Here's something that might have slipped under most peoples radar...

http://hyperscale.com/2009/reviews/kits/encore3201previewbg_1.htm

Cheers,

Hugh

My radar found it, Don´t like the prize even iff I think it´s not overpriced.
Chers
Larsa Q

Squadron's old name brand Encore has released a 1/32nd scale D.II with resin Mercedes engine, both Windhof wing and fuselage mounted ear type radiators, PE parts, Metal interplane struts and a resin figure of Boelke.

Jeff of Blackbox fame has done the engine and other parts and Bill Chilstrom (I hope I spelled that correctly) has sculpted the Boelcke figure. Markings for D.491/16 Richthofen (11/1916) and Boelcke D.386/16 (10/1916) The kit is a Roden D.I plastic with the resin parts included.

I must say in this instance I don't view this as overpriced. Take the initial price of a Roden Albatros, add the Eduard PE, (I paid $22.00 plus shipping), a resin engine, and a resin figure and I believe $62.00 and change to be very reasonable! I for one would like to purchase this kit. Maybe some February Birthday money will come my way
RAGIIi
PS. With the releases coming in 1/32nd getting better and better, I might have to give up 1/48th

I think it looks like a great deal. If somebody wants to send me one for a review and build, my address is...

My gosh! Do you know how many 1/72nd kits that would make? It boggles the mind...

Are you guys kidding? This is a great value, even though the Boelke figure looks like he's had more botox than Angelina Jolie. It fills a gap, and very nicely. Now for some Oeffags and a DV!
BTW, anybody notice that Roden has a 1/32 DH2 and Siemens Shuckert DIII listed for '09? One step closer to filling out my Udet collection.

I ordered one today.... I was gonna mod a DI myself but theres so many extra's in this kit & it looks like they at least got the windhoff's right with photoetch

I will review/give my tuppencewirth when I get my sweaty paws on it

I look forward to your review. It looks like a nice package.

Well it arrived, I have to say I'm impressed with Squadron's service.

Firdt impressions over all are good but there are a few down points I feel I must mention. But more of them later, first the plusses.

The Roden DI kit, it's about the best Roden 1/32nd kit I've seen so far IMHO.

A smooth well presented satin finished booklet, inside which the kit instructions are reprints of the Roden ones but extra clear concise points are clearly noted also the various options are well noted. Exact measurements given for upper wing mods and such and other mods needed to take the resin engine.
The photoetch instructions too are clearly done by Eduard, the style and everything is theirs.
Painting guide uses Humbrol Refs and includes well pictured and detailed reference for the figure.

Decals are by Aeromaster, beautifully printed they are clean, sharp and glossy, they are sectioned where control surface lines intersect them, a nice touch. detail is good and better than the Roden offering.
I would have liked to see the instruments as decals as an option but they are on the PE anyway. more on that later.

In white metal the new shorter struts are nicely cast needing just a little tag removing.

PE....most clearly Eduards work, even down to the instructionsbeautifully done and with rear meshes for the windhoff rads too.......that may get snaffled for my DI as you have the option of building the central wing rad later DII. Anyone familiar with Eduards DIII set will recognise most of this fret but it has some DI/DII specific components on too.

The resin parts.....so beautifully done but so fragile too! this is my only real criticism of the kit....

The engine.....
On first inspection it looks superb, detail is crisp and THIN! in places excellent instructions on its assembly as well. assembly though I cannot say yet but care will be needed parting some components from their casting blocks.

The figure......
looks nice, well cast and the pose looks good, facially I dont know how well it represents Hauptmann Boelcke but as a representation of a WWI pilot its beautiful.

A resin exhaust..... so welcome after messing with the awful sink point on the badly finished Roden part looks very nice but deepening the exhaust might improve it a little on the kit.

the external portionstub barrel of a flare pistol is there too but oddly not the rest to complete it inside??

Now the bad points.... apart from the known discrepancies in the DI kit itself and the sinking in parts like exhaust and guns the only faults are because of the way the resin is packaged. Sadly all the resin is in one small ziplock bag together with no protection and not secured down.
So maybe mine hit turbulence coming over the pond to Blighty but the engine block is minus its finely cast mounting flanges, other delicate parts are snapped off here and there, not a catastrophe I know but annoying considering the time spent making such a beautifully rendered enhancement to the kit. All the offending bits are in the bag so maybe some are reusable. All easily avoidable with a little thought to packing the more delicat parts.

Overall though a very welcome and very well done package. Some think expensive but adding all the different components to a Roden DI kit would be more I reckon.....
True a DII can be made from thebasic DI with very little effort but if you intend detailing with PE etc this is exactly what Ensign have given you. So I would score this a tentative 8/10

So! What else I would have liked to see was resin replacements for some of the less perfect Roden parts, seat, guns, ammo boxes and wheels etc and a resin wing radiator and windhoffs would have been the cherries on the top.
Still cant have everything, and I hope this kit inspires some manufacturers to look at what else they can offer.

Now I'm itching to start this but the hanger floor is littered with A/C at the moment... my DI almost done, the DIII started awaiting Part of Polands new set.....an SE5a lurking half done and countless others in the dusty corners.

Well if you read this far I hope my insight helped if you are contemplating this gem.

Keith

I got mine at the LHS yesterday. Everything Keith said in his review is also true of mine. This looks to be a wonderfully thought out boxing. I hope to see more of these in the future.