This question is prompted by a recent piece of correspondence between myself and Eduard.

Does anyone out there know the sort of following that WW1 models have? Is it very much a minority sport? I live in the middle of nowhere and so cannot claim to have a finger on the pulse by any stretch of the imagination.

Basically I was asking Eduard about the likelihood of new or at least reissued kits of WW1 types and in addition I supplied them some photos of my own little biplane jig (I mentioned it on here and have since made some alterations and am still planning more refining) to see if the design was of any interest to them as I felt that tools which make it easier and less scary to build bipes would help attract people who are deterred by the tricky wing assembly. I did this in the hope that promoting the building of biplanes would mean more demand and therefore more kits available and was not seeking any remuneration.

The reply I got was that WW1 types were such a small part of their business that they did not see it as something to be pursued. This is a sad state of affairs considering that Eduard are often credited with breathing new life into the WW1 modelling genre.

P.S.

Has anyone tried making a "wingumy jig"? I would be very interested to hear if it had been tried and how well it was found to work. I have passed a number of biplanes through it since I initially posted it and have found it to be very handy although I have made a few important modifications since the original post.

My favourite models have always been WW1 biplanes. I' started building biplanes after seeing a Sopwith Camel take off and fly.

For some it's the sound of a Merlin powered Spitfire, for some the shriek of a jet, for many like myself it's the sputtering of a rotary engine and the slow takeoff across a grass covered field.

Keep the faith my friend. Chocks away.

It's very much of a niche market, to be sure, but those people who are into it are often very much into it in a big way.

Look at Wingnut Wings. It's run by Peter Jackson because he absolutely loves Great War aircraft. The company is a labour of love for him and his employees.

yes, besides I can't find any valuable reason on why one should build Bf109s or Spitfires by the hundreds and not get bored... in the end also a niche market becomes appealing!
IMHO, of course...

Ciao
Edo

Oh indeed WWI airplane modells are the niche of a niche, and beside of these marvellous Wingnut kits there is almost no place for other manufacturers.

My real passion are WWI and before modells and I also have a favour for Golden Age aviation... another niche.


cheers Peter

I have some of the early Eduard kits that came with a wing aligning template pieces - the kind that you put on lower wing, then under the upper wing and set the struts. On unrelated model (Accurate Armor Range Rover) I once glued the similar jig provided for suspension assembly to the assy even though the instructions should have been pretty clear.

For more complex jigs - I usually find those as a big turn off... Something about paying extra to just build a model, plus a commitment to building bipes once you have it on the shelf...

Modeling is a niche market, with Early Aviation being a niche sub-market

I'd have to agree about them being more niche than most aviation subjects, although inter-war types do trail behind I find.
The perceived difficulty of assembling biplanes and rigging is the number one reason I think. They have had a lot more interest in recent years, but none of the major manufacturers in europe or the far-east are touching them. So it falls to the eastern-european manufacturers to produce them and often of mixed quality. It would be great if Tamiya did a line of WW1 bipes at 1/72 or 1/48, but it's not going to happen.
Time was I would never touch a bipe after several failed attempts, so I stuck with WW2 and jets mostly 1/72. Then I gave a Matchbox Sea Fox a bash when I took part in a Matchbox build campaign on here. I got a lot of advice and the ease of the build resulted in my first successful biplane. Since then I've built a few more and added a fair few to the stash. I'm still on a learning curve (as indeed we all are) and I've yet to try rigging. I may try that on something bigger before attempting it on my preferred scale of 1/72.
Ultimately my goal is to have a collection which displays the evolution of warplanes from WW1 to present. Not every type of course, that would be madness! But the important types, the oddities and failures and anything else that interests me. I'm sure that most others also try to do the same thing.

I'm a little intimidated by the rigging. But I built a 1/48 An-2, so maybe I'll work up the nerve to tackle World War I subjects someday.

I have heard one fellow say that world wide there are only about 5,000 people with any interest in WWI aviation modeling.

Makes you wonder who or how that research was done? If it's worked out by modelers who showcase WW1 models on websites or forums, then it must leave out those who don't?

Wasn't it something P.J. said in that French interview?

I wouldn't be surprised if 5,000 was an accurate figure, I found myself in my nearest city yesterday (Glasgow) and went into one of the few if not the only model shop in town (Jamieson's models) It was my first time in a model shop in a long time as, being out in the Highlands I rely on the internet for supplies and the sum total of WW1 types in stock was, I would guess, less than 1% of their entire stock.

As for rigging and fitting wings these intimidated me to a large extent but I found that with my wee jig I can get a top wing on cleanly for the first time and with my preferred method of rigging (Monofil mending thread through holes drilled in the wings and fuselage with superglue to give that firm, long-lasting hold) The biggest problem I have is breaking 0.3mm and 0.2mm drill bits which are thankfully pretty cheap (bought from China via ebay for a couple of pounds per twenty)

I think that mounting the second wing and then rigging are two reasons why WW1 modelling is not popular, but other than that why not?

Is it that the aircraft were slow, the tanks primitive, was it too long ago, lack of model kits,?

Respectfully, I don't understand why modern military jets and airliners are popular modelling subjects? I can sort of understand why armour is poular. Maybe someone can explain the attraction.

I'm a WW 11 modeler, who just started to become interested in Jets through the 70-80s. I have no real interest in WW1 aircraft, and I've been modeling on and off as an adult since the early 70s.

The generation of modelers who were born shortly after WW11 grew up seeing props and 1st generation jets on tv, in the movies, as well as what we saw on the model shelves of a local toy store. There were no true hobby shops back in the 1950s that specialized in plastics.

To this day, I prefer to model WW11 props over 1st and 2nd generation jets, but I'm slowly changing. When you interact with younger modelers, they're all about Jets as a general rule. It's simply because that's what they grew up seeing, so it's just a natural extension to what they prefer to model.

To go back nearly 100 years to the bi-plane era, just doesn't interest me, and even more so to the majority of younger modelers. Add to that the new skills needed to build and rig a Bi-plane, and you have a scenario that doesn't tend to bring them into this nitch era.
Joel

I agree that one tends to model what one grew up with. I started modelling in the 1960's, and mostly WW1 in 1/72 scale.

I live in Ottawa, Canada, where there are several museums, a War Museum and an aviation museum among them. I remember seeing a Sopwith Camel flying at an air show in 1967, and read Billy Bishop's biography. I never bought into the 'Knights of the Air' business, I knew that war was not like that. At that same airshow as the Camel, I was struck dumb by a Hawker Hurricane flying VERY low overhead - I felt the noise in the bottom of my feet. Jets don't affected me like that, I'm not awed, more scared.

(Museums in those days were different. I remember standing beside an Me 162 and reaching out and touching it, this was the real thing, also a Sopwith Camel at the old War Museum.)

maybe I like WW1 aircraft because they are not the effective, efficient killing machines that modern military hardware is.

anyway, I wish more people were interested in early aviation, and that model companies would make more kits available, in my scale preferably -1/48.

I love all aviation from 1914 through 1945 or mainly prop aircraft. Jets just dont do it for me, I mainly build WWII and some WWI when I see a kit that I really like. The rigging is the only barrier to my building more WWI or biplane aircraft with bracining wires (my down fall). If I was able to attend any instructions on how to accomplish rigging I would buy and build many more WWI aircraft.

Bob

I find the easiest material to use for rigging is elastic thread, EZ Line, which can be bought form Berkshire Junction, or from Wingnut Wings.

Isnt Eduard releasing a SSW D.III this coming November, at least according to one of their latest news letters. Still some hope

Yes, after I finally managed to track down a copy of the original issue...

I sheepishly admit to being glad its the ssw and not the sopwith tripe that I finally tracked down a few months ago, maybe they release one of those in december

Hi Mike

I know the feeling - I still have plenty of the early releases that I bought new, ready for the fabled day when I "have time to build them"...

In answer to the original question - beyond all else, to those who are dedicated to it, and seriously popular to the likes of me on the fringes (I still count myself as a beginner in terms of the number of completed builds that I'm satisfied with, no matter how many kits I've bought! ).

How does that translate into sales? Well, Trumpeter and HobbyBoss have released mainstream kits of later era subjects that have previously been the preserve of limited-run producers. And, if they continue to watch Wingnut Wings clean up in 1:32?... So, who knows? Based on their present kits, though, I think they will have to master representing fabric-covered surfaces better before they dive into WW1, but I learned long ago never to say "Never" in modelling.

All the best

Rowan

I really can't see either Trumpeter nor Hobby Boss (their 1/48 scale mirror) deciding to enter the WW1 market. It's just too much of a small nitch market to offer them the sales returns they would be looking for.
Joel

I remember when I started Aurora was the model king. In my recall I did not rig them at all, ever.... to start there is no need. To have fun build the d____ thing when you are comfortabe try the rig. Think of it this way at 1/72 scale, scale is thinner than the this I.... If you could Hire a trained spider you mihght get scale rigging... though the rigging looks good regardless.

The first bi-plane I rigged was the first issue of the Revell SPAD 13 1/28 scale. It had complete rigging instructions, and I gave it a try. Came out good.

Captn Tommy

I keep meaning to get my 1/28 Dr1 out of the stash and have a go at rigging that. The larger scale and minimal rig sounds like a good place for me to start. I also recently found some etch sets on evilbay that will improve the base kit no end.

WWI planes are definitely a niche within the modelling and greater aircraft community.

Rigging is probably one part of it - at least for me. The other thing is the lack of good clear photographs. WWII gives much better resources for research and to capture the imagination of modellers and enthusiasts.

I have now started on an old Matchbox Stranaer and will use that to make my rigging skills better.