VV's Biggles aircraft collection

[Captain Canada]

Thanks for the tips ! The link works but the rigging page isn't accessible.

[VickersVandal]

Latest: Fokker D.VIII from the story The Ace of Spades. Biggles fights a gun camera duel with his rival, with empty Vickers, and is pounced on by an orange and black D.VIII with an ace of spades on the fuselage and shot down. Later on, with full guns this time, he finds the hun and evens the score.
http://www.biggles.info/Details/47/

This is the Roden kit (1/72 of course). The paint scheme is based on that of Theo Osterkamp's D.VIII, but here it's orange instead of yellow, in accordance with the story.







This was built in the GB I have been running on the Biggles forum.
http://www.bigglesforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=92&t=2350

[zenrat]

Jolly good job.
I don't remember that story.  I'll have to check my Biggles stash.

[NARSES2]

That's nice. I've always liked the D.VIII. What's the kit like, especially the struts ?

[VickersVandal]

I found the struts were just fractionally too short. I got them to line up with the locating holes on the wings but they were all under tension to do so and ended up breaking away on one side, throwing the alignment out completely. That part of the build should be approached with extreme caution and lots of planning.
Rodens are not the easiest of kits.

[NARSES2]

Thanks. Given my recent "fun" with struts I'll leave it for a bit

[VickersVandal]

My (later) edition of the story describes the plane as a D.VIII while the original says it was a D.VII

I built the D.VII about a decade ago. I cleaned off the thick layer of dust on it last night and got a shot of them side by side - the two different versions of Biggles' nemesis.

[DogfighterZen]

 Both look great!

[Captain Canada]

Nice job on those. A couple of standouts that`s for sure ! I love it when you see a model and then want to go build one yourself. Part of the disease I guess lol

[VickersVandal]

Sopwith Pup, 266 Squadron, early 1917. Piloted by J. Bigglesworth.


Airfix kit, of course. Absolute delight to build. EZ line rigging, oil paint wood effect on prop, turtle deck and struts, and artist's pencil for wing ribbing hilight.

The stories never hint at any characteristic squadron markings (such as the white bars on many RFC fuselages) so I have gone with all over plain PC10 (yes, an extremely light and green shade, but it often was earlier in the war)

[zenrat]

Very good job.  You've even done double wires.  I never bother, having enough struggle rigging a single wire.

[VickersVandal]

Cheers. I don't have full-blown AMS, but I have it sufficiently that I need to add double rigging or it doesn't look right to me and I lie awake at nights.... 

I developed a method that works for EZ line by pre-spacing the threads and I think it is less hassle and more accurate than trying to drill double through-holes for nylon rigging.
You can see it here:
http://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=93&t=14463

[Captain Canada]

Excellent. The colours on this one look perfect. And thanks again for the link and tips !

[Mossie]

I'm surprised  I haven't commented yet, some great work.   I've never read a Biggles novel, but I' very impressed with the work.

[NARSES2]

Gorgeous Pup