STRUCTURAL MODEL KITS - IS THE HASEGAWA 1:16 SCALE SOPWITH CAMEL THE START OF SOMETHING BIG?

News of the 1:16 scale Hasegawa Sopwith Camel makes us wonder if ultra-large scales are on the growth list for future scale models.

MONOGRAM WRIGHT FLYER MODEL DIORAMA

After putting together the Wrights article yesterday, Mat Irvine searched through his MMMM (Mat’s Marvellous Model Museum, a place of awe and wonder for any model fan) and hunted out this nice little diorama he built some years ago.

It uses the Monogram 1:39 scale kit as the showpiece, mounted on a 457 mm (18 in) circular base. The ground is a simulation of the dunes in the Kill Devil Hills area, North Carolina, where Orville and Wilbur Wright made their historic flights in December 1903. Note the complex rigging on the model, always an issue with those of us with less than nimble fingers, though not for Mat. Earlier kit issues supplied rigging thread in the box, more recent ones have left you to supply your own.

Mat also looked out some pictures that he took of the actual spot, and the two shown here give you an idea of the area. Note though, that these were taken in high summer - in December, the dunes are somewhat barer and breezier!

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1-3 Views of the 1:39 scale Monogram Wright Flyer.
4 Kill Devil Hill, looking toward the Wright Brothers National Memorial at its summit. The information board in the foreground is placed roughly where the Wrights made their first flight.
5 Closeup of the Memorial Tower, a massive 18 m (60 ft) granite monument that was dedicated in 1932. Out of shot are a marker stone and fascinating visitor centre.

CELEBRATING THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS

Mat Irvine reports
Today’s the day back in 1903 that Orville and Wilbur Wright became the first humans to make controlled powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine, the Wright Flyer. The morning started with a short hop piloted by Orville (a decision made by tossing a coin) lasting just 12 seconds, and covering just 36.6 m (120 ft). This is less than the wingspan of many modern airliners, but it was a success and the rest, as they say, is history.

Because of its significance, the Wright Flyer has been turned in many a model, from diecast replicas to plastic kits, and perhaps more appropriately, wood and tissue paper kits.

The most comprehensive kit comes from Hasegawa in its Museum Models series. This is 1:16 scale and a ‘multi-material’ kit in that it contains more than one material. Mimicking the original, a lot of the 301 parts are wood and brass with a sprinkling of white metal and plastic. But this model is for the really dedicated, and is not idly called a ‘museum’ model - many actually do end up in museums. It’s not presently in production at Hasegawa, but kits are available from stock in model stores off and online.

Probably the most familiar Flyer is from Monogram. Produced in the early days of the company, it first appeared in 1958, and has been in and out of the catalogues over the decades, so one of the issues should still be found easily. It matches the famous photograph of the first flight in that you get Orville at the controls, with Wilbur running alongside. And that isn’t all, for the bits and pieces of paraphernalia visible in the historic photo are supplied too - launching ramp, starter battery, brush in a pot, workbench, even the g-clamp.

The only thing against this kit is that it’s to a weird fit-the-box scale of 1:39, but in a diorama setting scale is less important and considering its age, the kit still looks good.

So what kits are available off the shelf right now? Not a lot, sad to say, but click the link to find out what Amazon has in store. Best of the bunch is the decent Aviation Archive 1:32 Flyer from Corgi, which comes with figures and takeoff ramp. It’s available at a cracking price here.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 The original historic photograph, taken on a plate camera. Although set up by Orville, the shot was actually tripped by John Daniels, one of the local life-savers the Wrights roped in to help.
2 Five issues of the Wright Flyer, with the first Monogram release in the front. The Revell kit at top left was issued in 2003 to celebrate the flight’s centenary.
4 Tonka is rightly famed for its tough tin toys; less well known are its kits, such as this Wright Flyer diorama.

Photographs of the kits courtesy Mat Irvine.

DOES SCALE MATTER?

You’d think that with a title like SCALE MODEL NEWS we wouldn’t be asking this sort of question. But the question is not so much about accuracy of a particular model so much as, is a common scale essential, or is a unique ‘fit the box’ size OK?

For most modellers, most of the time, common scales are highly desirable, be they 1:87, 1:72, 1:32 or whatever. The secret is in comparisons - being able to have variations on the same subject from different manufacturers, or just being able to see the difference in size between (say) a Mustang and an F-16 on the shelf together. And of course, if you are into dioramas or model rail, then a common scale to the various contributing elements is vital.

But once upon a time, makers such as Revell and Lindbergh had little or no common-scale policy. So a Wright Flyer to 1:39, a Mississippi riverboat to 1:271, or a Ford Trimotor to 1:77 were released with apparently little thought of scale comparisons in mind. Today many older kits are re-released as ‘classics’ - and nowadays can stand or fall as one-offs, and on their intrinsic historical merits in the kit world.

As for me, I’d rather have common-scale, even if it means a 1:72 submarine taking up 52 inches (1.3 m) of display space!