RAF S.E.5a 'Wolseley Viper' ProfiPACK
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Kit Review
It is odd to think that whilst Eduard cut their kit-making teeth with 1/48th WWI subjects back in the 1990s, they never covered the S.E.5a; they announced it, but never actually produced it. Well they have put that right now with this brand new tooling.
Inside the box you will find one clear and two dark grey-coloured plastic sprues plus a fret of photo-etched (some of which is pre-painted) and a sheet of die-cut, self-adhesive paint masks. The interior is made up within a frame, which is mainly plastic, but this ProfiPACK version has etched for the seat belts, control levers and various other small details. The modeller can add the bracing wires if needs be, as the instructions show where they go, then the framework is attached to the inside of the lower wing along with the rudder pedals and control column. For the instrument panel you have the option of a decal over raised moulded detail or the use of pre-painted photo-etched. The fuselage halves then close up around this assembly with various flashed-over holes noted in the instructions so that these can be opened should your chosen option need them. The Wolseley Viper engine is a nice multi-part sub-assembly all in plastic, so there is potential to add more pipework to it should you wish. Some cutting and cross-kitting of parts is needed for the cowls on one option, but this is clearly shown in the instructions. The ailerons, elevators and rudder are all separate and you even have the clear panels that were over the control pulleys in the wings and tailplanes as separate clear plastic components with photo-etched surrounds. The machine-gun has the cocking lever and ring sight supplied in etched brass and there are alternatives as far as the periscope sight, windscreen style and even air scoops are concerned depending on the option you choose. All of the struts have positive locating lugs, so setting the wings and undercarriage should not be too problematical. The die-cut masks are there for the clear panels in the wings, the various windscreen types and the wheel hubs and again with the latter there are alternatives for the style of undercarriage unit depending on the colour scheme. The Lewis gun on the upper wing is one of the last items to add, this having the ammo drum, cocking handle and ring sight in photo-etched. The final diagram in the instructions show the route for all the rigging and control wires on the model, which is extremely useful.
Markings
The kit offers five decal options:
• C1096, 'White 3', flown by Lt H,J, Burden, No.56 squadron, Valheureux, France, spring 1918
• F8146, 'White 9' of the 27th Aero Squadron in the USA in 1922
• F8953, 'White V', flown by 2nd Lt S.C. Elliot, No.85 Squadron, Ascq, France, December 1918
• F8038, 'White 15', 25th Aero Squadron, November 1918
• C1149, 'White W', flown by Capt. D.W. Grinnell-Milne, No.56 Squadron, Bethencourt, France, January 1918
The decal sheet is printed by Cartograf and is of the highest quality with perfect register and colour, plus limited carrier film. The sheet contains all the national and unique markings plus a small number of airframe/propeller stencils.
Conclusion
Whilst the likes of the old Monogram and Aurora kits have been the only real options for the type in 1/48th for many decades, their time is now up and this new tool from Eduard can rightly take the top spot. It is highly recommended to all WWI aviation fans. Our thanks to Eduard (www.eduard.com) for the review sample, UK modellers can obtain this kit from Hannants here.
It is odd to think that whilst Eduard cut their kit-making teeth with 1/48th WWI subjects back in the 1990s, they never covered the S.E.5a; they announced it, but never actually produced it. Well they have put that right now with this brand new tooling.
Inside the box you will find one clear and two dark grey-coloured plastic sprues plus a fret of photo-etched (some of which is pre-painted) and a sheet of die-cut, self-adhesive paint masks. The interior is made up within a frame, which is mainly plastic, but this ProfiPACK version has etched for the seat belts, control levers and various other small details. The modeller can add the bracing wires if needs be, as the instructions show where they go, then the framework is attached to the inside of the lower wing along with the rudder pedals and control column. For the instrument panel you have the option of a decal over raised moulded detail or the use of pre-painted photo-etched. The fuselage halves then close up around this assembly with various flashed-over holes noted in the instructions so that these can be opened should your chosen option need them. The Wolseley Viper engine is a nice multi-part sub-assembly all in plastic, so there is potential to add more pipework to it should you wish. Some cutting and cross-kitting of parts is needed for the cowls on one option, but this is clearly shown in the instructions. The ailerons, elevators and rudder are all separate and you even have the clear panels that were over the control pulleys in the wings and tailplanes as separate clear plastic components with photo-etched surrounds. The machine-gun has the cocking lever and ring sight supplied in etched brass and there are alternatives as far as the periscope sight, windscreen style and even air scoops are concerned depending on the option you choose. All of the struts have positive locating lugs, so setting the wings and undercarriage should not be too problematical. The die-cut masks are there for the clear panels in the wings, the various windscreen types and the wheel hubs and again with the latter there are alternatives for the style of undercarriage unit depending on the colour scheme. The Lewis gun on the upper wing is one of the last items to add, this having the ammo drum, cocking handle and ring sight in photo-etched. The final diagram in the instructions show the route for all the rigging and control wires on the model, which is extremely useful.
Markings
The kit offers five decal options:
• C1096, 'White 3', flown by Lt H,J, Burden, No.56 squadron, Valheureux, France, spring 1918
• F8146, 'White 9' of the 27th Aero Squadron in the USA in 1922
• F8953, 'White V', flown by 2nd Lt S.C. Elliot, No.85 Squadron, Ascq, France, December 1918
• F8038, 'White 15', 25th Aero Squadron, November 1918
• C1149, 'White W', flown by Capt. D.W. Grinnell-Milne, No.56 Squadron, Bethencourt, France, January 1918
The decal sheet is printed by Cartograf and is of the highest quality with perfect register and colour, plus limited carrier film. The sheet contains all the national and unique markings plus a small number of airframe/propeller stencils.
Conclusion
Whilst the likes of the old Monogram and Aurora kits have been the only real options for the type in 1/48th for many decades, their time is now up and this new tool from Eduard can rightly take the top spot. It is highly recommended to all WWI aviation fans. Our thanks to Eduard (www.eduard.com) for the review sample, UK modellers can obtain this kit from Hannants here.
