Roden Opinion

[Mike 1017]

I am trying to build a Gotha WW1 bomber. The rear bulkheads fit ok. But the forward ones don't fit, too wide. Even the steering assembly is too wide.

Help

Mike

[stavanzer]

Roden kits can be very, very 'fiddly" to build. Fit is especially sensitive to sprue nubs that stick up, and even the smallest interference from cutting and sanding. Plus, they tend to have lots of small parts in a tiny space.

You might see if you can leave out smaller, unseen or hard to see parts, to provide more clearance.

Also, see if you can find somebody on Youtube, who has built that kit, and see if they had the same issues. Sadly, sometimes, it is not you, it is the kit. If you have to, fettle the parts down to get a fit.

I've built some Roden  1/72 WW1 fighters (the Junkers "J" series) and the fit fought me the whole way. Other builders did not have the problems I had, so I guess I may just be 'Ham-Fisted' in my building techniques. 

Sorry, I could not be more help.

[Mike 1017]

3 hours ago, stavanzer said:

Roden kits can be very, very 'fiddly" to build. Fit is especially sensitive to sprue nubs that stick up, and even the smallest interference from cutting and sanding. Plus, they tend to have lots of small parts in a tiny space.

You might see if you can leave out smaller, unseen or hard to see parts, to provide more clearance.

Also, see if you can find somebody on Youtube, who has built that kit, and see if they had the same issues. Sadly, sometimes, it is not you, it is the kit. If you have to, fettle the parts down to get a fit.

I've built some Roden  1/72 WW1 fighters (the Junkers "J" series) and the fit fought me the whole way. Other builders did not have the problems I had, so I guess I may just be 'Ham-Fisted' in my building techniques. 

Sorry, I could not be more help.

I am looking to build WW1 Bomber or Bi-Wing Fighter Airplanes. In a larger scale maybe 1:48th. which manufacture would you recommend? 

Thanks

Mike 

[64Comet404]

For 1:48 biplane kits, it's hard to beat some of the latest Eduard releases. Their earlier kits were short-run mouldings, but more recent kits have good tooling and quality. I would also check out some of the pages like Hyperscale for build reviews.

I like some of Roden's kits, but they can be fiddly. Decals also leave a lot to be desired.

Hope this helps. 

[Mike 1017]

29 minutes ago, 64Comet404 said:

For 1:48 biplane kits, it's hard to beat some of the latest Eduard releases. Their earlier kits were short-run mouldings, but more recent kits have good tooling and quality. I would also check out some of the pages like Hyperscale for build reviews.

I like some of Roden's kits, but they can be fiddly. Decals also leave a lot to be desired.

Hope this helps. 

Thank you

Mike

[vintagerpm]

18 hours ago, Mike 1017 said:

I am looking to build WW1 Bomber or Bi-Wing Fighter Airplanes. In a larger scale maybe 1:48th. which manufacture would you recommend? 

Thanks

Mike 

A bunch of 1/32 Wing Nut Wings kits were found in a warehouse in New Zealand recently. Sprue Brothers and Andy's Hobby Headquarters (among others) have acquired stocks of these kits. You will find no WWI aircraft kits that are better. Also, if their airplanes are as good as their WWI armored cars, Copper State Models is worth a look. (Note that Copper State makes both styrene and resin plane kits.)

Edited November 22, 2022 by vintagerpm

[Mike 1017]

2 hours ago, vintagerpm said:

A bunch of 1/32 Wing Nut Wings kits were found in a warehouse in New Zealand recently. Sprue Brothers and Andy's Hobby Headquarters (among others) have acquired stocks of these kits. You will find no WWI aircraft kits that are better. Also, if their airplanes are as good as their WWI armored cars, Copper State Models is worth a look. (Note that Copper State makes both styrene and resin plane kits.)

Thank you for the info.

Mike

[stavanzer]

That WNW Stuff is simply the best there is. And WW1 planes are small so, 1/32 works really well for them.

[Lucius Molchany]

But very pricey!