i want to build and wire a biplane. is there a good 1/48th scale for a first time? i like the looks of the vickers gun bus....
- posted
20 years ago
i want to build and wire a biplane. is there a good 1/48th scale for a first time? i like the looks of the vickers gun bus....
That's a tough question. I would suggest Aires's Swallow. Its a model of a Japanese trainer biplane. It comes with pre cut wires and the wings and fuselage are marked where to place them. Good visual instructions( the written is all Japanese). Orange styrene is kind of goofy but the price is affordable and the finished product looks good. It sort of reminds me of a Japanese version of the Stearman trainer. Not exactly Tamiya quality but its sure isn't SMER either :-) Mike IPMS
thanks, i can do that one.
Eduard kits of the Siemens Suckert (spelling may be off a bit), Roland CII or the latest release of the Albatros DV, all very good kits with minimal rigging. Also the DML Fokker triplane, good kit, needs tail weight (really, the instructions tell you to add tail weight and you do need a little) and again minimal rigging. Eduard's brass PE for the gun jackets can be annealed and rolled easily, forget trying it on the DML stainless PE (get a set of Tom's brass PE for the guns). Aeromaster/Eagle Strike has some great decals available for all of them as well.
BTW- the Eduard profi-pack kits are worth the extra m>
cool, thanks
Dragon or Eduard Fokker D VII. Best fighter of the war, delirious color schemes and almost no rigging.
thanks but i want to learn rigging. i did the 1/72 walrus and it wasn't so bad.
In article , e writes
Years ago I built a 1/48 Hawker Fury (probably Airfix), I didn't rig it and it was a long time ago, but I enjoyed it enormously. I've got a couple of 1/72 Swordfish with which I might have a go at 'basic' rigging.
My first biplane with rigging was the Airfix Bulldog. Nice kit and the rigging was not too complex.
CB
My first and so far, only, rigged model was the old Aurora Fokker Eindekker. It really looked naked without.
Bill Banaszak, MFE
the walrus wasn't so hard. think i'll try the gunbus.
Yeah, I did a 1/72nd Walrus( can't recall if it was Matchbox or Airfix?) but yes it was a simple rig up just using the box top as a reference. Tell me how you come out on the airbus. Mike IPMS
it will be a while, i have to find a 1/48 first. if anyone makes one.
I don't think there is a mainstream 1/48 scale kit of the gunbus, in fact the only one I'm aware of is the Pegasus 1/72 scale offering.
If you want to try a decent WW1 subject, and don't want to risk a lot of $$, I'd suggest starting with the Testors 1/48 scale Nieuport. (I know it used to be listed on WW1 mailing list site as a recommended kit for people new to WW1 modeling.)
If you have a Michael's Arts and Crafts store intown, you can use one of their 40% off coupons and pick up this kit for about $4, IIRC.
HTH,
-Bill
they have the same p51, p40 and crappy cars as walmart. anything good is 100 miles away. bah. but thanks for the info.
If you don't mind a 1930's plane, Accurate Miniatures's F3F-1 and F3F-2 are really nice kits with photo-etch for the rigging wires. It's still relatively easy to find one or both kits. Pip Moss I used to feel cheap 'cause I had no signature.
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If you are going to tackle the Lindberg kit, you might want to hit Squadron Mail Order for one of their new resin cockpit sets for a Gladiator Mk.II/Sea Gladiator. The cockpit is the one weak point in the old Inpact/Lifelike/Lindberg kit. The new Squadron-True Details cockpit set is made for the new Roden kit but I would bet it can be shoehorned into the Lindberg as well. I have bought one and am going to try it.
Bill Shuey
i will, thanks, bill.
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