I guess you get what you pay for.

[nmroberto]

So far all the 1/32 WW1 ac I've built were Wingnut Wings kits.  So......I thought I'd try something else and ordered a Roden DH.2 kit.

All I can say is hmmm, I must be spoiled by WNW.  The Roden kit doesn't even have  instrument decals on the sheet, engine is crap, etc.  etc.   

I guess I'll give my limited scratch building skills a stretch on this one.

[Des]

I built the Roden DH.2 many years ago, it required some scratch building and a lot of modifications, but it did end up as a nice looking model.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com/page12.html

Des.

[nmroberto]

I built the Roden DH.2 many years ago, it required some scratch building and a lot of modifications, but it did end up as a nice looking model.

http://www.ww1aircraftmodels.com/page12.html

Des.

I'm going to use your  build as a helpful guide. Probably will have to use more aftermarket stuff than usual as well. 

[Des]

Brian Fawcett does a beautiful seat and a great looking propeller specifically for the DH.2, if you are not happy with the kit engine there are aftermarket engines available or an engine sprue from Wingnuts. I am pretty sure that you will enjoy building this kit, it may take a bit of 'real' modeling but with your skills it should pose no problems, looking forward to seeing you put this one together.

http://www.fawcettmodelsandpatterns.co.uk/1-32-scale-resin-detail-correction-parts

Des.

[hiddeous1973]

there are also great pe sets that solves a lot of smaller problems, both have good parts.

http://hgwmodels.cz/en/132-scale/254-amc-dh2-super-detail-set-132-132105.html

http://www.eduard.com/store/Eduard/DH-2-1-32.html?cur=1&listtype=search&searchparam=dh-2

and I am shure there are others too.

[ALBATROS1234]

i agree, yes, you are spoiled if all you have built of ww1 kits is wnw.anything else will be more challenging and more work. some of us consider this to be the fun in modelling though. as des and others have demonstrated the roden dh-2 is very buildable and turns out just as nice as a wnw kit provided you put in the time and have decent modelling skills.to me when i see a roden or other kit in any scale which is well done it seems to have more character than a strait forward "out of the box" wnw build which looks the same as all the other builds .that said some guys re-work the wnw kits into another level but for a bit more work you can make virtually any model look wonderful. i consider having to do more work to a kit means i get more value for my dollars per hour since it takes longer to build. but to each his own.

[nmroberto]

After the input from all you guys, I'm going to view this kit as a challenge.  Hope I can do it justice. 

And thanks for the links to AM parts. I'm sure I'll get some of them. 

[Kai]

I remember in the not too distant past - the pre WNW world - Roden's 1/32 WWI kits were very, very highly regarded.

Windsock did some very good reviews of Roden 1/32 kits, they were the pinnacle of 1/32 WWI aviation modelling.

Des's DH.2 build is still my favourite, shows what skill & scratchbuilding can do to turn a mediocre kit into a bloody superb model.

[nmroberto]

I remember in the not too distant past - the pre WNW world - Roden's 1/32 WWI kits were very, very highly regarded.

Windsock did some very good reviews of Roden 1/32 kits, they were the pinnacle of 1/32 WWI aviation modelling.

Des's DH.2 build is still my favourite, shows what skill & scratchbuilding can do to turn a mediocre kit into a bloody superb model.

The problem being, that those of us without Des's skills may find this kit annoying and difficult,  to say the least.  I don't know what kind of plastic they used but it's very delicate.  A couple of the long tail section spars were broken when I opened the box, there were huge injection marks inside the fuselage, flash everywhere,  and the instruction sheet is horrible, not to mention the pitiful unusable decals.

I'm plugging away on the kit, but It's going to be on the disasters page I'm afraid.

So........guess I'll stick to WNW or Eduard kits. 

[Epeeman]

Just to add my thoughts about Roden kits -

I don't dislike Roden kits on the whole.  Yes, they look a bit dated in terms of detail compared with WNW;  instructions can be a little vague regarding exact part placement; plastic is soft and fine parts are easily broken either removing from sprue or whilst cleaning up; very fiddly - especially fitting in engine and cockpit interior sub assemblies; decals are very thin and brittle so great care required handling them.

BUT - with a bit of effort they can build into a good looking model.   I've built quite few of their WW1 range in both 1/32 and 1/72 over recent years.  I still think their 1/32 Nieuport 28 is the best in the 32nd  range being pretty straightforward and it goes together well.  I also like the 72nd scale Sopwith Camel and variant range of kits.

My biggest gripe with Roden is the price - they are expensive for what they are - over 50 quid in the UK for some of the 32nd scale range.  It is possible to get them from a Polish kit supplier for around 30 pounds which is more reasonable though.

Regards

Dave

[Des]

I have built the entire 1:32 range of Roden WW1 aircraft and strangely enough I managed to use all the decals supplied with each kit. I find building a Roden kit to be a bit of a challenge but they are all very buildable with the Pfalz D.III, the Albatros D.III, the Fokker Dr.1 and the DH.2 being my favorites, the Nieuport series are also very good. Admittedly they are not in the same league as a Wingnuts kit but with some effort they do build up to be a nice looking model. As far as price goes the best place to buy them, in my opinion, is direct from the Roden website, they are selling them for around $45US, the same kits are selling for over $80AUD on evilbay.

Des.

[coyotemagic]

In the realm of 1/48 scale, I consider the Roden kits to be second only to Eduard in ease of building.  I've built their BE2c, BE12b, DH-4, Nieuport 28 and two Fokker D.VIIs.  On the BE's and the DH-4, I used the kit decals and they were terrible, but with a lot of solvent, poking, pressing, more solvent and finally some touch-up, I made them work.  Yes, small parts are fragile and fit is dodgy, but they're the second best thing in 1/48 scale.  In fact, after building the Copper State HB W.12, the Blue Max Macchi and the Karaya DFW, I'm looking forward to doing the Roden Strutter.
Cheers,
Bud