Question about "Roden" kits.............( ?? )

[olfogey]

Note to Moderator: Didn't know for sure where to put this, if in wrong place, feel free to move or delete.

I'm curious about the quality of "Roden" 1/32 WWI aircraft kits............being a novice, I only just heard about them.
OK for a novice?? Nice build?? U.S. Distributor??

Thanks for any help..............Jim J. -- "olfogey"

[uncletony]

Hi Jim,

Before WNW came along, Roden was widely considered the gold standard of 1/32 WWI plastic kits. Few would argue WNW has since raised the bar. In general, compared to WNW,  the moldings are not as crisp, the surface as detailed or the fit as good. The subjects I have spent the most time studying -- the Dr.1 & the various Albatrosen -- each have a few rather glaring errors but the in general the outlines are correct and the detail is pretty good. There is no doubt they can be built into great models.

Some recent build logs should give you a feel for what you are in for:

Nieuport 24bis by Paolo

Albatros D.III by Paolo  Certainly check this one out; Paolo has a few photos early on which compare key sprue items between WNW & Roden.

Nieuport 27 E by Bob

[Nigel Jackson]

Hi Jim

Interesting questions. While it can come down to a matter of personal preference, I sense the consensus to be that they are a  very mixed bunch.  Their Fokker triplane stacks up quite well but some of the later models have disappointed.

I can comment on their Sopwith Triplane and found some frustrations. I don't think it a complicated model, but wasn't impressed with the high price, the fact that the fuselage is seriously short in length for production variants (Pheon had beautiful replacement parts) or the overall level of detail

Euro for euro, Wingnutwings win hands down for me in terms of value for money, level of detail and overall accuracy.

But, as I said, it can all come down to personal preference and the fact that Roden do have some aircraft in their range that other don't

Best wishes
Nigel

[petrov27]

Roden stuff is ok and buildable certainly - just check out Des site for build logs of several and you will get a pretty good idea about them.

I would personally say their Fokker DRI (especially the Encore release) and the Nieuport 28 are their best.

They are the only game in town for certain 1/32 subjects (hard to say if WNW will ever do a SSDIII, N24/27/28 etc) and if you can find them at a decent price I would say try one out.

[uncletony]

Jim, check out this article by Des -- "WHICH (WWI) MODEL WOULD SUIT ME WITH THE EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE"

[GAJouette]

  Jim,
No Worries my friend you've posted in just the right spot. Here's a couple Roden builds well worth having a look at.

LINKS: http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com/page19.html
           http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com/page18.html
           http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com/page12.html
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

[olfogey]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies guys.................being a complete novice, I had looked at "Roden" & got my curiousity up because they seemed a bit cheaper & easier for me to come by than "WnW". But, guess the old adage is true- "you get what you pay for".

"WnW" it is...............then another question, what "WnW" model besides the "Junkers JI" would you recommend for a beginner?? (biplane)

Thanks..............Jim J. -- "olfogey"

P.S. -- I LIKE this forum   -- the "egos" are tiny here (lol)

[GAJouette]

  Jim,
The WNW Sopwith Pup or Triplane both would be excellent first choices for a beginner.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

[Des]

I have built all of the Roden 1:32 scale WW1 aircraft kits and found them to be quite buildable, some more so than others. Some of their kits are good and build up to be excellent models, but others need a lot of work, but depending on your modeling skills will determine the outcome of a Roden kit.

Wingnuts on the other hand are in a class all of their own, highly detailed and very user friendly, but bare in mind that no kit, regardless of where they come from, is perfect.

The Junkers J.1 is a good new comer kit, it builds rather easily and has no rigging, the Fokker D.VII is another great new comer kit also with a lack of any complex rigging. If you don't mind trying a bit of rigging the Albatros would be an excellent kit along with the Pfalz D.III, both beautiful kits and have only very basic rigging.

Gregory has mentioned the Sopwith Pup and the Sopwith Triplane, both excellent kits and both quite easy to build, but both have more rigging and being British they have double flying wires, not hard to do but does add a little more complexity to the rigging process.

Wingnuts do their absolute best to make their kits easy to build, their latest releases the Sopwith Snipe and the Hannover virtually just fell together, and to build out of the box with no added extras they make up to be wonderful models, but their rigging is a little more involved.

Des.

[olfogey]

Des:
Thank you an in-depth idea of what I'm up against.

That settles it..........I know what I'm getting for Christmas ("WnW" Junkers JI & "Fokker D VII")

Thanks for the help guys

Jim J. -- "olfgey"