Roden has a vast assortment of WW I aircraft in most popular scales. The British RAF SE-5a is one of the most popular of the WW I aircraft offered. This version has the Wolsley Viper engine and therefore a slightly different radiator.

There are a large number of parts in this kit and most of them are used.

Allow me to begin this review with the instructions. While they are of the “blow up” variety, they are not very clear in the placement of the parts. There were several instances where the instructions did not identify the placement of a particular part. I had to leave some off the aircraft because I simply didn’t know where they went.

Next let me address the issue of fit. Suffice it to say that many parts didn’t fit. For example, if the engine was installed as shown in the instructions, the top engine covers would not fit. I had to resort to re-shaping the covers to fit and then it was a poor fit at best. The placement of the instruments was ambiguous. The fit of the wings and their struts was good but not great. The placement of the inner struts was vague and the attachment points were not clear.

The landing gear had an inner hub on the two part wheels but the inner and outer could not go together if the hubs were used.

I would say that the decals were the best part of this kit. They were very thin and went on like a dream.

The engine was a work of art but really could not be seen when the fuselage, cowl and top engine covers were installed. Many of the parts on the Roden kits are a bit over engineered. I really can see no need to have so many parts that cannot be seen and hamper the overall fit.

The finished kit looks right even if it had to be jury rigged a bit.

Would I recommend this kit? It’s difficult for me to do so unless you really needed one in your collection. The poor instructions, poor fit and over engineering do this kit in. Only experienced modelers should tackle this one. At $65 MSRP, you have to decide for yourself whether the additional time you have to invest in getting it together are worth the price.

I would like to thank IPMS/USA and Roden for giving me this kit to review.