Topic: I cant believe I am doing this.....

Thanks to the kindness of Matt ( Mudflap) and the rest of the Dawn patrol, I am pretty smitten with this two winged bag of air flying nonsense. Just dont tell anyone..... Ok?
 Well, while at my painters last night, the conversation switched from the important, and work related jets, and we found ourselves talking for about an hour on the subject of all things Dawn patrol. He has built a stunning spad ( The colour scheme has to be seen to be believed)  and SE5a, but they are just a little small for joining in with that Dawns.
 I think the hot weather, or the fresh norfolk air ( They were muck spreading again)  got to me, as I found myself agreeing to buy him a WW1 thingy to build for next season. He has a G62 with gearbox laying around, and he likes to build wings while he is waiting for my paint to dry so it seemed like an obvious choice.
 Now this is where you lot get involved.
 Can I ask for some advice please?
 I want to get him a kit ( I dont want to lose him to a plan build)  A good kit preferably.
 It has to be something that he can paint in a odd ball, different, striking or down right vile colour scheme!
 No pups, camels, Nuieports please. I dont like them. In fact thinking about it, there are not many WW1 planes that I do like.
 Does anyone do a Eindecker?
 Thanks for your time, and remember this conversation never happened!

Dave Stephens has an Eindecker you could borrow!

m

Ali, great to hear this, as to kits, there are the BUSA which are pretty good kits but they are built to fly well and are not real scale, although the boys have modified them to be a lot closer. Mick Reeves does a couple of kits and they are way closer to scale, very nice models. Glenn Torrance kits are very nice, but again pretty limited to what are popular. As far as I am aware there is no kit of an Eindecker available as yet.

BUSA do a:

Fokker DVII
Morane Saulnier A-1
Nieuport 28c-1
Nieuport 17
Sopwith Pup

Website here

Mick Reeves has kits of:

Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Pup

Website here

Glenn Torrance:

Fokker Dr1
Fokker D6 (Matts model)
Fokker D7
Fokker D8
SE5a  coming late 2010

Website here

Hope this helps
Steve

Well done Ali for finally seeing the light    I recall a short conversation we had at Colt last year or maybe even the year before whilst you were teaching some guy to fly a jet (I was impressed with your style of teaching BTW, very relaxed yet informative brilliant   ) I asked you if any Dwarf/Dawn patrol flying did anything for you and your reply was:

"yes............. it makes me want to vomit"

Anyone for a sick bag  

Steady on mate. Belair are doing an Eindekker kit, in reality it'll just be ribs and a firewall!! Some Pfalz biplanes had some striking colour schemes too. I'm sure once Tappin reads this post he'll be on with some ideas. Now wheres that delete thread button, thinks Al

Ian.

try GTM he doe's some really good 1/3 scale kits!..........i want to build one myself at some point

dave

Steady on mate. Belair are doing an Eindekker kit, in reality it'll just be ribs and a firewall!! Some Pfalz biplanes had some striking colour schemes too.

Ian.

Steady on mate, I havent finished the drawings yet

Now wheres that delete thread button, thinks Al

I have it just here mate, ready for when Ali wakes from his nightmare 

Steve

It would be awesome if Ali went for a Red Bull paint job, or perhaps the graffiti one he had on that Hunter which he stuffed 

Cool, I hope it works out for you Ali. Sounds like more chasing and dog-fighting to come... YAY.


The Dr-1 would be a great dog-fighter, strong and agile, and some good schemes too.

To really combine dogfighting abilities with strength and suitability for the aforementioned engine set up and as a bonus a huge selection of very colourfull and an some cases bizarre colour schemes you cant go much better than the fokker D.VII. This is kitted by both Glen Torrance, and Balsa USA. the GT version by far the most accurate and complete Kit.The Balsa USA kit is more basic but builds into an impressive model and as earlier stated there is a huge choice in colour schemes.Some time ago Dave Johnson was asked by me to wring out the D.vii he was flying on my behalf and after some initial reluctance on his part he did just that and did his best to emulate a Pitts Special.Agreed it was a one off but the end result is that the A/C is still with us and there were no structural issues resulting. Fly a D.VII and no one will catch you,It is capable of scale manouvers (ie prop hanging) etc that no other WW1 a/c was capable of..My regards, Ken

PS to the above, no rigging wires so easy to set up on the field and it is built like a tank Ken

and it is built like a tank Ken

Panzer? Yes that D7 has some great and unusual schemes too.... You coould really tart it up..

mmmm Sounding like a D7 is a leading candidate.
 Thanks allot for all your help ( and understanding) chaps. Shame I did really fancy something a little more unusual than a straightforward Bi plane ( Thus the Eindecker idea)  But I always knew that my choices would be limited.
 I will run D7 past the Flug factory and see if he is up for that. Then get one ordered I guess...
 Regards Al
 

OMG (as they say   ) I suppose that means I'll have to fly the D.VI now then  

My only choice would be a GTM kit, you got all the scale you need in a one stop shop. I'd love his SE5 but in order to chase flight commander Redders you'll be wanting something not allied.

I'd go the GTM D7....

Trouble is, as far as decent kits are concerned, choice is limited, but if you wanna go for a plan built model (as Ken would say) the worlds yer lobster 

Oh dear.  I have just had a mental image of a garishly painted, D7, Turbo-prop version ....


"Team Kaiser Wilhelm" colours.

stripy.....

Wow that GT kit does look good and complete.  That might have to be Rays Christmas present.
 Dont worry Mudders. Your D VI will be my first choice ( Just as long as you find that missing 1000 RPM)  Its just that I need something with a load of grunt to keep up with captain crusty. Oh and it being mine I will feel allot more relaxed about playing around with tress and such!
 
 

The big problem with an Eindekker is of course no ailerons (wing warping) so cant roll, very limited colour scheme. There are literally hundreds of A/C to choose from BUT not in 1/3rd scale kits on the market that fit the bill.As Pups,Camels, and Nieuports dont ring your bell.Also as you dont want to go down the scratch build road you are limiting your options somewhat. Unfortunatley the Fokker D.VI and the D.viii also strictley limit your colour options. But the D.VII well the worlds yer lobster and you can go mad with the paintbrush and still have an authentic scheme. At the end of the day you pays yer money and you takes yer choice and in this word going down the Kit road the D.VII ticks all the boxes....regards Ken

yellow...

I think we already have that scheme Stu 

Ali, there is no missing 1000rpm 

The Tacho was giving a false reading owing to the sun we discovered 

Thanks Ken
 I am pretty sure a D7 it will be. Now what can I bolt to it to make it different?  Bomb drop is a must!  I cant wait to bounce one off Redshaws top wing...  ( Although that would mean that he would have to be flying below me which other than him landing and taking off has yet to happen  )
 mudders!!! Nooooooo  Dont say that. I have been thinking to myself the past few days  " I cant wait till the D6 has that little bit of extra get up and go, it will be awesome to fly then" 
 Stuey. Cheers for the schemes. Keep em coming.
 
 Does anyone offer an electric start option for the geared G62?
 

I'm sure we can squeeze this one in your carry on luggage  

Smoke,working guns (mudders had this on his D.VI) Oh yes I forgot the Germans had parachutes, but unforfunatly no bombs, but they also had flair pistols (now thats a thought). Sorry bout that Ali but bombs are a no no . regards Ken

Cool, I hope it works out for you Ali. Sounds like more chasing and dog-fighting to come... YAY.


The Dr-1 would be a great dog-fighter, strong and agile, and some good schemes too.

Theres only WW 1 model for an ace pilot like you, and thats the mount of aces; S E 5 A

I like the paintwork on the sides of this one...

Sorry Stu but this is already being done (the seven Swabians) by the chap at Flightline Graphics.Ho Hum that only leaves some 600 odd choices left. l :nananana:My regards Ken

Sorry Stu but this is already being done (the seven Swabians) by the chap at Flightline Graphics.Ho Hum that only leaves some 600 odd choices left. l :nananana:My regards Ken

ah, that's Mr Jolly's is it.... Sorry, at least it;s being done...

I'm seriously considering a re-engine Ali, it would be much more fun with a smidge more power at the ole fingertips....

I did peruse a 112cc twin at Weston 

Good call Mat. Yes it would be more fun, it would also be a darn sight easier to fly ( as long as its not over powered)
  I do worry as it is that its so marginal that you could find yourself in a spot of bother where you need that little extra power to get you out of trouble and as it is set up now that would be a bad position to be in. Also it cant be good for the engine to be stuck on full bore like that non stop. If anything is going to incite a failure of an engine then 10 mins of full bore non stop would be it!
 The thing is that the gearbox set up so suits this type of plane. A fear a twin cylinder brute un geared would ruin the way the model flies. is there not another engine that could be bolted to the gearbox to produce a little extra gusto?
 
 How about a variation of that D7 scheme. I am sure Ray could paint 7 charcuteries to represent seven members of the Patrol
 Sorry Ken. it may not be scale, but my Fokker will have to have bombs!
 Smoke works well on the D6 so that may or may not go on. My fear is that two lots of smoke would be overkill.
 Rockets... what about rockets 

So Ali,

During that interesting formation flight at Scampton  with your Graffiti Hunter and my Pup, you were really pretending to be a DVII!!

What's it like now you're "Out"?  

Help can be found at WW1 Anonymous

Alan

Its starting to look to me that it may well become neccessary to enrole the help of three or four of the jumbo sized chaps in DP to have a quiet word with you behind the bike sheds one dark and windy night.Having said that rockets were used in WW1 but by the allies for balloon busting,sadley by Nieuports,Pups etc with varied degrees of success and you dont like them. Some fighters did carry bombs (again allied A/C) Camels,Bristol F2b fighters etc, but there again you arnt keen on them either.You are a hard man to please young Ali, But you set the parameters ie 1/3rd scale kits and we are doing our best, honest we are, and we did come up with an A/C that allows you to run barefoot through the colour charts at B&Q and we really cant be blamed for the lack of forethought of the Imperial German High Command in not realising the benifit of fitting bombs and rockets to their fighters, A gross oversight on their part but they may well have had other things on their minds at the time. I am sure whatever you finally decide on will be followed with much interest by DP. any one who can do a WW1 fighter justice its you and with one of those little cameras between the guns will give a whole new perspective of what the rear end of a Camel close up looks like. my regards Ken

Why do I find myself drawn toward the SE5a? 
Anyone know if GT will be accurate with his prediction on it being available in 2010?

I am watching this with great delight.

Why do I find myself drawn toward the SE5a? 
Anyone know if GT will be accurate with his prediction on it being available in 2010?

Al,

There's a build thread on the prototype here a lot shows the designing of parts as well as the build itself, but it was put on hold so Glenn could finish the D.VII first.


Hope this helps,

Mark

I spoke to Glen some weeks back ordering some lozenge fabric and asked him bout the Se5a. seems it is behind shedule by some time and there is allready a backlog of orders waiting to be filled. Starting with a proposal it is around 3 years before kits are finalised and start to leave his factory. I will be very surprised to see this for general sale before the back end of this year. Thats the thing with Glen, nothing is sold till he is absolutely certain all bugs are ironed out.So dont hold your breath, there are a lot of guys out there waiting for this one. regards Ken

PS note, this build started in June 2008 and isnt done yet, Thats Glen for you, it will be ready when its ready but when it is it will be very very good...Ken

D7's better anyways  

cheers as always chaps.

Why do I find myself drawn toward the SE5a? 

That will be green then...

Wockets! did someone say Wockets?
Don't mention smoke bombs tho

Bonzey