Taurus Models 1:32 WW1 aircraft accessories

[James H]

1:32 WW1 aircraft accessories

Taurus Models
Catalogue # see article for codes and price
Available from StoryModels

 

 

 

Taurus Models have been a little quiet of recent, but that doesn't mean they are just sitting on their laurels. There have been a small number of releases over the last months, and they might just have slipped your radar, so today we thought we'd bring these to you. Don't plan your next WW1 project until you've seen what's on offer here.

• D3224, Fokker cowl nuts,  £4.75
• D3226, Propeller hub and back-plate (for Sopwith Snipe/Camel), £1.90
• D3227, WW1 Pulsometers (British type), £3.00

 

D3224, Fokker cowl nuts

 

 

All of these sets are packaged into small zip-lock wallets, and sealed with card headers which are stapled to them. These depict a small colour image of the actual airframe item which the update set is designed to replace a kit part, or indeed be added to your kit, where none previously existed.

 

 

These sets have the ability to prove to you that even 1:32 parts can sometimes be unfeasibly small and very fiddly. This is one of those, yet adds some very important detail to your Fokker-built aircraft. Fokker's metal cowls (Fok D.VII, Eindecker series etc) utilised their own proprietary cowl fasteners. These consisted of a series of bolts that protruded from the airframe. The cowl parts themselves had holes drilled into them, which located to the bolts. A washer was then placed over the bolt, and the cowl nut was screwed over this. The nut itself pretty much resembled a wingnut which just one wing.

 

 

 

There are FOUR grey resin casting blocks in this set, containing enough parts for FORTY-SIX cowl nuts. Each cowl nut comprises TWO parts. Firstly, if your model has any moulded cowl nut representation, you will need to shave that detail away and then carefully mark and drill each new cowl nut position, using a 0.45mm drill bit. The first component to install is the base washer. The back end of this sits into the hole you just drilled. Now, preferably with a magnifying lens, you will need to drill a 0.2mm hole straight through the cowl nut, and then sit this over the base washer stem, before trimming the stem back to length.

 

 

I'm not going to pretent that any of this is going to be easy, and if you have a distinct lack of patience, or are ham-fisted, I would think twice about this upgrade. All parts are nicely cast, although a few have become dislodged from the casting block. Supplied instructions are very clear, but of course won't make the actual installation any easier. This one is for dedicated scale freaks only!

 

 

D3226, Propeller hub and back-plate (for Sopwith Snipe/Camel)

 

 

This is a very simple set, comprising of just two components for your Sopwith Snipe/Camel propeller. These replace both the forward hub, and also the back-plate. Again, to install these, you'll need to shave away the moulded plastic detail on your propeller, and carefully centre and install these parts. Detail is absolutely first rate, with even the castellated forward nut detail being just about visible. Each part is connected to the casting block by a wall of resin which equals the width of the part, but a clearly defined line can be seen, and you need to remove the excess resin, up to this line. As both parts exhibit a little of the propellers timber through cast holes, these will be quite fragile when cleaned up, so take care with them.

 

 

Instructions are clear, and you should have zero problems with this neat upgrade set.

 

 

 

D3227, WW1 Pulsometers (British type)

 

 

This set contains enough parts for TWO pulsometers. What's a pulsometer, you ask? These were fitted into the cockpits of some aircraft, and were a visual representation that oil was flowing to the engine. A glass section would show the flow of oil from the tank to the engine, and a small stop valve could be used to turn this flow off, or regulate it. The design of the interior of the sight glass, with both a constant flow, and a static oil level head, caused that head to pulse a little as oil flowed, and the head level was maintained, of course enabled by the draw of the oil to the engine.

 

 

Now, these things are extremely tiny, and compose of three parts each. Two of these are cast in clear resin, on the same block, and the remaining four parts are cast in grey resin. I'm thinking the reason there are two of these is because of how small the parts are! One part is the lower section of the pulsometer, complete with tap, and the other grey resin part is for the section which holds the clear sight glass.

 

Assembly is very simple, and only perhaps made difficult in itself by the size of the parts. Of course, you will need to add an oil line to this too, and this should be from 0.25mm wire (not supplied). Painting instructions are also included, and these are simply brass and steel.

 

 

Conclusion
Taurus never cease to amaze me with their attention to detail, and these sets live up to their previous, meticulous eye for detail. Two of them are certainly aimed at the more hard-core modeller due to the size of the components, and the ease of application, whilst the prop hub set is a general, easy to use and attractive option that most modellers could fit. None of these sets are very expensive either, so if you feel like you can handle the minute detail, then it won't break your bank. Quality is excellent too.

 

Highly recommended

 

My sincere thanks to StoryModels for these review samples. To purchase directly, click the links in the review.

 

James H

 

 

[Wingco57]

The attention to detail the aftermarket offers is staggering. Thanks James.

Cees