And so it begins..............
I chose this kit since I have too many German planes on the piano. While not RFC, at least it has roundels! I've always liked the SPAD series and this one certainly fits the bill. It is the most complicated paper model I've built thus far. A company called Halinski makes the Tamyia of paper models but they are mostly WWII era. They are rendered ala Matt77 and have 1000+ parts counts. You should see their Panzers...Lots of layering of pieces, tiny cuts and rolls etc. Nothing is left to the imagination. For example: a telescopic site on a Japanese fighter I have could be made of 3 pieces...a rolled tube and two flared ends. In a Halinski kit, the same piece will have 10-14 parts. They are truly amazing and build into incredible replicas if you are up to the challenge! This kit reminds me of those in design, complexity and count number. I love it!
You can see the "kit" and directions which are photos of the model under construction. There is also a time-lapse video of the designer beta-building one which does help with some placement. It's really cool.
I started by backing the structural parts on 1/32nd balsa and then began the fuselage/cockpit tub. It's not done, but already it took 20 parts just for the pit! You can even see a hole for the camera that will be visible from below. Lots more to do, but I wanted to document at least the start. Part tolerances are very precise and I'll need to watch my balsa thickness. When it says put your paper on a 0.8mm backing, they are not kidding.
Anyway, I hope this one goes well. So far, fun and neat.
Cheers,
Dan