Questions about first WW1 aircraft build

[Irishman1]

Howdy there!! I’ve a question about building my first ww1 aircraft. I build ww2 1/24 scale aircraft and a couple of wood ships from scratch. 
  I really appreciate the ww1 aircraft I’ve seen  here and it looks like the WNW kits stand above most I’ve seen for detail and variety. However, is it a kit I should use as my first dip into ww1 aircraft? I know they are more expensive than other kits but it looks like it’s worth it. What do you think?

thanks in advance, Mike (irishman1)

[biggtim]

Well, WNW are simply the best out there, IMO. BUT, the Roden kits are pretty nice, too, and are way less expensive. I am kinda cheap, so if I were trying it on for size, I would try Roden first, and if I liked that, then pick up a WNW, or the Meng Fokker triplane (it's a WNW mold, too)

If you like 1/24, then another option might be the Meng 1/24 Fokker Triplane, though it is also a bit pricy. The larger size might be more to your liking. It certainly has been tempting me.

Tim

[DocRob]

WNW is the cherry on the pie for sure, Mike. But there are others like Roden (mediocre) and foremost Copper State Model, which are nearly (if not) the same quality level as WNW. The manuals are even better to me, as they show the rigging much better and they are priced reasonably.
A Fokker Triplane would be a good choice, equal which breed, because it has very simple rigging and that's what you should look for first thing. That qualifies German single seaters, because of the simple rigging and no flat wire was used.
Another cheap German single seater would be Micro Mir Fokker D.VIII. The kit is not very good, but with some extra work it can be made a gem.
There are also great 1/48 kits out there in high quality like the CSM offerings or some Eduard kits, especially the newer molds, not a bad starting point.
Before starting you should think about a proper rigging method, as there are several with their pros and cons.

Cheers Rob

[GazzaS]

Don't be afraid to start with a WNW kit.  Roden will test you skills and patience and might make you swear out of WWI.  The simple reason is: contact area between struts and surfaces.

A roden kit will require you to drill into the struts and insert metal pins.  And it will still be weaker than the joints of a WNW kit which gives you large contact points between strut and flat surface.   I will attach some pics to demonstrate what I had to do with my last roden build.

You can see how many pins I used and how much plastic I had to gouge out to add strength and stability.

That being said, you can still come out with a nice result.

Albeit after much more effort and cursing...   if you're the cursing kind.

Just to help you visualize the strength differential, I will illustrate with words.  If you attach the upper wing of your Roden kit and let it dry overnight and turn the plane on it's back, the top wing will fall off if you aren't holding it with your other hand.

On a WNW kit, the wing will stay in place even if you take your hand away.

Also...   there is a much great chance of buy a kit with a warped upper wing if you go Roden.  This is truly a case of you-get-what-you-pay for.  Another Roden fault...   their decals are trash.  You might be able to use some of the smaller ones easily...   but the big national markings rarely make it in one piece from paper to model.

 

Good luck!

 

[Bill_S]

Don't be afraid of Wingnut Wings. Any of the Fokker Eindeckers are enjoyable builds; although the rigging looks intimidating at first, you don't have to deal with rigging between wings. Do not start with a Dh.2, Fe2.b, or any of the multi-engine birds.

[HubertB]

Let’s put it this way. WnW kits are more expensive than any other manufacturer’s, especially as they are OOP. So the fear of making a mistake that will waste this money is greater than with a cheaper alternative.

But, on the other hand, there is a reason why WnW were such a success: they are extremely well designed, go together well, with great instructions, and they have made many novices get hooked to WWI modelling. So your money may be better spent on a WnW kit if you want to go the WWI route  

Hubert