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Kit: n/a (1:48)
Many years ago I got fed up with spending my work lunchtimes mooching about and decided I could find something useful to do in my lunch hour. The next day I took a pile of plasticard, plastic rods and other standard modeling equipment in to the office and began work on this BE2c. I had little in the way of references other than Ian Stairs plans to work from and the little I could scratch from the internet so I'm sure anybody in the know could pick it full of holes. It took about about a year to build, and still sits on the window sill in my office. Of course it's now got some company (a Bleriot, Spad, Albatros & Avro to name but a few) but it is still the model that gets commented on most frequently.
Kit: ? (1:72)
This model of BE2e no.7086, 52 Sqn RFC, Spring 1917, was my first attempt at a Resin kit some years ago.I do not know who the original manufacturer of the kit is as I bought a pair of BE2e kits packed in an unmarked and instructionless box for a bargain price. The upper wing and tail were scratchbuilt from plasticard as the original parts were badly warped and I was not aware that this could be fixed with hot water at the time. The decals came from my spares box. In hindsight I think there should be a white diamond or zigzag on the fuselage stringers. The second kit of the pair is yet to be built. I always planned to convert it to a BE2c or d.
Kit: Eduard (1:72)
This is an old model of the venerable Eduard 1/72 Sopwith Baby, serial no.8165. This was one of my earliest attempts at creating a wood grain which failed dismally. The lewis gun was a spare from one of the old Toko kits and the propeller was hand carved from wood. The kits headrest was removed as a photo of 8165 suggested that no headrest was present on the original machine. Maybe one day I'll repaint the floats with a better simulated woodgrain effect.
Kit: Roden (1:72)
This was my first attempt at the Roden Camel. Built out of the box, with the exception of replacments for the undersized interplane struts, in the Colours of presentation aircraft no.7149 of Turnhouse Naval School.
Kit: Kayara (1:72)
Kayara 1/72 scale Fairey Campania, N2363, once again built out of the box.
This is the standard non-profipack version of Eduard 'little' DH2. It was built alsmost completely out of the box with the exception of the scratch built wicker chair. This DH2 represents no.7851 of no.32 Squadron.
Kit: CMR (1:72)
This is the very nice upgraded Dolphin kit from CMR, built as C4131, 79 sqn. The kit was built out of the box using the kit decals.
Kit: Chorozy Modelbud (1:72)
Chorozy Modelbud 1/72 scale F5L. Ok not strictly WW1 but close enough to be of interest. A full build article of this model can be found in Vol12 / Iss 5 (May06) of SAMI and also Vol 35 no.415 (Oct05) of SMI.
This is the Roden 1/72 SE5a kit built in the post war colours of no.320 (ex RAF F7783)which was part of an imperial gift to the South African Air force. I originally began building this model in standard PC10 wartime colours but had all sorts of nasty problems with the kit decals. After a long period of the unfinished model being abandoned and avoided the PC10 was eventually stripped way and refinished in silver dope. Decals came from my spares box.
Kit: Aeroclub (1:72)
Aeroclub 1/72 scale Short 184, no. 842 which I'm sure needs no introduction. Built by Short bros. First aircraft to torpedo an enemy vessel..blah...blah...blah. 'Built out of the box', with the usual scratchbuilt enhancements
This is my model of the Roden Camel trench fighter kit. The figures (Dick and Dom) came from a box of polythene WW1 pilots and aircrew, I'm not sure of the manufacturer. The muddy grass effect was made with milliput and acrylic paints.
This is the Roden Albatros D.III finished in the colours of Lt.Werner Voss, Jasta 2 - 1917. Built straight out of the box with the exception of the decals which had to be sourced due to the major problems with the original kit decals
CMR 1/72 scale Hansa Brandenburg W.12/V with the long fuselage no.2108 from an unidentified unit, North Sea, 1918. Built out of the box with just the addition of an Aeroclub Parabellum MG.
Kit: Choroszy Modelbud (1:72)
This is a nice little kit of the late WW1 Austro Hungarian 2 seater, built out of the box. The C.1 continued to fly for many years after the war in the Swedish Airforce where it was known as a 'Dront'. As I understand it this was a not a very complementary nickname.
This is the Roden kit built out of the box using the kit lozenge and markings. This is certainly the biggest model in terms of size I've ever attempted and I was very pleased with the finished result.
I'm sure this machine needs no introduction as being Lt.Friedrich Kempfs machine, 213/17 of Jasta Boelcke. This was the Eduard profipack built from the box with kit decals.