Thanks very much for all the wonderful comments, they are all much appreciated.

Terri:

Here are two photos which I think show the instruments a bit clearer, it might give you a better idea of what I was trying to explain, I can be a little vague sometimes.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

One word..... Sweet as...oops thats two ...doh.

Hi Des:

This is really coming along nicely. As Terri would say, "I am watching this with keen interest".

I will be interested to see your comments on the motor and installation of same as I hear it is a bit fiddly in the fit department.

Best
Mark

Thanks Des

Cockpit looks really sharp

Des,
You got the SPAD looking beautiful.I do have one question for you though.What is the wooden box and what is it's purpose? Ok sorry that was two.It's most likely sometime simple but at the moment it has me clueless.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

WOW! what a build! Drilling out the cooling holes I get, but mass production of turnbuckles the side of a whisker???

What's that disk and cone on the side opposite the wooden box?

Ammo belt spool.

Thanks Stephen, the ammo belt spool I knew but the purpose of the wooden box is a bit of a mystery to me - any ideas?

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Thanks, I could handle a box for no reason, but the cone thing had me stumped.

Greetings good man Des.

I believe it should be a metal box for the engine oil. Like on the Spad XIII. I'll do some checking.

Thanks for looking into it for me Stephen. I call it a wooden box only because Roden's painting instructions call for it to be painted matt natural wood.
If it is an oil tank - that would be a lot of oil.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Two more photos of where i am up to at the moment. The seat belt is from Battlefield, they are a fabric belt with PE bits and decals, first time I have used these but they seem very good. Second photo shows the fuselage all locked up and engine cowls fitted. As I said earlier, the engine was not being fitted so the cowls went on very easy.

Des.

A description of the seat belt can be found on my site

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Hi Des:

Most impressive with the eyelet decals! Where did you get them? Really looks good. Did you put the engine in the engine bay? If so, did you have any problems with fit?
Looking good so far.

Best
Mark

Awesome Des ! The Battlefield seatbelts are super and really add to the realism of the cockpit . In whole this is coming along very fine indeed !

Thanks Mark and Terri for your kind words.

Mark.

Check my website (home page) for a full description of the seat belts plus a link to Battlefield.
No, I did not fit the engine, with all the cowls on no part of the engine (except the primer taps) would be seen, it certainly helps with the fitting of the engine cowls.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

After my first glance at your pictures you don't know how good it made me feel to know that you left the engine out! That was the primary fit problem with those cowl panels! At first before your answer I thought I was just an INEPT MODELER LOOKS GREAT!,
RAGIII

It's a beautiful build that I will review multiple times when ever I get to the one in my stash.

I had hoped that the engine could be made to fit, but I guess that it was never meant to be...

This is my second Roden Spad build, with the first I fitted only portion of the engine, crankcase, cylinder blocks and a little plumbing, even at that it was a tight fit. Roden has included a small note in the box which states that if you are displaying an uncowled version you will need to add parts 8Z - 9Z - 18Z - 19Z and 23Z. Being such a tight fit also makes it very difficult to add extra detailing to the engine. It's a real shame because the rest of the kit is very good and so far has gone together very well.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

I have started adding some colour to the aeroplane.
I will be using scheme No.10 from the Pheon Models decals depicting S3301 1 Lt. George Turnure 103rd Aero Sqn. Bonne Maison. April 1918.
We know he scored a total of three victories but apart from that there is little known about him, that's why I picked this scheme. I like to highlight the little known pilots, all the "aces" and "heroes" have been done many times over, but in my eyes this pilot was as much a hero as any of the "famous" aviators.
All the paints used are Humbrol enamels, masking was done using micro masking tape and once the paint was dry it was coated with Humbrol Matt Cots.
The lighting I used for the photos has changed the colours slightly, I will try and do better next time......

Des

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Some info I was able to find.

103rd Pursuit Group - 1st Lieutenant George Turnure destroyed balloon near Armentiers. 1 Jun 1918

His aircraft was a SPAD VII, Serial Number S5301 (This seems to be different from the information you have. I have no clue which S/N is correct. Call upon the experts here.)

I did some research in my Genealogy website and found this:
George Edward Turnure
From St Louis, St Louis County, Missouri
Birth Date: 24 May 1898
Death: Jun 1979 - Saint Louis, Saint Louis County, Missouri
Spouse: Manyle Turnure

Burried at the Cavalry Cemetery in St. Louis:
GEORGE E TURNURE, Died on Jun 25 1979, AGE 81, SECTION 029, LOT 2192
CATHERINE M TURNURE, Died on Jul 25 2000, AGE 93 SECTION 029, LOT 2192

There are a few George Turnures in WWI. This is the most likely one to be your inspiration. Genealogy is not an exact science, made harder by a lack of information from which to begin a search. This George Turnure seems to have returned to St. Louis after the war and was employed by the Railroad.

I hope this info sheds a little insight on your build.

Thanks Carl for the information you have provided.

In all the research I did I have found the Serial Number of his aircraft to be a point of conjecture. There are many conflicting descriptions of this aeroplane's S/N, some saying S3301 and others S5301. Because I am using Pheon Models decals I will be using the supplied S/N S3301.

As I have said in other threads, I am not one of those die hard sticklers for 100% accuracy. I like to make a model which represents a particular aircraft with colours and details as close as possible to the original machine but not going overboard with every nut bolt and screw. I also like to choose pilots who never gained the popularity of all our well known flyers, I feel that what they did was just as important.

Your information throws a little more light on this particular aviator, his life and what he achieved will never be forgotten, many thanks for taking the time and effort to post the information.

Des

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Here are some photos of where I am up to at present. Progress has been a little slow lately, I've been going to and from the hospital for the past three weeks visiting my ill mother, she is home now and is on the mend.

I originally had the metal brackets on the struts painted black, Rowan (Pheon Models) pointed out that most French built Spads had them painted blue, so I repainted them.
The machine gun is now ready to be fitted and the exhaust pipes have been modified and are nearly ready for fitment.
All the upper surfaces have now been painted and clear coated, all that is needed now is to paint the bottom of the top wing and under the tail plane.
Fuselage decals will be my next step.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Wow-your work on this project continues to be exceptional! You are tempting me to move this kit up the stash into the "must do next" pile.

Also glad to hear that things are improving with your family.

Thanks Dennis for your kind words.

I hope you do move your Spad kit up the ladder, it is a very good model well worth doing and Pheon Models decals add that finishing touch. I'm not a lover of PE but the set available from Eduard reviewed by Stephen Lawson would certainly enhance the model tremendously.

Des.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Wow, this is great stuff. But, you're really scaring me away from ever trying a biplane.