this model has been sitting on my shelf for months, got it started and the rigging scared me off,sooooo I was a brave little soldier and gave it a go,was dry fitting the wings and snapped the interwing strut So tell me, are all biplanes this horrific? or am I too inpatient?that hasegawa heavy cruiser ship languishing on my shelf looks like a piece of cake compared to this frail bird.are any other versions of this type easier to work with?

Welcome to the Forum, you can learn a lot here, great people. Now are you a soldier or a Sailor? You may want to try the Glencoe version of this kit. It is the Aurora molds, very simple and sturdy, and a good subject to start out on. The benefit of the Glencoe kit is there is a ton of great decals. You have to drill the holes for the rigging, but it is a rather simple procedure. I use EZ Line, a sort of real thin rubber band, very forgiving, but a tad fiddly until you get the hang of it. Check out berkshirejunction.com.
The key is take your time, and have fun.
Semper Fi
Fair winds and following seas

Ouch ! A broken strut on such a beautiful aircraft , that bites !

The easiest way is for you to get a biplane jig for mounting the top wing . I seen one which was reviewed here but can't recall the name . Aero Club also has one as well and this will be a great aid for you . I don't use one . I do it free hand and is rather hard to tell how I do it . Each build is different . What might also help and give some flexibility is to pin the strut ends with brass or steel rod . This will give a better bond and you can bend the pin if needed . And use a slow setting super glue to give time to make any adjustments . You can also make your own jig out of sheet plastic . . A lot of WW1 modelers build their own to suit what aircraft they are building .

Pretty much all biplanes are like that . The easiest one which I found to give the least amount of trouble is Eduards kit of the Roland C.II . Only two struts for the main wings and two small ones for the tail .

How about some pic's ! I just love the Pfalz D.III

I am an old tar.thanks to all for the encouragement, such beautiful but frail aircraft.The pins seem to be the issue for me as they have no flex, the jig sounds good to me and will check it out, I am in this hobby to learn patience and relax...its working have you seen the Pfalz at the Austrailian war memorial museum (online) what a rare airplane

Sure have Dave , only trouble is -it's not in my back yard !

Hi Dave:

These WWI aircraft do provide the modeler with a new set of challenges, chief among them the placement of the top wing, and rigging, etc. It just takes time and patience and coming up with a plan that works best for you, and each a/c poses its own challenges. They haven't made one yet that is Marine proof. My partially melted SE5 is proof of that. It's been over 30 years since I was at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. I don't remember much save the submarine, a few tanks, but what really stuck with me was seeing MVR's Flying boots, pieces of the air craft, and if I remember right there is a machine gun in the display. I do recall the Albatros and I think an SE5. You may want to try a 1/32nd model. Roden makes a Pfalz, and Terri currently has a build blog up on that one.
Best of luck

Cheers
Mark

Most of us have tackled this kit in various scales. Here are most of mine.

Click here.

You can check out the various Aeroscale Features and Reviews as well. They will guide you through all of your concerns. Myself Terri, Mark Hamrick just to mention a few. For a good fix on the interplane strut try an accelerator on one broken end. Lay them down on paper tape fitted togetjher then a snall drop of cyano - superglue. Sand to shape and your done.

Mark Hamrick build

Terri Werner build

I have plans on trying an easier plane such as the Nieuport 28, has struts that are not so angled.seems like the eduard 1/48 pfalz DIIIa has really fragile struts, even pinning them would still leave me with having to torque them to fit espcecially the ones from fuselage to wing, a tough build for first time it seems.I will give it a rest for a few months and try another brand or type of bi plane, I will check all the links you all have provided...thanks.I will go back to my Lavochkin LA7 build

Yeah the mounting holes on the fuselage and under the upper wing , top of the lower wing the holes should have been at the angles , one can fill these holes with plastic rod or super glue and re drill them to the angle which is needed for easier assembly .

No worries Dave , as Stephen would say . Come back to it when you feel more comfortable on tackling it again