Roden SE5a Viper

[Bluesfan]

Thanks again for the comments

Yes Dave, the cowling is definitely tricky. One has to fit a complete engine; but there are still those little bits sticking out of holes at the top. I risked gluing those after putting the cowling on. If you look closely, I lost one of them inside. The fitting of the cowling is often one of the tensest parts of construction isn't it? The glue is drying fast, and you don't have the option of leaving it to walk around for a breather...

I forgot to mention, this was the first time I have made use of Wonder Wire (ceramic material). Generally I use monofilament, and prefer to drill right through wings etc. in the course of getting things taut. But it's not quite so easy with the bracing wires between the outer struts. So I tried out the Wonder Wire, and it was beautifully neat. You may be able to see that it's indistinguishable from the rest of the rigging. It's impressive how it keeps its stiffness. It needs care in cutting to length, and it's not easy to get hold of in the first place. But I'll be using it more often in awkward spots.

Cheers
Mark

[dr 1 ace]

Nicely done, dittos to all the above.

Ed

[mgunns]

Hello Blues Fan:

Outstanding work on this kit.  I have this kit as well and Mannock's a/c is what I am going to build.  Thanks for the heads up about the markings, I wouldn't have known and would have trusted Roden.  I too think the SE5 was one of the meanest looking allied a/c and you captured its mean look.  The figure is pretty cool as well.  It certainly adds a bit of scale and life to the vignette.  Your carving of the pulley windows adds that extra touch and depth vice the two dimensional decals.

Thanks for posting.

Best

Mark

[Dekenba]

Brilliant work, Mark!  Lovely vignette.  You've inspired me to start one of my SE5a's.
Cheers,
Bud

I agree with Bud, Brilliant. Funny thing is I had already decided ,sort of, to change my next build from the WNW Pup to the Encore Hisso SE. Mine will be finished as McCuddens bird of course.
Beautiful work,
RAGIII

Encore's SE.5a kit is really very good indeed, loads of resin & PE added to the basic Roden kit.

[Bluesfan]

More kind words, thanks again;
 
Whatever my standard of modelling, I love the problem solving aspect, and of course Roden kits are fab for that   These inspection windows were a major challenge for me. I actually had a go first in 1/72 scale, on the Roden SE5a Hispano kit. Of course the gouged out pits are hopelessly shallow. My approach there was to 'suggest' the pulley and cable details with tiny brush strokes. Then I tried filling them with superglue IIRC. Another time I might try that stuff you can get for 1/144 airliner windows, I forget the brand name. Anyway, as for this first 1/32 effort (and for one or two 1/48 kits which will need similar attention), I'm pleased and think I can improve the technique. I know many suggest cutting all the way through the wing but, I dunno, I just didn't fancy the restoration job which would be needed afterwards.

Thanks Mark. I would spend time on your references as regards the markings. I have the impression there may not be much photographic evidence of the whole aircraft. While putting a Mannock 'history sheet' together (the whole project is part of a series I'm doing for my nephew, and I'm keen to tell the human story as much as show off the machines), I found several paintings of this particular machine, and none of them agreed on the style and placement of the markings. As I say, stick with Rowan!

Ah, the Encore kit: I'm just starting on their Blue Max kit, which has an impressive set of parts. It includes a resin improvement on the engine, which I won't be using, but should be a nice upgrade for the standard Roden Pfalz when I get round to that... I look forward to seeing your build of McCudden's SE, Dekenba!

Mark