Revell 1:72 Nieuport 28

[IanB]

Well, I finished the Nieuport IV, and the Albatros and Hannover are both on hold for parts/decals so I thought I'd start another one...oh well....

This kit is actually one of Revells better efforts although there is still a bit of flash and some ejector marks to be dealt with. The overall moulding is pretty good. Main areas needing attention are the cowling (which is terrible), and the rear fuselage "fabric" moulding. The cowling has been reprofiled and I've widened the front opening and added the characteristic cooling slots. Other work so far has been to remove the "oil drum" under the forward fuselage which is used to mount the forward landing gear struts (I'll add a more correct mounting later), and reduce the cockpit padding which looked more like a brick wall than a piece of padded leather! I'll deal with the rear fuselage moulding once it's all together - probably with Mr Surfacer.
 I found some PE form Airwaves for this kit so I thought I'd try it. The cockpit framing is a waste of space, it's nowhere near small enough to fit so that will all be scratchbuilt from plastic rod. The seat looks ok and the instruments are very nice. There are also seatbelts, footboards, rudder pedals, a windscreen frame, engine push rods and machine gun details which are good, but the wing struts will not be used. Why do PE makers insist on adding struts? They have absolutely no depth or shape and cannot possibly be used....

 A start has also been made on painting the wood interior ready for the framework to be added.







Happy Christmas all!

Ian

[Des]

That looks like a fairly good kit Ian, and the aftermarket parts will really turn it into something special, you have made a good start so far and I look forward to seeing more progress.

Merry Christmas to you and your family, hope you have a good one.

Des.

[GAJouette]

  Ian,
Wow excellent choice of kit my old friend. With all the aftermarket goodies you'll have this little gem shining in no time . Great first progress and I'm looking forward to seeing more.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

Merry Christmas to You and Yours

[mgunns]

Hello Ian:

One of my favorite WWI a/c.  I remember building this kit back in 1967.  It will be fun to follow your build and see you turn it around.

Best

Mark

[IanB]

Thanks for all the feedback, however the more I get into this, the worse the PE is: the cockpit framing is way too wide and doesn't match the plans at all - it's basically a waste of brass. That's a shame really, because the internal framing is something that could be done very well with PE, but they've totally missed the mark with this set. The wing struts are also a waste of time - how can you get a strut cross section with photo etch? Not possible!
 The seat is too tall at the back and I've had to clip the top off to correct that. The instruments, one of the best parts, are not representative of production models so the best part (the top two) will have to be cut off.... oh well, it was worth a try! Interior work is coming along, pics to follow...

Ian

[GAJouette]

  Ian,
Would it be possible to thin the fuselages interior? That's something I found needed to fit nearly all the PE Interior Detail Set I've made use of. You mentioned the instruments not being used in the production model,not having the set you have I can't be certain but they could possibly be based on the Nieuport 28 A .Which was post war and used by the U.S.N. . It maybe possible to convert the kit easily. If you're interested in the conversion let me know and I'll do a little research on what's needed to do it.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

[IanB]

Gregory,
 I've thinned the inside of the fuselage, but the PE is 10mm wide, the EXTERNAL measurement of the fuselage at the rear of the cockpit is 11mm. The instruments appear to be based on a pic in the Datafile showing additional instruments fitted for flight testing. It's a simple enough job to clip off the upper 2  and leave the correct , single instrument in place. It's not really a problem, I just expected a little more from an after market PE set. I actually enjoy scratchbuilding the interiors anyway, although it won't be fully detailed as the framework is quite intricate for this scale.

Ian

[IanB]

I've had a pretty good day at it today. Got the interior finished and closed up, and started on the engine and the underside of the nose. The plastic under the nose isn't very thick so it was a case of shaping as much as possible then adding filler to finish it off. I decided not to use the PE for the engine push rods, so I drilled and added .010" brass rod. Pretty quick and easy but it makes a huge visual impact. In fact the only PE parts I've used so far have been the seat and seatbelts, rudder pedals and foot boards, and the only other parts I may use will be the control horns and detail for the MG's, the set is really that bad!









Ian

[IanB]

I've had a pretty good weekend on this one:
Ailerons were separated, hinges added and ailerons refitted, oil tank made from plastic card and fitted, cabane struts made and fitted, oil tank filler fairing made and fitted, tail surfaces added and the fairing from rear fuselage to tail added with putty. I've also made the carb air intake, (although looking at the pics it's way too big so I'll redo that) and the venturi has been made and will be added later. Landing gear mountings and oil spillway are done. The PE windscreen was too bad, so I spent a while filing down the kit item and will use that. MG's and prop are Aeroclub and they've been prepped and painting started.










Happy New Year to all, and thanks for looking in!

Ian

[rhallinger]

Hi Ian.  She's coming along nicely, and you're doing a fantastic job!  I am so impressed with those of you who do such clean, fine work in 1/72.  The WWII models were no problem in 1/72 when I was a teenager, but even then the WWI aircraft were postively tiny for my large hands!  I seem to recall this very kit as a youngster, the main memory being tube glue all over those tiny parts!   I still loved it.  My hat is doffed to you.   Well done.

I look to the rest of your build of this sweet little Nieuport.

Regards,

Bob

[coyotemagic]

Excellent start, Ian.  I'm really looking forward to this build.
Cheers,
Bud

[Old Man]

Excellent work, Sir!

Nice to have a heads-up on this kit; I have been thinking about getting one.

If I do, I expect I will crib your work, and thoroughly....

[IanB]

Thanks for all the feedback.
OM - the kit is really not the worst of Revell's offerings. I'm flattered that you feel my work is worth copying, after seeing your RE8 build - which I shall also copy diligently!
 For anyone thinking of building this kit, which is pretty much the only 1:72 kit of this subject that is available, there are a few basic adjustments needed:
Fill the rear fuselage ribs to reduce the "starving cow" look - I used plenty of Mr Surfacer,
Reprofile the nose to give the correct curve, thin the cowling and add the cooling slots,
Replace the prop and MGs with Aeroclub or similar aftermarket items
Remove moulded details such as the carb inlet, oil filler fairing (on top of the nose - and so small it barely needs removing!), and venturi tube and replace with hand made items,
Remove the big blob under the front fuselage for the undercarriage mounts and remake them more accurately,
Open up the oil dripway under the nose,
Add the fairing over the horizontal stabiliser (just in front of the vertical stabiliser, to blend it into the rear fuselage) from putty or similar,
Clean up the edge of the MG mount on the fuselage side - it should be vertical,
Add a small fillett to the rear of the tail fin (behind the elevators) to join it to the fuselage,
Separate all the control surfaces  - aileron hinges are easily added by sawing a slot into the ailerons, then gluing a small piece of .010 x .030 strip onto the wing trailing edge and sanding to match the wing.
Interior detail as required...
Do not bother with the Airwaves PE set, it's a total waste of money. The only pieces I have used are the top fuselage longerons, which I cut from the rest of the cockpit parts and are way too thin but better than nothing, the rudder pedals, footboards, and seat, which I had to correct by cutting off most of the back! Better off scratchbuilding it all - Basically I've had to correct what I've used and the rest of it is just too wrong to even bother correcting!
The wing struts, u/c legs and spreader bar would also benefit form being replaced....

Other than that, it's a pretty good kit!
Happy New Year All!

Ian

[pepperman42]

Nice work on an old bird.

Steve

[Epeeman]

Ian,

Amazing work you are making on improving the ancient Revell kit - I'm really impressed!

Looking forward to next instalment on your build log.

Regards

Dave