Fran

1:32 Fighter and Mechanisn of the WWI BLACK DOG Catalogue n.º F32003, F32006 and F32012 Price Tag:€23,50 The name Black Dog is a well know name for all AF modelers with their AFV accessories and conversion. So WWI figures and in 1:32 is a new thing from Black Dog and a very welcome to WWI scenario as Black Dog is known for the quality. Today we got the chance of reviewing 3 sets of two figures each. They all come in a small flip side box with each figure in zip-log bag. The box art are the figures full build and painted (with the exception of the mechanics set). Parts were safely secured in small pieces of sphincter and all the resin are very well cast, smooth, and with no bubbles at all or imperfections. Starting with the first set of German fighter pilots (F32003), both figures are in a standing position, one looking for a map and the other looking to the horizon with a thoughtful look. Both figures have several parts. The pilot with the binoculars is made by 5 parts. A single part is the all body (torso, legs and arms). The head and the left hand are in separate. Also two sets of binoculars are given, a short and a long version. The other figure (pilot with the map) is made of 5 parts, being the torso and legs in one piece. The head and both arms are in separate parts. The connections points are quite good, with a bit of cleaning. There`s only one head for each figure. The facial expression although is very well achieved. The hard cover to put the map is in single piece but no map is given. So you have to get some WWI maps to add to this figure. Both figures have some very good posture and great facial expressions. The second set of pilots has the same quality casting. The resin blocks are easy to remove with a small saw. The body posture is quite well achieved, being natural and credible. Both figures have little cleaning and construction to do, as the main body (torso and legs) is in one piece. The clothes details are at the highest level, among of the best. I love some fines touches like the glove inside the jacket pocket or the movement of the scarf. The last set, a pair of mechanic. As the other two pairs, the main torso and legs are in one single piece. Only one head is given. I love the look and body language of one of the mechanic with the cigarrete in one hand and the look like: “I`m totally wrecked… How I´m going to do with this?” The other figure is also very cool. And in the head, tool in the pocket… he`s saying: “What the ….?” I`m screwed….” Just love this pair. Conclusion: These sets have tremendous quality, maintaining the highest quality of these figures, showing why Black Dog is so loved by AF modellers. All the figures are quite easy to assemble and because of their posture/body language and facial expression, they will easily fit in any diorama with a Wingnut Wings. Highly recommended. My sincerely thanks to Black Dog for the review samples and for the patience. (You can buy directly here and if you do don`t forget to mention Wingnut Wing Fans and Large Scale Modeller) Francisco

1:32 Ansaldo A.1 “Balilla” WW1 Italian Fighter Aeroplane AVIATTIC (catalogue n.ºATTKIT006) Price Tag – £ 160 ( resin parts, PE sheet with parts) One day, I got a surprise waiting for me… a package with the Aviattic logo on it!! An excitement get over me and I was just like a 5 years old kid with a brand new toy Ansaldo A.1 Balilla in 1:32. Knowing Richard and all the products release by Aviattic the “Balilla” would be top noch in quality and detail. Richard from Aviattic is a devoted modeler and a WWI passionate so all their projects will come at their very best and a truly dedicate product. The love for their products is well patent on all their work. The Balilla is the best example of that. In a first glance I can tell that this is the most complete multimedia model kit that I ever seen. Utterly amazing! The all package. I had the chance to saw it, a first run full build “Balilla” and I was blow away with the detail. But just before going to open the box, here`s a bit of history of the tail slim and elegante aircraft. “The Ansaldo A.1, nicknamed "Balilla" after the Genoan folk-hero was Italy's only domestically-designed fighter aircraft of World War I to be produced in Italy. Arriving too late to see any real action, it was however used by both Poland and the Soviet Union in the Polish-Soviet War. The A.1 resulted from continued efforts by the Ansaldo company to create a true fighter. Their SVA.5 had proved unsuitable in this role, although it made an excellent reconnaissance aircraft and had been ordered into production as such. Ansaldo engineer Giuseppe Brezzi revised the SVA.5 design, increasing the size of the lower wing, and redesigning the interplane strut arrangement, abandoning the SVA's transverse Warren truss interplane strut layout, which had eliminated the need for spanwise-exposed flying and landing wires, which the new rigging scheme re-introduced to the Balilla's airframe design. While this produced more drag, it increased the stiffness of the wing structure and reduced stresses in the airframe. Engine power was increased to 150 kW (200 hp) and a safety system to jettison the fuel tank through a ventral hatch (in case of onboard fire) was installed. The first prototype was completed in July 1917, but acceptance by the air force did not occur until December. Test pilots were not enthusiastic in their evaluation. While they found a marked increase in performance over the SVA.5, the A.1 was still not as maneuverable as the French-built and designed types in use by Italy's squadrons, most notably the Nieuport 17, which was also produced by Macchi in Italy. This resulted in a number of modifications, including a slight enlargement of the wings and rudder, and a further 10% increase in engine power. This initially proved satisfactory to the air force, and the modified A.1 (designated A.1bis) was ordered into service with 91 Squadriglia for further evaluation. Reports from pilots were mixed. While the fighter's speed was impressive, it proved unmaneuverable and difficult to fly. Nevertheless, with a need to clear a backlog of obsolete fighter types then in service, the air force ordered the A.1 anyway. The first of an original order of 100 machines entered service in July 1918. The A.1s were kept away from the front lines and mostly assigned to home defense duties. In the four months before the Armistice, A.1s scored only one aerial victory, over an Austrian reconnaissance aircraft. It was during this time that Ansaldo engaged in a number of promotional activities, including dubbing the aircraft as Balilla, flying displays in major Italian cities, and in August donating an example to Italian aviator Antonio Locatelli as his personal property amidst a press spectacle. (This latter publicity stunt backfired somewhat when one week later a mechanical fault in the aircraft caused Locatelli to make a forced landing behind enemy lines and be taken prisoner). Despite all this, the air force ordered another 100 machines, all of which were delivered before the end of the war. At the armistice, 186 were operational, of which 47 aircraft were ordered to remain on hand with training squadrons, and the remainder were to be put into storage. The A.1 found a new lease of life, however, when a purchasing committee from the Polish army visited Italy in 1919 in search of new weapons. A contract for ten evaluation aircraft was signed, and these were delivered to Warsaw in January 1920. The initial impression of pilots there (mostly American volunteers) was extremely favourable, on account of its high speed and fuel capacity and, curiously, the maneuverability disdained by Italian airmen. On May 25, the A.1s were deployed to the front line. All but one of them were destroyed during the Red Army counterattack in the Ukraine. Nevertheless, the Polish government had already purchased another 25 aircraft and a licence to locally produce another 100. The new aircraft only arrived after hostilities had ended, and in July 1921 the first of 36 licence-built machines rolled out of the Lublin factory. The Lublin-built machines were some 80 kg (180 lb) heavier than the original Italian design and exhibited frequent problems with their engines and with the quality of their welds. Numerous accidents ensued, including at least nine fatal crashes. In 1924, the production order was reduced to 80 machines, and soon thereafter to 57 (the number actually constructed at the time). The following year, the armament was removed from all A.1s then in service, and by 1927, the type had been withdrawn from service completely.” – wikipedia courtesy. I got the Italian version with a beautiful box art featuring n.º 16553 Balilla of Tenente Antonio Locatelli. Richard was too kind and also send all the parts and decals for the polish version. Back to the Italian version, the design of the box is very well achieved, with the sides boxes with color profiles and a very vintage look. Opened the box, a truly gem is inside with a professional and passion packing with resin parts popping every ever and some RB seatbelts in the middle at a first glance. The package is the best I ever seen. The resin parts are separate in several zip log bags, but separate by groups of parts of the same part of the aircraft: cockpit, engine, engine cowlings, undercarriage etc. In each zip log bag, a small business card with reference photos of the corresponding parts of the aircraft. As example: the tail wing. A fantastic treat for the modeler. The wings and flying surfaces are taped to a foam-core sheet on the bottom of the box to keep them flat and protected. The foam-core is bent on one end creating a space for the main fuselage, made by two parts. Everything is made to prevent any damage to the parts. First job: counting all the resin parts… I confess I give up after counting 130 but I`m sure that it goes up 150… All the resin is in grey color and with some outstanding casting and sharp detail. No a single bubble… quality control with A+. The professional packing just prevents any broken part being all in their perfect shape attached in the resin block. Let´s check a few of the parts. The fuselage is made by 3 parts: a large tub piece side and bottom in one part, separate upper decking and tail. The separate upper deck has also part of the cushion of the pilot seat. The other main parts, the wings are solid parts, the upper in a single piece with the upper wings ailerons in separate and the lower wings are in two parts Also the tailplane has the flying surface in separate. The detail on the wings is very well achieved with subtle accurate wing rib strips that will enhance the look of the wings. Passing to another main point of all WWI, the engine. The S.P.A. (società piemontese automobili) 6A is a 6-cylinder inline engine, 14,6 litre, 200hp and it`s just gorgeous with tons of details. It`s a the level of the Taurus engines ones. It`s that good. Its all there, the valve springs, camshaft gear tower, magnetos water pump, oil lines… everything is there in all 63 resin parts and PE parts. You can decide to put inside or not with this details level. In fact is quite a good idea, a stand with the engine with the Ballila at side, engineless. But if you want to put the engine on the Balilla, the engine cowlings parts are separate parts, cast in very thin resin parts. The cooling vents are not totally open so you need to sand off gentle the thin areas inside. To cover or not all the details, the engine cowlings are beautiful cast with all the shape and details on these so evident part of an aircraft… the nose! The radiator and propeller are also beautifully cast and with high detail. As for the armament, the machines are included in beautiful cast parts. The polish version has another version of machine guns, two British Vickers guns. The cockpit just like the rest of the model has exquisitely detail, with lots of attention to instruments/levers and cockpit gauges. The instruments decals are very well register. This sheet is in continuous film so the ideal tool to take then off is a punch and die set. (The fuel tank is a fantastic piece with tons of detail) The seatbelts are made by RB Productions giving modeler fabric belts and PE buckles. There`s the indication of interior color: if you do the presentation aircraft (Antonio Locatelli and Natale Palli) a quite challenge you will face with the white and blue painted cockpit. If not, plain and bare wood. The cockpit is quite complete with lots of resin and PE parts, showing again that this model is not for beginners. The resin parts with attachments like wings and wings struts have wire inside of the part to assure good and solid attach. The undercarriage is also reinforced with wire to assure a good holding structure and no resin bending. But not all resin made this beautiful package: two brass sheet (a large very large brass PE, with tons of detail parts and another small), a much smaller nickel steel PE sheet with spokes for the wheels. All sheets are designed by Ron Kootje. On the large brass PE you got handles pedals, engine details, turnbuckles, etc. The medium one, the wire wheels. And small details on the smaller one. The package parts only finish with a white metal tail skid and a length for spark plug wire. On the box, there´s not instructions. Those can be found here, in a PDF download format build log. The build log is quite good, with clear indications and simple and quite understanding step-by-step constructions. I fully understand that the non-inclusion of a print instructions version was an economic reason to keep the model at the lowest PVP possible and even so this exclusive model still not cheap. However and being the Balilla a bit obscure airplane type of WWI, Aviattic decided to include (instead of the instructions) a 28 page reference booklet. This little booklet is quite fantastic with quite a lot of white and black pictures, a brief history and several walkaround color pictures. Another bonus is a frameable four view color artwork with some decals options. A beutifull artwork. Checking the decals, they are made and design by Pheon Decals, ehci means quality at all levels. The decals are like all Pheon Decals in continuous film, so the modeler need to cut the decal by the edge. The colour registration is top noch. The Italian decals includes six markings (with the two presentation shemes). The spectacular hand-painted “St.George” made originally by Venturi Having the luck of getting also the Polish version, the decal sheet for the Polish option gives seven options, six Polish and one Mexican version. Besides the markings, Aviattic also provide walnut graining for the fuselage for both types: dark wood (Italian version) and light wood (Polish version). Being Aviattic the main source for linen decals, clear doped decals are provide for the wings and the colourful top wing of the Italian version, along with instrument decals. And on top of all that, a set of nail-head decals made by HW. This version of the Balilla (32007) have a reproduction of a statement/letter from Marian C. Copper, Captain of the US Army to the Polish government offering his services to fight in the Polish-Russian conflict. Conclusion: I can say for sure that it`s the most complete resin kit that I ever seen. I already review others resin kit (armour and aircraft, including Cutaway Catalina form HpH) and any of them is as complete as Aviattic Balilla. Tons of work and love is on the jewel. Yes, it’s a jewel… for 160£ you get some precious resin parts, tons of PE, booklet with fantastic pics, fantastic decals sets from Pheon, nail decals from HGW etc. Checking the pictures from the booklet and others sources, all the parts looks quite accurate. The casting is outstanding as there´s no distortion or bubbles, all are in perfect shape. It`s without any doubt, the most complete and comprehensive resin model kit that I ever had the pleasure to get my hands on. Now to the bench to start cutting some resin!! I do hope in finish this beautiful Balilla until the end of the year. Very High Recommend Our truly and sincere thanks to Richard from Aviattic for the review samples.

Looks awesome! can`t wait for it!

1:32 Sopwith F.1 Camel “USAS” Wingnut Wings Kit No. 32072 Available from Wingnut Wings for $79. Introduction Today we look at our fifth Sopwith Camel, being the USAS engine version. Like all our reviews, I will try to convince YOU that this is the version you want or at least one of the Camel version that you also need if not all. But, to keep in mind all other camel versions, take a look at our other reviews too: F.1 Camel ‘BR.1’ F1 Camel ‘Clerget’ 2F.1 ‘Ship’s Camel’ F1 Camel “Le Rhône” Now its time for the USAS Camel review and I do have a very hard task comparing with all others reviews made by review masters Jim Hatch and Jeoren Peters, so please bear with me. Sooo, the big question once again is: Why should I choose the Sopwith F.1 Camel “USAS”? Wingnut’s official kit info describes the kit as thus: High quality Cartograf decals for 6 aircraft; 185 high quality injection moulded plastic parts; Optional fuselage halves with alternative lacing details, windscreens, cut down cockpit decking, propellers, 20lb Cooper bombs & carrier; Highly detailed 18 part 140hp Clerget 9Bf; 19 part 160hp Gnome 9N engines; 10 photo-etched metal detail parts; 22 pages of high resolution instruction booklet; Fine in scale rib tape detail; Full rigging diagram. The only thing that is different for all others, besides the scheme options is the 160hp Gnome 9N Monosoupape engine. The Monosoupape (French for single-valve), was a rotary engine design first introduced in 1913 by Gnome Engine Company (renamed Gnome et Rhône in 1915). It used a clever arrangement of internal transfer ports and a single pushrod-operated exhaust valve to replace a large number of moving parts found on more conventional rotary engines, and made the Monosoupape engines some of the most reliable of the era. British aircraft designer Thomas Sopwith described the Monosoupape as "one of the greatest single advances in aviation". Produced under license in both seven and nine-cylinder versions in large numbers in most industrialized countries including Germany (by Oberursel), Russia, Italy, Britain and the US. Two differing nine-cylinder versions were produced, the 100 CV 9B-2 and 160 CV 9N, with differing displacements and a dual ignition system on the later 9N version. 2,188 units were produced under license in Britain, with an uprated 120 hp version later built in Russia and the Soviet Union, two of which flew the Soviet TsAGI-1EA single lift-rotor helicopter in 1931-32. Contrary unlike other rotaries, the early Gnome engines like the Gnome Omega, Lambda and Delta used a unique arrangement of valves in order to eliminate pushrods that operated during the inlet phase of the combustion cycle on more conventional engines. Instead, a single exhaust valve on the cylinder head was operated by a pushrod that opened the valve when the pressure dropped at the end of the power stroke. A pressure-operated inlet valve, which was balanced by a counterweight to equalize the centrifugal forces, was placed in the centre of the piston crown, where it opened to allow the fuel–air charge to enter from the engine's central crankcase. Although ingenious, the system had several drawbacks. The cylinder heads had to be removed to perform maintenance of the intake valves, to adjust the timing correctly, and fuel economy suffered in comparison to other rotaries because the inlet valves could not be opened and closed at the ideal times. Description In 1913, Louis Seguin and his brother Laurent (engineers who founded the Société Des Moteurs Gnome [the Gnome motor company] in 1905) introduced the new Monosoupape series, which eliminated the inlet valve, replacing it with piston-controlled transfer ports similar to those found in a two-stroke engine. Beginning with the power stroke, the four-stroke engine operated normally until the piston was just about to reach the bottom of its stroke (bottom dead center, or BDC), when the exhaust valve was opened "early". This let the still-hot burnt combustion gases "pop" out of the engine while the piston was still moving down, relieving exhaust pressure and preventing exhaust gases from entering the crankcase. After a small additional amount of travel, the piston uncovered 36 small ports around the base of the cylinder, leading to the crankcase which held additional fuel–air mixture (the charge). No transfer took place at this point since there was no pressure differential; the cylinder was still open to the air and thus at ambient pressure. The overhead valve exhausted directly into the slipstream since no exhaust manifold could be practically fitted to the spinning crankcase and cylinders, partly in order to save weight and prevent excessive amounts of centrifugal forces in flight. During the exhaust stroke, scavenging occurred as the air moving past the cylinder exterior lowered the pressure inside due to the direct exposure of the exhaust port to the slipstream. The piston continued its exhaust stroke until top dead center (TDC) was reached, but the valve remained open. The piston began to move down on its intake stroke with the valve still open, pulling new air into the cylinder. It remained open until it was two-thirds of the way down, at which point the valve closed and the remainder of the intake stroke greatly reduced the air pressure. When the piston uncovered the transfer ports again, the low pressure in the cylinder drew in the balance of the charge. The charge was an overly rich mixture of air, which was acquired through the hollow crankshaft, and fuel that was continuously injected by a fuel nozzle on the end of a fuel line, entering the crankcase through the hollow crankshaft. The nozzle was in the proximity of, and aimed at, the inside base of the cylinder where the transfer ports were located. The fuel nozzle was stationary with the crankshaft, and the cylinders rotated into position in turn. The compression stroke was conventional. The spark plug was installed horizontally into the rear of the cylinder at the top but had no connecting high-voltage wire. An internal-tooth ring gear mounted on the engine drove a stationary magneto mounted on the firewall, whose high-voltage output terminal was in close proximity to the spark plug terminals as they passed by. This arrangement eliminated the need for distributor and high-voltage wiring found in conventional mechanically timed ignition systems. This ring gear also drove the oil pump, which supplied oil to all bearings, and through hollow pushrods to the rockers and valves and also drove an air pump which pressurized the fuel tank. The later, 160 CV Gnome 9N engines had dual ignition systems for safety, with twin spark plugs per cylinder which were electrically wired, with the wires routed onto the crankcase and a central pair of magnetos driven by the spinning engine crankcase. Control The Monosoupape had no carburetor or throttle, and since most of its air supply was taken in through the exhaust valve, it could not be controlled by adjusting the air supply to the crankcase like other rotaries. Monosoupapes therefore had a single petrol regulating control used for a limited degree of speed regulation. In early examples, engine speed could be controlled by varying the opening time and extent of the exhaust valves using levers acting on the valve tappet rollers, but this was later abandoned due to causing burning of the valves. Instead, a blip switch was used, which cut out the ignition when pressed. This was used sparingly to avoid fouling the spark plugs, since it was only safe to be used when the fuel supply was also cut. Some later Monosoupapes were fitted with a selector switch which allowed the pilot to cut out three or six cylinders instead of all nine when hitting the blip switch, so that each cylinder fired only once per three engine revolutions but the engine remained in perfect balance. Lubrication The Sopwith Tabloid reproduction shows the sheet-metal cowling used to redirect the oil sprayed by the rotating engine. The lubrication system, as with all rotary engines, was a total-loss type in which castor oil was pumped into the fuel–air mix. Castor oil was used because it did not readily dissolve into the fuel, and because it offered lubrication qualities superior to other available oils. Over two gallons of castor oil were sprayed into the air during each hour of engine operation. This explains why most rotaries were fitted with cowls, with the lowermost quarter omitted to direct the spray of castor oil away from the pilot. Unburnt castor oil from the engine had a laxative effect on the pilot if ingested. Because the entire engine rotated, it had to be precisely balanced, requiring precision machining of all parts. As a result, Monosoupapes were extremely expensive to build, the 100 horsepower (75 kW) models costing $4,000 in 1916 (approx. $89,000 in 2017 dollars). However, they used less lubricating oil and weighed slightly less than the earlier two-valve engines. Variants Gnome Monosoupape 7 Type A (1916) seven-cylinder rotary engine, 80 hp (60 kW). Bore and stroke: 110 x 150 mm (4.3 x 5.9 in). Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type B-2 (1916) nine-cylinder rotary engine, 100 hp (75 kW). Bore and stroke: 110 x 150 mm (4.3 x 5.9 in). Gnome Monosoupape 11 Type C An 11 cylinder version Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type N (1917) nine-cylinder rotary engine, larger diameter crankcase than the B-2, 150 or 160 hp (112 or 119 kW). Bore and stroke: 115 x 170 mm (4.5 x 6.7 in) – This is the engine version on this model. Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type R 180 hp nine-cylinder rotary engine, development of 9N with same 170mm stroke. (Information courtesy from Wikipedia). So the Gnome Monosoupape 9N engine is the only thing new from the others Camels variations. So we start for a close look to the kit sprue – E from engine. The engine Gnome engine is the only that we will take a close look. Only a very trained eye to WWI rotary engine can in fact see the different between this one or the Clerget or the BRI and with the tight and close cowling, the engine really doesn’t make a different in the final look of your camel. So I have to agree with Jeroen Peter when he also concludes that is not for the engine that why you should chose this kit. So it would have to be for the colorful options the USAS have to offer: A- Sopwith F.1 Camel D8245 “B”, FE Kindley, “A” Flight 148th Aero Sqn USAS, August 1918 (12 victories) The Camel is for FE Kindley ace that had 12 victories confirmed. A large B on the side fuselage is a distinctive mark and the white and red wheels with the spinner gives it a nice cool touch. The man that flow the airplane was Field Eugene Kindley was born at Prairie Grove in northwestern Arkansas. The son of George C. and Ella Kindley, Field Eugene Kindley was a motion picture operator living in Coffeyville, Kansas when he joined the Kansas National Guard in May 1917. Transferring to the U.S. Army's Signal Corps, he attended the School of Military Aeronautics at the University of Illinois before going to England for advanced flight training at Oxford. To gain combat experience he was assigned to the Royal Air Force's 65 Squadron on the Western Front on 22 May 1918. Flying the Sopwith Camel, Kindley scored his first victory on 26 June 1918, shooting down a Pfalz D.III flown by the commanding officer of Jasta 5, Wilhelm Lehmann. Reassigned to the 148th Aero Squadron as a flight commander, Kindley's patrol engaged Jasta 11 on 13 August 1918. That day he scored his fourth victory, shooting down a Fokker D.VII possibly flown by Lothar von Richthofen who was wounded in the battle. Promoted to Captain on 24 February 1919, Kindley assumed command of the 94th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field in Texas in January 1920. Less than a month later, in preparaton for a visit by General John J. Pershing, he was severely injured and badly burned during a practice flight when a control cable broke and the S.E.5a he was flying crashed to the ground. He died that evening at the post hospital. Clayton Bissell, one of Kindley's closest friends at Kelly Field, transported the body home to Gravette, Arkansas for burial – information courtesy from “The Aerodrome”. Kindley is with no doubt one important and historically American flying Ace and it´s a good excuse to get this Camel variation. B- Sopwith F.1 Camel D8250 “O”, EW Springs, “B” Flight 148th Aero Sqn USAS, Augsut 1918 (16 victories) This Camel with “O” is from the great Elliot White Springs, another American fling ace with 16 victories. In photo in WnW booklet show that EW Springs camel is the most different of all 5 camels in this box, in structure level: it’s the only one with large opening in the top wing centre section which will give the camel a new look and the details of your models will be more visible. Let`s check the Ace history. The son of Colonel Leroy Springs, a wealthy textile manufacturer, Elliott White Springs attended the Culver Military Academy and Princeton. He enlisted in the army in 1917 and was sent to England for training with the Royal Flying Corps. In 1918, he was one of several pilots handpicked by William Bishop to fly the S.E.5a with 85 Squadron in France. After recovering from wounds received in action on 27 June 1918, he was reassigned to the 148th Aero Squadron which was still under the operational control of the RFC. When the war ended, Springs returned to the United States where he barnstormed while writing "Warbirds: The Diary of an Unknown Aviator." His book was largely based upon a collection of letters written by his friend, John McGavock Grider, who was killed in action while serving with 85 Squadron. "Warbirds" was a bestseller and Springs continued writing books based on his experiences during World War I. At his father's request, he returned to work at the family textile business in 1931. Recalled to active duty in 1941, Springs served with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He died, age 63, at Memorial Hospital in New York following a battle with pancreatic cancer - information courtesy from “The Aerodrome”. These two schemes options are not in fact very colourfull ones however are from well know flying aces and with some long and fantastic history behind. C- Sopwith F.1 Camel “4”, HR Clay Jr, “A” Flight 41st Aero Sqn USAS, Late 1918 to early 1919 (8 victories) The Camel “Camel” version. At least for and personally one of my favourite with the red cowling, large 4 on the wings and stripes on the top and below of the wings. The final touch is the V with a Camel inside. Great look! And this one is also for a well-know flying ace, Henry Robinson Clay Jr. Captain Henry Robinson Clay, Jr. was a World War I flying ace credited with eight confirmed aerial victories. Though born in Plattsburg, Missouri on 27 November 1895, Clay later lived in Fort Worth, Texas. He was one of the first contingent of American fliers shipped to England to gain seasoning with the Royal Flying Corps. While assigned to 43 Squadron, he claimed a win, but it went unverified. He then transferred to the 148th Aero Squadron. He scored eight times between 16 August and 27 September 1918; on the latter date, he shared in the destruction of a Halberstadt reconnaissance plane with Elliott White Springs. In total, Clay destroyed five Fokker D.VIIs, considered the best fighters in the war and drove another down out of control; he shared in the destruction of two German reconnaissance planes. Clay was promoted to command of 41st Aero Squadron, but the war ended before it could see action. He died during the great influenza epidemic, on 17 February 1919 at the age of 23 years of age – wikipedia information. Even at the young age he was award with Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and there the citation for posthumous award: “The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Henry Robinson Clay, Jr., First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Sains-les-Marquion, France, September 4, 1918. In an action wherein Lieutenant Clay's patrol was outnumbered two-to-one, he attacked the group and shot down the enemy aircraft in flames. He continued in the combat and later attacked two enemy aircraft which were pursuing a plane of his patrol and succeeded in shooting one enemy aircraft down. Again, on September 27, 1918, near Cambrai, France, with one other pilot, Lieutenant Clay observed five enemy planes approaching our lines and, although hopelessly outnumbered, immediately attacked and singled out a plane which was seen to crash to the ground. He was immediately attacked by the other enemy planes and compelled to fight his way back to our lines. (General Orders No. 60, W.D., 1920)”. D- Sopwith F.1 Camel “18”, JB Hickman, “C”, Flight 41st Aero Sqn USAS, early 1919 This particularly scheme is not about the pilot but the squadron, the 41st Aero Sqd with a blue nose and a fantastic badge: a V with a Camel. The only difference for the C version is that is not form a famous ace and its has a blue nose. E- Sopwith F.1 Camel F1430 “13”, EM Kelton, “A” Flight 185th Aero Sqn USAS, October 1918 (1 ? victory) “The 185th Aero Squadron was a Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. Known as the "Bats", the 185th Aero Squadron is notable as it was the first and only night pursuit (fighter) squadron organized by the United States during World War I. Its mission was night interception of enemy aircraft, primarily bombers and observation aircraft. It was engaged in combat for less than a month before the 1918 Armistice with Germany. After the armistice, the squadron returned to the United States in June 1919 and was demobilized.[2][4] There is no modern United States Air Force or Air National Guard unit that shares its lineage and history. History Origins The 185th Aero Squadron was organized on 11 November 1917 at Kelly Field #2, Texas by the transfer of men from the 24th Aero Squadron. Many of the men had experience flying or maintaining the Curtiss JN-4B "Jenny" trainers. On the 15th, additional men were transferred to the squadron from the 2d Recruit Battalion and 3d Recruit Battalion. On 20 January 1918, the squadron was transferred to Aviation Concentration Center, Mitchell Field, Long Island for duty overseas. After just over a week, the squadron embarked on the RMS Adriatic, arriving in Liverpool, England on 16 February after being delayed in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a convoy. At Liverpool, the squadron boarded a train and arrived at Winchester, England that evening, where it was assigned to the Romney Rest Camp.[2] Training in England On 28 February, the squadron was divided into Flights and placed under control of the Royal Flying Corps for training. "B", "C" and "D" flights were transferred to 4 Training Depot Station (TDS) at RFC Hooton Park in Cheshire. "A" flight was transferred to 63 TDS, RFC Ternhill, Shropshire.[2] At Hooton, the squadron was trained in the airplane repair shop, the engine repair shop and also in motor transport repair. Other men were trained in various clerical duties. The men at Ternhill were trained in a similar manner. The squadron was trained on both Sopwith strutters and Sopwith Camels with rotary engines and Sopwith Dolphin fighters equipped with Hispano-Suiza 8B engines. In April, the 185th Aero Squadron was recombined at RFC Hooton where the squadron continued training. On 16 June, the squadron was inspected by RFC Colonel Mansfield, Commander of the 37 Wing and he expressed his appreciation for the work provided by the squadron, owing to the shortage of British men who were at the front. By July, the men of the 185th were becoming impatient, as it was rumored the squadron would remain in England on a permanent basis, however orders were finally relieved to report to the Flower Down Rest Camp near Winchester on 7 August. After a final inspection at Flower Down, the squadron received a final inspection before boarding a train to Southampton on 11 August. Late the next afternoon, the squadron crossed the English Channel and arrived at American Rest Camp #2 in Le Havre, France. Combat in France The next day the squadron boarded a troop train, bound for the St. Maixent Replacement Barracks, arriving on 16 August. There the squadron was equipped with steel helmets and gas masks and training in the tear gas chamber. On 20 August, the squadron boarded a troop train and proceeded to the 1st Air Depot, Colombey-les-Belles Airdrome, arriving on the 23d. Once the authorities at the depot realized the 185th was fully trained, the men were assigned to aircraft maintenance duties and also at the depot. The need for pilots being so great on 16 September, seventeen squadron pilots were transferred out to fill vacancies in other squadrons at the front, leaving the 185th with two trained pilots, and still without any aircraft to fly. Finally, on 7 October, orders were received to move to Rembercourt Aerodrome and join the 1st Pursuit Group. After a rainy, long, uncomfortable trip by truck, the squadron arrived on the 10th late in the afternoon. On 12 October, fourteen Sopwith Camels were assigned to the 185th and the pilots began trial flights. A few days later, five pilots, who had been transferred out at Colombey returned to the 185th. At Rembercourt, the 185th was designated as a "Night Chase" Squadron, the first of its type organized by the American Army. Night Pursuit work was in its infancy. The Sopwith Camels were planes that were considered almost to be obsolete, except for training. The pilots were not trained in night flying, with many of them never having taken off after dusk. Also, the squadron had to experiment with wing flares, parachute flares and instrument lights. Also the airdrome had no landing lights, and the searchlights and Anti-Aircraft batteries were not versed with American planes flying after dusk. In addition, there were not enough searchlights for the guidance of our pilots, who frequently could not find the airfield at night and had to make forced landings after running out of gasoline. Many accidents were caused and there was a chronic lack of spare parts for the airplanes. Night Pursuit Operations Nevertheless, on 18–19 October 1918, the first orders were issued and the 185th Aero Squadron (Night Pursuit) stood its first alert that night from dusk until dawn. On the night of the 21st the squadron was alerted that there were several enemy aircraft flying over Troyon, and the squadron took off in its first night interception mission. However upon arrival over the area, no enemy aircraft were seen. On the night of the 22d, the squadron made a low-level fight over enemy territory and Lieutenant Kelton fired about 100 rounds into a troop train between Spincourt and Longuyon. However, due to poor visibility, he was unable to report the results. The only aerial combat of the squadron happened on the night of 23 October when Lts Kelton and Johnson were on alert when a report came in that enemy Gotha bombers were over Bar-le-Duc. Immediately, both pilots took off to intercept the enemy aircraft. Kelton reported that he observed searchlights in the Bar-le-Duc area performing sweeps to locate the enemy aircraft. He saw one bomber and fired a burst of 20 shots that struck the aircraft. He then saw another enemy aircraft that he fired a burst of 10 shots at. He observed Anti-Aircraft fire and searchlights in the sky and saw tracer bullets being fired into the air. He fired at long range at the aircraft but the results were unobserved. It was later learned that Kelton and Johnson frightened away the enemy aircraft by their unexpected appearance before dropping all of their bombs. They later jettisoned the remainder of their bombs in an open countryside area as they returned to their lines. Although the 185th did not shoot down any of the aircraft, by disrupting their mission, a symbolic victory was achieved. One pilot was killed in an aircraft accident, Lt Ewing on 28 October. His plane caught on fire and crashed 500 yards southwest of Rembercourt due to a malfunctioning altimeter. Lieutenant Kelton went missing on the 30th. He was on a strafing mission in enemy territory and was shot down. Taken POW, he escaped and walked back to the unit arriving one month later. Active operations of the squadron ended on 11 November with the signing of the Armistice with Germany. Demobilization Daylight Proficiency flights were conducted after the Armistice with Germany, however, no flights were permitted to be flown over German-controlled territory. The squadron remained at Rembercourt for about a month. On 11 December 1918 orders were received from First Army for the squadron to report to the 1st Air Depot, Colombey-les-Belles Airdrome to turn in all of its supplies and equipment and was relieved from duty with the AEF. The squadron's Sopwith aircraft were delivered to the Air Service American Air Service Acceptance Park No. 1 at Orly Aerodrome to be returned to the British. There practically all of the pilots and observers were detached from the Squadron. During the organization's stay at Colombey, the men attended to the usual camp duties. Personnel at Colombey were subsequently assigned to the Commanding General, Services of Supply and ordered to report to one of several staging camps in France. There, personnel awaited scheduling to report to one of the Base Ports in France for transport to the United States and subsequent demobilization.[7] On 6 May 1919, the 185th was moved to Base Station #5 near the port of Brest prior to its return to the United States. Upon arrival the men were caught up on any back pay owed to them, de-loused, a formal military records review was performed and a passenger list was created prior to the men boarding a ship. On 1 June 1919, the 185th Aero Squadron boarded a troop ship and sailed for New York Harbor, arriving on the 28th. It proceeded to Mitchel Field, Long Island on 15 June where the personnel of the squadron were demobilized and returned to civilian life. F- Sopwith F.1 Camel F1471 “12”, 185th Sqn Aero USAS, March 1919 The scheme is the most awkward of all schemes as you got in this box, a total white fuselage. The squadron is the 185th Aero Sqn USAS so nothing more to say about this Sqn but its believe that was delivery to this Squadron 2 days after the Armistice being unknown the pilot. The beautiful White Camel with a bat badge (a very first batplane??) is a very strong argument to get the version of the Camel. So Batman fans just go and treat yourself! Verdict Well, this will sound very repetitive but is the perfect kit of a great plane. Having built the Clerget engine version from the final test shot I do know for a fact that this little Camel is a gorgeous model that it`s not difficult to build, with tons of details on the cockpit, on the engine and well-made rip-tapes. The decals are perfect register colour and fantastic options. VERY VERY VERY highly recommended. My sincere thanks to Wingnut Wings for this review sample. Francisco Guedes

Great review JP of a great set.

PLUSMODEL Diorama Accessories Sets (U.S. Army stands, garage equipament, modern bags, workshop gate and footbridge) Available from Plusmodel for the prices indicated below on the text Well, it`s that time again, the time that we have the lucky to see and review the Plusmodel new items. Again and again Plusmodel bring us quality and originality. All sets are in 1:35 and they come in the standard Plusmodel box (plain boxes and struy boxes from workshop gate and footbridge) being the full build model the box art. All of the items very well packaged, with the all the parts coming inside of a bubble bag. U.S. Army Jacks stands (98 resin pieces and 3 photo-etched partes and one decal sheet) #499 Price tag: 25,90$ (18,20€) – here directly from Plusmodel. The set is the most complex one of all that we have for review. And yes, there`s 96 resin parts and most of it are quite delicate ones. The resin cames in gray colour with no bubbles or distroction. High quality as always with Plusmodel. A saw must be use to remove the parts form the resin blocks with extra care. The assembly instructions must be carefully study because the construction is not quite straightforward. The PE sheet is very small in the usual Plusmodel quality Modern Bags (10 resin pieces and one decal sheet) #465 Price tag: 23$ (16,30€) – here directly from Plusmodel. This set is most welcome to all modern diorama modellers. 10 bagsvery well cast in gray resin with no bubbles or distortions, with very little to clean. Just need to remove the resin cast block and the parts are ready to paint. The details on the bags is very good with treats, zippers, cloth hanging out. Very useful little details set at a very nice price. [URL=http://s104.photobucket.com/user/Pardelhas/media/IMG_3734_zpsjolcgfyg.jpg.html][IMG=http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m186/Pardelhas/IMG_3734_zpsjolcgfyg.jpg][/URL] There`s no instruction and there´s no need for any. About the colour guide, well, these can be painted with any colour… Just need some pictures of the real thing and just your imagination. Garage Equipment (51 resin pieces, photo-etched sheet and one decal sheet) #497 Price tag: 33,80$ (23,70€) – here directly from Plusmodel. This set is my favourite one of this review. As you can see from the box art, on this set we can get a tool box (with the tools inside like wrenches), a tool chester, an oil extractor and a small rounded compressor. As always and I becoming repeting myself over and over again, the resin is very well cast being most part of it very fragile as they represent small details. The cleaning should be quite easy being only the resin cast block and some flash. The most easy cleaning part should be the tool chester. The instructions are the typical ones from Plusmodel, simple drawings but quite perceptible and intuitive and on this case are most needed because all the equipment have some complexity in the construction. The decals are very well printed, with words that look quite alike on the real photos The PE parts are very good quality and I still did not found who made then for Plusmodel or if it is self production. Workshop Gate #503 Laser carved hard paper and photoetched sheet Price tag: 19$ (14€) – here directly from Plusmodel. Two workshop doors, just to be in the floor are abandoned or destroyed ones. The come with two sheets of hard paper, laser marked. The Plusmodel website said the is wooden laser but I really don’t think its wood but hard and sturdy some kind of paper. A small PE sheet with small details like handles and key holes. *** Footbridge #501 Laser carved wood parts Price tag: 30$ (21,10€) – here directly from Plusmodel. Plusmodel mastered laser carved wood, and they simply can do anything like this footbridge or windmill. A very realistic one, on real wood with some very good scale dimension and this is also a truly model kit at his own…. Likewise the shed, this does have instructions and the indication and drawings of all parts. The structural parts are in thick wooden while the walking structure is in laser cut wood and therefore quite thin and fragile Conclusion: These sets of accessories for dioramas translate once again well Plusmodel philosophy: originality, quality and versatility. The quality is of the highest level, with castings at most higher standard and detail is one of the best in modeling world. Everything is there to help you to make some great diorama with that little extra that highlight your work and make it stand out from others. Very Highly recommended With my sincere thanks to Plusmodel for this review sample. To purchase directly, click this link. Francisco Guedes

Great review! This "set" is quite original and also on my wishlist.

Really nice work!!

Great review Jim. Those decals are quite fantastic!

Fantastic work! love it!

Perfect review!!! The Ship´s Camel is on the top to buy list!!!

1:32 WWI RAF/RFC Towing Trailer AVIATTIC (catalogue n.º ATTKIT004) Price Tag – £ 55 (22 resin parts, PE sheet with 47 parts) Aviattic is a very well know name in WWI modelling world! Their produtcs are always top noch about originality and detail. Richard from Aviattic is a devoted modeler and a WWI passionate so all their projects will come at their very best and a truly dedicate product. The love for their products is well patent on all their work. Today we are going to take a look into their new RAF/RFC Towing trailer. This little resin kit that comes in medium hard plastic box with foam inside to protect all the resin parts. No chance to break or damaged the resin pieces. The packing is highly professional. Opening the plastic box, you get 22 resin parts and a quite big PE sheet with several parts in a total of 47 parts. The casting system is a topnotch in all resin manufacture. You got a good quality grey resin, with some flash that need to be remove. The only bigger problem is on the wheels rims. All the flash inside the rims will not be easy to clean but be assuring that our example is a pre-production item that was given to us at Telford so the final production batch does not have this little outcome. However the wheels are very well casted and with lots of small details on the rims and tyres. This set has no instructions in paper but there`s a photo instructions that you can check in here. A few examples of pics of that photo instructions so you can see that is quite comprehensive and easy to follow. This trailer does have lots of details not only giving be the resin texture but also the several PE parts that gives a lot of “living” to this one. The large trailer bed is in one single resin piece with several details like nuts and bolts and wood veins. A quite impressive detail and casting work. And as you can see very little cleaning whatsoever. Simply amazing. All other resin parts are in very good shape of casting with no bubbles or distortions with lovely details like the springs, tool box, lamps and several hooks and handles. Passing on the the PE sheet, this one comes in natural cooper with makes it more annealing friendly (at least for me). For the maneability of it, it look quite easy to work with, being the more difficult one the mudgards. All the downside structure and weight support is made from PE making a bit complex and working part but easy to do by the intermediate modeler. For inspiration, Aviattic give a small flyer with a pic with a Alb D.V on the top of trailer being towed. CONCLUSION: Well, this release is simply fabulous. The diorama ideas are more than many… You don’t believe it? Check it out.: Aviattic has been in the past few years a manufacture that every WWI modeler love because Aviattic produce some great produts. This trailer is just a perfect excuse to make a WnW with no rigging and no wings and it’s a perfect match to Aviattic truck (Marienfelde" Lorry). I can highly recommend the fuel cart to all but novice modeler. THANKS AVIATTIC FOR DOING THIS TRAILER. Very High Recommend Our truly and sincere thanks to Richard from Aviattic for the sample and for making these fantastic WWI accessories.

LOOOOOOVE IT!!! Great review as always mate!

fantastic review of a great stuff.. That was totally unknown to me... But it looks great! tempting!

Hi Danny. If you try those MRP please tell me your opinion. Curious to see that MRP have two variants of Clear Doped Linen...

Great review! Having already build this particularly version of the WnW camel, its a very very good kit! Just go for it!

Now that I bought the Anton, I will have to get this one also!

wow... my friend you really nail it!! My favourite!! your best model for sure!!

I will get those for me !!!

Wow... I really love it!! Really nice!

I have one of those in my stash!! Looking forward to see your build!

Great works!!! Specially with a AModel!!!

Really nice!!! Thanks for sharing!

Make yourself at home! Fran

Concrete Telegraph Poles MiniArt 1:35 Catalogue n.º 35563 (Buildings and accessories series) Price tag: 13,50€ (available in MBK – Modellbau-Koenig) This set is a quite useful one in several sceneries since WWI and modern conflict so it’s a quite useful set that I was quite happy to see it release by the same usual suspect: MiniArt. This set has a quite strange looking box… It’s a very long and sturdy box. The inside is quite simple with 4 identical sprues containing the poles and fixtures, and two transparent ones containing the lamp lenses and light bulbs. These clear parts are quite a really nice touch of realism, one thing that we expect from MiniArt. Kundos. These poles are quite big - 20 cm long each. So in 1:1, its represents a pole of 7 metres. Sounds accurate to me. The injection mold is very well done with very fine details. The fixtures are very thin and fragile so extra care must be taken to remove then. The only low I can point to this fantastic set is the fact that the poles do not have grainy surface of poured concrete. However its not hard to replicate that grainy surface if you want to. The instructions are in the back of the box and the construction is quite straightforward and easy. Conclusion Another winner from MiniArt. An original subject, with tons of possibilities, at a very affordable price tag and in top of that, with extyerme good quality. A perfect add to your diorama or a simple vignette. Very Highly Recommend Our thanks to MiniArt for the review samples. Available in any good model shop – click here.