Part 2: The Build

In this final installment of the review "build" we begin by assembling the fuselage. The parts fit very well, and with some care making sure the interior bulkheads and detail parts are aligned, the airframe goes together without any issues. The lower wing, which is molded as a single part (rather than a pair of parts for the right and left sides) required a very small amount of sanding before it snapped into place. The alignment of the lower wing was excellent and required no adjustment.

The horizontal stabilizer and elevator are molded as a single piece. A small bead of superglue was used to fill the very small cracks along the joint between the stab and the fuselage. The vertical stabilizer and rudder are molded as one piece and literally snap into the locating slot in the fuselage without trouble. The tail skid required a small amount of scraping in order for the biscuit on the skid to fit into the slot on the underside of the fuselage. The undercarriage is a bit fragile and when the cross brace rigging is attached it significantly strengthens this subassembly. The struts, axle, and wheels fit nicely. The ends of the struts are beveled to the proper angle to mate up to the fuselage and this is a nice touch and done well by Gavia.

There are a number of small fittings that are glued on the fuselage. Some of these parts are styrene and some are photoetch. The quality of the photoetch parts is high. Eduard manufactured these parts and are to be thanked for the extra copies of several of the smaller parts. I found that after the carpet fed on several of these small parts I was particularly grateful for the spares. There are two styrene "air filters" with P.E. screens that are located on the fuselage, one of each side of the engine. This is one of the minor disappointments with this kit. There are no locating guides for these parts and it appears that it would have been very easy for Gavia to provide a locating pin and matching hole. This is one of the few complaints I have about this kit and simply isn't that important. The decals are a bit of a challenge. The decals are somewhat fragile and resist any effort to move them once they touch the model. Be sure to get them in the proper place initially and it is suggested that a mild setting solution be used, if a setting solution is used at all. Perhaps it would be wise to begin the decaling process by applying the marking on the underside of the lower wing. Any damage done to the decals during the "learning curve" would be less disruptive to the completion of the model than similar damage on the markings on the upper wing. The most challenging aspect of this kit is the alignment and attachment of the wing braces. There are four braces located in pairs, located in the usual place outboard of the fuselage. On the D.1 a brace shaped like a sawhorse provides the inboard attachment point. The fit of this piece is an issue. The legs need to be splayed outward a bit and that causes the beveling on the ends of the legs to require some sanding. A few swipes of a sanding stick improve the fit of the legs to the fuselage. The difficulty of this process is compounded, as it is with most models of bi-winged aircraft, by the weakness inherent in an assembly with very few, and very small attachment points. This is not a problem that can be placed on Gavia's desk, it's just an aspect of modeling with which WWI fans are very familiar.

This kit is a relatively easy project but does present some challenges for the builder. The kit is well within the capability of experienced builders and, in my opinion, would make an excellent introductory project for those who have never built a WWI subject. There are no major problems with the kit and I highly recommend this product. My thanks to Eduard and Gavia for the review kit.

Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®.