separate, which makes the fitting
a lot easier than usual; each
wing simply slots into the centre
section, which holds the wing in
place while you can take your time
fitting the struts into position.
The fit is perfect as long as
you make sure there is no paint
in the holes or on the strut ends.
Once complete, the loose ends
of the rigging can be threaded
through and the previously
applied Bob’s Buckles tensioned.
Now technically, being a late-
war aircraft it should have the
RAF streamlined (flat) rigging. I
haven’t tried to recreate this effect
as I have yet to see an example
of it on a model that looks right.
I’m not a fan of flat EZ line and I
find that photo-etch just doesn’t
give the tension required.
I have tried photo-etch rigging
before, on a 1/48 scale Tamiya
Swordfish (Tamiya do a separate
PE set for the model), and I was
ultimately disappointed with the
end result; if there is any flexing of
the wing, the etched rigging bows
and bends. Besides, monofilament
and buckles actually work as
real rigging does, by adding a
lot of strength to the structure.
So for me personally, I’m quite
happy to forego flat rigging.
This concluded the model
with just a few finishing touches- a little dab of pigment here
and there to represent dust and
soot, a folded paper map for the
cockpit (printed off the Internet),
a round of photography for
this article, and I was done.
CONCLUSION
There’s really not much to say about
Wingnut’s kits that has not already
been said. They are always of the
highest standards in all respects; the
quality just oozes out of the box.
The fit is excellent, although I must
concede that I struggled to get theengine to pop into place, it may be
that was just me! The jury’s still out
on my marbling. I’m not convinced
it’s strictly necessary for World War
One-era aircraft, but it does at least
give the model some interest.
I think in hindsight, the flat finish is
a little too flat. Next time I would try
a 50/50 mix with the flat sheen. But
again, this all comes down to personal
preference. A study of period
photos shows the machines were afairly high gloss when new, rapidly
deteriorating towards matt as they
were weathered by the elements.
I do understand that rigging may
put off some modelers, but it really
isn’t that hard, and as I have said can
be very therapeutic. However, as I
write this, Wingnut have just released
a late-war Junkers D.1 monoplane.
Some may think this an odd choice,
as there were only a handful made
and it saw little action, but it maywell be a great introduction to this
amazing brand, as it will be a simple
build with a conventional lower
wing and no struts or rigging.
This would be a fantastic way
to dip your toe into the wonderful
world of Wingnut Wings and my build
of this kit will feature appear later
this year – although I warn you that
you may well become a Wingnuts
addict along with the rest of us!
I would like to thank Richard
Alexander of Wingnut Wings for
supplying the kit for me to build.
If you have any interest in World
War One aircraft, their website is
almost an encyclopedia of useful
reference photos and how-to guides,
as well as showing the full range
of kits: http://www.wingnutwings.com.“THIS WOULD BE A FANTASTIC WAY TO
DIP YOUR TOE INTO THE WONDERFUL
WORLD OF WINGNUT WINGS”
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