Daywalker,

I was wondering if you might have room for one more builder in this group.  I have a small stash of WWI planes to build, and this may get me motivated towards getting one out of the box and onto a display shelf.  As you are allowing "what if" versions, I may go with Eduard's 1/48 Nieuport from the movie "Flyboys", as the markings are not really from the Lafayette escadrille.  The October start will also allow me to finish my present commitments.  Let me know.   

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Scott

Hi guys I have a general question about a couple of the Eduard kits that I'm sort of tossing up for this build and I need the help of some of you experts, what do you guys think of either the:

Eduard Weekend Edition Nieuport Ni-17 / Nieuport Ni-16 MAX or either of the Weekend Edition Albatros D.III or D.V

I can land any of these kits from Hobbyeasy for only $20 Aus so it won’t be a huge tragedy if I make a complete hash of things.

Thanks

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Darren


Rule 1. Cardio, Rule 2. Beware of Bathrooms, Rule 3. Seatbelts, Rule 4. Doubletap...

wyoroy wrote:

Ask Mike when he gets back from his trip.  He seems to be the only one how has experience with biplanes let alone the Eduards kits. Roy

He does seem to know quite a bit about the subject.  Last night, I scored a 1/48 DML Fokker D.VIII on Ebay.  Woohoo!

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Frank

Wow! You guys sure have left me a LOT to catch up on! Now, where to start.....

Darren (TANGO 1), welcome back buddy! This place really missed you being around! Glad things are turning around for ya, and that your son is all mended and back to his happy and healthy self again!

Welcome (too many names to mention, so I'm gonna say....) everyone who's joined our group since Thursday evening!! It's great to see so many willing to take the plunge into the wonderful world of WWI aircraft! This is going to be a blast!

Frank, nice pickup on the DML kit, my friend! Excellent choice for this GB!

Darren (darson), all the kits you listed are great builds right from the box. The Ni-16 Max kit is awesome! A very colorful Nieuport with lot's of extra styrene parts not present in the Ni-17 weekender. The Albatros kits build up real nice too, but there is considerably more rigging involved than on either of the Nieuport kits, and the decals could be more comprehensive if there's lozenge patterns to consider. PE sets are available for the -17, the D.III, and the D.V, but I'm not sure about for the -16. I hope I was able to provide some insight and help you towards your decision. If you have any other questions, I'll do my best to answer them for you.

Now....about Finescale Models. Gentlemen, that has got to be the absolute finest hobby shop I have ever seen in my life. If Martin doesn't have it, it probably doesn't exist. I was in there for 6 hours on Friday and still didn't come close to seeing everything he has! He is the most helpful salesperson I've ever run into. He's a modeler too, and a very good one, and understands what modelers need and want. It was the most pleasant of experiences (even got to meet DrewH there! Great guy! We had a blast! ) and I can't wait until our next trip down to Vancouver, when I bring A LOT more money and a much bigger suitcase!

Picked up some neat stuff....a few Tamiya kits (aircraft 1/72 Corsair & P-47), the Pollyscale paints I need to finish up the Russian Spit, some Pollyscale WWI colors, some Pollyscale flat, some cool 0.5mm brass hollow tubing (ideal for gun barrels and for WWI rigging turnbuckles), and a nice Eagle Strike decal sheet for some very colorful Fokker D.VII's (so with your permission, Frank, I'd like to add a 1/48 Eduard Fokker D.VII to my Airco DH.2 contribution for this GB, buddy!  ).

...and finally, it's great to be home again!

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-Mike (Lt. FAAGB/USNFAWGB)
"We have our own ammunition. It's filled with paint. When we fire it, it makes pretty pictures....scares the hell outta people."

Hey Frank! How's it goin' buddy! Yeah, we had an awesome time! My wife actually lived in Vancouver for a while, but it was my first time seeing anything there but the airport! LOL!

Beautiful city!.......and all I could think about while I was at Finescale Models was "Damn, I'd love to get the guys into this place!"

That Fokker D.VII decal sheet I found is real nice! No way I could pass it up! Lots of lozenge on the fuselage with sections broken up with solid German Mauve......looks really cool!

On your kit, I've heard mixed reviews on the lozenge decals. Some say the colors are way too vivid. There are companies that do aftermarket lozenge and rib tapes. Eagle Strike is just one of many. What you need to find out if you plan on replacing them is whether this particular bird had 4 or 5-color lozenge, and purchase the appropriate sets for both the upper and lower surfaces along with the rib tapes. On your kit there's also a few pesky sink holes that need to be dealt with, but I've seen this kit built and it looks awesome! Can't wait to see how you do on yours! Not a lot of rigging on this bird either.....you made a great choice!

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-Mike (Lt. FAAGB/USNFAWGB)
"We have our own ammunition. It's filled with paint. When we fire it, it makes pretty pictures....scares the hell outta people."

ruddratt wrote:

Darren (darson), all the kits you listed are great builds right from the box. The Ni-16 Max kit is awesome! A very colorful Nieuport with lot's of extra styrene parts not present in the Ni-17 weekender. The Albatros kits build up real nice too, but there is considerably more rigging involved than on either of the Nieuport kits, and the decals could be more comprehensive if there's lozenge patterns to consider. PE sets are available for the -17, the D.III, and the D.V, but I'm not sure about for the -16. I hope I was able to provide some insight and help you towards your decision. If you have any other questions, I'll do my best to answer them for you.

Great to have you back Mike & thanks a bunch for the info on those kits.  I think I will go for the Ni-16 MAX kit, so you can that down as my build.

Cheers 

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Darren


Rule 1. Cardio, Rule 2. Beware of Bathrooms, Rule 3. Seatbelts, Rule 4. Doubletap...

Oooops...my bad, Frank. Meant Eagle Strike. Check here.....

http://www.eaglestrikeproductions.com/index.html

...or here.....

http://modelingmadness.com/others/decals/sczeloz.htm

....or here....

http://members.cox.net/tbittners/AG/index.html

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-Mike (Lt. FAAGB/USNFAWGB)
"We have our own ammunition. It's filled with paint. When we fire it, it makes pretty pictures....scares the hell outta people."