1/32nd Scale ENCORE?RODEN Alb DII review

[TeamStewart]

Originally Posted by davecww1

TeamStewart: no lozenge needed on a D.II, all were painted green & brown or 2 greens & brown. (depending on serial# of course)
Dave

Hi,

Thanks.

I had my replies mixed up. I meant the lozenge comment to be about the 1/32 SS coming out from Roden this year.

[davecww1]

Yeah not cheap at all but how much does the standard D.1 or D.III kit cost? I believe they have the same retail price as the D.II (or maybe a little cheaper) but you get all the extra photoetched sheets and resin engine & Herman Munster figure and if I understand correctly you get all the parts to build a D.1, D.II or D.III if you do not want to do the Jasta 2 D.II's. So almost like buying one kit and getting all the extras for free!

Originally Posted by willycoppens

The " Squadron " catalogue for Feb. 2009 lists this kit for only???? $62.99 plus postage.

[bobs_buckles]

How much is the 1/32nd Spad XIII in the USA? It comes in at £59.99 over here in Blighty. I won't be paying that price for it

Bob

[WarrenD]

Bob,
Do you mean the Hobbycraft Spad XIII or the Roden Spad VII?

Warren

[willycoppens]

A nice kit for sure, but too expensive for my budget.

[davecww1]

Yeah Willie, expensive for sure but right about in line with the other 1/32 scale kits and a good value with all of the added extras. I for one will not be getting one either since I only build 1/48 scale. Just wish Eduard had the two Jasta 2 decal options in their 1/48 D.II kit. Would love these 2 aircraft of the greatest German aces in my 1/48 collection.
Dave

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Gentlemen:
All Alb.D.II, both Albatros and LVG were painted light green ,dark green and rust brown. The differences were LVG were painted in symetrical pattern while Albatros D.II were in asymetrical patterns. There is an article in the reading Room here on the Forum that covers all the Albatros and LVG variants.
Good modeling,
Dan-San

[CTDavies]

Thank you, Sir. I've just been there and printed out a copy for myself. Should be a very interesting read.

[mgtaylor]

I just received one this week. Let's Clear Up a FEW Pre-Mature Hypola Mis-Conceptions.

A) OVER ALL I give it a 5-star Rating Kit. AN excellent ALL-IN-ONE boxing of a Plastic Injected Molded Kit and a Mix of Photo-Etch and Resin Parts. ALL which have been given Unique special Attention in a very nice glossy printed Instruction Booklet. Each stage of COnstruction has it's own section in the Instruction Booklet, from straight OOB Plastic parts to a special included section of the Booklet which details on each location and use of every PE part as well as other phot sections on the Resin Engine contruction, Rigging Charts and FInsihing Profiles.

Which in Fact I think makes it an Excellent Kit for Novice AfterMarket Users to Venture into the USE of PE and Resin Parts during contruction.

Their IS the Option of a Kit Plastic Molded Engine which will build OOB just fine into a detailed presention, However The Kit also contains two other options and/or combonations of Super Detailing which are the VERY FINE DETAILED RESIN Engine but ALSO the Special ED Fret which DOES contain New Mercedez Engine Details like PE Wiring, Placards, bolt heads, etc whcih can be used to enhance the Palstic kit Engine and Alb D.I/II specific parts. IN FACT I DO HOPE ED RELESES THIS FOR THE Alb. DI ?

The Resin Engine save the color Placards already has ALL this detail molded in which is VERY Delicate.

YES it is a Roden Alb D.I Kit Period, but the Conversion of using a Wing Mounted Raditor comes in with a PE Raditor and specific location instructions. I dont doubt it must have been a Colaboration between Rodnea nd Squadron to use the molds ie like Trump and HobbyCraft Boxings but ALL of that is Way Over my tiny Head. ALL I know is its all in One BOx and Makes for a Great KIT with the BEST (English) GLossy Color Instructions I have seen bothered to be prepared for actucly contructing the kit with the Molder in mind.

Instead of what all of us who have dare venture into PE and RESIN AM Products which are Cryptic, Images, and out of Context Detail Drawings to depict locations and contruction which are without Words at all unless they be Cech. And are More Geared toward the Secret Teasure MAP Hunter in All of us. Taking Hours to Study both the PE and Kit Instruction sheets and Diagrams, Plotting a Strategy to pick and choose which PE PArts to use and How.

None of that is Necessary here. It is Plainly all liad out in a Sensiable easy to use English written/phot and diagramed Instruction book.

NOW Lastly the MUCH OVER MILAGINED Bolocke FIgure. IN the Fleash the Figure is WELL Molded with FIne Uniform and Facial Detial which accomplishes a very good Oswald Bolocke Representation. Rember he had a very thin unquie Facial features whcih must be a Nightmare for Any Figure sulcptor to reduce to 54mm scale but has done a VERY good job here.

Unfortunty the Figure Painter here made what I am sure was an Un-Intended Excellent Represatioan of what has been refered to now and has earned the Moniker of "Herman Munster" however this IS FALSE. The Actual Resin head IS a good Boloeke !. IS WAS what I beleive like in Scale Model Weathering Techniques in Figure Painting their are several differing Contrasting Colors used to Accentuate Fine Details and Features especilly facial. Well In my opinon just as Aircraft Post-Shading / Weathering can easily be OVER DONE. Sublty is key. SO I beleive the Same is true for Figure painting. What you see as a Munster Representation is in Fact, sound Figure Painting Techniques gone a Little Overboard. Just enough to where it had un-intended Consequences. Ie TVLAND's Herman.

As far as the Price discussion has been going. I agree with others who have received it. COnsidereding it IS an All Inclusive Mulit-media Kit it is actually a Very good Value EVEN at full Retail.

It is exactly this kind of what I call Snipping about a few dollars in Price which I beleive is what lead Roden to make the very Corporate Decsion to specificly LEAVE mulit-media Parts OUT of their kits in a Huge Departure from the Highly Detailed Super WWI Kits which have bene for so long the Norm in 48th Scale with Included PE and Resin.

What is affordable in 48th does not all transfer to larger scales as such is the case here. I think Roden was in some ways wise to take this road and make thier Large scale WWI Kits simply all injected molded and leave the complaints over priceing to the After Market Companies to fight out.

Either Way dont blame Roden for the Inflation in 32nd Scale Kits. That as mentioned here can be atributed to other Market leaders like Trump, etc. You can in my opinion in some ways directly blame Squadron and BattleAxe for the Inflation of large Scale WWI kits however I think you are seeing a long needed Correctiona nd Deflation in these prices to somewhere in the middle. We all would love these kits for $40 each but it aint gonna happen unless you want to buy a minium of 20 of them at the same time from the Manufactuer !!

The Resin and PE seperatelty could easily have a market value of $15-near $20 eahc for 1) the Large PE Fret 2) the Resin Engine 3) the Resin Figure. Either way I do not suspect the minor complaints are about the Math but more a statement of each of our personal finanical predicaments in this economic crash and consequently what might be for most of us, our own shinking hobby descretionary spending Budgets.


Just some THoughts and Personal Opinons. But all in Al I have to say a very well thought-out and Excueted Boxing and release.

Yours MIke

[Hans]

Here's a recent picture of the resin version of Boelcke. It does definitely look like Boelcke....but he seems to be in a unhappy mood....or just back from a 2h flight with no chance to pXX.

H.
(Picture was taken at the Squadron stand, Nuernberg Toy Fair)