Four WWI Aircraft

[tcoat]

I wanted to do a small display of aircraft that use each of the guns from my gun display ( modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/thread/15556/breaking-out-big-guns?page=2 ) but didn't want the aircraft to overshadow the guns so decided to go 1/72.

Managed to pick up one for each gun cheap at a show. Two are unbuilt but older, one is mostly built bit all there and the last is built but damaged and a couple of parts are missing




Although I new they would be small I had no idea that these things would be as small as they are! I am going way outside my comfort level on these and hope I can pull them off. 

First up is the "newest" kit issued in 2009 in a box big enough to hold 10 sprues of the parts.  It is the Albatross DVa that used the Spandau guns.


 

Little tiny parts but at least not a lot of them.




As far as I can tell this kit dates back to 1956 and by the injector marks and the obvious attempts to repair the molds show it.






Should be able to follow instructions OK. They are clearly laid out on page 4 of 6.





Decals are modern and look good. I will be doing Richthofen's plane using the cross pattée markings leaving the balkenkreuz which could come in handy if the decals in my other German plane are toast.

[handiabled]

Cool idea to compliment the gun display you built. I'm looking forward to seeing what magic you do with these

[lyle]

Great idea!

[tcoat]

Basic assembly for the DVa is done.

The locater holes were a little large and some of the seams a bit wide. These were filled with some Testors clear parts cement and called good enough once under paint. Injector marks scraped down as much as possible and remaining depressions also filled with clear parts cement. Not even going to attempt putty on these small parts and the areas are pretty hidden between the wings anyway.

[tcoat]

Since these will all be primed at the same time I will move onto building the next one.

Another old Airfix. This is the 1988 boxing of the 1957 molds. Like the DVa they really show their age with even more flash and injector marks. This one will represent the Lewis gun.



All there which is a miracle with the battered condition of the end opening box.



Decals look OK but I will give them a coat of Dullcoat before trying to use them



This time instructions are page one of one!

[dupes]

1956!! That's a pretty ancient tooling. Has nobody done newer biplanes in 1/72nd (I'm only familiar with 48 and 32)?

[tcoat]

Mar 31, 2024 17:05:36 GMT -5 dupes said:

1956!! That's a pretty ancient tooling. Has nobody done newer biplanes in 1/72nd (I'm only familiar with 48 and 32)?

Probably loads of newer ones out there but these were simple, cheap, on hand and served my planned purpose as a companion piece nicely. They are actually surprisingly nice once you get them cleaned up.

[buddho]

Boy...these take me back! I'd spit them out and they sure looked like I spit them out. Lol

[tcoat]

OK F.2b is built. Went together fine. The injector marks were more raised than sunken so a bit easier to clean up. A little extra thin brushed on to blend in with the molded texture and they should look fine.

[tcoat]

And now, representing the Vickers gun we have an old Revell Spad. This one is the original first issue kit from 1963. It was already mostly built or it would not have been $5 since there is certainly collectable value to it. I bet that stand alone has some value to somebody.

Bought it already all built except wheels and rudder. Can tell the molds were new as the parts are very crisp. Build quality is not bad with no glue or serious misplacements but some edges and seams do need a minutes worth of touch up. Not going to try to disassemble since it is very well secured.






Decals look OK but I will scan them before using just in case.



Instructions down to half a page.

[kyledehart5]

Oh man. Too cool. Some nifty old kits and a great idea to display them with the guns. Love it.

[jeaton01]

I built just about all of the Revell WW I 1/72 kits in the 50's and 60's and still have a few of them.

[tcoat]

Mar 31, 2024 23:17:46 GMT -5 jeaton01 said:

I built just about all of the Revell WW I 1/72 kits in the 50's and 60's and still have a few of them.

Although I didn't get to build the Revell one it appears that the engineering of it would have been far better for kids to build. Considering that was the target market back in the fifties and early sixties when these things came out. I really can't picture a 10 year old trying to put all those separate struts in place on the Airfix kits. Maybe British kids were just more coordinated? 

[handiabled]

You are moving right along with these. Are you planning on putting the rigging on them also?

[tcoat]

Apr 1, 2024 9:14:56 GMT -5 handiabled said:

You are moving right along with these. Are you planning on putting the rigging on them also?

I will be doing basic rigging. Enough to know it is there but not going to attempt every single wire. Not in that scale!

[tcoat]

Last in line is the Airfix Hannover CL111A representing the Parabellum gun.

This is the original 1967 bagged first issue.




This one was rather sloppily built and is missing a couple of pieces, including ironically enough, the Parabellum gun. These things can be scratched up without a lot of pain though. Overall the detail is much better than the kits that are only 10 years older.




I managed to get a few parts off. The figures are actually pretty nice for the scale and era.




The good news is that since it is a first run kit the injector pin marks are almost invisible.




I have zero confidence that the decals will be usable at all since they are crispy. Luckily I have the set from he Albatross second option that will do the job.






Instructions are again a half sheet that just fold out from the bag header.





This one is going to take more work than the rest but I got it for $3 because of the missing parts and there was no other kit to represent the Parabellum at the show so I consider it a win.

[kyledehart5]

Nice. Love this entire project. That’s a cool old kit.

[tcoat]

Bit of sheet, some strips, a good spackling with a liberal coat of extra thin and a really thick coat of paint and the Hanover now has a passible tail.

What it had.



What it has.

[TJ]

Nice save on the tail

[lyle]

Great recovery on the tail! Just a nifty project.

[handiabled]

That scratched tail looks fantastic!

[tcoat]

Thanks guys the tail was pretty easy actually.

Either Airfix really struggled with 1/72 scale between 1956 and 1967 or Richthofen was only 10 years old in 1917!




The British crew is someplace in between. When compared to the '50s figures the Hannover rear gunner is about 7 feet tall and weighs around 400 pound. Did Andre the Giant have WW1 service?

[tcoat]

Everything primed with Tamiya deck tan. This will also serve as most of the doped linen colour on all of them.



Base colours on the Spad. Hand painted with a mix of enamels and acrylics all depending on what each colour was made from with no other rhyme nor reason. Streaks and blotches are deliberate and will come into play once weathered.

[kyledehart5]

Really great progress! That’s looking awesome.

[handiabled]

This should be a colorful display when you finish painting them all. The difference in pilot sizes is really surprising

[tcoat]

Spad is decaled. The 60 year old decals "worked" with a bit of a battle. The top wing #1 exploded and I had to make a new one. Not as yellowed as the old decals but weathered up it is fine. The roundels all had loads of white cracks in the red (but not the blue) so I filled the red in with a marker. Stands out in the pictures but can't see it in person. Keep in mid just how tiny these are and that the pictures have magnified them about 20 times. All will be toned down greatly when it get's flat coated.

[aaronw]

Nice to see these getting built up. Neat idea to display with the guns, and a nice selection. I hope these ancient kits don't scare you off of WW1 aircraft. Kits have come a long way from these, but the old kits can be made to look decent as you are showing.

[tcoat]

Apr 9, 2024 22:51:16 GMT -5 aaronw said:

Nice to see these getting built up. Neat idea to display with the guns, and a nice selection. I hope these ancient kits don't scare you off of WW1 aircraft. Kits have come a long way from these, but the old kits can be made to look decent as you are showing.

Oh I have done many biplanes but they were all later (Walrus, Swordfish, Tigermoth, etc.)  and in 1/48. This will be my only foray into 1/72 WW1 aircraft anyway as it just isn't a scale or subject that grabs me.

modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/thread/14145/airfix-1-48-odd-duck 

I LOVE ancient kits and actually prefer them over newer more complex kits but part of the problems I run into with them are self inflicted due to my obsession with using only what comes in the box.

In the case of the Spad it was already fully assembled so I couldn't do the painting in sub assemblies like I normally would and that complicated things a bit. I knew going into it that the decals would be an issue since they were pretty dried out but I managed to save them. I actually am ahead a bit by building these ancient kits because they are pretty much still reissued now but the molds are showing wear while these are mostly still pretty crisp. I would be very upset to buy a new reissue for the $20+ they sell for here to find 8 parts with about 2 cents worth of plastic and injector marks passing almost through the wings!

[handiabled]

I inherited a few old kits like that, 7 pieces at the most all floating in a box flash and all. Are you making something to display both the gun rack and aircraft together?

[tcoat]

Apr 10, 2024 8:37:15 GMT -5 handiabled said:

I inherited a few old kits like that, 7 pieces at the most all floating in a box flash and all. Are you making something to display both the gun rack and aircraft together?

Yes they will be displayed together somehow. Going have to try a couple things out.

Not sure just how yet but will figure that out. I am thinking placing the guns on a cradle attached to a dowel above and behind the plane on individual bases. 

Or...

Using the existing stand mounted on a half round plaque with the planes in front labeled as to what gun they used.