The Sopwith Snipe
by John Ratzenberger
by John Ratzenberger
I am a World War 1 buff -- not the war itself, just the era -- and in particular British stuff. While I am not a 1/32 person, the Wingnut Wings (WnW) kits offer too much as a modeling experience to be ignored. I am also a Sopwith Aircraft fan. Immediately following WW1 is the ‘tween wars era -- , probably my most favorite -- and the RAFs Silver Wings, and the US’s Yellow Wings. I had bought and built other WnW kits but when WnW ceased operations I quickly grabbed this one.
The kit offers 4 schemes – two late WW1 (PC10/CDL) and two post-war, the beginnings of the RAF’s Silver Wings. The box art shows a beautiful Snipe of 56 Sqn but there is a catch. 1919-1924 was a transition period -- the colorful squadron markings were developed at the squadron level but were really not official until 1924-25 onward. This is particularly true of the over wing markings. 56 Sqdn was one of the first, may have been experimenting, it’s the over wing marking they wore when they became official – but there is no known photograph of a 1919-24 bird with them on. And post 1924, they gave up their Snipes for Woodcocks, an ugly little aircraft but the start of the Hawker line which is another favorite.
The kit offers 4 schemes – two late WW1 (PC10/CDL) and two post-war, the beginnings of the RAF’s Silver Wings. The box art shows a beautiful Snipe of 56 Sqn but there is a catch. 1919-1924 was a transition period -- the colorful squadron markings were developed at the squadron level but were really not official until 1924-25 onward. This is particularly true of the over wing markings. 56 Sqdn was one of the first, may have been experimenting, it’s the over wing marking they wore when they became official – but there is no known photograph of a 1919-24 bird with them on. And post 1924, they gave up their Snipes for Woodcocks, an ugly little aircraft but the start of the Hawker line which is another favorite.
Regardless, WnW kindly provided the over wing markings as an option and it would have been very rude not to use them.
WnW had a prior WW1 Snipe release, which I do not have, but I assume the plastic is much the same although updated. But it is typical WnW. The fuselage interior is built up inside a cockpit frame just like the real thing; the instructions also show the structure rigging and control wires, but I didn’t include them as once you close up the fuselage sides, there’s very little to see.
WnW had a prior WW1 Snipe release, which I do not have, but I assume the plastic is much the same although updated. But it is typical WnW. The fuselage interior is built up inside a cockpit frame just like the real thing; the instructions also show the structure rigging and control wires, but I didn’t include them as once you close up the fuselage sides, there’s very little to see.
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There were some fuzzy instruction steps that require experienced modeler head scratching, such as the seatbelt, that I do not remember in previous kits but it all worked out.
The last of the big Bentley rotaries is well fashioned and detailed down to the spark plugs. The instructions provide guidance for plug wires which I found difficult, so I found other sources and fashioned my own. Believe it or not, the engine will still rotate within the cowl – slowly.
The last of the big Bentley rotaries is well fashioned and detailed down to the spark plugs. The instructions provide guidance for plug wires which I found difficult, so I found other sources and fashioned my own. Believe it or not, the engine will still rotate within the cowl – slowly.
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Where I started to have trouble – and may have just been me – is the struts seemed more flexible than previous kits. They fit in the slots/holes on the wings and all that but were very brittle. Another place to watch is the tiny rings for rigging – these emulate fittings, but keep hot glues (e.g., Tamiya Thin) away from them. They also can get smashed in the manufacturing process – I ended up wrapping rigging around the struts in several places. Anyway, between flexible and brittle, I had a harder time than on previous WnW kits getting the upper wing erected onto the struts. Once the upper wing is erected and ready to rig, the structure is weak so don’t put a lot of pressure on the struts.
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I left many small details off -- some on purpose like the ugly stalky landing lights, some like the Aldiss sight which seemed impossible to fit where it shows without breaking something. The astute may also note a few pieces of rigging were just too hard to get to. It is OK, the beautiful aircraft in these markings is what really counted.
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I am happy with it and recommend it to any Sopwith fan who has or hasn’t done a WnW kit yet. FWIW, the Peter Jackson supported price of $90 & free shipping was worth it. IMHO current E-bay prices of $160 + $45 shipping are ridiculous but maybe best available until you find a good show vendor.
-John Ratzenberger
-John Ratzenberger