Since I am amongst the many fans of the famous triplane, I was very interested in the review article in FSM mag.
Honestly, I thought the author was too nice about their Spad with its minimal detail, but after seeing that terrible job HC did for the Dr-1’s wing fabric, I am glad I “held out” instead of jumping at the one I saw on my LHS’s shelf the other day!
Actually, from what I have seen of the author’s recommended Roden product as reviewed elsewhere, I still believe the best buy for the larger scale is the old 1/28th scale Revell kit. There is not a vast difference between 1/28 and 1/32, and if you want to do a diorama photo-op, you can just put the larger subject in the background.
On odd thing, though, is for all the trouble the author went through, appearantly did no rigging that I can discern, and for the minimal rigging the Dr-1 had, I frankly don’t get it, especially at 1/32 scale. [%-)]
Of course, that is a nice feature of the old Revell kit, is the split wing halves, where you can rig the upper wing lower half before installing the upper half.
Tom T [C):-)]
I am totally with you here. The treatment that they gave to those wing ribs is atrocious. It makes the kit look like a toy rather than a replica. I can see myself with gobs of putty blending them in to appear as they were under fabric. What a stupid move…I’ll save my money and stay with the 1/48th kits that are out there…
Even the old Revell Dr 1 and the D7 have decent moldings!
Steve
I have as a “back-burner” project, to grab a Revell Dr-1 kit, and paint it in one of the Red Baron’s earlier schemes, my favorite being the light blue undersides and green fuselage with red upper wings and trimming here and there.
I also frankly wonder why no one has put out a Richthofen-marked Albatross kit. He frankly did his major damage in an Albatross D-3 when he got the British hero Lenoe Hawker.
Tom T [C):-)]
Actually MvR was flying an Alb. D.II when he brought down Major Lanoe Hawker on 23 November 1916. The D.III type did not enter service until Jan. 1917.
http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/hawker.html
You are right Hobbycraft Fok. Dr.I kit needs some work. Several kits have been announced concerning the Alb. D. types in 1/32 scale. Though the Battle Axe offering is not a great kit either it can be worked with.
http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23712
Thaks for the correction Steve. Appearantly the author of “Gunning for the Red Baron” didn’t do his homework as well as you do.
What gets me is that the kit directions start you out manufacturing parts that are basic to finish the kit in the first place. [%-)]
Tom T [C):-)]
Thanks for the reveiw on the Revell 1/28 Fokker dr1. I keep seeing this kit everytime I go to the LHS.My son wanted to buy a model and asked me to take him. First thing I did was grab this kit! Looks cool and I like the way they engineered it for rigging. Look forward to biulding this one.
Thanks
Zip