Hello Folks,
I normally build WW II armour (mostly German) and I need a break from Panzer Grau & Gelb. I peek in from time to time on the "Early Aviation" projects and have enjoyed the builds,tips and encouragement here. Anyway, what I'd like to build is something easy first time out. Something easy to rig, a splash of color. Doesn't matter what nation. I just want to get my "feet wet" in WW I aviation. So any tips in building and kit recommendations will be greatfully appreciated ! Thanks in advance ! Tom

Welcome to the paradise WW1 planes

These days I will finish my first biplane. what I find out difference between a biplane and any other plane is : When your biplane almost finish, then comes the most risky part of it, riging. A lot of chances to drop of glue destroying whole project . Maybe is not a bad idea for the first model to take monoplan. WW 1 monoplans are beautiful, the same techniques like biplans, canvas, wood, wire, but lower risk.

Hey Tom! If I were building a WWI plane my first choice would be a Wingnuts kit! They go together almost by themselves and they're beautiful kits with no need for aftermarket goodies. They are 1/32 scale though and kinda pricey. My second choice and also 1/48 scale would be kits from Eduard. The kits marked as weekend editions are made to be low priced and easy build without PE ect. I have to agree that the fiddly part is the rigging and is the main reason why I only venture into WWI rarely. My favorite kit would be the Albatros D.V or Pfalz D.III. Good Luck!

If you want a 1/48 biplane with little rigging and some bright colour schemes, I would recommend the Eduard Fokker D.VII. See Brad's finished build here:
Click here.

They have boxed various schemes with this kit over the years.

Thanks Dani, rigging looks to be the challenging part of it. I will be careful with the glue ! Ray, You are right, a Wing Nuts kit would be the best choice but the price makes it not a beginner's kit and there is the size factor too. Eduard seems to be the way to go. Gracias Amigo ! And Ben, Thanks for the link to Brad's Fokker. The rigging looks like it doesn't get much simpler than that. It also shows my"splash of color" too. Cheers Mate !
Now, are there any good modeling books on bi-planes like the Osprey Books on Armor and WW II planes ?
Once again, Thanks everybody ! Tom

Hmmm...... Luckymodel are having a sale on at the moment and if you go into the 1/48 and 1/32 aircraft section of the sale there are quite a few 1/48 biplanes in there, including an Eduard one which I am sure would be a nice build.

If you want good value and don;t mind stepping up to 1/32 Academy has a couple of kits which I found to be nice to build. But if you want the best (IMHO) you can't go past Wingnut Wings...

Thanks Warren for the Lucky Models tip. Good prices but once you add the shipping it's about what you would pay at the LHS. And, if you have the option always support the local little guy. The visit to Lucky Models showed me all sorts of options from Eduard. I am leaning towards the Fokker EV kit. They probably won't have it but will order it for me. I will check out the Academy offerings. Wing Nuts, a little pricey for a first time outing. If all goes well, who knows ? . Thanks again ! Tom

I would go with the Eduard Roland C.II, or the Fokker DVIII/EV. They are great for Neophytes. The Roland has minimal rigging and the wings are really easy to set in place. The Fokker D.VIII/E.V has minimal rigging and only one wing, which would be good practice for future builds. Either of these kits would meet your requirement for a straight forward build, and I think they would be enjoyable for you as such.

Eduard also has a Fokker D.VII, which is one of the best 48th scale kits out there. Minimal rigging, but you might need some experience to get that top wing in place. You also need some experience to get all those colorful decals in place properly. Great for a third kit build in the early aviation department. Roden also makes a fantastic D.VII, which is a little bit more involved than the Eduard rendition.

The Eduard Fokker Dr.I is another great kit. Three wings to set in place but again, minimal rigging. It might take a little extra skill to apply the very colorful paint schemes, but I would reccomend it for a really fun build. I finished one of these after a long battle with the modeling doldrums. It was such an enjoyable build, I found myself cured and anxious to get back to the desk. I build mostly 1/32nd scale these days, but I found this kit to be easy enough that my tired old eyes didn't object much.

The Albatross, Pfalz, and Nieuport kits from Eduard require some rigging skill, but they build up like a charm. They offer some really beautiful schemes.

The Fokker Eindecker, Sopwith Camel, DH-4 and 9 , BE2c, and S.P.A.D. kits available are pretty involved when it comes to rigging. If you don't like doing all that rigging, you might want to avoid them until you are more experienced.If your are fearless when it comes to rigging, they are good kits.

So, to give you a straight answer, I think you can probably get ahold of the Eduard Dr.I pretty easily, and it meets your requirement for something colorful. You like the E.V, and that is a GREAT kit. I did it, then went right out and got another one.

I order all my stuff through Great Models. http://www.greatmodels.com/
For $33.95 you can get the Eduard Dual Kit. It is in stock. They also have the E.V in stock.

Have fun and keep us posted.

Morning Carl, Call it fate or whatever, last night I received the GreatModels' web flyer. I bought the Roland C. II & the Fokker E.V. for half price. Based on your recommendation and the "cool" looking factor. The Roland, it looked so advanced for it's day. Now all I gotta do is wait for the mailman. Thank you for breaking down the kits in degrees of difficulty for me. It would have been terrible to get frustrated by attemptingsomething that was way over my head. Have a great weekend !
Tom

My pleasure.

All the people here are great and offer really good opinions based on their experiences with these kits. It is best to see what an actuall builder thinks of a kit. I am confident you will get a good answer to all your questions about stringbags. But I am sure you have seen how great these people are around here.

So start up a blog when you get your kit and we will get you through your first early aviation subject.

Now, since Fearless Leader is off on break, Here is a little fun...
https://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/forums/130081&page=1

Hello Carl, Thanks for the link ! A lot of good stuff there. As far as a blog goes, I am an old fart who had my computer given to me. I can barely do Emails. I have no clue as to how to even load pictures normally much less submit them to Aeroscale. I do have a camera though and will take photos as I go and will have my nephew teach me how to do it when he comes for a visit.
Thanks for the encouragement ! Tom

We were all in that same boat when we started up here. Just take it one step at a time, and let us know what you need help with. We will have you building and posting in no time at all.

First thing is to get a Photobucket account. Photobucket allows you to download pictures. Then you just copy and paste the photo info to the blog, and somehow, the picture magically appears. Photobucket is free. It is that simple.

Advice from another (perhaps) older fart with limited computer savvy...........Photobucket is the only way to go. Check out page 1 of my Roden Alb. DIII KoTS Build Thread and you'll see where I was; absolutely clueless and desparate! Further on there are directions from "Kornbeef " (Keith Graveson) that got me up and running instantly that will help you. Can't say enough good things about Photobucket to get you posting with photos. Sharing adds a lot to your project, provides incredibly informed feedback, and may even become addictive........... you'll never look back!

Cheers and best of luck,
Lance

Carl & Lance thanks for the info on Photo Bucket and the encouragement. With the long weekend coming up I will explore it more deeply.
Thanks again for the support and have a great 4TH of July all !
Tom