Building the Wingnut Wings Sopwith Camels (& LVG C.VI)

Published on
December 27, 2017
Review Author(s)
Book Author(s)
Ray Rimell
Other Publication Information
Softcover, 62 pages, images of the WNW Sopwith Camel “in progress”
MSRP
$35.00
Product / Stock #
No. 5
Cover

This is the fifth in a series of publications featuring a Wingnut Wings kit, in a series entitled, “Windsock Centenary WWI Modelling Special, thus this is “No. 5” in that series.

Fans of WWI aviation models will certainly be familiar with the Wingnut Wings series of kits in 1/32nd scale, numbering just over 60 models. Google “Wingnut Wings” or visit http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/product?productid=3006 to view the list of models, some of which are still available from WNW. Having built a number of WNW kits, I can testify to the excellence of the kit parts, the decals, the instructions, and the documentation included in the instruction booklet.

As Wingnut Wings sets the standard for 1/32nd WWI kits, the “Windsock Centenary WWI Modelling Special” series sets the standard for publications that can be of immense value if one wishes to build one of the WNW kits covered in the series of 5 Modelling Specials.

Author Ray Rimell sets the stage in his introductory remarks, recalling having built, in his youth, Sopwith Camels by Airfix, Revell, and Aurora. As the years rolled by, as Ray points out, other companies released versions of the Camel. Finally, in 2017, Wingnut Wings released a long-awaited 1/32nd scale kit which could be built up modeling six different versions of the Camel. And Windsock chose the Camel kit to be the subject of its 5th “WWI Modelling Special” publication. The result is a stunning amalgam of an excellent kit and an excellent publication, a combined treasure for any WWI modeler. Either can stand alone on its own merits, but when combined, it’s a spectacular combination.

The available Wingnut Wings Camel kits are covered by the author who describes the contents of each of the WNW variants, kit32070, 32071, 32072, 32074, 32076 and 32803. All are F.1 Camels except 32076, which is a 2.F1 “Ship’s Camel”.

In Part 2 of the book, Rimell explains why he selected the F.1 Camel “Clerget” as the kit for his project. In Part 2, the reader begins to realize just how significant this publication will be to the modeling community. Pages 5 to 29 contain excellent color images of the WNW parts, under construction, being painted and assembled, and supported by black & white images of the “real deal”. To make it even easier for the modeler, the image captions are tied directly to the kit instructions via a clever numbering system using in the previous Windsock Special publications in this series. The text that accompanies each image describes the issues presented when handling specific parts and procedures, and also identifiies the paint being used.

Of course, anyone who has ever rigged an airplane knows that finding high quality images of the “real deal”, with the rigging points shown, is extremely helpful. This publication delivers with excellent images of a number of rigging points.

Wingnut Wings also produced a Sopwith Camel 2F.1 “Ship’s Camel”, kit No. 32076. This Windsock publication provides the same treatment of images and “how to” text for the 2F.1 as for the F.1 variants.

As with previous publications in this series, a list of after market items, with URLs, is provided. And for those who wish to go further into some research on Camels, there is a detailed appendix, provided titles for Camel aficionados.

This publication is highly recommended for the thorough and detailed coverage of the Sopwith Camel in kit form, as produced by Wingnut Wings, the expert modeling advice provided, the excellent images of the “work in progress”, and the reference information covering after market items and additional reading material. Thanks to Albatros Publications for making this Windsock Centenary WWI Modeling Special publication. Also, thanks to Ray Rimell for sharing his expert modeling skills and techniques.

This publication can be purchased on the Windsock site or from Albatros Productions Ltd. Please note that the price, as shown, does not include shipping.

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