Hi All,

Well, I finally got round to finishing my two Sopwiths that feels like I started eons ago. The comparison between WNWs Pup and Rodens Tripe was an interesting one.

The Tripe certainly needed more elbow grease. – For one I could not live with the too short fuselage, and fixed this the hard way, by lengthening the body (Rather than getting the resin replacement). There were also some issues with surface detail that I had to fix. But all in all, I pretty pleased with the result, even if the turtle deck could have been smoother...

The Pup on the other hand was a breeze – and I who has'nt really cared too much about this kite before, ended up wishing to build another (RFC in that case). So without further ado – here's the results...

Pup first













The Pup will also feature in an article on pre-shading I wrote for the Swedish Hobby Magazine "Allt Om Hobby".

Now here comes the tripe, the decals are from Pheon..



















I did get some silvering on some of the decals, but it is not as bad as it looks (Probably my own fault for not using a shiny enough surface) Oh and I saw I had forgotten to put the prop on the pump, will have to fix this at some point.

Well what can I say, what was supposed to be two short projects turned out to be very long. A kitchen renovation made some delay, and fixing the fuselage on the tripe some. As the sanding and beveling was at its worst, WNW announced their tripe... I had to restrain myself, not to bin what I was doing. But in the end sense won out, and I'm happy it did. If I tackle another tripe (I might) I will go for WNWs offering instead. Though, if you decide you can live with the shorter fuselage, then why not give it a go?

Well, desk is properly cleared, and my Fokker will soon be started!

Thanks for looking

Mikael

Wow! Mikael. I always do so enjoy seeing your excellent builds. Excellent subjects and so well done, every time.

Nicely done Mikael! Looks like you have a couple more jewels to add to the shelves.

If you hadn't lengthened the tripehound's fuselage would that have made it a shortish project?

I'd really love to see those two posed together. Better yet, I'd love to have a whole bunch of pictures to put on the front page

Beautiful builds Mikael. Why don't you try some decal fixing solution to get rid of the silvering? I use the Gunze Mr. mark softer and Mr. mark setter, works a treat on this sort of minor problems.
Cheers,
Julian

Thank You all of you for your kind words, it is always such a pleasure showing work here

@Jessica – :D well it would have been about 6 mm shorter anyway... I'll see If I can't get them both in one shot, and send you something for the front page in a not too distant future

@ Julian, well the Pheon decals seem to react in a bad way to more agressive setting solutions (Which is made very clear i the instructions). A bit of Micro set works OK, but Micro Sol tends to fry the decal in a bad way... Never tried Gunzes products in this department. The silvering is really not as bad as it looks in the pictures anyway, the light and camera just seems to catch it a bit more.

@ Stephen – Thank You they do draw my eyes to them where they sit on the shelf

Take Care all

Mikael

If Pheon warn about setting solutions stay clear of Gunze then.
They are rather hot.
cheers,
Julian

Hi Mikael

They're both superb! The caster oil staining is really effective - the staining on the Pup's fuselage is just wonderful.

All the best

Rowan

Hello Mikael:

A couple of great looking Sopwith's. The Tripe is really noteworthy knowing what you had to start with and how it ended up. The staining is a nice touch as well. It looks realistic but overly done.

Best

Mark

Very nice pair Mikael, the subtle weathering and hi-liting on both is excellent; as Mark says "not overdone". I admire your perseverance in sticking with the Tripe after a better one appeared on the market. Mine will remain in the stash cupboard for a long time I'm afraid!
Cheers,
Lance

It could always become diorama fodder. Once it's a bit munched at both ends and parked nose down in a hedge nobody will ever know it was supposed to be longer.

Thank You boys and girls for your kind words!

@ Julian, thanks for the heads up on the Gunze products, I'll steer clear of them for this tripe I think

@ Thank You, I think I'll have to ad a Snipe to this lineup

@ Mark, always nice when you stop by

@ Lance, guess I'm a stubborn kind of a person – once I take a bite, I wo'nt let go...

@ Jessica, well thats not a bad idea at all – I do have another one in the stash – hmmm?

Mikael

Gorgeous work Mikael, no less than I expected, I love the weathering and dirtying down you've acheived.

I doubt my Roden Tripe will ever see light of day, I have the WNW in the hanger, construction on hold... laughs. (as are so many of my builds).

Keith

Great looking builds Mikael! Very inspiring, I really need to start building some of my stash of WnW kits once of these days!

Doug

Thank You very much Keith And thanks for pioneering the fuselage lengthening, it was hard work, but I guess worth it in the end. I do hope to see your Tripe finished at some point. Even though I totally understand you going with the WNW kit instead – it is the "sane" choice

@ Thank You Doug, you are in for a real treat with the WNW kits!

Miklael