JayDee

What's the overall size of this when complete? That tail looks awesome.

1:32 Gnôme Monosoupape 9 Type B-2 (100hp) Taurus Models Catalogue # D3213 Available from Story Models for £23.90 The Gnôme Monosoupape 9 Type B-2 was a 100hp, nine-cylinder British rotary engine, which was used on numerous aircraft types, such as the DH.2, DH.5, Avro 504, Bristol Scout, Sopwith Pup. Development continued from 1915 with the French company Gnôme et Rhone, and along with its almost direct German equivalent, the Oberursel UI, was one of the most successful aero engines of the Great War. If you are a modeller of World War 1 aviation, Taurus Models are a company that should surely have blipped on your radar by now. Whilst only a relatively new outfit, over the last year or so, Taurus have released a stream of aftermarket and upgrade sets in both 1:48 and 1:32, with these mostly being aimed around aircraft engines. Indeed, we have recently reviewed their Oberursel UI as well as numerous other valve lifter/rocker sets, and sparkplugs. Today, we take a look at the new 1:32 Gnôme Monosoupape 9 Type B-2. Almost complementing their release, the Gnôme Monosoupape is packaged into a very delicate box, made from a satin finish paper, and beautifully printed with finished images of the rotary engine. This box, despite how handmade and attractive it is, must be treated with kid gloves. This is one to sit on top of your aftermarket stash. A kit box could crush it. Inside the box, four small zip-lock wallets contain a total of NINETY-ONE medium grey resin parts, and a coil of very small, almost filament gauge copper wire. A small instruction sheet is included, and you will definitely need to reference this to build this engine. The first packet contains the engine's main crankcase, drift-shaped propeller shaft, rear crankcase, and rear crankcase electric plate. The crankcase itself is certainly one of the nicest pieces of casting I've seen, and contains superb plate and bolt detail, as well as a manufacturer's plate, clean holes for pushrod cap installation, and some great detail to the rear, adjacent to the casting block. This part needs to be carefully removed so as not to damage any of that neat bolt-head detail. The cylinder locations are keyed so that their orientation is correct when installed. So much of this kit relies on accurate and careful assembly. The rear crankcase and electric plate should be fairly easy to de-block, as a resin dead area exists between the part and its casting block. I still advise a razor saw though, and not to breathe too hard whilst cutting. The second parts bag contains the nine cylinders, with finely rendered and cast cooling fins, cylinder top rocker head locations, and also an aperture into which the spark plugs can be inserted. Cast individually, with a very small, easy to remove block, so seam lines exist on these, providing an immediate improvement to any injection moulded kit part. The last bag of resin parts contains EIGHT casting blocks packed with numerous parts; some of them incredibly small. Thankfully, Taurus have seen fit to give us ten of the smaller parts, where only nine would be needed for assembly. These smaller parts include spark plugs, piston rods, piston rod caps, piston rod linkages, plungers, and insulators. These parts are finely cast, in incredible detail, and a post cast onto the end of each block protects the parts from any damage within the package. Two last casting blocks contain the rocker arms and valve lifters. The valve lifters need to be carefully installed as seven of them are cast in a closed position with an un-tensioned spring, whilst the open ones are tensioned. The casting block clearly shows which is which, and when you look closely at the parts, the difference can actually be seen in such a small scale. These parts really do have to be seen with the eye to appreciate just how great they look in this scale. Again, real care needs to be exercised when it comes to removal and assembly. You get no spares for these last parts. As there are two cylinders which have different valve positions, the plunger on the base of the pushrod will protrude into the cap at different lengths. This is quite simple to understand when you see the instruction leaflet. All resin is flaw free, with only the faintest hint of flash on the rocker assemblies. The last packet contains the 0.1mm copper filament wire. This is designed to be used to plumb the sparkplugs down to the insulators and electrical ring. The instructions take a little reading, and should be understood fully before assembly. You really need to compare the diagrams with the box art images to perhaps understand the minutiae of how things fit together in relation to each other. Once understood, the detail images on the instructions all of a sudden become very clear. The valve sequence is also explained, so that you can correctly place the open valve cylinders in the right position in relation to the closed valve cylinders. He text is most informative with regard to this. Painting is also discussed, with overall colours being given, as well as a profile for the spark plugs, which in themselves require three colours of paint! So what do we think? You need a steady hand, the patience of a saint and an eye for detail in order to get the best out of this detail set, but in all, assembly isn't too difficult, and it most certainly offers a high level of detail which an injection moulded kit can only hint it. If you decide to fit one of these to the rear of your WNW DH.2, the difference will be immediately apparent, despite the great parts that the base kit already has. Now you can build a DH.2 with a Gnôme Monosoupape 9 Type B-2, and an Eindecker with a Taurus Oberursel UI. Very highly recommended Our sincere thanks to Story Models for the review sample used here. To purchase directly, click THIS link.

Andy, welcome to LSM!

Lovin' it

It's great to have you on board Petr. CMK were the first sets I used when I came back to the hobby, and I have a number of them still in the stash. Always wanted to build that He 177 too....perhaps one day! Really looking forward to seeing what you guys will release.

Oh lord! Died and gone to heaven. The Mk.II is the one I'd go for.

That looks superb, and very clean. It's about time we saw this in kit form. What's the release date.

1:32 Seatbelts for Sopwith Snipe, RE.8 and DH.9a HGW Catalogue # and price: see article Available from HGW HGW are busy filling in the back catalogue of Wingnut Wings releases with laser cut editions of their excellent seatbelt sets. These microfibre and photo-etch belts really are in a league of their own. The sets we've been sent are: #132520, Sopwith Snipe Early, 229,- Kč #132523, DH9a "Ninak", 229,- Kč #132504, RE.8 "Harry Tate", 229,- Kč There's no doubt that HGW's packaging is very sturdy, yet attractive too, with the microfibre sheet and photo etch fret being affixed to a decorative display inlay using low-tack adhesive. The inside of the clear, re-sealable wallets also contain a very stiff card to prevent damage. Essentially, these sets contain the same components, as the belts themselves (lap belts) were of the same pattern for these different machines. Of course, the RE.8 and DH.9A were two seat machines, and the Snipe a single seat fighter, so the parts count per set reflects this. Despite the RE.8 and DH.9a containing the same number of microfibre parts, the sheet layout of the parts is slightly different. This means that if you have either of these sets, they can still essentially be used for either machine. The same applies if you have one of the two seater sets, yet with to complete two single seat Snipes. The photo etch frets for the two seaters are also identical, except for the product etched label. Curiously, the frets for the two seat machines actually carry enough parts for FOUR belts, so if you are a little savvy, you could use these with home-made paper/foil parts at a later date. The Snipe set contains only enough photo etch for a single belt set. HGW's microfibre belt sets really are a revolution in modeling. I've always struggled a little to get photo etch belts to look correct, and if they are colour printed, then extra care must be taken. Tin foil belts have generally worked better for me, but of course, you need to paint them. HGW's microfibre belts are printed in full colour onto a synthetic fabric. These are then precisely laser-cut, leaving you with only a small number of tags to cut through to release the part from the sheet. The laser cutting process also has the pleasant after effect of slightly discolouring the inks around the edges of the parts, giving a superb organic look. The laser process is also used to etch stitching, where applicable. These only tend to show when you apply a wash, giving a thoroughly authentic look. The actual colour printing process reproduces the material appearance of the real thing, with printed stitching too. To prepare these parts, you must first scrunch them into a small ball and manipulate them between the fingers for a couple of minutes. This makes the material pliable and easy to form. When straightened out, you assemble the belts using tiny spots of CA. I prefer to use gel for this purpose as it's easy to precisely assemble the parts when you have a few moments before the glue finally cures. The belts can be weathered and washed using oils and pastels also, without any risk to the integrity of the assembly. The photo etch parts, manufactured by Eduard, are first rate, with just a little folding required for the clasps. All parts are easy to remove from the fret due to small connection tags. The instructions for all three sets are identical, being printed on an insert in the rear of the packet. Microfibre and photo=etch parts are distinguishable with red ink used to denote the fabric parts, and ble for the metal. Alternative connection parts are supplied, depending on whether you connect the belts to the seat direct, using an etch clasp, or via a fabric sling arrangement. So what do we think? Three more sets which are very likely to please Wingnut Wings fans who have not only the recent Snipe, but also the older releases too. Again, quality is excellent, and the price very reasonable. Certainly nothing to criticize at all with these releases. Very highly recommended. My sincere thanks to HGW for the review samples used here. To buy directly, click THIS link. James H

What a great looking model! I'm very much looking forward to seeing this sprout wings. That MG on the side is just mad, and the weld detail etc. Totally love it, and I love you too.

Alley Cat do a resin canopy and masks for this. Soon to be reviewed here.

Way to go I did have one of these until recently, but gave it away. Perhaps I'll now see what I'm missing. Thansk for sharing this one.

Looks a real neat kit, and the paint job is super. MORE please.....

And with any luck, our sample should be winging its way here when released.

Ok, I've mailed Jirí at Fly

Fly are an SP&R sponsor, but not had anything for a long while. I'll contact and see if we can, er, help with this one

Nano Saws RB Productions Catalogue # RB-T038 Available from RB Productions for €6.50 If you haven't yet seen the light and tried out some of RB Productions rather excellent photo etch saws, then here comes another release of those sets you will end up filing under "how did I cope without that?" RB Productions have released a saw for almost every season, with bucksaws and micro saws, but for those of you who want fine saws for the most delicate of applications, then this miniature, yet mega pack of no less than SIX separate, different shaped 'nano saws', should be on your shopping list. All you'll need is an X-Acto style handle to mount them in. Let's take a look at what this pack offers. Packaged into the familiar small zip-lock bag with a card stiffener, this set contains a small fret of stainless steel containing those six very sharp saws in different formats, held in situ with a small number of very small tags. As this is stainless, you will still need a fresh, sharp blade to remove them from the fret. You might also require a small jeweler's file to remove any sharp protrusions from the tags. Please be careful, these tools do have a very sharp cutting edge. Whilst all the saws are different shapes, they do fall into 3 categories, and are listed on the instructions as so: 2 x curved saws: these can be run along a rule (as per instruction photo). Two sizes are included – the narrower blade can be used to follow curved edges 3 x tapered saws: these can be used to make piercing cuts – drill a suitable hole first and use it as a starting point for the cut 1 x straight saw: this saw can be used to make long, straight cuts All saws are indeed very fine, with a high number of teeth per inch, and as previously mentioned, very sharp too. Just because these are photo etch doesn't mean they are inferior to other saws. I've been using RB Productions saws since they were first released, and they are a staple of my workbench now. You will need to avail yourself of an X-Acto, or similar fitting Swann Morton handle, also available from RB Productions, in order to mount these blades. I usually buy a few at a time so that my favourite saws are always at hand, without having to change the previous saw/rivet tool etc. So what do we think? For the detail modeller with his/her collection of aftermarket resin sets, then these saws are a godsend, especially with the increasing number of small components we regularly find in these detail sets. These are extremely affordable, working out at only just over a Euro each, so you really have no excuse but to try them out and look at RB Productions back catalogue of saw and tool sets. Very highly recommended Our thanks to RB Productions for the review sample used here. To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

1:32 Fokker D.VII Radiators RB Productions Catalogue RB-P32031 Available from RB Productions for €6.00 Only an item or so of aftermarket has surfaced for the excellent range of Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII kits (F, OAW, Alb & Fok) so far. HGW have released a set of D.VII specific seatbelts, and will no doubt have a number of other sets on the market before too long. RB Productions have now released a simple upgrade set which is designed to improve the incorrect mesh pattern of the kit radiator parts with a more accurate and sharp honeycomb design. RB Productions PE Fret Close-up of honeycomb texture on RB Productions parts This simple set comes in a small zip-lock wallet, containing a single stainless steel etch fret with SIX parts, and a small instruction sheet. A piece of black stiffening card is inserted which will give this thin fret a degree of protection against the worst that Royal Mail can throw against it. Working out how to install these is a breeze. Each photo-etch piece has a part number which directly relates to the actual kit number part. As the radiator has an internal mesh as well as the front external one, both are supplied for each of the three radiator types. Each photo etch piece is connected to the fret by means of a small, tapered tag which will require a fresh, sharp blade to sever. As these parts will need to be folded, an etch guide line is given on the rear of each part, making this job a worry-free one. If you haven't availed yourself of RB Productions superb Flip-R5, then this is the perfect opportunity to buy a tool which makes consistently sharp folds. Wingnut Wings part Close-up of incorrect 'cross-coss' pattern on WNW part. The instructions suggest that you try to get the angles of the folded parts as close to that of the parts so that little to no tension will exist in the folded metal, allowing it to sit effortlessly to the plastic part. It is also suggested that either Johnson's Klear, or PVA is used as adhesive. These allow parts to be moved and aligned, unlike most CA, which RB Productions does not recommend. I use Klear for the majority of my photo etch, where I am fixing flat plate PE to a plastic face. It works exceptionally well. You'll see from my photographs above just how different the mesh on these parts are, in comparison to the kit parts. So what do we think? A single fret contains enough parts to build THREE Fokker D.VII's, depending on which schemes you want to build. So, play your cards right, and if you are a D.VII junkie like me, then you'll be able to utilize all the parts here for 3 different projects, at only 2€ per model! This upgrade will really set off an already excellent kit, and for accuracy junkies, it is a real 'must have' item. Very highly recommended. My sincere thanks to RB Productions for the review sample used here. To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

1:32 Bristol M1.C Alley Cat Catalogue # ACRK32-10 Available from A2Zee Models for £59.00 The Bristol M1.C Scout was developed as a private venture due to the establishment's deep-seated mistrust of monoplane aircraft. The Fokker Scourge of 1915 must've been easily forgotten in that respect. The performance of the 110hp Clerget powered M1 Scout was also proven during its maiden flight in 1916, and in subsequent test flying. Despite the very promising performance exhibited during flight trials, a number of problems were encountered. A lack of good downward vision due to the wing arrangement, proved a hindrance, and also a lack of good forward vision. Whilst the latter problem was one that couldn't readily be fixed, the wings were redesigned with open panels at the root to allow downward vision. Another more fatal flaw which hindered serious mass production of the M1 was its high landing speed, thought to be unsuitable for forward airstrips in Western Europe. The final production run of the M1, including the main M1.C variant, was only 130 aircraft, mostly operated by training units, or in the Middle East. Armed versions carried a single .303 Vickers MG. Being a recent convert to WW1 modelling, the models I've reviewed or built have fallen into either the angular or graceful category. Perhaps a combination of the two. The Bristol M1.C is an oddity. Whilst not angular, it certainly doesn't look too graceful, despite the very bird-like wings and tapered, streamlined fuselage. The almost bull-nosed spinner, while aiding that streamlining, does look rather awkward. Still, what a hugely unusual subject for a resin model kit, and certainly one which I look forward to building soon after this review. Let's look further into this release. Alley Cat's Bristol M1.C is packaged in a very sturdy top opening corrugated box, adorned with a lid label depicting one of the SEVEN schemes applicable for this release. Inside the box there are three bags of resin components, and one which contains various rods, wire, photo etch fret, and a cast white metal undercarriage and tail skid. Whilst the majority of the smaller parts, including the cockpit walls, engine and internals are packaged loose into one bag, the hefty single piece fuselage and wings are supplied in a single bag, strategically stapled to stop the fuselage from rolling around with the wings. The tail plane parts, ailerons, cowl and spinner etc are packaged into the last rest zip-lock bag. In the bottom of the box lie 3 instruction sheets and a single sheet of decals. The model kit itself comprises of SEVENTY-THREE parts, superbly cast in light grey resin; a single clear resin part for the M1.C's windshield, and the white metal undercarriage is supplemented by a brass rod for the axle. As resin models tend to be heavier than injection plastic ones, the all metal undercarriage is a well thought out and welcome addition. A number of resin parts are supplied as options in this kit; both as simple choices, but also for the sake of the different machine configurations which the schemes depict. Two seat options are included. One of these has a set of cast lap belts which look excellent by any standard. The other seat is bare, allowing the modeller to choose his/her own belt solution. As the M1.C can be built as an unarmed trainer, as well as an armed fighting scout, two coamings are included for the upper, forward fuselage. This thoughtful addition means that you don't have to start cutting out and modifying a stock piece in order to fit the Vickers MG. The trainer version also has the optional clear resin windscreen, whilst the Vickers MG consists of a finely detailed main gun part with open muzzle, an ammunition feed and cartridge chute part, and a padded face guard to the rear. The most obvious part when you open the box is that single piece, streamlined, tubular fuselage. This really is a wonderful piece of casting, with hardly a blemish anywhere. A few tiny bubbles reside on the underside of the front section, but they certainly aren't anything to worry about whatsoever. This relatively heavy resin part is supplied with the forward upper cockpit section faired over with a web of resin that needs to be removed. Internally, the side walls of the tube cleanly depict the fabric and frame construction of the real thing, with a recessed slot into which to insert the completed cockpit assembly. Externally, the fuselage detail is superbly rendered, with an accurate depiction of taught, doped linen shrunken over the wooden framework, subtle laced areas, neatly scribed access plates, and very fine rigging attachment points. The tail plane is attached to the fuselage by means of pips which neatly allow a trouble free fitting. This is proven by dry fitting these assemblies. The Clerget engine is supplied as a centre crankcase with nine separate cylinders, supplied over 2 casting blocks, with a spare cylinder as default. There is a slight seam on some cylinders, but again, nothing to be concerned about, and the rocker head detail is very good, with clean connection points for the induction pipes, also supplied as separate parts, with spares too. Refreshingly, the styrene rod required for the pushrods is also included. So many resin kits require you supply your own rod etc, assuming you already have a stash of it. Of course, all this beautiful resin engine will be mostly concealed within the large cowl, and shrouded by the trademark spinner of the 'Bullet'. The cowl comes attached to a shallow casting block that sits neatly within the front of the fuselage. Just check this for fouling the internal cockpit tub. Even though the block is designed to be removed, if you can come to a compromise against the internal tub, then the casting block is a great alignment tool. The prop and spinner and cast as a single part, with the internal prop hub being separate, and connected to the internal spinner portion of the prop. This aligns simply in between pips within the spinner. The cockpit tub itself is superb, and has plenty enough detail to keep the best of us happy. Comprising of the single piece resin side frame, cockpit floor, and a number of cross brace parts, the finished 'box' assembly slips into those recesses within the fuselage tube. Cockpit internals consist of a control stick with integral torsion tube, rudder foot bar, fuel tank and a side console instrument panel. Whilst the instrument locations are excellent, no decals are supplied to detail this area. For a perfect solution, take a look at the WW1 instrument sheets available from Airscale. This is what I will be using for this build. All the interior requires to finish it off is perhaps a little plumbing. This area is a small project within the kit itself, and as there is no upper wing to hide the cockpit opening, make sure you do a good job here! The shoulder mounted wings are cast as single pieces, with just the ailerons needing to be added. A little clean-up will be required in the downward view apertures, and also the pouring stubs need to be removed from the aileron area. This is places here so as not to foul any exterior detail on the wing. Two pips are cast at the fuselage juncture, in order to facilitate perfect mating and location. Wing surface detail is excellent with more subtle rib and leading edge strip detail, as well as a number of small access ports (aileron pulley access). The rigging points are cast as small hollows into which a rigging cap is inserted over a photo etch plate. Full instructions are given for rigging and with there not being too much work involved, it all seems quite easy. Of course, there are also the control surface photo etch horns which will require a cable adding to the various location points on the fuselage and wing etc. The upper wing rigging lines are tethered to a cabane strut pylon which sits atop the gun platform. The instructions say you must drill a hole in the upper pylon so that the wires may be joined. I would need to check my sources, but presume you may need some sort of sleeving or turnbuckle arrangement for this The horizontal tail plane and elevators are cast as four separate parts. The detail across them is again superbly rendered, and I would look at using some wire to pin the various control surfaces to the airframe, instead of relying on a simple butt-joint. This applies to the rudder and vertical tail plane too. The trainer version windscreen is cast onto a small block which should be easy to remove. Clarity of the part is excellent, but as is normal for me, a quick dip into Klear should improve this even further. Generally speaking, the overall quality of the resin is excellent. There are a few pin-hole bubbles which will require a small drill bit to open and then be filled, but on the whole, this is probably one of the best cast resin kits I've seen in a long while, and those miniscule imperfections won't take long to eradicate. A number of structural elements for the interior, such as spacer beams and side walls, as cast flat onto a casting block 'bed'. There is a resin dead-space below this meaning that a few minutes careful cutting with a razor saw will be enough to free these ready for clean-up. With the exception of the fuselage, whose casting core is deep within the tube itself, the remainer of the parts are secured to either casting blocks, or will simply require casting tabs removing. In all, there's nothing here which looks tricky at all. A single etch metal fret contains the control surface horns, complete with their cable attachment holes, and also the rigging point stiffening plates. The white metal undercarriage parts are cleanly cast with as good a surface as you should expect to find, and very little clean-up will be required. The triple axel is supplied as brass lengths, and are easy to insert into the pre-cast strut holes. Alley Cat produce some superbly illustrated instructions, and this kit is no exception. The Bristol M1.C is quite a straightforward model to build and a single sheet shows all aspects of construction as exploded line drawings, with clear annotation. Rigging is shown, as are smaller exploded drawings of the engine and cockpit assemblies. A double sided, colour printed sheet illustrates the SEVEN schemes which are provided. These vary from simple PC12 schemes to some quite startling schemes which were applied to personal mounts/trainers. The schemes included are: Bristol M1.C, No.72 Squadron Bristol M1.C, C4921, No.150 Squadron, Salonika, 1918 Bristol M1.C, C4907, flown by Lt. Hamilton, No.150 Squadron, Amberkoj, Macedonia Bristol M1.C, C4960, No.1 School of Aerial Fighting, Ayr, April 1918 Bristol M1.C, C5019, unarmed trainer. Bristol M1.C, C5001/83, No.4 Auxiliary School of Aerial Gunnery, Waddon, July 1919 Bristol M1.C, C4940, Turnberry A single decal sheet is included which carries both national and serial markings for each aircraft, plus the occasional motif. The decals are nice and thin and carrier film is minimal. Whilst everything is in perfect register, the blue colour doesn't seem as solid as it should be. This not be the case when applied, but I think for my build, I will be using masks for painting all markings. Some spare decal section colours are provided just in case you have a mishap. Roundels are printed with separate red centre spots. So what do we think? In all, this is a great kit, and one which doesn't cost the earth either. The fine mastering and excellent engineering of the pattern maker is evident throughout the kit, and Alley Cat's casting quality is every bit as good as we have come to expect from them. The Bristol M1.C is a fairly simple model to build, and would be an excellent introduction for an experienced modeller to chance their hand at their first all-resin kit. For an experienced resin modeller, then the sky really is the limit with this unusual and strangely attractive machine. I just hope we see more like this from Alley Cat. Very highly recommended. Our sincere thanks to A2Zee Models for the review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

What a great looking pit. I swear you're only doing this as it has a passing '109' resemblance

Seriously Iain, this is the most ambitious fix I've seen, and one that teaches a lot of lessons that are well worth reading through. I've loved (mostly) how this topic moved forward on LSP. I hope you'll manage to draw this to completion with less hassle on both LSM/LSP. Absolutely sterling work so far.

Thanks for sharing Iain. The SEAC schemes are real nice, and even more so when applied to a monster like the Jug. Do you have any in-progress shots?

I agree. We need to calm down the rhetoric here. LSM will not become a copy of the sites I tend to avoid. Steve (Wumm) is indeed a helpful guy, and hopefully he'll see fit to contribute further here, but let's all take this for what it is, and not tear chunks out of each other. Iain is also a darn fine modeller and a very level-headed and reasonable guy. I respect him dearly. You all need to go sniff some tenax fumes....

Seriously impressive Jeff. Do you have any engine and internal images?

Some great tips here. I keep looking at the Hisso in my stash <sigh> Great work Jeroen. I'm interested to know your scheme too.

Dave's entire modelling budget is going on paint this year.....B-17, He 219, Catalina