Wingnut Wings Felixstowe F.2a & Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 Wingnut Wings

[Fran]

Felixstowe F.2a & Hansa-Brandenburg W.29

 

Wingnut Wings

1/32 Scale

Catalogue n. #32801

Price Tag: $349

 

 

In 2009, the Easter season, appeared in the history of modeling a new kit manufacturer brand. It would not be anything too extraordinary for brands kits, especially in the last 10 years have been many to come.

However WnW is not just any brand. The WnW shook all modeling of ocmo well make a model structures, and be perfect at all levels, from the box-art (the most beautiful in the market) for plastic injection, and end up in the brilliant instructions, unequaled.

Marveling at the box art, and for all that seemed to come from inside those boxes, and a very successful site, fell in love with a brand kits ... something that had never happened ... not even with Tamiya.

Then in 2010 I had an idea ... The WnW is like a football club ... is a passion, and if it`s a passion, you do have to have followers, have to have fans...

So with the genuine intention to bring together all those who have a passion, or only a small interest in WnW, I created in January 2010, WnW fans page on facebook.

Since then, the page has grown much at the expense of the fans and the support of own WnW who knows of their existence and recognizes the importance of this page in internet world.

In October 2013, WnW Fans joined the Large Scale Modeller and made sense becoming this fantastic forum, the foreign home (outside facebook).

From 2010 to the present day many things have passed since 3 GB in LSM, two contests on facebook, with rewards given directly by WnW to its winners, a marathon, and the list for the most desired.

Certainly many more things will come in time. Many projects are in queue.

For all this I was fortunate to receive this gem at home, signed by Richard Alexander and with a special dedication.

It was an extraordinary gift by the WnW which always, in one way or another, informally supported the WnW fans.

I was totally speechless when I received this gift and do this review, not as an obligation (since I was expressly told by Richard that it was a gift and not a review sample) but rather as a gratitude to the WnW for what have done for modellers and for the general hobby for 6 years now.

The modeling of awakening to WWI, even in AFV, by Tamiya, Meng Takom, not only due to the fact that the celebration of 100 years but also the momentum created and maintained by WnW to periodically launch new release, better and better. ..

 

I'll stop now my cheap sentimentality, and let´s go crack the box.

This box is huge but if you do have a Felixstowe, this one is exactly the same size. The difference is inside where on the duelist there no space left and after taking out all the sprues, is quite difficult t to put it in once again.

 

But before entering the contents of the box, the box art is a true work of art. Almost risked to say that the box-art alone is worth at ease over $ 50 ..

The postman arrived in the early morning on March 19 in Portugal is Father's Day. I took the box into the bedroom and opened in front of my wife and my daughters, and so shot the box, my wife so frankly said, is the most beautiful kit box you ever had.

The box art alone is a true work of art. The WnW throughout the ages have been distinguished by excellent quality and its attractive boxes. We owe these attractive boxes to the talent of Steve Anderson and WnW clear vision of having a high quality product with beautiful presentation.

Boxart of The Duellist, for me, the most beautiful of all.

I have over 20 WnW models kits (Not much I know… shame on me) and over 200 other brands and when the box came to me was with my wife. So I opened the package, and revealed the Duellist box, my wife just said that beautiful picture. It is certainly the most beautiful boxart I've ever seen.

And that pretty much sums up the boxart: a wonderful job, with a dynamic and exceptional drama, captured in full by Steve Anderson.

The Duellist was on my wish list since it has release, not for the content (I already had the W29) but and only the box art. I just hit the jackpot with this WnW offering.

 

 

Actual box art depicts the last moment of Felixstowe F.2a N4305 Early type to be attacked by Friedrich Christiansen`s Hansa Brandenburg W-29, with the whole evolution of such confronts perfectly portrayed and exemplary manner in the instructions. 

 

 

 

 

The Duellist has two already release model kits from WnW: The Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 and the Felixstowe F2a (early type).

These two models have already been masterly reviewed in Scale Plastic and Rail and in Large Scale Modeller  and all the main and detail aspect of both model kits has been well analyzed in impartially and honestly way.

Even though, I will give my personal and brief look up in all sprues before going to the differences.

In the big box you got 22 sprues!! That`s a ton of plastic and thousands of hours of real fun.

10 sprues are for the Hansa and 12 for the Felixstowe.

Also there`s two decals sheets and one photo-etched sheet.

 

Starting with the Hansa:

 

Sprue A

 

 

All parts of the cockpit are here including the instrument panel, the side structure , the cushion, fuel pump, hand air pump.

The fuel tank ant the pilot`s seat are on sprue F.  A mold strategy for sure.

 

Sprue B

The floats, tailplane wings and elevators made this one.

 

 

The floats have fantastic and subtle raise details, upper and lower.

The ribs on the elevators are also a very good casting  with sharp detail.

 

Sprue C

 

 

The small of all sprues: the clear parts from Hansa with only four parts, which in hindsight are even enough for an open cockpit plane.

The clear parts are very well molded and quite transparent without distortion of the plastic which affects the transparency of the part.

 

Sprue D (x2)

 

 

 

There`s two for this sprue because brings all the pieces to put Hansa properly parked in dry dock.

So you get the beaching dollies, the rear fuselage support trestle and float support trestle.

Also the Spandau is on this block.

 

 

Sprue E

The 150 hp Benz Bz. III engine is very well reproduced directly from the box. On this particular item is always space for extra detail and the instructions brings out two very nice pictures of the real one as a guideline.

 

 

Sprue F

 

 

Fuselage halves and some other details like the fuel tank and pilot seat.

 

Sprue H

 

 

Top halve wings and wings elevators. The ribs details once again is quite sharp and delicate.

Lower halve wings. Both of wings have fine structure rib detail.

 

 

It´s curious to see that in later releases, the wings of other WnW models with the same wingspan comes in one single piece. Even with a much large wingspan like the Felixstowe, one single piece for the all wing is used.

This is clearly an evolution in WnW Models and it makes quite sense making live a little better for modellers and giving a more structural piece, in solid plastic to the build.

Hats off WnW. You are the best and still always innovating and improving.

 

Spruce G

 

A small fret for the IMG 14/17 parabellum and most of the parts are indicated by WnW not to be used.

 

 

Turning our attention to the mighty Felix.

 

Sprue A

Almost cockpit and internal parts are in this sprue like the duckboard style crew area floor, big side wall frames, a highly detail instrument board, sub-deck for fuel tank mounting among other details parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprue B

This sprue only have 7 usable parts, so the float-shaped parts are actually part of the hull and the rear fuselage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All ejector pin marks on these large pieces are inside the model, and well out of sight. 

 

Sprue C

 

 

All sprue contains just three parts. This particularly sprue is totally different from the Late type version.. Clarity is excellent, some masking will have to be done.

 

 

Sprue D (x2)

 

Theses sprues bring lots of parts, for external and internal of the aircraft.

For the interior you got the petrol tanks and their respective plumbing, ammunition bins and drums as well as the Lewis guns themselves and their mounts, steering wheels, rudder pedals etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other parts are for the Rolls Royce engine like the water cooling plumbing four blade propellers, radiators and shutters, oil tanks.

All these parts are perfect design with fantastic detail.

 

 

 

 

 

Sprue E (x2)

 

Two sprues for two engines! J

All the parts you need for the 12-cylinder Rolls Royce Eagle.

This engine is a, a kit itself… The finest detail I`ve yet seen… One more example of the evolution of WnW keeping by long distance all the other manufactures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprue F

Now, the fuselage/hull. Wow… here you get the real size of this beast!! IT`S BIGGG!!

 

 

 

 

The details are all there even on the upper hull which is more sparse due to the plywood nature.

And wings are still to come…

 

Sprue G and H

 

The wings are even bigger!! This beast will not be easy to handle on my workbench.

 

 

 

 

Lower and upper wings are molded with great finesse (Rib and fabric representation are quite very authentic), in a single and solid tab in contrast of the W.29 as already mention.

 

One of the points always underline by WNW is that they has designed this model so that both upper and lower panels can be detached, complete with rigging to aids storage and transportation. I must confess that I really have a little difficulty in understand the concept if the rigging material is fishing line…. On the upper wing, we can see on the rigging diagram that they are several rigging line in all wing span, so I really don`t understand how it`s possible without compromising the structure of the wings and the rigging.

 

 

Sprue I

The most mysterious sprue.

 

 

 

As Jim called up the attention to the single four blade propeller on his review, indeed this single and isolate propeller for no use is very very intriguing. Here`s there another Felixstowe on the production line?? Or it`s just an spare propeller?

 

 

Who knows? But in the last six years, WnW already proved that they don`t do anything random…

So this propeller is here for something… One day we will know! J

 

Besides the mysterious propeller, this concerns also the tail plane, span stabilizer. As everything on the model, it`s big!

 

Sprue J

This sprue is, concerning to plastic and alongside with sprue C, is a totally regarding the Late release.

 

 

 

This sprue is all about the upper coamings, quite different for the Late type, giving a much cover cockpit with the big glass & celluloid cabin.

 

Now that plastic is gone, let’s check the elements that are totally exclusive to this release.

 

•  
• Photo-etched
•  
• Decal Options
•  
• Instructions
•  

 

 

Concerning I was expecting two small PE sheet, one for each aircraft, equal to those on the single release models.

The WnW never cease to amazed me.

So went even further than the first Duellist and offers the modeler one sheet with all necessary parts for both kits and even two brass tag plates to put alongside on the wood base, one for each one of the planes. A total cracker! Perfect.

 

 

 

A brass photo-etched sheet has the quality that WnW already accustomed us, with delicate detail and good engraving... With annealing technique, this metal is extremely easy to work with and adapts to modeller needs.

 

 

While the decal sheet is quite obvious, since you only have two options (one for each aircraft) beside german naval hex that is identical to the sheet of the single W.29 release.

 

 

 

 

The other sheet is the new one and brings the markings for both aircraft and stencils.

 

 

 

So with this Duellist you got the eager waited Friedrich Christiansen W.29.

 

 

Concerning the Felixstowe scheme option, yep I know that the Felix do have more colorful option, but believe that this beast with wood and CDL is just so beautiful. At first I always thought to I would go for one of that… Now, I just love this one.

 

 

 

My “new conviction” about wood and CDL is mainly because of the magnificent history behind these two aircraft and the bound that are connect… It`s a real piece of history here and I will go build both of them and put then side by side.

 

My instructions came with some very little damage on the upper and lower edges.

The instructions have less information about the aircraft itself, like photos of real aircraft, less color paint guides then the original and individual aircraft releases. The diagrams are the same with small updates (yellow color for PE) but for example the W29 instructions of the original release before the markings options guide has 18 pages…. Duellist one has 14 pages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the intel and necessary information are in both instructions, so it real looks the WnW study quite well what to take off to reduce the cost and the height, I presume.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Wow… no words…

it is very difficult to say something of a perfect kit. In reality are two kits perfect with the best box-art ever...

In December 2014 I had the pleasure and the difficult task of reviewing the HPH Cut away Catalina, with a fabulous kit in every possible way. And to receive this Duellist, was the crown jewel of my collection.

Lost the first place with dignity for this fabulous Duellist.

I could say it's the best kit ever but it would be a bold statement because WnW continues and will continue so to launch new kits ... and coming from WnW, you never know.

So do yourself a favor and if you do not have a W.29 or whether to have the FC W.29, lose your head and buy this Duellist or simply selling 10/20 kits from your stash of 200/300 kits and buy this .... I assure you that you will not be sorry.

 

Rating: 10/10

Totally, absolutely, unbelievably recommended ...

 

My most sincere thanks to Richard Alexander and all the staff of WnW for all the hard work throughout this six years.

And to Peter Jackson, a sincere thanks for his vision and for having fulfilled its dream, fulfilling the dream of many others. Thank you SIR.

 

 

 

[James H]

Lovely article, and compliments the others perfectly.

[JeroenPeters]

Nice one Fran!

[Verbeek]

Thank you, I also will go for the wood one (not that I can effort this amount of money :- )

But that look the best way for this great plain!

And with you thanks words to the WnW fellow's, I totally agree.

[Fran]

Thanks guys for your kind words!

In fact, it`s a superb box!!

[AlgiaNick]

Nice and detailed presentation!!! I have bought this amazing kit!! Words are poor enough to describe the emotions I feel when I opened the box!! I'm gonna start the building of Felixstowe this week with full descriptions (texts and photos) and post it in the LSM forum!!