5x SPADs and a Nieuport 17 - finished

[AdrianMF]

The Nieuport decals are slightly out of register. This really shows up on the dragon:

 

So this afternoon while I was in a fiddling frame of mind I bit the bullet and touched up to remove the white outline:

 

Much better!

[Brandy]

Very brave. Worked out nicely though!

 

Ian

[Marklo]

Looking really good. Maybe during the summer I’ll dust off some of the many WWI kits from the stash. I think I have at least one of every fighter type used  and I know I have at least three albatrosses (Albatri),  three Camels and I think two Nieuports (if I built a Nieuport I’ll scratch build a Siemens Shuckert DIII along side it, it’ll be a bit like my TF1/TF2 build over in the bomber GB)

Edited February 26, 2022 by Marklo

[opus999]

Good save on the dragon!  I don't know if I would've had the courage to try that.

[AdrianMF]

A while later…

 

Just coming off my third and last Matchbox 50th GB build and back to the Nieuport. Ah, rigging, my favourite:

 

The contrast between Eduard and Matchbox is quite shocking, really. Matchbox kits are simple, robust and engineered to assemble well (in the main), and, if you want, you can add more detail if you feel so inclined. Eduard kits, on the other hand, require massive amounts of precision just to assemble the kit out of the box. I’ve spent more time sweating over the basic wing assembly and all the teeny-tiny struts than I did over all three of my Matchbox builds, including all the extra detailing and figures!

 

Still, the end result looks good (if you have very sharp eyesight:

 

I guess it’s horses for courses, and at 17 quid for two each one is under a tenner!

 

Just the prop and rudder (and its rigging) to go and this one’s done.

[StephenCJ]

Brilliant modelling Adrian.  Love em all

 

Stephen

[AdrianMF]

After a surprisingly short to-do list, it’s

finished:

RFI, with some more pictures, is here.

 

I’m going to declare this thread closed now because I’ve got too many other projects on the go. The remaining Nieuport 17 in the box (with some of @Terry1954’s Italian decals) will make an appearance soon after I’ve cleared the Shelf of Shame a bit and once again fancy a challenging but nearly perfect kit!

 

Thanks for playing along,

Adrian

[AliGauld]

Definitely a corker.

Great kits and a thoroughly entertaining thread.

Thanks very much for allowing us to join in.

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair 

 

[Terry1954]

Another little gem Adrian, nice one!

 

Will watch out for the Italian Nieuport.

 

Terry

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Excellent models here ! Before you finish the thread Adrian - I might have missed this but what do you use for rigging??🙂

Colin

[AdrianMF]

15 hours ago, AliGauld said:

Definitely a corker.

Great kits and a thoroughly entertaining thread.

Glad you enjoyed it! 
 

14 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

Will watch out for the Italian Nieuport.

I just snagged another Nieuport combo from Kingkit so there may be more than one…

 

1 hour ago, ColinChipmunkfan said:

what do you use for rigging?

This one was done with Uschi elastic thread and tiny(ish) blobs of thick CA. I also used EZLine on the SPADs. I also use invisible mending thread and drilled holes if it’s going to be silver rigging, but I haven’t for a while.

[Brandy]

Lovely result there.

I must admit I'm loath to use any elastic rigging material as I've seen what happens to old elastic in rubber bands and old socks. It just perishes and snaps.

I'll stick with fishing line myself.

 

Ian

[AdrianMF]

8 hours ago, Brandy said:

loath to use any elastic rigging material

I dunno. It’s so much easier than fishing line, and if it lasts twenty years it will do me.

 

Now, how old are your socks?

 

Regards,

Adrian

[The Spadgent]

I missed the final post but caught up after a re read this morning. Lovely to meet you and your daughter yesterday at Telford. I’m so glad you talked me out of the Airfix kit and I opted for the revell. It’s a lovely little kit and might be my next build.  I have this thread pinned as my guide as the instructions are a bit. 🤔🤣

All the best.

 

Johnny. 
 

ps. The nieuport 17 looks ace!!!!

[RichieW]

  Nice to catch up with this thread after an extended break from all things modelling. Great save on the dragon decal, the Nieuport looks stunning.

 

  I must admit to being conflicted re the elastic thread v fishing line thing for rigging. I've used both in the past with varying degrees of success. Have been contemplating trying tinned copper wire but there must be a very good reason why most people don't bother with it!

 

Richie

[AdrianMF]

28 minutes ago, RichieW said:

tinned copper wire

I’ve tried it and it’s a bit soft, so it always ends up looking a bit kinked after the slightest touch or stress.

 

I’ve used stretched sprue where I’ve only needed a couple of lines, and although it’s quite delicate (which is why I wouldn’t use it for a full set of rigging), it does tighten up like magic with a gentle application of a hair dryer. That’s also when you find out if the ends are stuck down tightly.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Paul Thompson]

13 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

I’ve tried it and it’s a bit soft, so it always ends up looking a bit kinked after the slightest touch or stress.

 

I’ve used stretched sprue where I’ve only needed a couple of lines, and although it’s quite delicate (which is why I wouldn’t use it for a full set of rigging), it does tighten up like magic with a gentle application of a hair dryer. That’s also when you find out if the ends are stuck down tightly.

 

Regards,

Adrian

Take a 2 foot length of copper wire and stretch until you suddenly meet a little increased resistance, which is the metal meeting it's elastic limit. Then measure, cut and stick as you normally would. You'll find it a little more resilient to kinking. For those just at Telford, one of the DH5 models I had on the GWSIG table was rigged with this stuff, from a very old roll of armature wire which had weathered naturally to a steel grey colour. The other DH5s were rigged with 0.2 and 0.1 mm Albion Alloys wire, and the copper looks much the same size (although really a tiny bit thicker), but more importantly it needed no additional treatment to stop it from being too bright (the Albion Alloy stuff needs a matt coat, really).  Works for me, anyway, although for larger models I prefer elastic thread or where it needs to be structural, then monofilament.

 

Paul.