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First build First World War 1/48th scale aircraft recommendations.


Tony Davis

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If you are looking a cheap and basic D,VII just to get started on DO NOT buy the SMER kit.

Its a 1950s Merit tooling and needs lots of work on it, The markings are moulded onto the wings and fuselage. The m/gs aren't. 

A better kit is the Monogram which evolved from the 1950s Aurora kit but was improved. This kit was also issued by Revell. Sometimes you can get these ones cheap enough, more than the SMER one though, but sometimes the Eduard kit can be cheaper than the Monogram kit

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On 12/02/2021 at 22:57, Black Knight said:

Its a 1950s Merit tooling and needs lots of work on it, The markings are moulded onto the wings and fuselage.

I remember kits like that when I was very young. I always thought of Airfix as being the "gold standard" back then. Things have changed and I am surprised that kits with markings moulded on are still being sold. I suppose if the particular aircraft isn't represented in any other manufacturers range it might be worth buying one though.

 

Thanks for the warning.

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On 12/02/2021 at 22:20, Tony Davis said:

I've always liked the Fokker D Vii, I'm quite tempted to buy one now.

I enjoyed the Eduard DVII, and there is a lot of very cool schemes for it. But beware the lozenges, they come in separate decals that don't necessarily fit perfectly and they all need the rib tapes added, which was one of the most boring things I've done in my entire life. :angry: 

But overall the Eduard WWI kits are enjoyable kits with good detail, even if they are getting slightly old now. Perhaps their new tool (?) Camel means a reboot of the whole range? 

Edited by Eivind Lunde
Some forum hiccups
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I like your choice of doing the Dr.I first.  It should get you going and it will be a great first build.  I have built an example of most of Eduard's WWI kits and I really appreciate their weekend editions.  I do like PE seat belts but you can buy a fret of those alone and they will do 6-8 aircraft.  They sell separate frets for GB, Germany and France.  The Nieuport is a very well designed kit and should not give you any problems.  My only advice for both rigging and control cables is elastic thread (I use Uschi van der Rosten and love it).  Also, Eduard's Fokker E.V is a good WWI aircraft to learn on as it is a monoplane.

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  • 3 months later...
On 2/10/2021 at 9:04 AM, Paul Thompson said:

The Camel has one build problem and that is that the centre section struts are mislabelled, at least in two of the boxings I've built. Otherwise it all fits well, as do the struts once you sort them out (it helps to have a Windsock Datafile to hand). Personally, I find the treatment of the ribs much more problematic, because it;s far too heavy handed. Hopefully bettered in the new kit, because Eduard can do a great job sometimes. The F2b is a difficult beast because of it's odd geometry, let alone the rigging. Eduard's approach makes it as painless as possible (I've built over 20 F2bs in various scales by various manufacturers, and I still breath a sigh of relief when everything is aligned properly.).

 

Paul.

Hi Paul,

I have an original edition Profipack Camel and was interested in the mislabelling issue (I assume my kit will be suspect). Is there a tell? Also could you explain the mislabelling and provide corrections please? It will be my second WWI build after an Albatross D.v.

 

Regards,

Kent

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Kent, I don't know of any easy way to tell without actually trying the build. It was a while back and I didn't take note even though I did it twice (which was dumb because I still have a few in the stash I fully intend to build) so can't tell you which strut should have been which number.  The approach which I hope will sort it easily as I go next time will be to jig the thing up and attach the interplane struts first. It should then be obvious which centre section strut goes where. Tell you what though, I'll bump one up the to-do list and this time make a note and pass it on. I'm just finishing up a Roden DH4, then it'll make a nice change of pace. Give me a week or two to get to the appropriate stage.

 

Regards,         Paul.

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On 6/6/2021 at 8:22 AM, Paul Thompson said:

Kent, I don't know of any easy way to tell without actually trying the build. It was a while back and I didn't take note even though I did it twice (which was dumb because I still have a few in the stash I fully intend to build) so can't tell you which strut should have been which number.  The approach which I hope will sort it easily as I go next time will be to jig the thing up and attach the interplane struts first. It should then be obvious which centre section strut goes where. Tell you what though, I'll bump one up the to-do list and this time make a note and pass it on. I'm just finishing up a Roden DH4, then it'll make a nice change of pace. Give me a week or two to get to the appropriate stage.

 

Regards,         Paul.

Paul,

I gratefully await your observations and thanks for amending your to do list!

 

Regards,

Kent

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On 6/5/2021 at 6:08 PM, Kahunaminor said:

Hi Paul,

I have an original edition Profipack Camel and was interested in the mislabelling issue (I assume my kit will be suspect). Is there a tell? Also could you explain the mislabelling and provide corrections please? It will be my second WWI build after an Albatross D.v.

 

Regards,

Kent

Your question piqued my curiosity since I have at least one to do at some point, so I browsed through some online build reviews. Apparently Eduard mislabeled the interplane struts in at least some of their instructions. The forward strut should be shorter than the rear one. This is true as well for the cabane struts, but I couldn't find any reference to those being mislabeled.

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23 minutes ago, Seawinder said:

Your question piqued my curiosity since I have at least one to do at some point, so I browsed through some online build reviews. Apparently Eduard mislabeled the interplane struts in at least some of their instructions. The forward strut should be shorter than the rear one. This is true as well for the cabane struts, but I couldn't find any reference to those being mislabeled.

 

I've been trying to recall exactly where I found the problem, and for the life of me can't pin it down. Now, since I have told anyone who didn't run fast enough about it I suspect some of what comes back to you on the internet is based on what I said. Which is why I said I'd do another, just in case I've done some big-time brainfade and swapped the memory of centre section and interplane strut mis-identification The kit I'm doing is an F.I profipack, and the numbering in the instructions is the same as the other one I kept which wasn't profipack, which suggests they either both have the problem, or I've lost it big-time. Looking carefully at the raw plastic the cabanes look as if they should go where the instructions say. Like I said, I hope to be able to confirm that or otherwise in about a week.

 

Paul.

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41 minutes ago, Paul Thompson said:

 

I've been trying to recall exactly where I found the problem, and for the life of me can't pin it down. Now, since I have told anyone who didn't run fast enough about it I suspect some of what comes back to you on the internet is based on what I said. Which is why I said I'd do another, just in case I've done some big-time brainfade and swapped the memory of centre section and interplane strut mis-identification The kit I'm doing is an F.I profipack, and the numbering in the instructions is the same as the other one I kept which wasn't profipack, which suggests they either both have the problem, or I've lost it big-time. Looking carefully at the raw plastic the cabanes look as if they should go where the instructions say. Like I said, I hope to be able to confirm that or otherwise in about a week.

 

Paul.

The build review I found that mentioned the issue is by Will Hendriks:

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2004/march/aviation/eduard_2f1.php

 

If he is correct, the forward interplane struts should be parts B9, the rear ones B19. I looked through all the available instruction PDFs at the Eduard web site: all of them have this reversed with B19 in front.

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12 minutes ago, Seawinder said:

The build review I found that mentioned the issue is by Will Hendriks:

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2004/march/aviation/eduard_2f1.php

 

If he is correct, the forward interplane struts should be parts B9, the rear ones B19. I looked through all the available instruction PDFs at the Eduard web site: all of them have this reversed with B19 in front.

Will used to be a regular on the wwi modelling page mailing list, and knew his stuff - I've not heard from him for ages. I'd trust what he said, though. The two instruction sheets I have show the same mis-labelling, and it persists in the Revell reboxing.

 

Paul.

Edited by Paul Thompson
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Still going. I had a couple of things needing urgetnt attention so am behind a few days, no suprise. I should follow Scotty's example and double my estimates so as to maintain a reputation as a miracle worker. But the wings will go on tomorrow, after I've finished rigging holes , fuselage decalling and de-spruing, labelling and finishing painting the struts. So realistically I should be able to comment on the instruction labelling by the weekend at the latest.

 

Paul.

 

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     And there's a result - I didn't stick the wing on because I'm awaiting a replacement PE attachment for the windmill generator, (it attaches to one of the cabane struts and will be much easier to get at without the wing in the way). The centre struts are now in place though, and have been tested against the wing in the right position, and both wings are aligned as they should be.  So please disregard anything you've read from me about them being mis-numbered, it is the interplane struts that need reversing, including the Revell reboxing. I was pretty sure the first one I built had them wrong, but there's absolutely no way to prove it now  unless someone from Eduard comes along and says the first printing of the instructions was wrong. If anyone wants a look I'll stick a photo of the thing up once finished - hoping the PE bit arrives tomorrow, which since everything is painted drilled and decalled would allow a fair shot at finishing it by the weekend (after which I'm having a go at the new Roden Spad XIII).

 

   Anyone still slightly dubious, well, the fail safe way to go would be to jig the top wing in place and insert the struts one by one. Nice theory, and works so long as you are meticulous getting the top wing in the right place before any struttery is perpetrated.

 

Paul.

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2 hours ago, Paul Thompson said:

     And there's a result - I didn't stick the wing on because I'm awaiting a replacement PE attachment for the windmill generator, (it attaches to one of the cabane struts and will be much easier to get at without the wing in the way). The centre struts are now in place though, and have been tested against the wing in the right position, and both wings are aligned as they should be.  So please disregard anything you've read from me about them being mis-numbered, it is the interplane struts that need reversing, including the Revell reboxing. I was pretty sure the first one I built had them wrong, but there's absolutely no way to prove it now  unless someone from Eduard comes along and says the first printing of the instructions was wrong. If anyone wants a look I'll stick a photo of the thing up once finished - hoping the PE bit arrives tomorrow, which since everything is painted drilled and decalled would allow a fair shot at finishing it by the weekend (after which I'm having a go at the new Roden Spad XIII).

 

   Anyone still slightly dubious, well, the fail safe way to go would be to jig the top wing in place and insert the struts one by one. Nice theory, and works so long as you are meticulous getting the top wing in the right place before any struttery is perpetrated.

 

Paul.

Thanks for the update, Paul. Am I right in taking the following as the bottom line?

The cabane struts are properly labeled, but the interplane struts are reversed: for both cabanes and interplanes, the forward strut should be shorter than the rear one.

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22 minutes ago, Seawinder said:

 

The cabane struts are properly labeled, but the interplane struts are reversed:for both cabanes and interplanes, the forward strut should be shorter than the rear one.

Coerrect for the interplane struts, struts 19 are a tiny bit longer than 9, and are marked for the front, but should be at the back. The cabanes are harder to measure being angled to meet the top wing and fuselage differently, so I used a vernier caliper to get the total length between the jaws. That means that the effective length is slightly longer on one side than the other, but anyway they're the other way to how you'd expect - the rear struts are a tiny bit shorter. I think you'd be safe enough just following the guide for the cabanes.

 

By the way, I found that although the locating pins are teensy little nubs they are sufficient (just) so long as you carefully remove any paint and the mould parting seam before gluing, and also scrape the fuselage location - a small curved scalpel like a Swann Morton no. 15 makes it less likely to damage the surrounding paintwork.

 

Paul.

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4 hours ago, Paul Thompson said:

Coerrect for the interplane struts, struts 19 are a tiny bit longer than 9, and are marked for the front, but should be at the back. The cabanes are harder to measure being angled to meet the top wing and fuselage differently, so I used a vernier caliper to get the total length between the jaws. That means that the effective length is slightly longer on one side than the other, but anyway they're the other way to how you'd expect - the rear struts are a tiny bit shorter. I think you'd be safe enough just following the guide for the cabanes.

 

By the way, I found that although the locating pins are teensy little nubs they are sufficient (just) so long as you carefully remove any paint and the mould parting seam before gluing, and also scrape the fuselage location - a small curved scalpel like a Swann Morton no. 15 makes it less likely to damage the surrounding paintwork.

 

Paul.

Thanks for the clarification. What do you think about slightly deepening the holes for the struts' locating pins/nubs?

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4 minutes ago, Seawinder said:

Thanks for the clarification. What do you think about slightly deepening the holes for the struts' locating pins/nubs?

Can't hurt. It's what I've done anyway. And I use polystyrene cement (Revell Contacta in this particular case) to ensure a decent bond. I used a tiny amount of CA after I was sure the cabanes had cured at the right angle for a bit of additional stiffening. I'd prefer to drill out struts and wings to take a decent sized wire peg, but these struts are too thin for my eyesight and co-ordination these days, and as I said it just about works okay (at least the previous couple haven't come apart yet).

 

Paul.

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And an addendum - top wing glued on to the cabanes, this time I measured the interplane struts, and interplane B19 (which we'd decided should be at the rear) are actually a tad (or to use the more technical term a smidgin) shorter than struts B9 - and for them all to reach between the wings the lowers need bending up between 1 and 2 mm measuredat the tip, or the top wing will adopt an anhedral. Out of interest I pulled out some Blue Max instructions, and for both F1 and 2F1 versions the front and back of both cabanes and interplanes struts are supposed to match, i.e. the rear are not longer. Unfortunately I don't have a real Camel handy to measure to check this out, but measuring the dihedral and wing gap as given in the Windsock Datafile, I'm right about the lower wings. Pity I've got the top wing on already because bending the lower now is non-trivial. But I should have caught it earlier when testing the cabanes. I was holding everything together with my left hand after the cabanes had set solid and must have bent one wing or the other while testing the interplane struts without noticeing. It might be that mine has flattened out in storage, can't tell now.

 

In the spirit of the original question, don't pick one of these for your very first WW1 aircraft model. Maybe 3rd or 4th.

 

Pedantic note: I keep saying cabane struts because everyone does, but they're not, they're centre section struts. Really a cabane is a trestle structure like you got on the early German two-seaters and Albatros D.1.

 

Paul.

Edited by Paul Thompson
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