Further progress here, Gentlemen....
Most projects will run onto a spot that is all at once small, maddeningly difficult, and essential. On this, it is the windscreen, tucked away inside the inverted vee of the rear cabane trestle. I had only seen this pattern of windcreen on RFC Nieuport Scouts before, and thought it peculiar to them, but the Arawasi article has several photographs clearly showing the windscreen to be of this pattern. It is very different from what usually appears on French Nieuports, and I am wondering if perhaps it was a general export pattern.
Doing it was complicated by the vagaries to be expected in a Roden kit. I have learned to approach these with a wary expectation of ambush, and viewed in this light they do not disappoint. I had to do a good deal of trimming at the top of this piece, and a little bit at the bottom of its legs, to get it to fit properly, and always with awareness the plastic
could crumble at any moment. But this had to be done before fitting pieces inside the thing. It took about three hours, a fair amount of which was spent re-placing clear bits which, after trimming and apparently fitting well, fell out of place into the black hole, which is especially voracious where clear strips a bit less than a quarter inch long are concerned.
But that hump has been got over, and I expect things to move a bit more quickly now.
The brass bits showing are the inspection hatches from the Tom's Modelworks set.
A bit of color has also been added, with wood tone on the interplane struts....
Finally, just for a lark, a test-fit with the upper wing resting in place....
