Hey all!
I’m looking to do a biplane. . . never done one before but the idea of all that rigging and wires appeals to me.
I’m after suggestions. My requirements are that it’s a good detailed model which fits well, preferably a metal-finished nose (like the Hawker Hart), and beautiful looking. [edit: I like 1/32 mostly].
If you can link to appealing photos that would be nice too.
1/32? Biplanes? WW1? You can’t do any better than Wingnut Wings kits. Check out their site (http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/) which includes build ups of all their kits as well as loads of reference material on each aircraft. They are superb kits.
You mentioned the Hawker Hart. I’m not aware of any between-the-wars RAF subjects in 1/32 scale, other than expensive resin kits. Hasegawa produced some 1930s Boeing biplanes in this scale (nice and colourful). They’re older 70s kits but still build well.
There are some other 1/32 WW1 subjects from smaller producers like Roden and Special Hobby, a Google search should throw out some possibilities.
Try Wingnut Wings. They have a great online catalog with extensive information on each of their kits including the entire instruction book (typically in color). I’ve built two and loved both. The fit and detail are excellent. Shipping from New Zealand takes about two weeks.
Thank you both. I have stumbled across the wingnuts kits previously, but I was after some testimonials, so thanks!! I’ve never built a resin kit before but willing to give it a shot 
. I think they do a Hawker Hart .
Cheers again.
Tom
Hi Tom, there are resin 1/32 kits of the Hawker Hart, the Hawker Demon, Fiat CR.32 and several other biplane subjects produced by *Silver Wings (*http://www.silverwings.pl/scale-132-ii.html).
I’ve never personally seen any of their kits, but there’s a fairly comprehensive review of the Hart kit on Aeroscale (http://www.aeroscale.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=features&file=view&artid=4041)
The Fokker triplane and the Junker biplane of WW1 both feature very little rigging. The Tripe is an especially good model to start with. There are some excellent kits available, including the old R/M 1:28 scale one.
Testimonials for Wingnut Wings kits abound online. If you find a bad testimonial I would venture to say you must question every word that comes out of that persons mouth for the rest of their life. [;)] I’ve done 6, 3 personal and 3 commission, and have more in the stash. I would buid 1 or 2 of these, to get the hang of how the WWI birds got together, before tackling the all resin kits.
The silver wings look great, but I won’t buy from anyone who won’t give me a price up front.
That’s a good point, I hadn’t noticed the lack of pricing on their site. Looks like you have to go through the whole ordering process before finding out the cost 
As an intro to WW1, I would stick with plastic. Any resin kit I’ve ever built of that era needs a lot of scratchbuilding. Even if the manufacturer bless them supplies you with all of the struts, they are seldom usable at all, require lots of clean up and never seem crisp.
Replacing all of that stuff is straightforward, but frustrating if not anticipated.
WnW are the class of the bunch, for sure. However they are very expensive. My own opinion is that I’ll build one some day when I feel up to it, but I’m not that good.
Roden makes all kinds of plastic WW1 models. I’d build through a number of those.
My two cents – if you want a biplane in 1/32, go with Wingnut Wings or Roden. I’ve built 3 Roden kits and 15 Wingnut kits. If you’re okay with the cost, hands down go with Wingnuts. Actually, the Roden kits are often not that much cheaper (~$10 – 15 U.S.?). In general, Roden decals are hard to work with. I’ve heard using a hot air dryer instead of setting solution may help. They do nice work – their Spads and DH.2 come to mind – but I’d still vote for Wingnuts. They’re the “Tamiya of WW1”
As for the ‘tween wars stuff, the old Hasegawa kits are decent, and there are some aftermarket details and decals still available for them. The Silver Wings kits are very nice – haven’t built mine yet – and are definitely expensive. There are some US shops that carry Silver Wings, so it may pay to poke around. For what it’s worth, I’ve ordered direct from them and gotten great service.
Hope that Helps! Looking forward to seeing some pictures show up at some point…bipes are a blast!
Thanks again all, this has been really useful.
I think I will go with the Wingnut Wings Sopwith Snipe - such a cool looking little plane!!
It is one of their less expensive models and will come up beautifully.
Take a look at Bob’s Buckles. He makes tiny 1/32 turnbuckles for the rigging that look awesome on WWI warbirds. Not real expensive either.
While I’m doing my preliminary thinking about this, what material is used for the rigging? On good models, it doesn’t look like cotton, but it’s very fine.
I’ve tried to stretch sprues in the past and I’ve found it very difficult, but I could have a bad technique. . .
For your first try, I’d recommend using a product called EZ Line. Check the web for sources. It can be used with Bob’s Buckles - they’re great, and he’s a good guy to deal with.
There’s a bunch of good people here on this site that do a great job with rigging and other WW1 techniques - just ask. Also, I’d recommend a visit to ww1aircraftmodels.com for a great source of techniques and wonderful built models. Good luck and have fun!
There were some bi-planes in WW2.
EZ Line is available from Wingnut Wings:-
No, it’s a whole lot harder than it looks. One major factor is the plastic. When you do find one that works, cache it man.
EZ line is great stuff. Some CA glues melt it though, so experiment first.
Yep. Did the rigging on this one with brass wire, the kind you get in 9" straight lengths.
Ah thanks for the info. Actually I got it a little cheaper than that on e-bay (just ordered some).