WINGNUT WINGS FOKKER DVII FIGHTER TO 1:32 SCALE: PLUS FREE 32-PAGE BOOKLET

This latest Wingnut Wings kit was released in late March 2013, at the Easter Weekend Omaka Classic Fighters Airshow, in New Zealand. Like other Wingnut aircraft, the Fokker DVII is a top-quality production.

The 1:32 scale Wingnut Wings Fokker DVII has 198 injection-moulded components, including 36 parts that relate specifically to the BMW IIIa-powered DVII ‘F’ version. There are also eight photo-etch metal parts in the kit, plus propeller and engine cowling options. For the skilled model maker, full rigging details are supplied to make a museum-grade model.

Neat details
The pictures show an unpainted prototype model, nice, as you get to see the fine detail that has been incorporated, especially in and around the engine compartment. Also visible are the welded-steel tubular frameworks around which the fuselage, tail and ailerons of the highly successful real machine were built.

Good size
The 8.7m wingspan of the DVII translates to a 1:32 scale span of some 272mm (10.7in) and an overall length of 217mm (8.5in), proving that the large format of Wingnut Wings aircraft is really worthwhile for fighter planes of this era. And of course, 1:32 scale is handy for matching with various model vehicles, including kits from Airfix and ready-builts from Scalextric.

Instructions

Superb instructions (above) are a hallmark of Wingnut Wings productions, and this one is no exception. Components (below) are clearly numbered on their runners. 

About the real thing
The Fokker DVII is reckoned to be the best German fighter aircraft of World War I, certainly far better in almost every way than earlier types such as the Albatros DVa, Pfalz DIIIa and Fokker Dr1.

Alternative markings
Just two (above, below) of several options provided with the kit. Multi-coloured finishes were a characteristic of many German machines during World War I.

Engine upgrades
The wooden wings were a thick, high-lift design, though with steel tube-framed ailerons. Early machines were powered by a Daimler-Mercedes DIIIa, but most production aircraft had the more powerful D.IIIau version, with the BMW IIIa being fitted to final aircraft. This gave much better high-altitude performance than the earlier powerplants.

Fokker at the RAF Museum
The real thing (above, below) on display at the RAF Museum, London. There is a huge amount of military aviation history on show here, and the place is definitely a must-see for any aero-fan visiting London.

Summation
Excellent production. If you like World War I machinery, get one as soon as you can.

Download the Wingnut Wings Fokker DVII full instruction booklet (highly recommended) for free here.

Visit Omaka Classic Fighters here.

Wingnut Wings kits available online and here.

RAF Museum here.

Model pictures, courtesy Wingnut Wing. RAF Museum pictures, David Jefferis.

100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS WITH WINGNUT WINGS

SMN report:

In 1912, war clouds were gathering over Europe, and leading the charge for command of the air was the British RFC (Royal Flying Corps), set up on this day, 100 years ago. And suitably enough, the New Zealand-based model manufacturer Wingnut Wings has another 1:32 scale World War I aircraft kit for us, the biplane FE2b, as used by flight crews of the RFC.

What’s in the box?

The Wingnut Wings ‘early’ FE2b has a set of high quality decals, produced by the excellent specialist Italian Cartograf company. There are markings for no less than five different aircraft, so you’ve plenty of choice. Assembling the machine will involve putting together 366 injection-moulded plastic components, surely a record for an aircraft of this type. 

Details, details...

In addition to all those parts, there are a dozen photo-etch detail components, and the Beardmore engine alone requires 32 pieces to put together. It looks utterly convincing when assembled, so top marks here to Wingnut Wings. Other highlights of the FE2b kit include optional landing gear choices, and well sculpted details that include a wireless, a camera, bombs and guns. Rigging is something of a Wingnut specialty, and finely-scaled rib tape detail and rigging diagrams are included.

Mega brochure

A word about Wingnut’s instruction book, which would count as a weighty tome if printed between hard covers. After the obligatory “choking hazard” safety warning, it goes on with dozens of pages of detailed instructions, backed up by background information, pictures, photographs, diagrams, and much more besides. Excellent stuff, Wingnut, and a note to Airfix and Revell - have a look at this and eat your hearts out. Or... get going and try to do one better!

About the real thing

The RAF FE2b (Royal Aircraft Factory Farman Experimental 2b) was a revised version of the FE2a, which first flew in January 1915. Like other Royal Aircraft Factory designs, the FE2a made good use of available components from earlier designs, helping to speed a new aircraft from drawing board to squadron service. This might be a matter of weeks - a far cry from the decade-plus development times of today’s jet combat types.

Good performer

Despite its ungainly appearance and fairly large size, the FE2b (often nicknamed simply as the ‘Fee’) was an effective two-seat fighter, recon, and light bomber that adapted well to the changing face of air combat. Arriving in late 1915 to front-line squadrons, the pusher-prop layout gave an FE2b’s observer-gunner a wide view and excellent field of fire. These allowed the FE2b - together with the de Havilland DH2 - to combat the ‘Fokker Scourge’ then ruling the skies over war-torn France. The FE2b went on to fly in other roles - escort, home defence, trainer - and as a night bomber, it continued on the offensive until the Armistice was declared on November 11, 1918

Summation

Another rewarding Wingnut Wings 1:32 scale production. The Wingnut Wings 1:32 scale FE2b will reward the careful builder with a top-quality model aircraft.

Much more on the Wingnut Wings FE2b here.

Wingnut Wings The Modellers Guide available here.

Pictures courtesy Wingnuts Wings.

There's more...

RFC recruiting poster (below) promised good pay and a requirement for "blacksmiths and coppersmiths..."

RUMPLER TWO-SEATER BIPLANE FROM WINGNUT WINGS

SMN update:

In our opinion, Wingnut Wings of New Zealand are purveyors of the most drool-making 1:32 scale World War I aircraft kits ever produced. We looked at one of Wingnuts’ earlier kits, the German Gotha bomber, last year - and here’s the Rumpler C.IV, another German aircraft that should join the Gotha, high on the list of must-make kits for any modeller keen on this early era of the aviation story.

Rumpler kit details

The Wingnut Wings Rumpler C.IV kit features high quality Italian Cartograf decals with markings for five aircraft, and the complex lozenge camouflage is also included. The kit features no less than 259 injection-moulded plastic components, plus a further dozen photo-etch metal detail parts. The engine - a Daimler-Mercedes D.VIa - looks quite excellent, and builds up nicely from a supplied total of 18 parts. Other details include various optional parts - whether you want gun rings, a wireless, flares, radiators or cameras, Wingnuts have them all covered. There’s even a miniature Teddy Bear lucky mascot lurking in the box.

Rigging diagram

For modelmakers who are somewhat more dextrous (and patient!) than this writer, Wingnuts have included a full diagram to show you precisely how to carry out that long and delicate interplane rigging operation.

About the aircraft

The Rumpler C.IV was a two-seater reconnaissance aircraft with an excellent performance, enabling it to stay in front-line combat service until the end of World War I on the Western Front, as well as being operational in other areas such as Italy and Palestine. A primary feature of the Rumpler was its excellent performance at height, which allowed crews to mount high-altitude reconnaissance missions knowing that they were fairly safe from attacks by lower-flying Allied aircraft.

Weight and speed

The performance advantages were not without problems though, as the lightly-constructed fuselage was prone to structural failure when working day after day in the tough conditions of front-line combat units. The result was that often the performance-enhancing low weight was lost in necessary, but hefty, fuselage reinforcements such as wooden struts and plywood panels. Oddly enough, the early Rumpler nose was replaced by a blunter version, which turned out to be be a better aerodynamic solution. It gave an extra 10-15 km/h (6-9 mph), which may not sound much, but could make the difference between being caught and killed, or being able to survive and fly another day.

Summation

Another compelling Wingnut Wings 1:32 scale production. This Rumpler C.IV kit is at least as good as other aircraft from Wingnut Wings, and will reward the careful builder with a museum-quality model aircraft. Just enjoy the pix and see what we mean.

Read up on the Gotha bomber here.

More on the Wingnut Wings Rumpler C.IV here.

Sign up for the new book Wingnut Wings The Modellers Guide here.

Pictures courtesy Wingnuts Wings.

GOTHA HEAVY BOMBER THUNDERS OVER FROM WINGNUT WINGS

Every now and again a model appears that simply blows us away, and here we are, duly blown, with the wonderfully detailed 1:32 scale Gotha G.IV from New Zealand’s Wingnut Wings.

Building the Gotha G.IV

The real thing had a wingspan of some 23.7 m (77.75 in), a spread which is reflected on the model shelf, at an extensive 730 mm (29 in). It’ll be a build-and-a-half if you decide to splash out and get one - there are 436 plastic components, plus 22 metal-etch fine detail parts. The instruction book’s 40 pages will help you all the way, and there’s a rigging diagram for those with more dexterity (and patience) than this writer. Wingnut Wings have also included various optional parts, decals for five different aircraft, and a pair of engines that are a work of model art in their own right.

Zeppelin or Gotha?

The Gotha G.IV was designed as a direct replacement for the Zeppelin airships that attacked Britain from the air. Zeps were far from ideal as weapon platforms, being expensive to build, slow in flight and vulnerable to attack, especially as they used dangerously flammable hydrogen gas for lift. For production of the G.IV, Gotha’s own factory was supplemented by those of LVG and SSW, for a total of 232 built, before the G.IV was steadily replaced by the heavier G.V version, starting in the late summer of 1917.  Like any combat type, the G.IV suffered losses, but three-quarters of these were caused by landing accidents, rather than Allied firepower. Such losses were mostly the result of engine-nacelle fuel tanks splitting in heavy landings, so splashing their contents over hot engines - something of a design flaw!

Steampunk possibilities

The Gotha is of course of prime interest to World War I fans, but it could also form the basis of a dramatic steampunk extravaganza. For example, what about the ‘Big G’ starring as the lifting power for a secret Kaiser-luft bolts-and-rivets space rocket? The example above is just a taster for the sort of thing that could look the part, atop the Gotha's biplane wing structure.  

The Wingnut Wings Gotha G.IV is available at $139.00 USD including P&P here.

Thanks to The Rocketry Blog for the steampunk heads-up.

Gotha G.IV pictures courtesy Wingnuts Wings.

SOPWITH PUP BIPLANE FROM WINGNUT WINGS OF NEW ZEALAND

SMN report
For lovers of World War I and big-scale aircraft models, here’s a gorgeous 1:32 scale kit from Wingnut Wings, the Sopwith Scout, or ‘Pup’, a single-seater that was much loved by its pilots. Some 2100 Pups were built during the Great War, and the Wingnut model builds into a very neat representation indeed.

What’s in the box?
The box features handsome art on the cover, while inside there are 128 injection-moulded plastic components and six photo-etch metal detail parts. The Cartograf decals that include markings for six different aircraft. Optional build items include different side and engine cowls, plus fuselage and upper wing. The LeRhone engine is a miniature masterpiece, while detail work throughout is good - just look at the sewn seams on the rear fuselage and the wood-effect around the cockpit. For the nimble-fingered model maker Wingnut provides a rigging diagram, and this of course sets the aircraft off a treat - in fact, it’s essential to make the best of a biplane to this large scale. In all, a highly recommended kit for the Great War enthusiast, and one that will sit realistically with any of the 54 mm military figure sets also available from Wingnut Wings.

About the Sopwith Pup
The aircraft was officially called the Scout, but the ‘Pup’ nickname stuck, and Sopwith used animal names from then on, including the later Camel and Snipe. The Pup's light weight and generous wing area gave it a good rate of climb, ailerons on both upper and lower wings making it a very agile aircraft. It had far less power and armament than the German Albatros DIII, but was more maneuverable - as British air ace James McCudden put it: “The Sopwith would turn twice to an Albatros' once ... it was a remarkably fine machine for general all-round flying. It was so extremely light and well surfaced that after a little practice one could almost land it on a tennis court.”

Deadly deck-landing trials
Sopwith Pups were used in pioneering carrier experiments. On 2 August 1917, a Pup flown by Sqn Cdr Edwin Dunning became the first aircraft to land on a moving ship, HMS Furious. Sadly, Dunning lost his life on the third landing, when the Pup went over the side into the water. Even so, the trials pointed the way to operational deployment, and a few months later Pups began carrier operations. At first, they were fitted with skids instead of wheels, using wires to trap the aircraft on landing. Later versions reverted to wheels, which made deck handling by ground crews easier.

Visit the Sopwith Pup at Wingnut Wings, where there is masses of extra information to look at, here.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  Sopwith Pup boxtop.
2-6  Views of the assembled Pup, courtesy Wingnut Wings.
7  Dunning makes flight trials on HMS Furious.

54mm LITTLE CONTEMPTIBLES FROM NEW ZEALAND

David Jefferis reports
For anyone interested in 1:32 scale aircraft and 54mm figures, New Zealand’s Wingnut Wings provides a bunch of extremely attractive models.

Wingnut’s focus is on World War I, and the aircraft are really quite excellent. But what we’re looking at here are the 54mm figures, named Little Contemptibles. They are nicely sculpted, and are grouped in diorama-like sets - the pair featured above are in the box labelled ‘Under the Line’, and represent a part of trench warfare that must have been ghastly, with constant danger of tunnel collapse being just one of the dangers.

The Wingnut Wings figures are cast metal, so have a good heft to them, and are neatly painted, ready for display.

They are available from the Wingnut website here.

WE WANT WINGNUT WINGS!

Many good things are coming from New Zealand these days, from luscious scenes from the Lord of the Rings movie saga to the collectible steampunk rayguns offered by the Weta visual-effects outfit.

And now New Zealand has temptations for World War I aeromodellers, with an initial offering of four kits in big 1:32 scale, from Wingnut Wings. WW has released a pair of Brits - SE5a and Bristol F2b - and a pair of Germans - Junkers J1 and LVG CVI - and they do look excellent. SMN’s only spotted one review so far, but the signs look good and we’re looking forward to receiving ours in the post.

Wingnut Wings products are available only by mail order, so don’t expect to see them in your hobby store anytime soon. You can order (free shipping at the time of writing) from Wingnut Wings here at $79.00 USD each, except for the SE5a which is $59.00 USD.

Do take time to look around the Wingnut Wings website - it’s packed with interesting stuff, including details of new releases and resin figures.