehicles of this type were still in their infancy, so that’s hardly surprising that there were a few dead-ends. It was originally supplied with solid tyres and the front wheels had a strange toed-in look due to the suspension geometry set up to give a light steering load. Its T-head engine produced a monstrous 36bhp for rice-pudding skin removal, and it could be connected to all four wheels or either front or rear in the event of necessity or damage to either drive-shaft. It also had a distinctive pig-nosed front because the engine was mounted below the cab, with only the radiator housed in the front and precious little (read: none) cover for the driver and crew. Over 12,000 were made up until the end of WWI, with them finding a ready market in the post-war period in the civilian sector, sometimes with pneumatic tyres added to improve the ride quality. The Kit This is a relatively new tooling from ICM, widening their WWI vehicle range again. There are four sprues in grey styrene plus a tiny clear sprue, a similarly small decal sheet and the instruction booklet with colour cover and spot-colour inside. It benefits from the same attention to detail that they have lavished on their other WWI kits and you get a full model that includes engine and chassis details not supplied in some other manufacturer’s kits. Construction begins with the double ladder chassis with suspension and cross-rails included and adding the axles, brakes and drive-shafts, most of which are broadly familiar but a little odd looking into the bargain. The larger rails of the chassis denote the rear of the vehicle, and at the front the steering linkage is added before the wheels are made up from three layers each plus hubcap, then fitted to each corner of the vehicle. The radiator core has its sides fitted then it is dropped into the front of the chassis, to be joined by the peculiar engine, which is very well detailed with almost 30 parts devoted to its construction. Once it is painted and in place the exhaust is threaded through the chassis and attached to the manifold outlets, with the diagram helpfully ghosting one of the wheels to improve your view. Power transfer boxes are suspended from the underside of the chassis rails with more drive-shafts, then up at the front the chassis is widened by adding tread-plated “shelves” to the sides before beginning work on the cab and snub-nosed bonnet. This assembly also includes an engine cover that ends up with the crew sitting on it and in the gap between the cowling and radiator the crew have a small footwell with driver controls and a fire extinguisher present, louvred side panels to the cowling and cooling fan for the radiator that is surrounded by a shaped cowling that plugs into the back of the radiator later. The fuel tank is made up from four sections plus two supports, then the lovely deeply upholstered crew sofa is put together with moulded-in buttons giving it a Victorian drawing room feel. The steering wheel and control levers are added to the sides of the cowling, then the seat is dropped on top with a nice cosy fuel tank right behind it for a frissant of danger. Exposed to the elements, high up and with extra heating in the summer, plus a big flammable tank right behind your seat. Awesome! The old-skool railway-style front lamps and U-mounted searchlight are put in place on the front and stowage is placed on the left foot-plate, presumably tied down so you don’t lose it on the corners, and the hand-crank starter can optionally be inserted into a socket on the front chassis rail if you wish. The 3-ton load bed begins with the floor and has five cross-beams slotted into position underneath, a front panel and two side panels that have braces added down the sides before they are installed, located on the pins on the end of each cross-beam. The tail gate is made up from frame and panel parts, then two stowage boxes are built up and fitted to the underside front of the bed, which is then mated with the chassis on several tabs and slots. You can model your truck with the tilt stowed or in place, with the former having five hoops fitted down the side panels to complete the assembly. For the covered bed there are five parts to make up the canvas tilt with some nice sag moulded-in. Hide the seams and paint it accordingly and you’ll end up with a believable looking tilt. Markings There are two decal options on the tiny sheet with just stencils on the sides to differentiate them from each other as they are both painted olive green. US Army, 1918 US Army, France, 1918 The few decals on the sheet are all white, so there’s no worries about registration, but colour density and sharpness are good. Standard B Liberty Truck (35650) The Liberty truck was a collaboration between the major US manufacturers and the Quartermasters Corps to reduce the need to carry spare parts for every weird and wacky truck that might find its way into service. The aim was to cut down on the breadth of inventory they needed to keep in stock to maintain the vehicles, and to reduce the training needed for their mechanics who only needed to be familiar with one main design. Production began in mid-1917 as America was becoming more involved in the Great War and with very few alterations over 9,000 were made before the end of hostilities. The vehicle's engine was also a collaboration and pushed out a staggering 52hp linked to a 4-speed box that drove all wheels, propelling the truck to a break-neck 15mph on a good road, drinking a gallon every seven miles at best, which with a 22-gallon tank gave it a short range. The Kit This isn't a brand-new tooling, but was released in 2018 so it's barely out of the "new" range. It is a high-quality kit with a lot of detail that provides a full interior, erected tilt and bare frame options, plus engine. There are four sprues in grey styrene, plus a clear sprue and decal sheet between the pages of the instruction booklet. Construction begins with the chassis with leaf suspension fore and aft, then spacer rails to join them together, radiator, axles and steering mechanism. The rear axle is a substantial chunk and has large drum brakes with a drive-shaft leading to a central transfer box in the middle of the chassis. Front mud guards, bumper bar with rebound springs are added, then it's time to fit the wheels with two singles at the front, and two pairs at the rear all with spoked hubs and moulded-in solid rubber tyres around the rim. There is a choice of hub caps on the front wheels, then the engine is made up from 11 parts and dropped in place on the chassis behind the radiator along with a two-part manifold and short exhaust pipe that you'll have to take a small drill to if you want the tip hollow. The connection to the radiator from the block sprouts from the top of the engine, and at this early stage the gear shifter is installed on the top of the box, ready for the crew cab later. The cab is formed on a stepped floor part that has tread-plate moulded in, to which the sides, full-width bench seat and the firewall with dashboard and fuel tank are attached. Two foldable crew steps are stowed under the floor, and the steering column inserts almost vertically into a hole in the floor, then the assembly is added behind the engine allowing the cowling to be fitted together with a perforated grille that sits forward of the cowling by a few scale inches. The hand brake attaches to the side of the transmission hump, and then it's time for the load bed. The floor is stiffened by five lateral ribs and the front wall is added and braced by the side panels, which also have 4 stiffeners, then two stowage boxes are glued in place under the floor at the front. The tailgate is made up from two layers and is added at whatever variation of open or closed you fancy, then the whole bed is fitted to the chassis on tabs and depressions to get the correct location. Back in the cab the steering wheel, searchlight with clear lens and horn are all fitted, the last two on the top of the dash, and two headlamps again with clear lenses are fixed to the outside front of the cab. The area is then decorated with a multitude of grab handles, closures and two towing hooks at the front of the chassis rail. A starter handle is inserted into the front, and the cab's tilt is made up from three styrene parts with two clear portholes and it too is fitted to the cab. The cover for the cargo bed can be modelled either hidden away with just the framework visible, or with the canvas draped over for a bit of variety. The framework option is quite delicate, so care will be needed when taking the frames off the sprues to avoid breakage. There are five of them and they fit at intervals to the sides with a substantial overlap for strength. The covered parts comprise front section, two sides with the exposed parts of the frames sticking down, a rolled-up rear cover, and separate roof section. All have realistic drape and creases moulded in, and your only task is to hide the seams before you apply paint, whilst avoiding breaking off the ends of the frames that hang down. Markings There are two decal options for the truck, both of which are the same colour, olive green for the body, and khaki for the canvas areas. The sheet is small and includes a few stencils, divisional badges and a warning to carry no more than 3 tons. US Army, 1918 US Army, France, 1918 US Drivers 1917-18 (35706) There are two figures on each of the three identical sprues, and the one doing the driving is a private with putties and utility belt with braces, while the co-driver is his commander with knee-high leather boots and Captain's rank insignia on his shoulder boards. They are both in the seated position as you'd expect and the driver has his hands out grasping the wheel with his feet appropriately angled for the pedals. This is ICM, so sculpting is excellent with simple parts breakdown along natural seams speeding up assembly and preparation for paint. Each figure is broken down into head, torso and separate arms and legs. The hats are separate parts to achieve a better brim and these have a flat contact patch with the equally flat-topped heads, plus moulded-in detail of the hat band with tassels. An excellent addition to your Liberty truck at a good price, or any other vehicle used by the US Army in WWI, although the driver may require a little adjustment if the controls for the driver are different. US Infantry 1917 (35689) This set arrives on a single sprue, and has parts for four WWI American soldiers, wearing a cavalry-style hat. They are all dressed in appropriate uniform for the era, and three of them are carrying their kit bags, apparently marching with their rifles slung over their shoulders. The other figure is taking a photograph with a period camera, which probably prompted the wave from one of the marching figures. The figures are sensibly broken down as torso, head, arms and legs, with the hats separate for fitting onto the flat tops of the heads. The extra parts on the sprue include the afore mentioned kit bags, pouches, and satchels. Some of the additional parts that are shown installed on the figures are from the accessories set below. WWI US Infantry Weapon and Equipment (35688) This set is spread over a single sprue that is stacked with additional equipment that can be used with the figures, vehicles and so forth. The set includes the following: Lewis Gun Chauchat CSRG Mle 1915 Machine Gun Browning M1918 BAR Machine Gun M1918 BAR Pouches (left) M1918 BAR Pouches (right) Springfield M1903 Rifle Springfield M1903 Rifle with Bayonet M1905 Bayonet M1905 Bayonet with Scabbard M1905 Bayonet Scabbard Springfield M1903 Rifle with Rifle Mortar Rifle Mortar Grenade Winchester M1897 Trench Gun with Bayonet M1897 Bayonet Scabbard Trench Knife Springfield Pouches x 3 Springfield Pouches x 2 Small Pouch Colt Army M1917 Revolver Smith & Wesson Army M1917 Revolver Army M1917 Revolver in Holster (left) Army M1917 Revolver in Holster (right) Revolver Ammo Pouch Colt M1911 Pistol Colt M1911 Pistol in Holster Colt M1911 Ammo Pouch M1 Grenade Shovel Shovel in Case Pickaxe Pickaxe in Case Axe Axe in Case Trench Periscope (Wood) Trench Periscope in Case Canteen Respirator in Bag Officer Bag Binocular Binocular Case M1917 Steel Helmet Compass Cover Some items are individuals, while others are supplied in multiples on the sprues, and yet more are built from a few parts, such as the magazine added to the top of the Lewis Gun, a choice of bipods, and separate bolts for the Springfield rifles. The instructions show line drawings of the items along with a numbered list as above, and on the opposite side of the page is a paint code table that corresponds to the letter codes in red. Conclusion This boxed set from ICM is about as densely packed as is possible in a relatively small box, containing three vehicle kits, four figure sets, and an accessory set to round out the package. Like most of their boxed sets, the instructions have been gathered together into a card binder, with all the decals stowed inside the front of the booklets. Excellent detail, realistic-looking figures, and a lot of modelling fun in a box. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

What would a collection of WWI aircraft be without the presence of the iconic Fokker Eindecker? Besides being the very first aircraft equipped with a synchronization gear which allowed a machine gun to fire through the propeller without damaging the airscrew, it caused much grief amongst the pilots of the Entente as the Eindecker outclassed Allied aircraft from its introduction in July 1915 through February 1916. Thinking I would receive a kit with some enhanced features and extra detailing possibilities, I purchased this "limited edition" SabreKits boxing of Eduard's Fokker E.III online. Inside the box I did indeed find the single-sprue Eduard kit, but with no extra photoetch or unique decals as advertised. In fact, the kit was missing the clear windshield sprue and the German crosses were printed without any white backing, meaning that I would have to furnish a windshield and mask and paint the white squares myself. Neither task proved impossible, but with that kind of quality control, I won't ever buy a SabreKit again! Anyway, I still enjoyed the build and I am highly satisfied with how the rigging turned out. For this task, I used Uschi .001" Superfine line.. a fantastic product. On the 18th of March 1916, Ernst Udet alone flew Fok. E.III 105/15 into a formation of 23 French bombers and achieved his first of 62 aerial kills, shooting down a French Farman F.40 and damaging one other before his machine gun jammed. For this action, he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class.

After some time where I spend only limited time here, just adding some unqualified posts here and there on some fellow BM's builds (sorry guys), I thought I start something on my own again. So, please feel invited to pay me back and drop your load of happy nonsense here... 😉 I don't know, though if this will tick anyones boxes; I felt like entering some more familiar ground again and do something in my homeground of biplanes in quarterscale - and, by using plural in the title, you might have guessed it will be a double build. I messed it up the last time and failed on the Camel, so why not do it again and wreck twice at one. Anyway, it's something I have in my stash and planned for quite some time now, building two variants of the famous WWI fighter, the DV from the Berlin based Albatros Flugzugwerke and the Oeffag license build DIII from the second 253 series. Both models are based on Eduard kits, one the standard Profiback, which I think is still available, and the other from the "Viribus Unitis" boxing, which I think was a limited series. The DV will be Otto Kissenberths famous black Edelweiss 2263/17, and the DIII will be Fiala von Fernbruggs 253.24. These variants, as pictured in the - as usual quite good - Eduard instructions: I try to build the Dv a bot more weathered than usual, while on the Oeffag I will put my emphasis on textures; the wood from the fuselage, the linen on the wings, the metal cowling and fuselage applications. So, if you feel this might be your cup of tea, grab a wicker seat out in the airfield, don't be afraid of oil stains from the Daimler engines and have a Schnaps. An guadn, as the bavarians say!

I wasn't going to post an RFI for this because it was just a bit of pre-Christmas fun, but it gives me the opportunity to wish everyone here Happy Christmas and thank you all for the companionship and community over the year (with even a meetup at SMW thrown in!). I cut out the parts earlier in the year during the waiting times of an F-102A build (nothing like a bit of contrast), and got serious with the sanding on 10th December. What you get in the kit.: And I finished yesterday in a bit of a pre-Christmas rush with a few rough edges: The struts were real wood from some old, old 1/32" veneer, the paint was AK acrylic with a dose of Hu70 to make it browner, over Hu 103 and 94, and the prop came from the KP Sopwith Swallow kit. WIP is here if you are interested. The whole thing is tiny! Length 3", span 4" (75mm x 100mm for you metric types). Happy Christmas, Adrian

This was brought on a whim; I’d never heard of it but liked the quirkiness. PKZ- 2 artillery observation platform / helicopter Roden 1/72 Its an experimental Austro-Hungarian replacement for observation balloons it flew a few times in the spring of 1918 before being shelved. interesting build, quite fiddly and difficult to line things up - rigging was shall we say challenging. Quite pleased with the end result though