Roden

1/72 Sopwith F.1 Camel (Bentley)

Kit Number: 053

Reviewed by  Brian R. Baker, IPMS# 43146

MSRP: $13.00 History The Sopwith Camel was one of the most famous Allied fighters of World War I, and its history is well known so it is not necessary to repeat it here. The Camel remained in front line service until the end of the war, and approximately 5,500 were built. The Kit Although the kit is stated to depict the Bentley-powered Camel, almost any fighter variant could be constructed from this kit, as there are two extra rotary engines, two propellers, two upper cowling decks, and two cowlings. The instructions provide details for four aircraft; unfortunately, only one is positively identified as a Bentley-powered aircraft. The others are only stated to be Camels. The molding is crisp, with almost no flash. Details are exceptional for a kit in this scale, and features such as fabric covering are not overdone. Engine detail is particularly good. This kit is very well done, and it will provide the basis for Roden offerings of all the major variants of the design. The Instructions Roden has developed a set of very complete instructions that are usually adequate for the assembly of the kit. Consisting of eight small pages in English and Ukrainian, a thorough history of the type is provided, along with clear assembly process drawings and a rigging diagram. Colors are described by name, and although a few are somewhat confusing, most are clearly explained. FS listings would have helped, but there is enough information here to paint the model correctly. Four sets of three view drawings are provided, one for each aircraft presented, and an excellent sprue diagram appears on page 2, showing the parts used and the ones for the spares box. Page 6 shows a very useful rigging diagram. Decals Decals are provided for four aircraft, only one of which, unfortunately, is positively identified as a Bentley Camel. The other three are only listed as F.1 Camels. These are the aircraft for which decals are provided. Roundels are included with and without white outlines. Decals are clearly printed and of very high quality. Sopwith F.1 Camel (B6212) "Black Prince" of No. 13 Sqdn, RNAS. Pilot: FSL W.A. Moyle, St. Poi, December, 1917. Sopwith F.1 Camel (with Bentley) B7234. No 4 Sqdn, RAF. Flown by Lt. R.L. Hollingsworth, Roulers, France, July, 1918. Sopwith F.1 Camel B7230 "T" No. 3 Sqdn, RAF. Pilot: FSL K. D. Campbell, March, 1918. Sopwith F.1 Camel B3894. No 9 Sqdn, RNAS (No. 209 Sqdn, RAF). Pilot: FSL A. R. Wood, October, 1917. Assembly Basic assembly is pretty straightforward, with no surprises. First, paint the interior details, including the cockpit floor, seat, control column, instrument panel, rudder pedals, and rear fuel tank. The fuselage halves can be joined after painting the interior details, and the cockpit interior I painted the exterior surfaces after basic assembly, even though the fuselage seams needed retouching afterwards. The lower wing has the correct dihedral angle, and it can be attached to the fuselage next. The forward fuselage cover, which includes the machine guns, should be attached next. The guns can wait until later, but they certainly should be installed before the upper wing goes on. I attached the horizontal tail unit next, making sure that it lined up with the wing. The rudder I painted first, and although decals are provided, I preferred to paint it instead. One reason is that the rudders, and indeed all tail surfaces, have control horns attached, and these are difficult to apply decals over. They also can break off (One of mind did.) so you need to be careful. The most difficult part of the model is attaching the upper wing. I completely painted the entire airplane before attempting the wing attachment, and applied the decals for good measure. Be sure to install the machine guns on the forward fuselage, and also the windshield, as it will be very difficult once the upper wing is in place. The struts are nicely cast, but you need to be careful, as the cabanes had what appears to be a fuel gauge mounted on the right rear strut, while the outboard forward main strut mounts the pitot tube. My method was to install the cabanes first, making sure that they were set at the right angle. It wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated, and superglue held them in place. I used dividers to measure the angle and distance between the struts. Once the cabanes were dry, I installed the top wing. It fit perfectly, and a drop of superglue held the upper wing in place permanently. I then applied a drop of superglue to the wing strut position holes, and the struts just popped into place. This was much easier than I expected. Everything lined up perfectly. The landing gear went together easily, and setup time with superglue was minimal. The wheels are merely glued to the landing gear axles. The engine, after sufficient detailing, can be glued to the firewall. I don't know if the designers had planned a rotating engine and prop, but mine certainly didn't do this. The prop attaches directly to the crankshaft, and should be located in the 10 o'clock - 4 o'clock position, as that was the position they were hand-propped in. Detailing and Rigging I used electronic wire to rig my model. I started with the cabane section, as the front wires are a little tricky. Inside the cabane struts and the wing struts came next, followed by the flying and landing wires on the wings. The landing gear struts are braced in the rear only, while the tailplane is braced fore and aft, top and bottom. I would advise attaching the control cables first, as they run inside of the bracing wires on the tailplane. The wing aileron control cables can be done last, along with the cable that connects the upper and lower ailerons at the rear of the control surface. Conclusions and Recommendations This is a very nice little model when completed, and is much better than the older Revell and the ESCI and Eldon Matchkit series. The only other Camel kit I know of in 1.72 scale is the ancient Kielkraft offering forty years ago. I have one, but it certainly wouldn't build it now that I have built the Roden kit. The nice thing about this kit is that the parts included predict the appearance of several variants, including the Le Rhone and Clerget powered versions, along with a very intriguing two seat version. With these Camels now available, the entire Sopwith line can be built without resorting to conversions. Highly recommended. Thanks to Roden and IPMS for the review sample and the several hours of enjoyment building a model of this historically significant airplane.

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