Scale question, please bear with me...

[JimF]

Back in May, I decided I would buy the Tamiya 1/32 Mossie, as a 1st project once our house re-do (which was giving me a whole room for modelling) was done. This would be my 1st aircraft kit in something like 50 years. I went to armour modelling, then model railways, until a few years ago.

While searching out reviews, build videos, etc..., I came across references to Wingnut Wings kits. I was fascinated, and amazed. Decided I would shelve the Mossie, and look at buying and building a few of the WnW UK aircraft kits, as I have no interest in the German ones. However, I then found out that 3 of the 6 aircraft kits I wanted are sold out, I started looking at what was available in 1/48 scale. Quite a bit more, it seems. So, have bought a few, with hopes I would be starting on one soon.

 

Taking the contents out of one box, and looking it over, I am now not so sure I can work with that scale any more, but also not sure I will be happy with the size.

 

So, my question (I know, finally!), how good are the 1/32 kits from such as Roden? I realize they will not ne in WnW's class, but are they good kits? They would at least give me the models I want, that are sold out from WnW.

 

Thanks for taking the time to at least read all this

 

Jim F

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

You might be better off checking second hand markets like fleabay for the WNW Kits you are searching for. If not there are i am sure other places to search. Im not against Roden for any reason but they are definitely not a beginners kit. I have a few Roden Bi planes in 1/72 scale and they will be done but i need more experience in rigging and bi-planes first. 

 

Dennis

[Gorby]

@Beardie might be able to give some advise on this.

[Beardie]

@JimF I'd like to point out that Wingnut Wings are re-issuing the DH.2 and Sopwith Triplane as 'specials' with a resin model of a particular ace included(Raymond Collishaw and Lanoe Hawker). I am guessing these two are possibly among those of which you speak and they should be available by the end of this year. If you don't want to do the particular 'ace' included I think you will be able to get the decals to do alternative options. I am fairly sure that you will be able to pick up a Wingnuts pup, the snipe and probably an SE5a for not too much over the 'RRP' on the second hand market as they are not that long out of production. I am guessing also that these will appear in some form of 'special edition' boxings in the not too distant future.

 

The RE8 on the other hand.... It would be nice to see this one re-issued as it was a very important and long serving type but I don't know if we will ever see it again and it goes for a lot of loot on the second hand market.

 

The Roden kits are pretty decent although not on a level with the Wingnuts Wings kit. They build up well and look good but the included decals can often be hard, if not impossible, to apply satisfactorily and it is of note that the Sopwith Triplane from Roden has a fuselage modelled on the original prototype's dimensions and so is too short by comparison to the actual production aircraft. You can get a set of resin replacement fuselage halves for it but if you are not too fussy the mm or two it is out is pretty much un-noticeable unless you attack the model with a ruler.

[Admiral Puff]

If you're after alternative decals, you can't go past Pheon - Rowan does some pretty fine stuff! (Mind you, I wish he'd reprint the Triplane sheet ...)

[JimF]

Thanks for the replies, all. The DH.2 isn't one of the aircraft I want. The Triplane is one (I have that pre-ordered). It's the S.E.5a, the R.E.8 and the Sopwith RNAS Pup that I seek. I've seen the Pup on ebay, sold for $115. There is a SE5 listed, at $159., and a RE8 listed, at $329. More than I want to spend for them.

 

I'm interested in mid war aircraft, more than early or late war. I have a Early Snipe, but it's still more late war than I like. Dealer I bought it from said he will take it back for full price in store credit, which is fine with me.

 

Maybe I'll buy one Rodan kit, to check it out, and try and decide from there.

 

Thanks again.

 

Jim F

[Beardie]

Not sure what these kits sold for in the US when they were new but those figures aren't all that different to what you would pay in the UK for them as 'sold out' kits. Here you can expect to pay around the equivalent of around $90 for a currently available Wingnut Wings scout aircraft kit and often the more sought after 'sold outs' like the Albatros and Fokker D.VII's will set you back up to £150 (roughly $190).

 

I have found that the Roden kits (at least here in the UK) can be a bit of a false economy. The kits aren't nearly as beautifully engineered for fit, ease of build and detail as the Wingnuts and, if you have to factor in aftermarket decals and some additional PE detail (seatbelts etc), they can work out costing not that much less. That isn't to say that, with some extra work you can't make a great model out of them.

 

To me anyway the 'total package' that you get in a Wingnut Wings kit is worth the kit costing considerably more than the equivalent Roden kit. The RE8 is the most tricky of course as no-one else, as far as I know, offers any easily available alternative in 1/32 or even 1/48 scale so, if you really must have one, you have to go through the financial pain barrier to get it. I have one RE8 kit that I was very, very lucky to get from a chap for something like the equivalent of $172 and I am hanging on to it while praying that they re-issue the kit in some form in the future as I want at least one more.

[JimF]

Thanks for the info, Beardie. Regarding prices, scout types are priced at $79.00 in the US, two seaters start at $119.00. So far, any I have come across on ebay are about double (or higher) those prices.

 

I agree that the WnW mfr. price is well worth it, as you stated, adding any after market items to another mfr's kit would most likely bring the price up the WnW kit's original price. It won't, however, make it as high a cost as what folks are asking for a OOP WnW kit.

 

I don't have a issue if someone is selling off a kit they find is in excess to what they need, or want. I do, though, have a issue when I see a ebay seller listing one at a high price, and his listing states there are 3, 4, or more available. I have run into this with limited run structure kits, in model railroading.

 

Anyway, I'm going to tackle one of the 1/48 scale kits I have, see how I make out. If I have better luck than I originally thought I might, I'll stick with that scale. When I was doing armor modelling a few years ago, I preferred 1/48 to 1/35, even though there is way more available in the larger scale. At least, with WWI aircraft, the opposite is true.

 

I still plan to buy, and build, a WnW Felixstowe (who knows, the scale issue might become moot, it might take me 10 years to complete that giant lol).

 

Thanks again.

 

Jim F

[Beardie]

The price you quote for the US I think is a bit better than here where the available Wingnuts scouts start at a few pennies south of £70 which, according to the current exchange rate is just shy of $90 from my preferred supplier who is a decent bit cheaper than the mighty Hannants in the UK. Hannants want $100 for a Sopwith Camel.

 

I did enjoy 1/48 and found Eduard kits in particular to be great models of the subjects but I realised that, if I was ever to dream of having a fairly comprehensive WWI collection in one scale then I would have to move to Wingnuts as it was unlikely that anyone else would ever produce even a fraction of the WWI marques (of all combatants) apart from them. It took a lot of soul searching and the disposal of a large stash of WWI, WWII and post war aircraft and armour kits in order to even begin starting a single minded campaign to collect together as many WWI 1/32 kits as I could. As well as Wingnuts I have a number of Roden offerings of kits not currently produced by Wingnuts plus Special Hobby and even a Hobbycraft Spad XIII. I also picked up three offerings in resin from Planet of unusual aircraft (Floh, Ponnier and Port Victoria). 

 

Obviously my choice was based on wanting to have as many different aircraft from all sides of WWI as possible and is not a neccessary approach if you are only interested in aircraft of a certain type that may be available from other manufacturers.

 

I totally agree with you about the feeling of being 'scalped' by people who, just possibly, gobbled up kits in hopes of being able to re-sell at a later date for a lot more money but I think it really is people just taking advantage of having the good fortune to own a kit they no longer need and that will pay them back for all the times they have made a loss disposing of unwanted kits.

 

I have seen plenty of instances where people have placed these self same kits on ebay with low starting bids and they have been bid up in auction to go for even higher (sometimes astronomical) amounts so there must be people who are willing to pay as much as they have to to get what they want. Certainly I have most of the 'sold out' kits myself and I have no intention of selling them as I know that I want them and, chances are I wouldn't be able to replace them at a later date.

[berman]

Jim,

       If the WNW Felixstowe kit proves to be too large for you to display, there is the 1/48th scale Lone Star Models kit which comes with parts for building either the early or late version.  Photos of the parts on the LSM website.  I have one in my collection. Quite nice.

[JimF]

Berman, thanks for that, I actually was aware of the Lone Star kit. But it was learning WnW had a kit for both versions was what brought me back around to WWI aircraft modelling. It's the one kit I definitely will build in 1/32. Everything else will most likely be in 1/48, given the wider range of available kits for RNAS/RFC/RAF aircraft.

 

Jim F

[Jeff.K]

@JimF i don't have any WNW SE5as, but i have the Encore McCudden boxing of the Roden, and i am very well pleased. the SE5a is the one subject where Roden's version is nearly evenly matched.  the markings options in the WNW kit are mostly kinda lame IMO, and the Pheon ace sets are sold out. 

i'm glad WNW reissued the tripehound because the Roden fuselage is too short--the kit turns out to be based on the prototype, so if you're building a prototype tripe, go Roden. 

[JimF]

hey Jeff, thanks for that.

 

I'll give it another look. The S.E.5a is about the only WWI aircraft, not flown by a RNAS squadron, that I am interested in.

 

I'm in no rush for the Triplane, so will wait for the Collishaw set, in the fall.

 

Jim F

[Jeff.K]

@JimF i think Rowan (Pheon) said something about a new issue decal set for tripehounds too.  hope so, there are a slew of these i want tobuild. 

 

i'm a bit annoyed that WNW chose to issue N533 for Collishaw as it's already in the Roden, and Collishaw didn't exactly love that heavy crate. i'd rather N5492 or N5490. 
 

i expect the kit will still build into either 1 gun or 2, gun, both are on the original sprues. 

[JimF]

Jeff, I'm still working my way up the learning curve, regarding knowledge of the whole WWI aviation thing, regarding who was who, who flew what, where, when, etc.., but getting there.

 

My initial primary interest is the RNAS, mostly stoked by the Felixstowe kit, but have always had a interest in UK and US coastal forces, mainly WWII up untill a few months ago.  So, building up my library, reading quite a bit, and assessing what aircraft were used by them, that I would like to model, and which aircraft are available in which scales.

 

The RFC would be my next step, and possibly the start of the RAF. At least, that means the number of kits OOP or hard to find is way less.

 

Although I will probably build the Tripe as the Collishaw one, but who knows, buy the time a I get around to the build, perhaps there will be decals available for other RNAS ones.

 

Jim F