What is the best quality, yet affordable Wright Flyer model kit? Any thoughts on the “recent” Revell release?
The Revell kit is a reissue of a very old Monogram kit. While it is reasonably accurate it has areas that are a bit over scale to make it easier to build. It is the only available kit other than collector items. It is a bit bigger than 1/48. Build it for fun while you are looking for another option. Years ago Tonka made a 1/48 scale Wright Flyer which looks more refined, but it will be very hard to find. I will not let mine go. There were many wood kits released around the 2003 centennial of the first flight that were not so expensive. The Model Expo is quite expensive, but it looks very good to me, the best model of the Flyer I have seen.
I’ve only built the Monogram Flyer and I’m not aware of any other injection-molded versions in any scale… So it’s naturally the best one that I’ve ever built…[:D]
Here’s a review that mentions a couple other kits though…
http://www.modelingmadness.com/reviews/w1/michaelsflyerpreview.htm
If you wanted to go bigger, you could build the 1/16 Model Airways kit.
Here’s a few pictures of mine that I finished a few months ago.
Good luck
Wow. Beautiful work, Lancair IV.
One day, I think I’m going to throw together a quick scratchbuild of the Wright Flyer in 1/72. I have the Revell kit, which should help to base things off of and with rigging. Besides, it’d be nice to have a least one “bookend” to my collection, in the same scale as everything else.
Just a thought.
Thre was once a (roughly) 1/72nd kit I think it was early Renwal, Whoever it was had several early(preWW1) birds and they were packaged in pairs I think the flyer was with the Bleorit channel flyer. They show up on epay ever so often and go for outrageous sums!
Good Huntinig, G.W.