Hi everyone,
I'm Riccardo from Vancouver in Canada. I just posted a general hello in introduction but given that I'm interested in biplanes and similar, here I am.
I've been reading some of the topics here and I feel like an idiot compared to all of you!
I made some model when I was a kid and for some reason I began looking around on the 'Net for all those sites like Tamiya, Airfix and lately Eduard and Roden.
I decided to give a try to a WWI fighter and I'm here asking for help
Ok, my questions will be silly for all of you but keep in mind that I'm starting almost from zero, things like "rigging" are Arabic for me!
So, on the Roden website there are models in 1/72, 1/48/ 1/32
What scale do you think is better for me...does smaller mean easier all the time?
What model would you suggest?
Thanks for your time and patience!
Ciao!
Riccardo

Hello Riccardo, and welcome!
I am a bit of a "newbie" to WW1 aircraft myself, but we all have start somewhere. To answer one of your questions, 1/72 is the smallest scale of kits you mentioned, while 1/32 is the largest. For me, 1/72 is difficult because the pieces are so small, but there are wonderful kits in this scale, so you shouldn't ignore it. However, to start out, you might want to try a larger scale kit, which should be easier to handle, 1/32 certainly, and 1/48 isn't bad either.
Welcome back to the hobby, and be sure to post pictures of your work. You will find the people here very helpful, and knowledgable on just about any subject.

Cheers,
Mike

Hi Riccardo.

We were all newbies once. I came to WWI subjects before Roden existed and the only games in town were Pegasus, Blue Max, Eduard (very Limited Run) and Some Dragon.

You now have heaps to choose from. If I was starting again, I would look at the Eduard Weekend Kits. I'd start in 1/48 too, as it's big enough to build up easily without being TOO big.

The Nieuports seem to very very popular for fist timers. The Fokker D.VII Weekend Kit is also a good start, as I has no rigging requirements. Avoid the Roden Fokker D.VII to start with as it is not so easy to build as the Eduard kit.

When you come to things like rigging though, We are all quite happy to help.

Cheers,

Hugh

Greetings Riccardo & Mike! Welcome. We'll set a couple more chairs at the mess table.

Hi Riccardo .Welcome to the forums , lot's of useful info and tips on here and the guys are great for helping out with problems that we all face . So you are not alone in this my friend .

1/72 is fine , but MJ is right the parts are very small and can be hard to work with . However ; their are subjects only in this scale that are not produce in any other . 1/48 scale is a good place to start . Eduards weekend kits are perfect for this . Rodens kit can be tricky as Hugh has pointed out . 1/32 scale I have not built yet so I really don't have any comments towards that scale . Just have a look at what the guys are building and don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand on how they do things .

When the time comes for rigging ( many different methods on this ) just ask !

Ricardo,

You came to the right place. The people here on the forum are very helpful. Got a question - just ask.

Mark

Thanks to you all!
Tonight I'll check Eduard and Friday I will pay a visit to my hobby shop here.
If I can't find the Fokker I'm going to order it from the website.
I don't think I will need an airbrush, at least for now, right?
I saw a couple of them, around $100-150 just for the brush, maybe for christmas
Salut!

Hi Riccardo

Welcome. We all had questions when we started. I am pretty sure we all still have questions. There are a few people that can come up with most of the answers here. (They probably have questions also)

As for kits. That depends on budget. The smaller scales (1/72) are usually more reasonably priced. It might be best to practice on them. They are to small for my XXXL hands.

Eduard's 1/48 Fokker D.VIII is one of the most satisfying builds I have done. The fuselage is all decals, so not much painting there. The wing and small parts can easily be painted with a rattle can and brush. Only one wing and no rigging. Great to break into WWI.

I also had a pleasant experience with Eduard's 1/48 Nieuport 11. Good as a second attempt at a WWI Stringbagger. An airbrush would almost be neccessary. Their 1/48 Albatros series is also really good. Those have some rigging.

The D.VII mentioned is a good choice. It can be done almost entirely in lozenge decals, so only the smaller parts will need painting. It also looks like the Dr.I will be a great kit.

In 1/32 (the larger scale), Roden is pretty much the only game in town. I have done their Pfalz D.II, Albatros D.III, Dr.I and F.I. I have their other offerings. They are great, but require a little experience.

Airbrush? As soon as you can get a decent one. It will change how you model.

Have a good time.