[mazdude]

Looking to build a WW1 warbird. Will be my 2nd plane. good builder,New flyer. Any suggestions.Build ease,Tips,Flying ease,etc. : All feedback greatly appreciated by this "middle aged" Newbie.
Thanks everybody!!
SteveO

[cassat]

For availability, you may want to check out the SE5A from Topflite models.

[Mike Biedul]

I'm just finishing a Balsa USA 1/4 scale Nieuport 28. Nice looking model. Traditional construction. This one was die cut, rather than laser cut, though the newer ones may be laser cut. I also am finishing (both planes are covered and painted, just final insignia etc finishing in process) a 1/3 scale Balsa USA Super Cub. Same comments. Die cut plywood tends to be not so good. I have called the designer at the Balsa USA tech support line and he's very good, especially regarding power recommendations. On the Nieuport, I recommend the aluminum spun cowl. The standard ABS unit is not so hot (deforms and seems just plain crappy after all that work, though some people report good results with the ABS after some reinforcing). Very easy to build the WWI Balsa USA kits tail heavy. I stuck a Magnum five cylinder up front - that solved the tail heavy problem, albiet expensively. I like the Balsa USA kits. If you do chose quarter scale, you might start scrounging wheels and machine guns right away. Williams Brothers is recently out of business, though DuBro is making some of the vintage wheels - don't know if in the right size. The Williams Brothers plastic machine gun kits are much better than the wooden deals Balsa USA is now producing. I had good luck just putting a message in the wanted forum on this site. Found both guns and wheels easily. Straightforward satisfying planes to build and finish. I'm expecting both to fly well, though neither will be super acrobatic. Hope this helps you. -Mike

[DO335]

Hi, guys.

Have done several BUSA builds myself.

The new 1/4 size WWI stuff is as said by BUSA, stand-off scale. Having seen it at Toledo last week, I agree. Sort of quick & dirty, not too detailed and a few generous liberties here and there, especially things like landing gears, cabanes, tail size, hardware - that sort of thing.

I've never had a problem with their die cutting. It's always been very good to excellent for what it is. I've produced laser cut kits myself and have the opinion that it's not always necessary to use the laser unless you must simply keep up with the next guy.

As for the ABS cowls, IMO all ABS cowls are crappy. I have the BUSA 1/3 J-3 and that one is no exception. My solution, if I don't want to buy an equally crappy 'glass one and can't justify a great 'glass one which is half the price of the kit, is to assemble and 'glass the outside. That smartens them up real quick. They look and behave much like 'glass and there's no need to fiddle filling seams, dents and all those other time consuming tasks that drive you nuts.

And as for Williams Brothers, all is not lost. The corporate assets were taken over last April (2005) by Brett Industries in Texas. Production has been under way for some time. They say many product orders have been filled and more of the line is coming on stream. They were at this year's Toledo show too, handing out info and answering questions.

And if you really want to go nuts with the scale detail on your WWI machine, you could try a Proctor kit.

Another alternative is FunAero who puts out a very nice all balsa - including cowl - 1/4 size SE5. It's got much more detail, harware and accuracy than the stuff from BUSA.

Have fun!!

[mazdude]

Mike, Thanks very much for the reply. The Neuport 28 is actually my"dream" plane The only thing that is holding me back was the question of what to cover it with and how to apply the camo. So far the only thing I've covered is a PT 60 trainer. Used Monocoat, did a Tu-tone star burst
scheme and it came out pretty nice actually.
What did you use on yours?
Regards
Steve
P.S Got any pictures?

[mazdude]

Thanks for the feedback,Much appreciated. Excellent info!
Steve

[JKovats]

I built the Balsa USA Eindecker 90 a couple years ago. Inexpensive kit, parts all fit well, real strong and a good flyer. If this is your second plane, you might find a WW1 Bipe a bit of a challenge in the build,fly and finish department.

Covered my Eindecker in 21st century covering. Saito 80 it flew scale like. Just upgraded the power plant to a Saito 120 over the winter. Hooked up with flaperons and lots of fun.

ABS cowl was nothing but a pain. Many repairs on the mounting holes. Just got a glass one from Fiberglass Specialties. Also put on Dubro wire wheel set. It looks and flies great. Was a good build.

[mazdude]

John, Thanks for the advice. Looking forward to seeing that plane!!
Best Regards
Steve Orbst

[Mike Biedul]

Mine is covered in Stits. Actually the same material as Koverall, but a whole system of paints and tapes. Nice to use, but takes some special skills and you must have a good spray gun. I'm sure some genius will argue that point. If you want to use Stits send me a PM and we can talk it through. Camoflage on the Allied planes is not too difficult just using narrow masking tape. The new method people use with latex paints would work well here too, with enough body in the paint to freehand brush the curves. The losenge pattern on the German planes would be tough. You can buy losenze-printed fabric but it is very expensive. I always throught the Nieuport 28 was the prettiest of the bunch with its nearly circular fuselage cross section. Very elegant. I do happen to have a few photos of the plane before I shot it with colour. I'm enclosing them here. Note the white pilot head rest is as per the plans and very much NOT scale. I completly re-worked it after the first pictures were snapped, and is shown in the pictures of the machine in primer. When I get the insignia on later this month I will send you the finished product pictures in a week or two. By the way, I used 1/8 inch birch dowel as stringers on the fuselage, rather than the flimsy balsa in the kit. Much easier to work with and makes a substantial structure. DO335 says he has never had a problem with die-cutting. I mentioned the poor plywood cutting in this kit because it occurred. The dies were not sharp enough and the cutting was more like crushing. I spoke with Balsa USA about it and, to their credit, they offered immediate replacement and were sort of appalled that the sheets got past their own quality control. It was too minor for the trouble of getting replacement parts as I could cut them myself in twenty minutes, which I did. But you did ask for comment. Now that I think of it, the plywood parts on my BUSA Super Cub were not so hot either, though the fiberglass cowl is excellent (Their J-3 has ABS, as does the Nieuport - with a Nieuport aluminum cowl as an extra - I bought two). He also mentioned the Proctor Nieuport 28, which is sort of the gold standard of WWII scale kits. I think it would be a poor choice as second plane. Still, you should look at their site and see what a really perfect scale model entails. They are at http://www.proctor-enterprises.com/p...nieuport28.htm An SE5A as a 2nd kit might be a good choice. Fuselage construction would be simpler, and you can hide just about any engine in that cowl. Same for the Fokker D7, which did not in fact have flying wires in the full size version. Hope this helps -Mike Biedul, Stony Plain, Alberta

[Mike Biedul]

more pics