Availability of Old Pre-WWI Kits

WillHendriks · 26 January 2002, 12:26 PM

Hello All:
I am looking for a source (other than Ebay), of older pre-WWI kits, specifically the 1/48 series including such as the Bristol Boxkite, Avro Triplane, Demoiselle, etc. done by Pyro/Impact/Lifelike.
Thanks in advance,
Will

BobE · 26 January 2002, 12:48 PM

Willi,
Those were great kits. I built the Deperdussin myself and it flys proudly from an invisible thread in my den. Always wished I had bought the others. I was young then. Afraid I'm not much help though. Haven't seen 'em in years. Sorry.
Bob :'(

Ross_Moorhouse · 26 January 2002, 08:06 PM

I have only seen them on E-Bay mate. I know you dont want to buy from there & I understand that as i too would love to get some too.

27 January 2002, 11:52 AM

still got an unmade boxkite, Avro triplane, and byplane, deperdussin was an excellent model

27 January 2002, 11:54 AM

Always wished they had made a demoiselle

Michael · 29 January 2002, 04:12 PM

I never made the pre war ones, but the Gladiator, Fury, Bulldog and one other naval one - those were kits! Almost enough to get anyone to build biplanes.

jamo · 2 February 2002, 12:27 PM

I have had some success sourcing OOP kits from the following web-based suppliers:

KingKit http://www.kingkit.co.uk/
(great range but not particularly cheap, they don't deduct VAT for overseas buyers and their website is not updated frequently)

C A Hood http://www.cahood.com/nshpdf.htm

or you could try putting a Wanted ad on the Modelling Madness Swapshop at http://disc.server.com/Indices/90209.html

Roundel · 7 February 2002, 04:16 PM

The other night, I saw on eBay three of the 1960's Renwal 1/72 pre-1914 kits, two planes per kit, with plastic frames covered with a tissue-like material. When I checked again a few minutes ago, one was left. So there's some interest in pre-1914 plane kits out there.

Renwal made some interesting items. Their other aviation kits included a Nike-Ajax missile battery and a Martin Mace or Matador cruise missile on a tracked launcher. They also made dollhouse furniture and model automobiles for train layouts, but the company was best known for it's see-through model kits: The Visible V-8, The Visible Man, and The Visible Woman.

Too bad the company disappeared in the mid-1970's.

BobE · 8 February 2002, 02:56 AM

Roundel,
I built the old Renwal Bleriot. Molded in terrible black plastic with a grey tissue covering. Looked awful but recently I added a pilot and a flotation cylinder and added some engine detail.A little paint and it's now one of my favorite models.

I also built an old Renwal Aeroskin Pfalz DIII. Did not use the Aeroskin but filled the rib cavities and filed them down. Not too successful but pleasing anyway. Was the only Pfalz in town at that time. Also have the Brisfit under construction. You can see by the moldings that it was one of the Aeroskin kits reissued without the Aeroskin! Had no choice but to fill and sand the wings but I'm a little more skilled now than I used to be.

Roundel · 8 February 2002, 12:10 PM

BobE:

The Renwal Aeroskin kits sound like a hybrid between plastic and stick-and-tissue models. The tedium of the latter and the non-flying of the former. Sometimes with hybrids you get the worse of both!