Step 2.) Unites the instrument panel assembly and the seat (8 J) that needs to be cut down at the back, rudder bar (11 J), control column (12 J) to the flooring (2 I.) The rudder bar ( 11 J ) attaches to the base support of the flooring (2 I. ) Here you have to think just a little bit ahead. Paint and mount the control trim wheels (1 J X 2) in the front and rear cockpits and try to dry fit the flooring (2 I ) to its needed location. First, cut it into three parts (discarding the middle section) and then dry fit the fuselage halves (6 & 7 A) to insure they will close up. Then turning to the photoetch instrument panel your going to have to dry fit it as well. These items were designed for the forward cockpit location of the normal two-seater Sopwith Strutter and its single seat Bomber. The rudder bar could do with a couple of simulated leather retaining straps for the pilot’s feet. Later you will need to add fine wire to represent the rudder control cables between the front and rear sections of the flooring. These cables ran under the flooring. Next you could scratch build a hand operated fuel pump. Note you might want to add a Sopwith type fuel mixture control lever to the left side of the cockpit almost under the instrument panel assembly. I used one from Copper State Models. Admittedly this narrower than usual cockpit get filled up quickly. The seat (8 J) does not sit on the floor but the raised ring it is molded to need to be brought down considerably. For my build I replaced the kit seat with an item from my spares box. If you use the kit item, it should have the back rest cut down low so that it is one continuous arc from top of armrest to top of armrest. The seat should then sit on two wooden type cross members spanning across the cockpit from side to side to a resting bar on either side. From the Sopwith factory this is a metal seat like the Sopwith Triplane types, not wicker.

Here is a Sopwith repair facility for British training unit. Note how many details you can pick out. I count at least 3 American trainee mechanics and riggers on the floor working.

In answer to a PM I just had. Yes the wing-roots on the Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter were integeral with the fuselage.

Well its time for an update. First a bit about clear plastic parts. Much has been said by modelers about Roden's inclusion of clear parts for major components. The basis of this is - in Roden's own words ". . . to make the model more realistic. . ."

In kit #402 this means the main flying surfaces, fuselage, horizontal and vertical tail units and both kit provided propellers (because they are on the sprue.)

It seems that Roden was trying to go for the translucency of in scale fabric type surfaces. The middle pages (06 & 07) of the instructions discuss blacking out fuselage and wing areas that are covered in metal or reinforced fabric. These surfaces must be opaque in character. This should have been discussed earlier but this is where Roden put it. This is basically to show where opaque / density of colours should be. For instance on the clear kit fuselage - the metal areas or the areas where fabric was doubled would be opaque. The truth is that in most cases the British top surfaces of the wings and fuselage were over-painted PC 10 or 12. In French service the fuselage fabric was painted in a multi colour camouflage or Ecru ( a warm buff colour similar to clear doped linen.) So in either case there was no see through effect. Even on the under surfaces the French Strutters were "over-painted" this Ecru colour.

The problem with clear plastic is that it is brittle. If you want to reset the control surfaces , that is the ailerons rudder or elevators to depict a realistic pose, you will have to cut very deep to avoid cracking or breaking the part in a manner other than separating the correct parts. In other words you may snap off part ofthe stabilizer or wing or fin along with the relative aileron, elevator or rudder. It is best to simply treat these parts as if they were fine glass. The mar and scratch easily so consider what you actually want to do. If you are going for an over all CDL look (for some reason.) Then you could preshade the ribs and etc. The over-paint in mists of a CDL colour. On British machines that have painted upper surfaces and a CDL undersurfaces the main variation with be the ribs have strips of fabric applied to them before overall covering. So with the two layers of fabric, the brown wood shadow is not seen on the undersurface. In most cases British machines so treated have whiter ribs and the fabric between the ribs has a slightly grey cast to it. Whiter main spars are also apparent.

I ran into this with both engines I was building and have added it to the original post.

Note the center hole in the PE will have to be filed to open up the hole more or it won't sit over the engine stub correctly. It has to move freely enough for the whole piece to line up the pushrods for the cylinder head tappets.

The hunt continues in the Sopwith 1 1/2 Datafile (#34) we see on page 15 and the rear cover more machines from thsame production batch as my target machine A 1093. On page 15 we see A 1090 and on the rear cover A 1081. The Vickers Manufacturer premier contract included machines with serials A1054 - A1153. 100 machines all total and most were finished in in a similar manner as was described above.

". . .CDL fuselage (all sides) and PC10 or 12 on the upper surfaces of the wings. . ." CDL under surfaces of the wings and the spine of the machines and horizontal tail surfaces seemed could be either . If the spine was left CDL then the cockpit decks were varnished wood if the spine was CDL then the horizontal tail unit and cockpit deck was PC10.

This constituted the early schemes of Sopwith, Lincoln and Vickers builds.

The possiblity that my chosen machine A 1093 was originally CDL on the fuselage then overpainted either PC 10 or white is a distinct possibility. The significance of the white is still a bit of an unknown factor. Anyway more images will be back by midweek and We will continue from there.

I am at the same place as JRatz, having just closed up the fuselage. Here are some extras I have added. Facades for the fuel cell / tank between the pilot and observer / gunner, rudder cables (4 from the rudder bar back) the Sopwith air / fuel mix levers and seatbelts. I have a couple of items to add later. One will be a camera.

Step 3.) Assembles the Lewis gun (4 or 5 J ) Mk II or Mk III respectively. Also you have to choose between the 47 round ammo drums ( 2 J ) or the 97 round drum ( 6 J. ) The all plastic Scarff ring (15 I & 9 J X2.) is also built here. There are parts that the kit instructions do not identify for an (French built) alternate for the observer’s Lewis gun mount. ( 9, 14 I ) Called the Etèvè gun mount it was known to be cumbersome and was seen on many early Strutters.

Step 4.) Is the details for the landing gear assembly (10, 14, 16, 17 J X 2 & 3 I ) While the plastic struts (14 J X 2) seem suitable, they need minor clean up and sanding to remove molding seams. It may benefit you also put brass pins in the ends of the Undercarriage “Vees”(14 J X 2) to be pushed into pre-drilled holes in the fuselage for better stability. Also the inner face of the wheels (16 J X 2) have a raise central hub. I cut this down flush with the inner face. The spreader bar ( 3 I ) needs to have a typical Sopwith split axle set up. Many production Sopwith fighters including the Strutter employed the use of split axles. Here you will need to cut a trough in the spreader (3 I ) and delete molded axle. Now add a one piece brass replacement axle and bend it in a 2 - 3 degree “V” to show the aircraft under load.

Step 5.) Discusses the assembly of the single Vickers machine gun (3 J.) Note how this is installed on kit profile. The Sopwith Pup, Triplane and the two- seater Strutters usually employed a small windscreen mounted (2 A )at the rear of the Vickers with a padded edge. I cut out the plastic center here and added a couple of small sections of heat stretched sprue for support.

Posted previously here this is added on the second page to reference some of the additional items I mentioned. Hopefully my model images will be back today.

Here are the Copper State Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter frets.

Here is the fuselage of the 402 kit before I closed it up. The instrument panel was simply painted black and then when dry it is laid face down on fine grit sand paper and rubbed over its surface. This is not terribly accurate but it allows for the modeler to highlight the details on this item in a dark cockpit.

Here is a roughly simulated instrument panel on a second Strutter underconstruction. You could just use black and white highlights but the dash panel has a little finer realism when its inplace using dark greys or light greys. The fuel tank facades between the seats are apparent here.

Note again the fuel tank / cell facades on this second fuselage.

Hello Stephen. I noticed you are building a Strutter. I have a Toko made 1/72 Strutter and read somewhere that Roden bought the molds from Toko for their own kits. Is this true? I was wondering because I have discovered some major fit issues with the fuselage during preliminary dry fitting. I can't find my camera at the moment but to describe it, it seems a bit pinched on the port side, with the top piece hanging over it by about 1/32" To make matters worse, it appears that the whole fuselage is bent to one side. If I stand it on its nose with the top facing me, it leans visibly to the left like the tower of piza. I think I can push it back out on that side again with some thick plastic card inserted where the rear seat used to be, but I still think that would leave some overlap. at the very rear. On close inspection it seems that the port half is actually a bit narrower than the other half. Mayhe I should install a thin shim between the halves?

Hello Goldstandard;

As for the 1/72 scale Toko and its link to the Roden kit , I have no clue. But I'll do some checking. The fuselage mismatch may be nothing more than pulling or pushing a section in or out to get it to line up with the mating surfaces. In 1/72 scale the lean of the fitted fuselage can be fixed by strapping the halves together and dipping it in very warm water for a few moments and hen applying even pressure. This should be a gradual pressure. If a shim migh help you could try it but its always best to work from plan views.

Greetings all;

goldstandard has posted this elsewhere and as some of you know I am a big fan of the French Memorial Flight organization. Here is their Sopwih Strutter undergoing restoration at their facility.
http://memorial.flight.free.fr/Strutteruk.html

Note also the use of the "lt. blue" / horizon blue on all of the metal parts of "French manufacture" aircraft as mentioned in the French multi colour camouflage thead. Any and all steel fittings seemed to have this.

Continuing on with the build

Step 6.) There is a two piece Clerget type cowling (1 & 2 E) with three oblong vents. There was some internet speculation that the three slotted types were not used on the Clerget motor installation. What we do know is that this type of cowling was a universal type that could be fitted to either the LeRhône, Clerget or the Gnome types. The position of the slots is for gas and heat dissipation for the prime firing position. This was usually at the 5, 6 or 7 O’clock positions (depending on the motor type) because the exhaust channel ( B 1) was located under the forward fuselage area. Another reality of this is that additional vents were added to aid in cooling during hot summer months.

Greetings all;
I got a lot accomplished today. With the Strutter The tail unit and lower wings have been applied. All pilot / locator holes for rigging and struts have been opened up. Then I got a surprise. The horizontal and vertical tail units have a bit of a glitch in the fit. There is a locator hole in one of the surfaces of the horizontal stabilizer at dead center. Normally you might think that it is foir the vertical stabilizer. BUt it is too far back. Using the Datafile I lined it up vertical stabilizer pin a bit ahead of the kit locator hole. And drilled a new hole. Part 7L is the adjustable tail unit mechanism. I am scratchbuilding this and the tail skid for better stability over time. The locator hole may be ok for the kit parts. My scratchbuilding part 7L may be what threw a wrench into the build.

The white scheme has me drawn like a moth to a flame. I am working on the following premise.

1. A1093 was from the initial Vickers Ltd. production batch (accepted on or around mid November 1916.)
2. Originally is was done with the fuselage in either CDL or painted ecru. Wings in PC10 on upper surfaces only.
3. An image of a similar RFC 45 machine (A1083) shows the fuselage overpainted white. There is another image of a similar machine also in RFC 45 in a line up that is white with others being totally overpainted in PC 10.
4. The white on A1083 is dirty, cracked and peeling . (This image is dated a spring 1917.)

Noting the A1093 was one of two lost white doing photo reconn (in combat with Ltn. von Bertab) I am doing A1093 in white and have another partially done that will eventually be in PC10.

I have spent about 2.5 hours on the white fuselage to get it to look worn and used. I note that PC10 hides a lot of dirt and grime that the white does not. Still I am searching for the reason the white was used at all.
She will definitely be a horse of a different colour. More like dapple grey though.

Step 7.) Attaches the Vickers machine gun to the upper deck (1or 2 G ). I will usually paint the allied type gun assemblies with a base coat of aluminum then add a wash of black that darkens the over all look of the pieces. Vickers machine guns were bare metal but the finish was not bright metal. This also makes a great contrast to the cowling if your going with a polish cowling type. Next is the fuselage halves ( 6 & 7 A), lower wing ( 4 B ) and engine cowling assemblies, horizontal (2 B ) and vertical ( 3 B ) stabilizers. You can use a linen colour for the wood and fabric areas. Then stain the wood ribs and ply with the Testors brown #1166 I spoke of in step 1. The fuselage halves (6 & 7 A) should align without much of a problem but, if you have any concerns line the spine up and then pull out or push in the bottoms of the fuselage halves to loose any stepped look or misaligned seams. I also added a section of sprue to spread the inside walls of the fuselage out, to match the top decking assembly from step 6 or 7. I also added two sections of flat sheet stock plastic at .015 X 0.30 thou to represent fuselage structure not provided by the plastic kit. Another item I had was a spare engine bulkhead from a Copper State Models Sopwith Strutter kit. While a little oversized it grinds down and anneals easily.

Step 8.) To mount the top wing (1 or 2 C ) try using a temporary jig of children’s Lego blocks. I would add the interplane struts ( 1 J & & J X 3) first and get the wing plumb. Next I will scratchbuild the two " W " cabane trestles. To begin with the plastic kit items 16 I and 13 J are too thick . Since it is easier to replace these with stronger brass substitutes I elect to do so. My favorite medium is Aeroclub "STRUTZ" and for this job I chose the yellow tipped extruded brass that equals the size of a #77 drill bit. at .70mm in actual thickness fore to aft. I start with the central arms of the " W ". After attaching the outer / interplane struts to the wing tips I attach the upper wing and then add the outer arms of the " W ". Don’t force a strut to go in place as it can throw the wing alignment off greatly. As a beginner, leave the upper-surface of the top wing and the undersurface of the lower wing unfinished (bare plastic/resin.) Do not add the landing gear yet. Why leave these areas unfinished you ask? These are the surfaces that you will use to apply glue on. An open flat surface is easier to work with and scrape excess glue from, than the narrow area between the wings, struts and rigging pathways. Also note that the smaller the hole you drill, the less area you will have to fix later. I like to use the thin type cyanoacrylate glues.

Greetings all;

Weather holding good today. . . I do some quick photography on where I am at so far. Top wing is mounted and I will do the biplane rigging between the wings later today and tomorrow. Then because we have the typical Sopwith control horns and cables for the ailerons and elevators I will apply the cockades to the wings, fuselage and rudder stripes. That will be another day.

Next will be the fuselage and tail unit rigging and then the landing gear. Maybe another two days after that. If I am lucky I will be able to shoot the final images before next weekend.

Step 9.) Shows the completed landing gear ( 14 J X 2 ), wheels ( 16 & 17 J X 2 ) and propeller (5 A) attachments. Several types of propellers were employed on the 9400 types depending on the engine installation and the propeller company of manufacture. Check your references. Add the chosen windscreen with white PVA (school ) glue.

Step 10.) Attaches the Lewis gun and Scarff ring assembly from step 3 to the rear cockpit.

Well here it is four days later and the Sopwith 1 1/2 is finished. I will shoot some images of the completed build later today.

I am curious!

Nico

Here are some shots before completion.

Note the kit "W" cabane struts are replaced with Aeroclub's "STRUTZ"