This is a nice resin & photoetch set that replaces the Vickers and Lewis machine guns in Eduard’s new SE.5a kit. The resin has better detail than the kit plastic parts and the Vickers gun is easier to install. Some of the resin and photoetch pieces are extremely small.

Background

The Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a was armed with a single synchronized .303-inch Vickers machine gun mounted in the fuselage in front of the cockpit. Many versions also had an upper wing-mounted Lewis gun fitted on a Foster Mounting to allow the pilot to fire at overhead aircraft. Eduard’s newly released SE.5a kit includes both guns, which are replaced by the parts in this add-on package.

SE.5a Wolsely Viper

This is an excellent newly tooled kit from Edward, who continue to set the standard for the finest in model kits. This kit will appeal to less experienced modelers, who may not want to use the photoetch or install the plane’s rigging. More advanced modelers will be able to enjoy the detail provided by the photoetch and rigging. Either way, this builds into a beautiful model.

History

The Bf109G-5 and -6 fighters were produced in parallel and were pressurized and non-pressurized versions of the same fighter. The G-6 was most widely produced variant and remained in service till the end of the war. Erich Hartmann was probably the most famous pilot to fly the Bf 109 and is the highest scoring ace in the Luftwaffe.

The kit: Hasegawa has released versions of the G-6 or -14 at least 12 times and nothing has changed with this boxing other than the decals. The parts are crisply molded in grey with recessed detail and little to no flash. The clear parts typical Hasegawa quality and look nice. The resin figure is very nice but has a mold seam line down the middle of his face and back of his head…this will be a pain to clean up.

Dragon has recently released the Befehls (Command) version of the Panther Aufs. G. This kit is a fairly extensively equipped with many parts trees, clear, photoetch, and wire cables. Though externally identifiable at distance as a Panther, there are subtle details closeup that identify this as a special version of the venerable combat variant. Germany has a history of command versions of many of their combat vehicles, primarily equipped with extra radios and operators for long range and multi-command and control networks. This kit brings into the fold another variant of one of those vehicles.

Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) offers an extensive range of replacement landing gear parts for a wide variety of kits. I have some experience using SAC items to replace kit parts and I’ve found that the SAC items add strength to the model without sacrificing any of the detail found on the original parts.

I tend to be a rather heavy-handed modeler and I have a history with WWI models which is self-made and not a reflection on the quality of the original kit. I’ve snapped wing struts, tail skids, and I’m especially rough on the undercarriage support structures. Knowing that I’ve “got a problem”, I have found that SAC gear replacement parts are a positive addition to my modeling effort.

This Side-by-Side review compares the original kit parts found in the WNW Sopwith Pup kit to the SAC #3211 replacement parts for that kit.