Its no secret that Wingnuts models are easier to make than Roden, and the Roden kits can be frustrating to work with, especially with vague instructions. Des is quite right that making a Roden kit requires "real modelling" insomuch as the modeller is often called on to improvise/ adapt/ scratchbuild/ guess parts location/ fight with crappy decals etc.
I have just finished a Roden 1/32 Fokker F.1 and have moved straight on to a Wingnuts Pfalz D.XII. The Roden kit is a very nice model but it required a lot more thought and improvisational work than the Wingnuts. Hence the 'real modelling' phrase. It is not an insulting phrase nor is it elitist or dismissive of others.
Having said that, I like Roden kits. They are not the best on the market- nobody claimed they were- but were it not for Roden venturing into 1/32 WW1 as it did, I doubt the market demand would have been there for Wingnuts to take the gamble. Roden showed the way. Wingnuts kits are better.
But if you want a 1/32 Siemens Schuckert D.III or a Spad VII, Albatros D.III, the oft-desired Fokker DR.1 and so on, Roden are still the only game in town and they can be made into quite nice models.
Obviously there are fanatical Wingnuts fans who dismiss Roden or other manufacturers, but the reality is that both brands have their place in the market. It needs to be remembered that the Wingnuts people themselves are always highly respectful of their commercial rivals.
I would hope we could have a robust discussion on the possible new releases from Wingnuts without any personal abuse. They are, after all, only plastic model aeroplanes folks!
Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia
