Sopwith Camel in 1/16th

JohnReid · 31 August 2006, 09:21 AM

Model Airways (Expo) new kit in 1/16th will be the Sopwith Camel.It should be available in a couple of months.I sure hope that it is of the same quality as the their Jenny.
Cheers! John.

JohnReid · 4 September 2006, 08:52 AM

I know that somewhere I have seen pictures of WW1 aircraft that were turned into racers following the war.Can anyone think of where that might have been?
Cheers! John.

JohnReid · 4 September 2006, 10:34 AM

I just found out that the Camel that they have on display at the CAM was purchased by the RCAF in 1924 and used for Demo flights & training on airframes.There has got to be a story in there somewhere for a great diorama!

ChrisSavaglio · 5 September 2006, 06:07 AM

I hope that it's as nice as the Jenny and not in the league of the Albie and Nieup.

Finishing the Nieup was, well, really gratifying.

Chris

mgtaylor · 5 September 2006, 06:11 AM

OK ! Ive searched Model Expo's / Model Airways Site and can find no reference to a new release ? I wrote their Web Master and got no response ?

Do you have a link showing us any info ?

JohnReid · 5 September 2006, 07:16 AM

Take it from me,it's on the way.
Cheers! John.

JohnReid · 5 September 2006, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisSavaglio

I hope that it's as nice as the Jenny and not in the league of the Albie and Nieup.

Finishing the Nieup was, well, really gratifying.

Chris

I cant believe that after the Jenny they would take a backward step.
Cheers!John.

JohnReid · 13 September 2006, 08:39 AM

A friend of mine has just confirmed that the Camel should be available by Christmas.
That has got me to wondering.Obviously they sell enough of these kits to make it worth their while to manufacture them but why do we see so few actually completed?There must be an awful lot of kits out there half-built or on shelves.

mgtaylor · 13 September 2006, 06:51 PM

ERRRRRRRR ? SO Few Built ? UMMMMmmmmm talking ot a friend who made one they don't sound easy. I equate them to something like those detailed Wooden Ship Models with brass cannons and real thread riggging and cloth sails etc. Do able but a little hard. They are exuisite kits though. It will be interesting to see how they handle the Camel with its jam packed Hump with Mgs, ammo cans, ammo feed and dicharge chutes, intake pipes and Instrumant panel, wicker seat, Main and pressure fuel tanks behind the seat. Will be Interesting ?

The WWI Modelers Page has a least two great postings on the problems/builds associated with the Nui 28.

http://www.wwi-models.org/Images/Sav...e28/index.html

Thanks for the heads up though , I'll be looking out for this Kit. I think I know what just got put on the TOP of my X-Mas wish List !!!

http://www.wwi-models.org/Images/Lan...t28/index.html

JohnReid · 14 September 2006, 07:47 AM

From March12/05

Model Expo kits
Having now almost finished my 3rd Model Expo kit I think that I can make a few educated comment about their kits.
I know sometimes I can be a little too critical on a company that I am sure tries to offer value for money,to keep the costs down so that the kits can be offered at a reasonable price.I ,for one ,am extremely thankful to them for getting me started down a road that I probably would not have otherwise taken.These are good starter kits and the quality has gone up with their last two offerings.I think that they recognized the problem they had with their metal castings and have corrected it.I am only guessing here as I have no contact with this company,I even buy my kits through a local hobby store(Hobby World in Montreal)All of their kits can be built with a little determination but there can be varing degress of frustration depending on the kit you build.Therefore ,let me give you my opinion of the pros and cons of each.
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
Guide my hand in your work today.

Model Expo kits cont...
The Albatros;
This was my first kit and at the time I built it I found it very enjoyable however I did experience some problems with the castings as they were too soft(maybe this has now been corrected,I dont know)The other raw materials are good and the plans and booklet are good but require a lot of study.I come from a ship modeling background so I am used to reading plans and problem solving when building.I did some scratchbuilding but it is not necessary to produce a fine model.I think that the Mercedes engine itself is worth the price of the kit.

The Nieuport;
I dont know what happened here but the quality took a backward step.I really cannot recommend this kit to anyone other than a serious scratchbuilder.The basics are there but......The quality of the raw materials are OK but the casting are poor(even the engine)The plans and instruction booklet leave a lot to be desired.

The Jenny;
I am happy to report that this is truly a nice kit.Some will think it expensive but it really is not when you consider all the factors.(cost per hobby hour,no aftermarket to buy,stress level etc......)There are no serious downsides to this kit,in fact I can easily recommend it to the average builder who has lots of time and patience.I have covered most of the fine points of this build here on this thread.The subject matter is just great and the aircraft looks wonderful when built.

Wright Flier;
From what I can see looking in the box and handling the various parts this looks like a good one.The castings,photoetch and raw materials seem to be of the same quality as the Jenny.I have briefly looked over the plans and instruction booklet and they seem ok but your can never really tell until you actually start the build.This probably will be my next project.

Cheers! John.
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