After watching the magnificant builds here, I thought that I would try one. Eduard seems to have a nice variety, but what kit would any of you suggest for the first time at WW I and rigging? Rigging has always scarred me, since I stayed away from a build that required them.


Robert

Eduards Fokker E.V requres little rigging and would be a good one for dipping ones toes in the water , kit no ed8096. i have just started one myself.

Hi Robert Welcome to the dark side of scale modelling !

Eduard has some excellent offerings which are perfect for the first time build . As James has said the Fokker E.V is great choice as well as the Fokker Dr.1 and the Fokker D.VII . If you want a little more of the rigging to try your hands on the Pfalz D.IIIa , Niueport 11 , 16 , 17 . The Hanroit HD , Roland C.II . Now if you really want to step up then the Sopwith camel , DH-2 or even the Bristol will keep you busy with the rigging once you get some practice in with the rigging .

There are many different ways on doing the rigging , through the wing or steel wire right up to the Q-tip and twist wire method just to name the mostly used methods .

Good luck with your choice and please share with the rest of us stringbaggers when you start your build

Robert,

You could also try a Fokker Dr.1 Triplane. Not much rigging there to get started. I'd go with 1/48 or 1/32 scale because you'll have a little more room to work with. There are several different ways and materials to rig the aircraft. Post any questions and a bunch of us here will jump in with suggestions. It's not nearly as difficult as most people think. Good luck and welcome to WW1 stringbags.

Mark

While everyone has suggested some good kits. For the first time at bat give the noble Nieuport 17 a try. Basic long rigging with an invisible thread (smoke coloured) monofilament. Most sewing & craft stores have this at 8 mil.

This is a Nieuport 21 (80hp) N.4545 School #1100) from Issoudon. This school number was assigned to Field # Five. The machine has the fuselage of N4545 but the wings from N4579. Often times when wings were reconditioned or repaired the American star and meatball was applied instead of the French cockade. Though more and more toward the end of 1918 this was done on instructor's machines (Nieuport 24, 24, bis and 27 types) exclusively. Also some Nieuport trainers had two sets of rigging cables on the landing gear instead of just one set.

My experiment was with duplicating the castor oil exhaust glaze that tended to build up on the trainers of the AEF. Crews often had several aircraft that had to be readied for the next days instruction. This exhaust buildup usually had to be sanded off and the area repainted. In the AEF training units it was considered a waste of time to do, as portions of the machine would probably be recovered or repaired several times within a three month period. Quarterly reviews were done on airframes to note the amount of work involved in maintaining their serviceability.

@James: Thanks for the advice, I checked out the EV at Squadron and on Eduards site. It does look a little easier. My adventures in WW II aircraft and AFVs have been rewarding but it seems that by not trying some WW I aircraft I am missing someting. Again thank you James for the help.

@Terri: Nice to talk to you again, I remember looking at your photos awhile back and commented on your rigging and wondered if you had a feature on the technique that would help me? Again I would like to comment that after looking at the photos that you have posted, you do build a nice aircraft.

@Mark: I have been following your Hansa-Brandenburg W.13 - Complete Scratchbuild with much interest. I have been trying to figure out how you are scratching the ribbed tail surfaces. The photos that you have posted are helping me with my own AFV scratch. Thank you for answering.

@Stephen: It just happens that the N.17 is my favorite WW I aircraft after having built numerous HAWK kits in the early 60's. But now that the eye sight is not as good 1/48 would be better even if the N.17 is still pretty small. I had followed your publication in the past but cannot find it now. Since I am now disabled ( cannont drive ) how do I go about obtaining it now? By the way how is Colorado, I lived there in the 1990's.

My main concerns re:WW I is, it is not like the aircraft or afv's that I have built but there seems to me to be a different technique to the kit. Any and all advice is welcome, the bug has bitten and I am unable to resist.


Robert

that phrase has summed up the last fortnight for me!
good luck in your choosings! hope to see some plastic up soon!
cheers

James

Robert,

Check out the thread on my Grigorovich M5 build. I think I put a post on how I make ribbed surfaces on there somewhere. If you still have questions send me a private message and I'll help out all I can.

Click here.

Mark

Mark, thanks for the information. One question, what determines which method (sandwich/scotch tape)
that you use?



Robert

Robert,

I was just trying different techniques on the build to replicate wing ribs. I prefer the looks of the sandwich method.

Mark

Mark, thanks for the info. I will try that method if and when the need arises.



Robert

Hello again Robert

I remember your comment . If I recall in my profile under Pfalz D.IIIa dual build Mark and I did . I did a small tutorial on the twist wire and q-tip method . Mark has a really nice way of doing through the wing and as well did a small tutorial on how he did it . A much less frustrating way for the beginner with rigging . Stephen does fantastic work with steel wire and other methods as well ...Lot's of helpful folks to help you when the time comes , we got your back

I still plan on doing a feature on rigging , but with three different methods to give the modeler options on whats comfortable with them . Two projects are at the stage where rigging can begin , just haven't spent any time on the third part of the project yet . To much on the plate at the moment .

Hey Robert, I am jumping into this thread a little late. All the above choices are great for different reasons. Your choice for a WWI build must follow the same method you would use to choose an AFV or a WWII aircraft. We can offer a number of choices, and the suggestions so far are exactly what I would reccomend. What are you looking for in a build? Something colorful? Something with minimal rigging? Something with wood grain? WWI modeling has more to offer than just about any other genre of modeling.

The Roland offers a colorful subject with minimal rigging. The Fish scheme will require some decal skill. But it is worth the effort.I am giving some serious thought to doing another one of these in the fish scheme for the 2 seater campaign. I also did one of these for the other 2 seater campaign. It is not as finely detailed as some of their other kits, but it is up to modern standards and fits together quite well.

The Fokker D.VII and Dr.I can be done in the streaked schemes with some really outlandish personal decorations. Additionally, the D.VII can have lozenge added to elevate the color scale to OMG. They go together very well and have minimal rigging. They are not as simple as some of their other kits, but are still not difficult.

The E.V is reall a good aircraft to practice balancing that top wing in place. It goes together better than any othe Eduard kit I have tried. The schemes range from bland to somewhat colorful. The Polish decal scheme has a lot of red and white. I think this is probably the single best kit for a first timer.

The Albatros D.V requires a medium dose of rigging, but the color schemes are some of the most gaudy available. My personal favorite aircraft. Just check out the Jasta 5 project here in Early Aviation. Jasta 5 decals will become available this Spring. I have 10 of these kits in my closet awaiting these decals now. If you want to pick one kit that you can build over and over again, and not get tired of, this is it.

British schemes tend to be bland and require more rigging. There are a few that rival the German schemes for outlandish schemes though. Check out the F2.b Brisfish and crocodile. These kits tend to be much more difficult, and I would not reccomend them to first timers. I would highly reccomend them to somebody with a few builds to their credit though.

The Pfalz is Terri's favorite. She reccomends it to everybody. And she does make them look good. They are pretty much like the Albatros in rigging and colorful schemes.

Stephens choice of a Nieuport is a good one. It comes in some really nice schemes. It has a little bit of rigging that takes a little time, but is do-able by a first timer. The Eduard kits are simply fantastic in this line. Not difficult to build and they look good finised. (The kit I consider to be my single best build is one of these Nieuports)

And that is just in 1/48th. If you want to try a larger scale. Rodens Albatros D.III or Fokker Dr.I. Their Albatros D.III was the kit of the year a few years ago, and they released a D.III (OAW)recently. I think these are well within your skill level and suitable for your first WWI build. If you like those, check out Wingnut Wings for a second WWI build.

Welcome to the wonderful world of early aviation.

hth

Hello Carl, its has been awhile since we have talked. Was it the Nightfighter campaign or the Sherman campaign, thanks for the comparisons. Now just to get the a/c that I would like to build and some help in a tutorial on rigging and I am set. Oh and a new set of eyes. Nice to here from you and everyone here.



Robert

Click here.

It was the Sherman campaign. That was my dads tank in WWII.

There is never a shortage of help and advice in the Early Aviation Forum. The friendliest modelers reside right here. So, what will you decide on?

Great thread, I was about to come in here and ask the same question.

@ Stephen, THANKS!!for the article, I will read the entire content when able.

@ Carl, you must be proud. Nice to hear from you again.




Robert

Got to agree with the other guys, I have an unfinished Camel in 1:48 and there is noticably more rigging than say the Alb. D.III or the N.16 that I have done. you need to decide the method of rigging early as I find it affects the paint sequence and I had problems when I tried the Q=-tip method getting good stretched pieces. So far I prefer to drill through and finish paint the top of the upper wing and the bottom of the lower wing after assembly. (The rigging points often fall under the decals). Robert, I think the WW1 kits are the most challenging and satisfying I have built, if you take it easy and have a safety valve nothing I have built (except scratch built 1:72 ships) comes close. I value other types as a break but will keep coming back to WW1.

Hello James: Nice to hear from you, I had decided on the Eduard Fokker EV, but the supplier that I use (Squadron) is out of stock at the moment. So I will wait for now, untill I am able to practice on an easy kit . Again thanks for the advice:-[ ]



Robert

Hi Robert:

You have been given a lot of choices to run with. Too bad about the EV being out of stock. HobbyCraft makes some decent WWI subjects in 1:32nd, that have been mentioned. The Nieuport 17, is a fairly easy to do build, with minimal rigging and builds into a nice model. I have build the Hobbycraft SPAD and really enjoyed it. The Hobby Craft 1:32 NIE 17 in Russian markings is up next for me. Good luck and enjoy.

Great Models webstore has one E.V and one E.V weekend kit in stock.

btw, I think that is a great choice.