Meng Dr.1 Unboxing

[AROTH]

Mine was partially crunched and wet thru the shrink wrap

[Beto]

Ouch...! I've had boxes crushed before but never anything like that... i'm guessing the parts are equally wrecked. Was it packed properly, or just dropped off the back of the truck and run over a few times before it got to you? Maybe an insurance claim in with the postal service might be warranted - did you get a picture of the parcel before you opened it?

Yes I did, and set them to the seller yesterday. I got a quick response this morning from him, asking me if the parts were ok  and promising he would do his best to help...
It arrived packed in a soft white foam box and wrapped in black, trash bag style, plastic.

[oldalbie]

I got 2 last week from Great Models, the only nit to pick is where the front cockpit bit attaches to the middle win is pretty weak.  The right side bit breaks off pretty easily from what I've heard.  One of mine had that happen, the other was O.K.  I have the Eagle Cals #94 which I plan to use on one of them. I'd like to try the streaked decals from Aviattic also, their decals are terrific.  A very satisfied customer.

[Ringleheim]

I got 2 last week from Great Models, the only nit to pick is where the front cockpit bit attaches to the middle win is pretty weak.  The right side bit breaks off pretty easily from what I've heard.  One of mine had that happen, the other was O.K.  I have the Eagle Cals #94 which I plan to use on one of them. I'd like to try the streaked decals from Aviattic also, their decals are terrific.  A very satisfied customer.

I have used Aviattic decals several times myself, and can only repeat what you mention about them being outstanding.

I'm sure lots of folks here have used them.  They really are great.

I'm happy to give them a nice little plug like this because they deserve it.

[SimonCornes]

Mine arrived today with the standard Meng banana wings! But no worries there. I think it’s been said before but I think that the instructions are poor. No mention at all about rigging the control cables or limited rigging although the instructions give you alternative holes below the tailplane. It seems to be the case that the instructions are aimed at someone with no knowledge of the real aeroplane so they can just build it but if you have a degree of knowledge then you need a Windsock to supply the answers if you don’t know already. I also thought the part painting info was poor - both fuselage frames gloss black? Maybe they are but it just highlights how thorough the Wingnut instructions were. I wish Dave J had a pdf set salted away!!! I will also consult my Windsock Special plans before cleaning up the trailing edges of the extended span ailerons as I don’t know if the scalloping becomes a straight trailing edge further outboard and I don’t want to scallop where none is required. But it’s an extremely cheap set of Wingnut plastic - I have two more on order from my LMS - when all is said and done and I suspect Ray will he kept very nicely by the sales of his ‘How to’ volume!!

[mgunns]

I got 2 last week from Great Models, the only nit to pick is where the front cockpit bit attaches to the middle win is pretty weak.  The right side bit breaks off pretty easily from what I've heard.  One of mine had that happen, the other was O.K.  I have the Eagle Cals #94 which I plan to use on one of them. I'd like to try the streaked decals from Aviattic also, their decals are terrific.  A very satisfied customer.

My take on the reason for the broken part is two fold:  1.  It's very thin and easily susceptible to breakage.  2.  Look at the location of the seat on the sprue directly beneath the sprue of the part in question.  If the seat is directly beneath the part, it will break.  I have two.  One the part was broken because the seat back pressed up against it during packaging.  The other isn't broken because the seat was a little off to one side and the seat back didn't protrude into any vulnerable parts.

[Bill_S]

There was a post on Facebook this week - it was by either Richard Alexander or Dave Johnson... photographic evidence that the frame on MvR's crashed 425/17 was black. Also that the plywood triangles of the forward fuselage were overpainted with some sort of red primer.

[petrov27]

Hmm, I would love to read that and see their evidence but I do not facebook.

For my part, at least from the really good picture on the WNW website of the wrecked 425/17 that shows the frame and plywood fairly clearly, they do not look overly dark as one one expect for black/red in a b/w pic of the time...

[zavod44]

It's not so much that picture of 425 that shows it but there's a bunch of other pictures of wrecks.  I went back and fourth with him on that thread on FB.  He cited a bunch of examples.  The main Wing Spar and that triangular piece on the side of the fuse are painted in a reddish brown primer.  They are not wood grain, but essentially a painted piece.  Very interesting stuff. 

[SimonCornes]

I'm hoping that Ray will be taking all of this on board when he puts together his book. Personally the grey/green frame paintwork always looks easier on the eye than stain black and red/brown paintwork for the fuselage panels sounds bit garish but if Richard A and Dave J are happy that those colours are right then I would never argue with, essentially, Wingnut info!

[RAGIII]

I'm hoping that Ray will be taking all of this on board when he puts together his book. Personally the grey/green frame paintwork always looks easier on the eye than stain black and red/brown paintwork for the fuselage panels sounds bit garish but if Richard A and Dave J are happy that those colours are right then I would never argue with, essentially, Wingnut info!

I have been looking through all of the crash pics I have. I am sure Richard and his team are far more experienced and have far more knowledge than me. That being said I am not 100% convinced that the triangles are primed in red/brown. My first thought is why No other "Experts" ever noticed this? I also saw some photos that show the spar and it is not always red( Many do show a dark primed spar) Just really not sure at this point. As for the tubing, yes, I think a lot of DR1s had black. As Richard said it appears some of the later ones were grey. One question I do have is the floor. If one assumes that the triangles were red primer would not the floor be done likewise? This would therefore extend to DVII's and EV's I assume ? Perhaps this has been discussed previously on the "Drome" ?

RAGIII

[petrov27]

Ha and I am here building 425/17 from the Meng and have the interior parts ready for paint and now what I thought was going to be an easy color choice is up in the air. Sigh.

[SimonCornes]

Something else I wondered about was the fabric panel behind the seat. I would not be surprised if that was lozenge fabric as per the D.VII. If Wingnut had done the decals then that would have been provided no doubt but Meng are silent on that.

[RAGIII]

Something else I wondered about was the fabric panel behind the seat. I would not be surprised if that was lozenge fabric as per the D.VII. If Wingnut had done the decals then that would have been provided no doubt but Meng are silent on that.

No reason to wonder about that panel. Plenty of photos show just plain old CDL fabric 
RAGIII

[SimonCornes]

Thank you for clarifying that. I thought that lozenge fabric got pretty much everywhere!!