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Since my previous bird is almost finished, I think it is safe to present new project from my ongoing water fowl period. While researching for the Grebe build, I came across this article showing (among other things) Snipe E7538 in intriguing markings of 19 Squadron, before they were changed to the famous blue and white checkerboard. Then I remembered how I actually found the article. It was listed in the sources from the Wings of Silver book, later accompanied by beautiful decals, these are Part One of two. So I dug the Eastern Express kit out of my stash, … … purchased a few extras, … … and my modelling future – as far as the next few weeks were concerned – was given. The Snipe, being of Great War origin, has been fortunately covered well by references, including the wonderful Windsock Datafile with a lot of inspiring information.

Humber Snipe Staff Car, pics thanks to Dave Haskell.

I finished this build earlier this month. This is my first biplane kit and my first attempt at rigging. I know the rigging should have been flat wire but I didn't learn that till after I bought the EZ Line so I stuck with that. This probably won't be my last biplane but I'll be sticking with Spitfires and Corsairs for the near future. Thanks for looking in and Happy New Year! Carl

E6655 at The RAF Museum Hendon. This is a replica constructed in the Wellington workshops of The Vintage Aviator Lt, New Zealand. The inclusion of original, non-functioning parts precludes this aircraft from flight status.

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

Sopwith Snipe 1/32 Wingnut Wings It only takes one look at the pugnacious little Snipe to see that it is a product of the Sopwith Company, that obvious 'hump' on the fuselage serving to raise the pilots seating position higher and improve his all round visibility.The direct lineage from the more famous Camel is clear to see, and not altogether surprising as it was designed to be the Camels replacement. Design objectives were to increase performance by fitting a more powerful engine, strengthen the airframe, and eliminate some of the Camels trickier handling problems. All of these parameters were met, but the aircraft only just made it to the front line in the last few weeks before the First World War ended. 43 Squadron received its first Snipes at the end of August 1918, and after a period of training used them operationally for the first time on 24Th September. Further deliveries were made to 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps who perhaps saw the most combat use with them, and to 208 Squadron RAF who received them too late to see any combat at all. It was generally thought easier to fly than the Camel, but conversely because some of its more skittish characteristics had been ironed out, it was thought by some experienced fliers to be less nimble in combat. Changes were made to improve its agility by increasing the size of the fin and rudder, and adding larger, balanced ailerons to the upper wing. After the war the Snipe was selected as the main fighter to be retained by the RAF as it wound down to a peace time footing, remaining in service until 1926 and incidentally was the last RAF fighter to use a rotary engine. Other operators of the Snipe were the Brazilian Navy, Canada, and the Soviet Union. The kit. Yet again Wingnut Wings present their product in exemplary style. The silver gilt edged box top features a gorgeous Steve Anderson painting of a 56 Squadron Snipe in formation with a Bristol Fighter over a shimmering sea, heading for the white cliffs of Dover. Along the side are little pictorials of the five finishing options that will be found inside, raising the anticipation levels even higher. Inside everything is sealed in its own clear plastic bag, including the instruction booklet. As is the norm now, Wingnuts instructions are very comprehensive with a full parts map, CAD drawings to show the assembly stages, all backed up with detail photographs of the full size aeroplane. Particularly helpful are the full colour drawings showing completed sub assemblies. The assembly sequence is finished off with a full rigging diagram, showing a front three-quarter view and a rear three quarter view from the other side. The final section covers the five colour scheme options, but more of this later. The instructions are worth filing away as references in their own right once the model has been finished. Sprue A covers the cockpit interior and a lot of the smaller items. There are some very fine mouldings on here, all very crisp and flash free. The Instrument panel is very nice and I was particularly impressed with the bomb rack and the fuselage side frames. They are complex pieces of work that only a few years ago would surely have been impossible to produce as single components. Sprue B holds the upper and lower wings which are both single, full span mouldings. This is very good news for those nervous of building biplanes as the dihedral is all set up for you and there are no alignment problems associated with attaching outer panels to centre sections. The fabric effect is beautifully done with nicely defined rib tapes and stitching and the trailing edges are thin and sharp. Studying this sprue, turning it over and looking at it from all angles, I would say that there is nothing that could be done to improve it. Its perfectly designed and perfectly executed, no flash, no sink marks, it turns the most complex part of biplane building into simplicity. I have no doubt that all eight interplane struts will fit perfectly and lock the two wings together in accurate alignment, I'll start building this soon so will be able to confirm that prediction. Sprue C holds the clear parts which are the windscreen and the two covers for the aileron pulley inspection hatches in the lower wing. There are two copies of sprue D as they very sensibly hold all the parts of which two or more are required. Struts, wheels, Vickers guns, Cooper bombs, and Holt flare brackets are all here. If you look very closely you'll see in very fine raised letters 'Palmer Cord Aero Tyre' around the side of each tyre. Sprue E is for the Bentley BR.2 engine, which is comparatively simple. The main nine cylinder section is in two halves with separate cylinder heads, push rods, and induction pipes. Again the mouldings are very crisp with fine detail. Sprue F has the fuselage halves and cockpit coaming, tailplane and propeller. The fabric effect on the fuselage looks very good indeed. It is restrained and looks exactly like tight doped linen over wooden stringers. There is no sign of that sometimes overdone 'sagging fabric' fantasy that sometimes appears on other manufacturers kits. Sprue H is attached to F, and contains the parts that make this Snipe a 'late' version,the fin/rudder and upper ailerons. They have the same fabric and ribtape finish as the wings, as you would expect. The final parts on the photo etch fret and consist of sights and cocking handles for the Vickers guns, and two types of seat belts. There is the earlier, wide, lap belt and the later post war four point Sutton Harness to fit as appropriate to your chosen version. Colour schemes. I always have a lot of trouble, in the nicest possible way, in choosing one of the options supplied in the box. This one is going to even more difficult than usual as I really like them all very much. They are; A) E6351 GS Sapozhnikov, 1st Soviet Fighter Aviaotryad, 1920. This machine was captured by the Soviets in Poland, re-covered and repainted, and used by Grigoriy Sapozhnikov, a five victory ace. He named it 'Nelly' and painted the ace of spades on the sides. The Russian stars are black rather than red, which adds to its appeal as a finishing option. I love the way that Wingnut Wings always manage to find an off beat subject like this, and include it in their kits. B ) E6544, 17 Squadron, Hawkinge, 1924. Overall silver with blue wheel discs and 17 Squadrons zig zag design down the fuselage. A lovely, tidy scheme that is very attractive and an iconic representative of the 'Silver Wings' period that developed through the 1920's and 30's. C) E6964, 56 Squadron, Hawkinge 1923. Overall silver with red and white checker bars, red wheel discs and fin. Another 'Silver Wings' era machine, that unmistakably belongs to 56 Squadron. Very nice. D) E8198, C Flight 4 Squadron, Bickendorf, January - February 1919. PC 12 with Battleship grey cowling areas and clear doped linen undersides. Engaged in post war occupation duties in Germany. This is a classic late war Snipe, and may be the one I choose as I like 'front line' machines. E) F2367, B Flight, 70 Squadron, Bickendorf, March - April 1919. PC 12 with Battleship grey cowling areas and clear doped linen undersides. Also on occupation duties in Germany, this Snipe is in a standard wartime finish with extra white bars on the cowling and around the fuselage. Decals. The decals by Cartograf are on a large single sheet that only just fits within the dimensions of the box. They have minimal carrier film, sharp printing, good colour, and a gloss finish. Stencils, data plates, instrument faces, even the Sopwith logos for the struts are provided, along with all the items necessary for each individual aircraft. White bordered and unbordered roundels are provided for the upper wings of the RAF options, with plain black stars for the Russian on.The two 'Silver Wing' machines are provided with upper wing 'Zig Zag' and 'Checker' markings for each squadron, as there is a small chance that they may have been carried. The instructions note that there is no photographic evidence however, so it is up to the modeller to decide whether or not to use them. Conclusion. Every time a new Wingnut Wings Kit comes out, there are high expectations. We know what to expect now, from the beautiful presentation to the superbly moulded parts, along with the great finishing options, and the superb instructions. All of this is here, although there is a new element emerging ever so quietly. The mouldings on Sprue A have some very complex shapes on them, and have left me wondering how on earth they do it. The wings too are lovely pieces, I might have expected sink marks on what are fairly sizeable mouldings, but there is not a trace of a problem on them anywhere. Its almost certain that it will build with accuracy and precision, albeit that you have to take care and follow the instructions closely. The two bay wings will require more rigging than a single bay type, but none of it has double wires, so helping to keep it comparatively simple. So, another lovely kit from Wingnut Wings that has nudged that bar just a little higher, so much so that it is going straight to the top of my build pile just as soon as I have finished the Fokker. Very highly recommended. Review samples courtesy of