SPA Modeler

Whoa... what a difference in sizes.

This is impressive work for the scales. I am enjoying the build.

Thanks, Carlos. Thanks, Tom. Thanks, Paul. I am going to assume that the Famous Fighters line was developed like the Brooklyn 8 by simplifying existing models from other companies and good guesswork as well. The popularity of the early Aurora kits comes from ease of construction (even here many times removed from the original molds, the kit could be glued together in an evening) and brilliant box art.

After 12 hours:

You’re making great progress Bruce. Everything is looking good to my eyes.

And yeah, I remember building those things in a few hours session.

Thanks, Carlos, sincerely.

Wow... very nice work, Bruce. I do have a 1/32 Sopwith Camel in my stash. Back when I started to plan my paint list, I stopped for a moment on how tjeybwere actually painted. Knowing airbrushing aircraft fuselages during WW1 wasnt even invented yet. I suspected they were hand painted. You sir, opened my eyes. I've seen far too many WW1 era biplane kits in model shows spray painted on. Your method makes more sense and realistically correct for that time. Well done, Bruce!

Depending upon the country and time frame, many aircraft were “painted” before the fabric went on. The linens on some were pre printed or colored before being put into the airframe and doped. The others were doped with the base colors used, and had their other markings painted on over that.

Tom, your comments and thoughts are always appreciated, and insightful. Carlos already replied, so I wanted to add specific thoughts about the Fokker.



With the Fokker, the factory finished the linen and then the green camo was field applied over the factory finish in accordance with the directives issued by the War Ministry.



There were different greens applied (Leaf Green, Dark Green, etc.) at different periods as a reaction to conditions of war and politics.

I'm not going technical on this one, just wanna have fun. Not sure how that squares with adding rigging to it, but I'm working on that using a Roden kit's instructions. I did some painting inside, Model Master wood with some burnt sienna oil streaks, covered by Tamiya clear orange. The pilot has worked out OK, I think. I used Aizu .7mm masking tape to simulate a laminated propeller, using Model Master Rust over MM Wood.

Good evening, John! Your work to date looks fantastic! I am not familiar with the brand of masking tape you used to mask the propellor, so thank you very much for including the detail. Also, that propellor looks very nice; very realistic. I forgot about using clear orange! I think using Vallejo’s wood grain supersedes using an overlay, however I did order Mr. Color 49 (transparent orange) and Mr. Color 101 (smoke) to glaze the propellor. The Oberursel Ur.II engine of the Aurora kit is pretty poor, so after considering several replacement options I chose the Eduard engine taken from the Overtrees. I am going to “silver base” the engine using AS-12.

I also ordered Kitsworld “3D decal” seatbelts from “Rebel Alpha,” my favorite eBay seller!



I guess ultimately I am building a deluxe version of the Aurora kit, which suits me fine. This is a learning experience. I already see the improvements going forward to the Eduard version. By the time I scale jump (I have CSM and WnW kits in 1:32) I should have a more experienced approach!