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Sopwith Camel


BillF67

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Revell I think. for a cheap one

Roden I think for the bestest

The old Airfix one is a 2F1, the Navalised version but I think it needs too much work to make it decent

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Struts on the Revell Camel are all too long, but until the Roden kit came along it was a good starting point and builds fairly easily. The Roden kits are much, much better but being linited run also harder to build. If you go the Revell route try to get an earlier boxing second hand because the mould has been clapped out for at least 20 years. There are many ways to improve it. If you want a crack at it then there was a good article bay Ray Rimell in his aircraft of the RAF Museum (i.e. Hendon) series in Scale Models, late '70s. I can look it up and scan it if you like. If, however, you've done a few limited run kits and a few biplanes already  I'd recommend one of the Roden kits, and if you wasnt a navalised Camel their kit is the only sane starting point, the Airfix one being sub-optimal on all fronts. Limited run in this sense isn't too bad, moulding is crisp, plastic not too brittle, and fit fairly good. You're also left with quite a few spares once done, enough so in fact that I once used up a bunch of leftovers to spruce up a Revell Camel. The Roden F1 Camel was also the only Roden kit I've built where the decals were good.

 

AFAIK there are only 3 other 1/72nd kits except for various resins based on the Revell kit, and they are one by KeilKraft (which I have somewhere but thought fairly crude and can't currently find anyway) and the 5 or 6 different companies issues of the Academy kit. Some people like the latter, many more consider it a waste of plastic. As a kit it builds okay, but being a 90% unlicensed rip-off of the Revell kit, with  a shallow box instead of the cockpit, others (me included) think it a waste of plastic.  Names this kit appears under include Fuji, Esci, Entex and Eldon Match. Don't be fooled by Scalemates who say its a 1985 new tool, it hails originally from Eldon Match in 1968. The one good thing you can say about it is that the struts are closer to the right length. But they're awful and best replaced anyway. As are the wheels, prop and engine.

 

The 3rd kit is the mostly PE stripdown kit from Eduard. Looks nice when done, but the word 'easy' can in no way be applied to the construction process.

 

 

Paul.

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Who would have thought it could be so hard? As always, amazed at the depth of knowledge!

 

I now know I want a 1F1 for my 17Sqn collection. 

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7 minutes ago, BillF67 said:

Who would have thought it could be so hard? As always, amazed at the depth of knowledge!

 

I now know I want a 1F1 for my 17Sqn collection. 

No such beast I'm afraid. Your choice for standard fighters is 2F1 (navalised) or F1 (the one people usually expect when they order a Camel). As opposed to 2 seat trainers, two versions of trench fighter, one-off taper-wing, and a few Comic (nightfighter) variants. Oh, and whatever Snoopy flew.

 

Paul.

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Roden it is, then. Thanks everyone for advice. Out of interest, I think that the a/c illustrated on the Roden Camel trainer has the Serial of a Snipe?

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Checking, this is the only one I've never had, but looking at the one on the back of the box, E9968, this is listed in the Air Britain Camel book as a 2 seater conversion. If you can tell me what the other serials are I'll check them out.

 

Paul.

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