I suppose the real reason for shelving this build was the rumours of the Meng kit.... Well, the Meng kit arrived and it was all that I could hope for, not perfect (no kit ever is) but just so well done I have done a bit on it too... food for another thread, I think! What got me going back to this one was some "extras" I found in the Meng kit. You see, they give two sets of Spandaus, one set don't need photo-etch and the other set use the beautiful pre-rolled jackets... so the PE set set I will naturally use in the Meng kit. But the spare set are ideal for the Merit kit! Here is a comparison with the supplied Merit PE - which is not great....
No contest... a fair paint job and those Meng MG's will do just fine... The Merit PE is best ignored, those holes are just too big... And the Meng kit gives a spare set of wheels intended for the F.1 version of the Triplane... These have a smaller and thinner tyre than the Dr.1 so are a little undersize... but still bigger than the Merit ones with a lovely fabric effect and lettering on the tyre... Also not so clunky... No contest here again...
I couldn't resist showing the engine and prop in the cowling...
And this is how far the internals have progressed, nearly ready to close up...
Just some rigging to go and some fabric effect above that rear bulkhead... And the seat....
So this kit will still be far from perfect but not quite ready to scrap... I have told myself to continue with quite a few of these old stalled builds (I keep them all... ready to restart at any time...) because the work put in is often very interesting... the end result may not be the absolute best but is acceptable, and most of all, it's fun!
Enjoy your modelling and Thank You to everyone following this thread so far!
Regards,
Marc