WW1 Aircraft Modeling > Under Construction

Billy Bishop's colourful 60Sqdn SE5 A8936

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macsporran:
I have long loved the fabulous Flight markings of the early 60 Squadron SE5s when they first arrived in France. The three Flights A, B & C had their noses etc painted in red, yellow or blue respectively and would make  excellent subjects for a model - except for one major problem: these aircraft were SE5 not SE5a types with a very obviously different nose profile and to begin with tapered wings and stub exhausts etc.

This hasn't stopped various manufacturers issuing these colours on SE5a models/prints/profiles - which is just WRONG!
Eg Corgi with their die cast toys. No this is as bad as painting an Albatros D.III in a D.V or D.Va scheme.

So the major problem is there is no available 1/32 SE5 kit. Only 3 prototypes (A4561-3) and a batch of 24 (A4845-68), followed by a final batch of 50 (A8898-8947) were ever built and surviving SE5s were usually retro-fitted with the later blunt wings of the 5a and often up-engined to more powerful Suiza or Wolseley power-plants which necessitated adding the heavy chin of the 5a as well. So you can well understand manufacturers balking at producing a kit of an early SE5 when so few retained the slim nose profile. Unfortunately though the beautiful 60Sqdn markings need just such a kit.

Many years ago, (at school IIRC) I hacked and sawed a 1/48 Lindberg SE5a into the approximation of an SE5 and hand painted it in the flambouyant col,ours of Keith Caldwell's A8898 but for a long time now I've had the lovely Model Cellar Billy Bishop figure and a hacked up Roden SE5a sitting on the shelf of doom. Now I'm in the mood to try to resume this with a view to producing A8936 as shown in the nice, fairly accurate painting below. While still wearing the blue paint, this machine had the blunt 5a wings added and is shown in pictures with long exhausts - so this is what I am aiming for.

I have started this before, so no guarantees about finishing, but we'll see how we get on!
Sandy

macsporran:
I'd previously cut away the 5a chin but given up thereafter when I contemplated the size of the job ahead - not just the nasal mods, but planning the masking for painting the complex blue, white and PC10 around the surgery.

My immediate task was to form the distinctive horseshoe radiator for the early 150hp Hispano Suiza powerplant. Variations exist and there is no picture to identify A8936 in particular but I have opted for the same radiator as fitted to Albert Ball's A4850.

It so happens the Roden kit I am using has a Wolseley Viper but this doesn't matter as this will be hacked about considerably (and hidden anyway). So lets get the Wolseley rad carved to H-S format and manufacture a new insert from card stock and some grill material I have (left over from building 1/24 F1 cars.)

Sandy

Davos522:
Neat project, Sandy, pulling up a seat for this one! Always fascinated by these aeroplanes.... when I was doing Eric Hight's website back in the day (late '90s?) I got to keep the CSM 1:48 S.E.5 kit after photographing and posting it online, and gave serious thought to starting it... there was something about that steampunk greenhouse that really appealed to me, even knowing the pilots tore them off as soon as none of the brass were looking...

Dutch

Mike Norris:
Hi Sandy,
Do you have access to the SE5 Windsock data file No.30?

Mike

macsporran:
Thanks Mike - yes I have that DF and the SE Squadrons one. I've also got the comprehensive Air-Britain File, the Haynes manual and many and various titles by Crowood, Putnam, Osprey, FMP, Jane's etc - I'm kinda obsessed by the SE5/5a, which is why I get so exercised when illustrators, manufacturers etc mix them up!  :)

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